Charity and Its Fruits: Living in the Light of God's Love

by Jonathan Edwards, Kyle Strobel (Editor)

Overview

A classic, unabridged work by Jonathan Edwards on 1 Corinthians 13—made accessible via annotations, definitions, and callouts written by Edwards scholar Kyle Strobel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433529702
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	06/30/2012
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) was a pastor, theologian, and missionary. He is generally considered the greatest American theologian. A prolific writer, Edwards is known for his many sermons, including "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," and his classic A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections. Edwards was appointed president of the College of New Jersey (later renamed Princeton University) shortly before his death. 

Kyle Strobel (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is assistant professor of spiritual theology at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. He has served as a fellow at Yale’s Jonathan Edwards Center, has published several academic reviews of works related to Edwards, and has taught graduate courses on Edwards’s spirituality theology. Kyle lives in Fullerton, California, with his wife, Kelli, and their two children.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 11

Introduction 13

Section 1 Love, the Most Essential Thing

Sermon 1 Love the Sum of All Virtue 37

Sermon 2 Love More Excellent than Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit 57

Sermon 3 Nothing Can Make Up for Want of Sincerity in the Heart 79

Section 2 Love, the Fountain of All Good

Sermon 4 Long-Suffering and Kindness 93

Sermon 5 Charity Contrary to an Envious Spirit 125

Sermon 6 A Christian Spirit Is a Humble Spirit 139

Sermon 7 Charity Contrary to a Selfish Spirit 160

Sermon 8 Charity Contrary to an Angry Spirit 180

Sermon 9 Charity Contrary to a Censorious Spirit 192

Sermon 10 Grace Tends to Holy Practice 203

Sermon 11 Undergoing Sufferings a Duty to Christ 224

Sermon 12 Christian Graces Concatenated Together 237

Section 3 Love, the Divine Gift That Perseveres

Sermon 13 Grace Never Overthrown 253

Sermon 14 Divine Love Alone Lasts Eternally 264

Sermon 15 Heaven Is a World of Love 278

Conclusion 308

References for Annotations 325

Reading List 331

General Index 335

Scripture Index 340

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“I am thrilled that Kyle Strobel has edited this new edition of Edwards’s Charity and Its Fruits. This series of sermons holds a special place in my affections for Edwards for three reasons. First, in Munich, Germany, my wife and I read it aloud to each other in 1972. What a way to build a young marriage! Second, Edwards’s treatment of ‘Charity seeketh not her own’ profoundly shaped my emerging Christian Hedonism. Third, the last chapter, ‘Heaven Is a World of Love,’ is simply unsurpassed in its power to make me want to go there. I am unabashed in my love for Jonathan Edwards—and the grandeur of his God. May God give him an ever-wider voice.”
—John Piper, Founder and Teacher, desiringGod.org; Chancellor, Bethlehem College & Seminary; author, Desiring God 

“This new edition of Charity and Its Fruits is a most welcomed addition to the growing library of books by and about the great Jonathan Edwards. For those who mistakenly think that Protestant theologians overemphasize faith at the expense of love, these classic sermons by Edwards will be an antidote to a stereotype. But even more important, this deep mining of 1 Corinthians 13 is a pathway into spiritual theology that will draw every believer closer to Christ.”
—Timothy George, Distinguished Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; General Editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

“For Jonathan Edwards, the true Puritan understanding of Christianity as love-life in God through Christ was a lifelong theological-pastoral-devotional focus, and his fullest display of it is found here. Kyle Strobel’s comments help us appreciate this classic on communion with God.”
—J. I. Packer, Late Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College

“As best I can tell, this is a first in Edwardsean studies. No one has done with Charity and Its Fruits what Kyle Strobel accomplishes here—providing us with an enlightening commentary and a readable text of one of Edwards’s most important, though highly neglected, treatises. All who love Edwards (and everyone should) will profit immensely from this exceptional volume.”
—Sam Storms, Founder and President, Enjoying God Ministries

“Jonathan Edwards is America’s most famous theologian, and he is experiencing a resurrection among some evangelicals today. Not all who clap for Edwards have read him extensively, and for some the applause appears to be little more than groupthink. But this annotation of Edwards’s seminal exposition of 1 Corinthians 13, edited by a competent young Edwards specialist who offers an informed introduction to Edwards’s moral thought, holds promise for all of us to become more dedicated to the theological vision for the glory of God at work in the theology of Edwards. All who read Edwards aright know they are in for an experience of sensate knowledge, and not simply academic intelligence. Read this book into worship.”
—Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, North Park University