“This view or sense of the divine glory, and unparalleled beauty of the things exhibited to us in the gospel, has a tendency to convince the mind of their divinity… He that truly sees the divine, transcendent, supreme glory of those things which are divine, does as it were know their divinity intuitively; he not only argues that they are divine, but he sees that they are divine; he sees that in them wherein divinity chiefly consists; for in this glory, which is so vastly and inexpressibly distinguished from the glory of artificial things, and all other glory, does mainly consist the true notion of divinity: God is God, and distinguished from all other beings, and exalted above ’em, chiefly by his divine beauty, which is infinitely diverse from all other beauty. They therefore that see the stamp of this glory in divine things, they see divinity in them, they see God in them because they see that in them wherein the truest idea of divinity does consist.”
Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections, p. 298
In this post we will continue looking at this marvelous statement by Jonathan Edwards that should help people see what a spiritual sight means. It is possible to adhere to all the Reformed statements (in a general way since all do not teach the same exact thing on all points) and yet miss the real issue with theology. The truth of Scripture cannot be derived from historical studies and logical deductions, but it must be given by the grace of God. In the modern day we tend to think that a person knows something if the person can regurgitate the information on a test or give some verbal credence to the fact that s/he has the information in his or her brain. But Edwards tells us that divinity chiefly consists in a view or sense of the divine glory and its unparalleled beauty. To state this differently, we do not know God or theology because we can state the facts about God or theology, but we only know God and theology if we have a view or sense of the glory and beauty of Him. This is a far different thing than teaching people some facts about the Bible in a class. This is something that God alone can give.
Edwards says that the glory and beauty of God are what distinguishes the glory of God and true theology from all that is artificial. The beauty of nature in the natural sense, though it shines with the glory of God in truth, is of far more beauty to most people than that of theology. Modern biblical study and theology has devolved into historical studies of differing types of criticism and the only glory is that of the intellect of the person that is doing the study. It is no wonder that people would rather look at the ocean or mountains than engage in a Bible study like that. Of course there are other kinds of Bible studies that people have which seem to look at the Bible and simply look for moral commands to obey. So people do not see the true glory of God in those methods and end up living an external religious life or simply following what they think of as natural beauties or glories.
I Corinthians 2:9-14 gives insight into this: “‘THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
As we fight through texts like this, we must wrestle with what is spiritual and what is not. That which is spiritual is that which the Spirit reveals about things that are truly spiritual. The Spirit of God alone can give us understanding of the things of God. The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit because they are foolishness to him. Now, if we approach this from what Edwards says, we can see at least one way that this makes sense. The mind is not out of the picture, but the mind only receives what appears as good or as beautiful to it. So the Gospel of the glory of God in the face of Christ has no beauty to it and so no desirableness to the natural man and so it appears foolish to him. But those in whom God opens the mind and their heart to see His glory as it shines out in the Gospel of His glory in Christ, they are ravished by His beauty and delight in His glory. They now understand with delight that the Gospel is beautiful and desirable because it shines with the very glory of God. True spiritual insight, then, is to see the glory of God in the Gospel and doctrine. The Spirit gives believers love and joy in God Himself.
God Loves... Himself 
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