In the last BLOG we looked at the fact that it is not necessarily a sign of true religion to have high religious affections. This is true because of the fact that a person without evangelical humility is a person that loves self and all that is thought to bring good to self. Forms of religion, apart from evangelical humility, can be nothing more than acts of self-love. Music and preaching can be aimed at the feelings and as long as God is mentioned people may think that their feelings that are raised by those things are religious affections, though they might not use that language. Preaching that declare that Christ died for you may do nothing but move self-love in a person. Singing and music can produce high and elevated feelings, yet add a few words about God and people will think that their elevated feelings are toward God and they will be certain that they love God because of those feelings.
The following quote is taken from The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. The total quote being used can be seen in the BLOG Humility 36.
“But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory…This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect. They that are destitute of this, have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.”
If Edwards was and is correct, and I am not sure how his position could be argued against from Scripture, there could be large numbers of people donate money and do good works, but they do so because it makes them feel good which is from self-love rather than love for God. People can donate money to a “good” cause because it makes them feel good or because it gives them relief from their guilty feelings. But as should be obvious, that is not the same thing as giving or doing out of love for God. So not matter how high and elevated the feelings are while doing these things, apart from evangelical humiliation it is all done for self rather than love for God.
Large numbers of people go to church because it is a time of quiet and they can hear a moral lecture, but that is again obviously and simply self-love seeking things for self and not out of love for God. There seems to be something so right about going to church in America for many people, but still that is far from going out of love for God. We live in a nation that exalts self and thinks that things are to be done for self, so it is so easy to slip into a way of doing that in things of religion. The modern version of Christianity seems to be nothing more than another way to seek self, yet the biblical truth teaches over and over that self must be denied in order to follow Christ. Apart from evangelical humiliation, people are full of self and seek God for self.
There are popular preachers that are quite orthodox that focus on preaching about wealth and about joy and things like that. While it may sound God-centered, in reality it is not or at least it is not heard that way by many. God is not to be sought for anything but is to be sought for Himself. Yet apart from evangelical humiliation, the soul is bound to itself in pride and self-love and will not and cannot seek anything but itself. This shows how dangerous it is to have preachers that tickle ears. Many people will say amen to that and yet love ear ticklers themselves. The love of ear tickling sermons can come in many forms. Some love to hear those who are quite entertaining on stage. Some love to hear those who tell them good things about themselves. Some love to hear those who speak to them and claim to seek their happiness and joy. Some love to hear folksy stories during so-called sermons. Some just love an intellectual approach to the Bible. Some love to hear good old time fire and brimstone. Some love to hear orthodox doctrine from the pulpit. Some love to hear practical things from the pulpit. Some love to be made to feel great joy in the sermon. Some love to hear what they are to do from the pulpit. Some even love to hear hard things from the pulpit and can have pride that they go to hard preaching. But none of those things are inconsistent with hearing from self-love and pride. The unhumbled heart loves to base what it does on the feelings it gets from being apart from the crowd, though some like to be part of the crowd. The heart that has been truly humbled, however, no longer lives for self but out of love for God and does all for the glory of God. The truly humbled heart has pain when it hears sermons that are aimed at self rather than the destruction of self. They that are destitute of this, [evangelical humiliation] have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.” Religious affections can be raised very high without the least bit of Christ in them.
God Loves... Himself 
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