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Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God By Jonathan Edwards

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“This is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ: That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you…” This excerpt is from Jonathan Edwards’ acclaimed sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” In this sermon he used descriptive, truthful words to deepen the understanding of God and Man, to show there is redemption. Edwards was a major player in The Great Awakening; he preached with conviction, with power. The Holy Spirit was upon him to give this message to these people. Many consider this sermon to be persuasive. Persuasive is often seen as one human saying to another: “I want you to believe what I believe.” However, in the case of Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, it seems the Holy Spirit is the …show more content…

“The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the lover the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose.” Edwards uses this imagery the people are familiar with to display the majesty of our Lord. Before this quote, Edwards stated: “Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards Hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf…” This is a representation of us as pitiful humans, not deserving God’s mercy. It is a very personal passage, as the word ‘you’ is used multiple times to emphasize you and your sins. Further down, Edwards discusses how God’s wrath is like a bent arrow, ready to drink our blood. At this point all seems hopeless, however, Edwards soon explains the miracle of mercy God displays to us, the humans with wickedness that “pressures us towards …show more content…

“And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God.” The imagery here is very intense. A door is visualized being thrown open and many plunging for it. This certainly shows the serious need we have for mercy, reiterating my earlier point of how lowly we, as humans, are. “Therefore, let everyone that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation…” Edwards says this at the very end of his sermon. He is proclaiming these words he so believes because he knows the Bible is true, and because the Holy Spirit is using him as a vessel to not only that congregation, but to humans worldwide and for generations. The message of the undeserved salvation offered to sinners is greatly displayed in this

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Jonathan Edwards, in the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" presents his beliefs through the usage of repetition and imagery. He expresses his thoughts to persuade readers of the wrath of God. Edwards usage of words and his repetition allows the reader to undestand what he wants the congregation to grasp from the text. In the sermon Edward repeats the phrase " the wrath of God" he emphasizes on the wrath of Almighty God to make it known that no one has the power to resist God, a persons actions can dertermine their destiny which can either be hell or heaven. the purpose of his repetion was to terrify the potestants into obeying his demands and prevent them into commiting a sin and burning into the firey pot of

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In Jonathan Edwards' fiery sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," he describes the horrible fate of those who do not open their hearts to God. He accomplishes this by employing the persuasive techniques of fear and guilt and by creating frightening imagery. By repeatedly reminding his parishioners of God's anger and their transgressions, Edwards uses fear and guilt to accomplish his goal. Edwards states that the unconverted "are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God" to demonstrate the abhorrence God has for them. God's anger and the consequences of transgressions are used repeatedly to produce fear; Edwards actively induces fear by describing the dead unconverted as "those who are now in the flames of hell."

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He makes it crystal clear that the recklessness of those that choose the slippery slope that is their lives will lead to an abysmal fate. This should incite fear and anxiety into the hearts of his listeners. Following these warnings about God’s wrath is his central theme that nothing keeps wicked men ouf of Hell but the mere pleasure of God (Edwards). This theme resonates throughout his sermon as he

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In order to emphasize God’s contempt for the audience, Jonathan Edwards utilizes inflammatory diction and comparisons of God’s anger to a bow and arrow and “black clouds” to instill fear in the audience so that they will accept God as their savior, provoking a religious revival. Throughout the sermon, Edwards utilizes “fiery” phrases such as “furnace of wrath”, “wrath…burns like fire”, and “glowing flames of the wrath of God” in order to establish a connection between God’s fury and a burning fire, reaffirming the reality of going to hell, as hell is commonly associated with fire. Because fires are also very devastating and unpredictable, Edwards emphasizes the power and degree of God’s disdain and his ability to cause drastic change at unexpected times, making God’s patience seem fragile.

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He appeals to the congregation when he says “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you…” by displaying how strong and powerful God really is. He wanted the people to picture this gruesome image that describes how weak people are in comparison to God’s power. Edwards make God seem merciless when He deals with sinners of the congregation, and wants them to fear God’s punishment against those who wrong Him. He begins to end his sermon by saying “…a day wherein Christ has flung the door calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners…”. He said this to appeal to unconverted men ethically and emotionally by describing how Christ is calling for the people of the congregation to return to him and recant all their sins.

