In ruminating over the topic of the unsaved in the community of faith, a dialogue from the movie Country Remedy caught my ear:
“Evan, look around you, what do you see?”
“An empty parking lot… trees… stars…”
“The trees, do you see how they move? The stars and the trees… how does that make you feel?”
“I don’t know… um… calm… I guess…”
“That’s it right there. You think they ought to make you feel calm, but you don’t actually feel it.”
What happens when you know that Christ’s work on the cross ought to evoke your complete faith and affection towards Christ, but you don’t actually trust or feel anything? You just know you ought to trust and feel, and so you fake it. You sing the songs and use the lingo as if the gospel warms your heart, but you feel nothing. And when you are left to sit and still your mind, you doubt rather than trust.
It may be before, while the man was under legal convictions and much afraid of hell, he earnestly longed that he might obtain spiritual light in his understanding, and faith in Christ, and love to God: but now, when these false affections are risen that deceive him, and make him confident that he is converted and his state good, there are no more earnest longings after light and grace; for his end is answered; he is confident that his sins are forgiven him, and that he shall go to heaven, and so he is satisfied. (Jonathan Edwards,
The Religous Affections, page 306)
A dreadful place to be, when there are no more earnest longings after light and grace.
Remedy? John Piper deals with this very topic in his book,
When I Don’t Desire God. To summarize, he urges us to look and
really see the cross of Christ, borne for our sins. If we really see it, we will be changed by it, and desire to see God more and more.
If we see the gospel, and it evokes in us no affection towards God, then we aren’t really seeing it. We are seeing wood, blood, and theological terminology, but we aren’t seeing the gospel in its wonder, unimaginable love, and God magnifying splendor. Let us return to the Word and pray that God makes it alive to us, so we might see the gospel as it really is!
God save us, and make us to continually long after light and grace in view of Christ on the cross for our sins.”Evan, look around you, what do you see?”"An empty parking lot… trees… stars…”"The trees, do you see how they move? The stars and the trees… how does that make you feel?”"I don’t know… um… calm… I guess…”"That’s it right there. You think they ought to make you feel calm, but you don’t actually feel it.”
Jeff – I clicked through to your site after seeing a comment you made on Humbly Reforming. I have not read much of Edwards, but see that I need to. Do you think that one struggles with these “emotions” about their relationship with Christ as they struggle in their walk with Him? In other words, the more concentrated I am in following Christ and His Word, the more I emote when meditating about Him…and…the less I focus on my relationship & the Word the less “I feel” for the relationship? I have a copy of Piper’s “When I Don’t Desire God” – I need to read it. After your post here, I feel encouraged to do so. God bless!