“Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion.” (Resolution 45)
This resolution flows out of and goes a bit deeper than resolution 44. In 44 Edwards resolved not to have any motive or goal except that of true religion. He did not want an action of his, not even in the least circumstance of it, to be influenced by any goal or motive than that of true religion which is love for God and His glory. While 44 sets out a standard that is far higher than virtually any other mortal man has conceived of, resolution 45 takes it a step further. While all of 45 is implied in 44, putting it into words is simply astonishing in light of the way modern Americans view things.
It is hard to imagine such a close knowledge of self and of the heart to even attempt a resolution such as this. Now we are at the depths of the heart and in need of vast stores of grace to even breathe in this atmosphere. How can we make a resolution never to even allow any pleasure or grief unless it helps religion? What a startling statement! No pleasure is to be allowed at all (never) unless it helps us in our religion (love for God and His glory). That sounds drastic and legalistic to many, but what else does it mean to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength? We are not even to allow any grief unless it helps us love God and His glory. In other words, the Great Command regulates us as to all of our pleasures and all of our grief. Nothing regarding pleasure and grief should slip through the cracks when applying the Greatest Commandment to our hearts and souls.
The terms “pleasure” and “grief” appear to be polar opposites and used to refer to events that happen to the body while the terms “joy” and “sorrow refer to events within the soul or the inner man. While the distinctions are not absolute, Edwards is trying to get at the issue that no affection or any degree of affection should be allowed but what helps religion or assists in love for God and His glory. Nothing that the body or soul does should be done if not to promote true religion. Nothing should be allowed in terms of the outward man or the inward man that does not promote true religion. He is going to the depths of the heart to get at true religion.
All are commanded to eat, drink, of whatever they do to do to the glory of God (I Cor 10:31). This must include the motives that move us to eat and drink and the intent or goal in eating or drinking. Genesis 6:5 shows the nature of the inner man and how God sees it. “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Without question this text teaches that the wickedness of man is great because of the intent of the thoughts of the heart. Not only does God see the thoughts of the heart, but He sees the intent of the thoughts of the heart. God sees and judges the very depths of the heart. Edwards is trying to push his heart to love God with all of the heart and that includes the intents. Deep in every person we are driven by desires, motives, and intents. Until our loves, desires, pleasures, griefs, joys, and sorrows flow toward God and are moved by love for Him, all the good that a man does is only evil and only evil continually. That is what Edwards brings us face to face with in this resolution.
The vast majority of people on the planet in our day would accuse Edwards of overdoing it and perhaps even of being legalistic. One difference between that mindset and that of Edwards is that today people want to do the minimum and still be thought of as holy. With Edwards he wanted to know God and love Him with the maximum that he would be enabled to by grace. A second difference is that people today don’t take the Great Commandment all that seriously while for Edwards is was life and even eternal life itself. Edwards was far closed to the biblical view than that of modern man.
If we take the Great Commandment seriously, we must begin to pray for grace in order to start the push toward obedience with our every affection. No matter what happens to us and not matter what we are going to do, we must cry out to God for the grace to only have things move us that really promote true religion. What would happen to a church if a few people were so serious about loving God that they began to seek God in order to be moved to do all things out of love for Him? What would happen if they truly desired to do nothing and be affected by nothing unless it promoted true religion? Perhaps the reason that we don’t see much (if any) true religion in our day is simply because this type of thinking is thought to be extreme rather than simply biblical.
God Loves... Himself 
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