Thunderclouds roll into the central New Mexico afternoon skies. What strikes me as odd in this observation is knowing that the likelihood of rain of any substance is minimal. It is the dessert, after all. The skies broil with swirling dark clouds, and yet, it is unlikely that any real rain will come. A running joke in New Mexico is that we must sprint between raindrops to get wet. Having grown up in Colorado, rain clouds in the afternoon sky meant rain was coming. What a culture shock to see artificial rainclouds.
As I reflect on this, I draw to my mind the words of Jonathan Edwards when he states, “True religion, in great part, consists of holy affections.”1 There lies a great danger in the pulpit and pew today of the artificiality of religious belief. What I propose is, not unlike Edwards, to draw to light principles to serve as guardrails for pursuing a life of religious affection while avoiding religious affectation. In Edwardsian fashion, we must ensure that we do not neglect the virtue of a holy affection for love and joy. Edwards writes, “Persons may seem to have love to God and Christ, yea, to have very strong and violent affections of this nature, and yet have no grace.”2
Live Life Authentically
Let me define my terms before we get riled up by this oversaturated and often corrupted phrase. Biblically speaking, we are authentically wicked and in desperate need of a Savior (Rom 3:23). To live life authentically is to come to grips with the stark realization that I need a new life and that life only comes from God. Looking to King David, he declared, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). David helps us recognize two things. First, we are unclean and unreliable. Second, we need an external intervention to make things right. No amount of grit and perseverance will help our cause. Only divine intervention can effect lasting change. So, to live authentically is to humbly approach the throne of grace made available in Christ and look to him for help. Seeking this approach in our lives will afford us the ability to seek the good of those around us for the glory of Christ. To esteem others higher than ourselves, knowing it is for Christ’s glory (Phil 2:3).
Seek Christ Passionately
Edwards continues, “Therefore since it is so plain, that by a hard heart is meant, in Scripture, a heart destitute of pious affections, and since also the Scriptures do so frequently place the sin and corruption of the heart in hardness of heart; it is evident, that the grace and holiness of the heart, on the contrary, must, in a great measure, consist in its having pious affections, and being easily susceptive of such affection.” Passionately seeking Christ is anchored in knowing Him. We know Him through the revelation of His Word. If we desire to know Christ, we must begin with how Scripture reveals His person and work. The whole counsel of God before us illuminates Christ—the Old Testament anticipates Christ and the New Testament reveals Him.
Guard Your Affections Humbly
The devil seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. As Edwards elucidates, “The devil can counterfeit all the saving operations and graces of the Spirit of God, so he can counterfeit those operations that are preparatory to grace.” Within that counterfeit, we find religious affectations—artificiality. To guard against these wiles, we must seek to walk in God’s armor, as Paul outlined in Ephesians 6. We garner our strength and defense from God through submission to His word. The primary characteristic of religious affectation that must be noted is the centrality of the self in the discussion of faith. To the contrary, Edwards asserts, “A true saint, when in the enjoyment of true discoveries of the sweet glory of God and Christ, has his mind too much captivated and engaged by what he views without himself, to stand at that time to view himself, and his attainments.” Essentially, we guard our faith through our central focus on Christ and His glory.
Conclusion
In a world caught up in being on the “right side of history” and presenting an heir of righteousness, it is vitally important that believers look to the gospel to maintain their religious affections. Unlike the rainclouds of New Mexico that often fail to bring rain, let our religious affections be motivated by and towards the exaltation of Christ in this age. Let us examine our hearts to root out those areas where our faith is inauthentic and press on toward the goal in Scripture. My fellow workers—fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith (2 Tim 4:7).