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Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is a sermon that was delivered by Jonathan Edwards, a “New Lights” preacher during the Great Awakening during the mid 1700s. To begin his sermon, Edwards has a very critical, unregretful and informative tone, but later there is a tone shift, in which he is then encouraging and hopeful. Edwards’ chose words with negative connotations in order to terrify his audience. By doing so, the audience was more likely to listen and be attentive because he was explaining to them why God was angry with them and that they were going to hell. He also continues to explain that it’s inevitable for them to go to hell if they continue living the way they do.

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Johnathan Edwards wants sinners to truly visualize what is to come in his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God". There is a great deal of imagery that is included, which is carried out through the use of similes comparing God's omnipotent wrath to many things, a call to action emphasizing the little time sinners have for salvation, as well as rhetorical questioning to highlight key points in his sermon. Edward points out distinct characteristics of his wrath, asserting that they are like "great waters [dammed] for the present, [increasing] more and more." He utilizes this technique in attempt to provide the audience with enough details to get a sense of God's anger towards the sinners. Stating that it is comparable to a flood gives reader a feeling of what is to come for them if they refuse to change the way they live their lives, which of course seems like an 'inconceivable' fate that no one should undergo.

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Imagine everyone’s life was judged every second of everyday. By a greater power, God. And that greater power would hold someone over a pit of fire, because they committed a sin, would you commit a sin? Jonathan Edwards was a powerful fire-and-brimstone preacher during the Great Awakening and author of the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Edwards uses a variety of metaphors in his writing, all metaphors have a strong effect on what Edwards experience during the Great Awakening.

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One of his well-known sermon is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” preached at the meeting house in the village of Enfield, Connecticut, on Sunday, July 8, 1741, at the height of the great awakening. In this sermon, Edwards focused on the consequences of leading a sinful life, the power of God and repenting of ones sins, in order to be saved from hell. The purpose behind this piece of writing was not to terrorize or dismay the hearers, but to make them repent and believe in God again. This piece was aimed at those who lacked belief in God as well as churches.

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It is explained that God is the only one who is able to save people from going to Hell. Edwards wants people to imagine how evil and distressed life would be without Gods love and mercy. He explains that to not burn in Hell people need to ask for forgiveness from God, experience Gods mercy, and continuously practice the Lords word. Edwards really lets the message of “Gods wrath” sink into our minds to show how mighty, powerful, and capable the Lord is. The Lord gives us many opportunities to rely on Him and when we need his love and mercy the most.

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During the time of Edwards’ sermon, a revival movement known as the Great Awakening was happening. The Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals that spread throughout the American colonies. It was a time when many were realizing that they needed to be saved, and they were being converted because of the power and the seriousness of the speaker. Edwards, however, tried to get many to realize they will be judged by God, and this judgement will be more painful and fearful than one can ever imagine. He wanted his congregation to realize that God’s wrath will come suddenly and unexpectedly.

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Edwards wanted his audience to mentally understand his attitude towards God, and for them to not underestimate God’s Powers. He painted a mental picture of an enraged and angry God when Edwards preached that “There are black clouds of God’s wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm… and were it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately burst forth upon you” (Paragraph 3). The black clouds and the description of the storm demonstrated God’s anger building up inside him waiting to unleash. God’s merciful act was the only reason he did not release his true wrath. There was no say when God will become completely fed up with his “sinner.”

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Rhetorical Analysis of Jonathan edwards’s Sinners in the hand of an angry god: jeremiad Jonathan edwards, is known as one of the most important religious figures of the great awakening, edwards became known for his zealous sermon “sinners at the hand of an angry god”. During his sermon he implies that if his congregation does not repent to christ they are in “danger of great wrath and infinite misery”. Throughout this sermon edwards uses literary devices such as strong diction, powerful syntax and juxtaposition to save his congregation from eternal damnation. Throughout Edwards’s sermon the use of turgid diction is exceedingly prevalent.

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The majority of this sermon is dedicated to the audience whom Edwards views with repulsion. He uses imagery to describe the awful Hell that he believes the people in the congregation will end up in and calls it a “great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath” (Paragraph 8). He illustrates the never ending state of Hell in order to frighten everyone in the audience. He sees each and every person as damned and honestly believes they deserve be sent to Hell to burn for all eternity. He feels no sympathy for them because they are completely free to do what they want and he knows that what they do with their free will is commit sin.

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