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Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

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Jonathan Edwards bases his sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," on the words of Deuteronomy XXXII.35 when Moses is warning his people about the power of God. During the time period of Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, many people were abandoning the idea of God and church; as these people were leaving the faith, they did not understand the difficulty of life without the wisdom and strength of God. Humans lack a knowledge of God and are limited due to the fact in which they do not understand His full potential of power. Some have confidence in their own strength and wisdom and do not believe they need the guidance of Christ. The final reason humans are limited in their knowledge of God is they do not understand the reality of Hell. Edwards intended his sermon to have multiple influences on his audience; he intended to show man that he must fear God, while also recognizing that man must take advantage …show more content…

This is where Deuteronomy comes into play. When Edwards is explaining the power of God, he bases it off of Deuteronomy which is when Moses warns the people of the power of God. We will forever fail to understand salvation until we accept human limitations. In Genesis 6:5 it says, "The Lord saw that human evil was growing more and more throughout the Earth, and he was deeply grieved about that." Jonathan Edwards realizes this and artfully crafts a sermon to change this growing epidemic. By alluding to Heaven and Hell, Edwards hoped to contrast the two with the idea of fear and hope. However, Edwards goal was not to completely defeat the hope of the people, because at the end of the sermon he brings a lighter approach. He ensures them that as long as they accept the help of God they will be successful. Human limitations can only be surpassed when one comes to reality and begins to listen to God. Once one understands the power of God, they will learn that without him it is impossible to escape Hell

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