Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions

Date January 1, 2007 Posted by Roger Overton


I’ve never been a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. I
actually don’t understand all the hype about the new year in general, but
resolutions seem especially odd since so many people make promises to
themselves they seldom keep. Sure, it’s good to strive to loose weight, read
more, watch TV less, etc., but for most people it lasts a few weeks at best and
then they go on with life as it used to be.


Over the past week or so I’ve been reflecting on Jonathan
Edwards’ Resolutions. His 70
resolutions weren’t trendy goals for the new year, but purposeful steps for
discipline for his entire life and ministry. Here’s a bit of background on Resolutions from Stephen J. Nichols:

“When he wrote these seventy
resolutions, Edwards was completing his schooling and ministerial training and
was anticipating setting out on his life’s work. He took advantage of the
opportunity to pause and reflect on the type of person he wanted to be and the
way in which he wanted to live his life.

In a manner that would typify his
entire career, he took up his pen and, in the moments of quiet he could wrest
from a busy day, wrote the guidelines, the systems of checks and balances he
would use to chart out his life—his relationship, his conversations, his desires,
his activities. In short, through these resolutions he offers himself his own
advice…

Edwards prefaces his Resolutions with an exhortation to
‘remember to read over these resolutions once a week.’ Perhaps this bit of
advice is also worthy of our imitation. The Resolutions
are as relevant today as they were when he first penned them so long ago. Reading through them on a
regular basis may very well help us also to live with all of our might to the
glory and praise of God.” (Jonathan
Edwards’ Resolutions and Advices to Young Converts ed. Stephen J. Nichols,
pages 5 & 12)

You can read the resolutions online, and it may be good to also print them out and post them somewhere. The booklet by Dr. Nichols I quoted from is handy to have on the nightstand and gives some background on Resolutions, as well as Advice to Young Converts.

Related posts:

  1. Free Jonathan Edwards
  2. Free Jonathan Edwards Book
  3. Book Review: Heaven on Earth by Stephen J. Nichols
  4. Book Review: Further Up & Further In by Bruce Edwards
  5. Book Review: Not a Tame Lion by Bruce Edwards
  6. Interview with Bruce Edwards, Part I

Category Posted in Main Page, Poetry/Scripture/Liturgy/Etc., Roger's Posts

One Response to “Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions”

  1. Anonymous said:

    January 3rd, 2007 at 12:40 pm

    I just started reading Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen. It covers 3 of Owen's books – Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers, Of Temptation: the Nature and Power of it, and Indwelling Sin. Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor are the editor's and they even use the ESV as scripture references. I will post a tiny review of the book after I'm done with it. I know it would be a nice addition to Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions.
    Mike

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