Joy Unspeakable:
Recovering Religious Affections
By John Fanella

“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” 1 Peter 1:8.

One of the most important books ever written on American soil is Religious Affections, by early Congregationalist Jonathan Edwards. In Religious Affections, Edwards outlines the essence of true religion. He considers the many false displays of faith and compares them with the true and spiritual displays held out in the Bible. Edwards maintains that the central feature of true faith is the presence of what he calls “religious affections.” Edwards centers the essence of faith not in outward displays, not in eccentric outbreaks, and not in learned behavior, but in a person’s heart response to the glory and sovereignty of God. For Edwards, the extent of a person’s delight in God’s character determines the validity of their religious experience.

In our day, where nearly anything is accepted as true Christianity, Edwards’ corrective is a needed antidote. We need to hear Edwards’ call to a God-centered faith. We need to question whether God in His sovereign majesty has been the true object of our faith; or whether our object has simply been a god created in our own image who meets our needs and serves our cause. We must once again grasp the true essence of Christian experience—religious affections.  

What are Religious Affections?

Religious affections can be described in a number of ways. Edwards answers this question like this:

“The affections are no other than the more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination and the will of the soul.” In other words, affections are the emotional responses of the soul.

Edwards saw that the soul had two parts: One was the understanding (the Christian mind). This is what enables a person to think, perceive, speculate, discern, view, and judge. It is our rational aspect. In terms of faith, the understanding enables us to perceive doctrinal truth, discern doctrinal error, and comprehend the riches of the Bible.

The other part of the soul is what Edwards called the inclination. He also called it the heart and the will. The inclination processes the data collected by the understanding and either sides with or against it. It elevates us beyond simply being a bystander with regard to information. The inclination emotionally involves us in the process.

Because not all data collected by the understanding are equally important, there are degrees of inclination. Some truths move us little beyond indifference. Others arouse our feeling more, but simply go away with time. But there are some truths that affect in us accelerated emotional feeling, great and sustained reaction, and occupy a dominant place in our daily lives. This heightened degree of inclination is what makes up our affections. Affections are what we are and what we desire in our innermost being. The evidence of affections is delight and joy.   

Religious affections, then, are the inward alignment, responses, and desires that result from the assimilation of Biblical truth. They are evidenced by deep inward joy and delight in the truth of Scripture. They are the crowning jewels of truth. They don’t make truth any the more true, but make it visibly so. The affections are the element of faith that the unconverted and the devils are unable to display. They may obtain an academic perception of revealed truth, but none will delight in and display sustained joy over truth, except the elect alone.      

What Religious Affections Are Not

It’s just as important to understand what the affections are not as it is to understand what they are. Here is a list of what religious affections are not:

Affections are not blind emotions. Uninformed affections are what make for deceit. In many religious circles today, blind emotions flourish. Emotions that are not fueled by the understanding are no basis for relationship to God. They can be misleading at best, and blasphemous at worst. 

Affections are not anti-Biblical responses to God. When people howl during worship services or when they see visions of Mary or angels, they are not dealing with affections. 

Affections are not the result of spiritual pacifism. "Let Go and Let God" is not the credo of the affections. The affections are not the result of foregoing mental and physical action.

Affections are not merely elevated emotional states. There can be false affections that are very powerful for a short duration of time. Just because someone is very zealous about something today does not mean they are demonstrating affections.

Affections are not constant chatter about religious things. Just because we fill the airwaves with “Christian” radio shows, fill bookstores with “Christian” books, and host hundreds of “Christian” conferences does not mean we are demonstrating religious affections.  

Affections are not the ability to zealously explain, debate, or preach the doctrines of Scripture. It is entirely possible to do these things without ever engaging the religious affections. Edwards called this the faith of devils. It’s a preoccupation with the data of faith, without the more important affectionate response to the data.

Affections are not a heightened state of love. Readers of John Wesley should take special note of this point. Just because you exhibit greater degrees of outward love does not mean you are doing so out of the affections. There is a sharp distinction between Edwards’ religious affections and Wesley’s perfect love (although much of the language is the same).

Affections are not the zealous participation in worship through song. This is probably the most poignant truth for evangelical Christians today, who see singing as the highest form of communion with God. In the early church, sacrament was the highest form of communion with God; in the Reformation, the preaching of the Word was the highest form; in today’s church singing is the highest form. In many churches, singing occupies more time than preaching, and wholly replaces the administration of sacraments. What drives this is a desire to “experience God” more fully. But singing with great joy does not always equal religious affections.

What Constitutes Truly Religious Affections?

We must move beyond the trap of simply “knowing God,” and move toward cherishing Him, delighting in Him, loving Him, and communing with Him. Jonathan Edwards wrote,

“It is hurtful to religion when people make light of things that give evidence of our relationship with Christ (Edwards here is speaking about practice). They maintain that to emphasize practice is to emphasize the Old Testament way. And so they neglect practice and emphasize discovering new things, profound contemplation, making nice distinctions in doctrine, and developing the ability to discern (This is a modern adaptation by the author).   

It is shocking for many Christians to read these words of Edwards. Edwards is among the most profound of thinkers, yet he considered thinking without affections hurtful to religion. How we need his words to ring out today!

Here are some things that we must strive toward today to recover religious affections:

1. Dispel the fear of a faith that includes affections. Fear is the dominant reason people avoid affections. Some fear what they may reveal about their relationship with God. Others fear how they may affect their relationship with other people. To overcome fear, we must make the language of the affections familiar to people.

2. Condemn the false dichotomy between the understanding and the affections. True faith is not one or the other; it is both the understanding and the affections working in harmony and according to their God-given purpose.

3. Study the things of heart religion as ardently as we study doctrine. Christians must once again become people of a strong devotional life. We must pursue sweet communion with God. We must learn to be men and women of prevailing prayer. We must be people who weep at the thought of the sufferings of Christ. We must stop “studying” the Bible, and learn to pursue God in the Bible on our knees. Our preaching must be filled with matters of delighting in God. Our seminaries must become places where people learn to walk with God. We must make our communion with God primary.

4. Recover the emphasis of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has always been a major force in the Protestant movement—until now. So long as we neglect heart religion, we will neglect the Holy Spirit. Neglecting the operation of the Holy Spirit is and inappropriate response to modern abuses. 

5. Evidence our faith in Christian practice. We must recover a proper emphasis of practical sanctification. We must come to “love the law of God.” We realize that the law is powerless to save, but it is the moral standard to which we must strive to conform. Pursuing God by seeking to conform to the law is the primary duty of a Christian. But it is not merely duty; the renewed man finds his greatest delight in pleasing God and offering his body as a living sacrifice to God.

Will you seek and pray for God to awaken your affections to his beauty? Will you invite the Holy Spirit to sweeten your communion with God? There is no greater reward than to experience joy unspeakable in your walk with God. It is so magnificent that it will take all of eternity to pursue. Why not start now?