Being Moved
Jonathan Edwards, Congregational pastor of the Great Awakening, and former president of Princeton University, writes in his primary theological work, Religious Affections:
I am bold in saying this, but I believe that no one is ever changed, either by doctrine, by hearing the Word, or by the preaching or teaching of another, unless the affections are moved by these things.
By affections, Edwards is referring to the passion of the soul that arrises from the spirit of God.
While I am inclined to agree with Edward's proper emphasis on the emotion of the soul in the process of a person's transformation, I would qualify this claim only with the thought that without the word of doctrine proclaimed in preaching there is no basis for these affections. It is the truth of God's incarnation and relationship with man that is the foundation for the communcation of God's spirit, and so affection to us.
Not only does the preaching of the word of doctrine lay the groundwork for these affections, but in my experience, it is this proclaimation that often arouses these affections in me. This is why I find myself moved by the great hyms that proclaim in such rich theological language the glory of God. The Word connects somehow with my affections and draws them to the surface.
I do however understand this emphasis on affections for a person to be moved, for there are definitely times when I find myself unmoved by the deepest exposition of Scripture. The spirit of God that excites one's soul to the depth of emotion is not something, in my experience, one can unlock by an act of will. Perhaps surrender is a better key.
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