Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards's "Religious Affections" [Paperback]

Sam Storms (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 27, 2007

Jonathan Edwards's treatise Religious Affections is widely considered the most important and accurate analysis of religious experience ever written.

Unfortunately, many well-intentioned readers sit down with Religious Affections, only to give up in frustration over Edwards's lofty style and complex argumentation.

For this reason Sam Storms, one of evangelicalism's experts on Edwards, has attempted to bridge the gap between how Edwards said what he did in the eighteenth century and how he might say it today. In Signs of the Spirit he articulates the substance of Edwards's arguments in a more understandable way. The point is not to "dumb down" Jonathan Edwards but to make his work accessible to a wider audience.

This volume serves those both in and outside the academic realm as valuable preparation for, or as a companion guide to, a reading of Edwards's Religious Affections.

Editorial Reviews

Review

-Jonathan Edwards- Religious Affections remains one of the most discerning works of spiritual psychology published in the last several centuries. Dr. Samuel Storms- unpacking of this significant work reveals once again for a new generation why the old Puritan so much deserves the most careful study today.-
Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

-Storms- repackaging of this spiritual classic meets a serious need. His essay on Edwards- personal spirituality, introducing the Personal Narrative, is almost worth the price of the book. Then his running commentary, interspersed with direct selections from the Narrative, are exceedingly helpful.-
Gerald R. McDermott, Professor of Religion, Roanoke College

-After nearly 300 years, these gems of Edwards- continue to sparkle. Sam Storms has done a superb job interpreting them for twenty-first-century followers of Jesus. His vivid paraphrases are easy to read and always edifying.-
Douglas A. Sweeney, Associate Professor of Church History, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

-These texts of Jonathan Edwards have nourished the church for nearly three centuries. In Sam Storms- capable hands they-ll now speak clearly, plainly, and powerfully to the church today and for generations to come. If you-ve ever wanted to tackle Edwards but have shied away, you no longer have an excuse.-
Stephen J. Nichols, author of Heaven on Earth: Capturing Jonathan Edwards-s Vision of Living in Between

 

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Sam Storms is the founder of Enjoying God Ministries in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a former pastor and professor, including his time as visiting associate professor of theology at Wheaton College. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Dallas. Storms is the author of several books, including Chosen for Life. He and his wife, Ann, have two daughters and two grandsons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Crossway (June 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581349327
• ISBN-13: 978-1581349320
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 5.4 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sam has spent 39 years in ministry as a pastor, professor and author. He was visiting Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College from 2000-2004, and is currently Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City. He has authored 22 books and founded Enjoying God Ministries. He's a graduate of The University of Oklahoma (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M) and The University of Texas (Ph.D.). He and his wife Ann have been married for 40 years and are the parents of two grown daughters and have four grandchildren. On a more personal level, Sam loves baseball, books, movies, and anything to do with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fair interpretation of Edwards along with helpful guided tour of his "Personal Narrative" November 18, 2007

By Brian G Hedges

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

After realizing that (despite his oft and repeated recommendations that people read Edwards for themselves) most people simply would not persevere through Edwards' cumbersome and hefty treatise on the Religious Affections, Sam Storms decided to give a distilled version (my words, not his) of Edwards for modern readers. He has retained Edwards' basic outline and much of Edwards' actual wording. But he has trimmed away what seemed to him superfluous to Edwards' main argument.

I am currently reading Religious Affections for the third time and actually purchased Storms' book because I was hoping for a more sermonic distillation of Edwards. That is not what Storms has written. But I still finished his book with profit and expect to use it in the future. The great strength of Storms' "interpretation" of Edwards is its brevity - 152 pages vs. over 350 in the Yale edition! The first time I read Religious Affections it took me four or five months to get all the way through. Storms' book can easily be read in several sittings.

The downside is that the cumulative weight of Edwards' argument is somewhat lost with the editing. For example, Storms summarizes much of Edwards' actual exposition of biblical passages and just includes the verses in brackets, whereas Edwards actually quotes the verses. I find these parts some of the richest portions of Edwards' original. I like reading Edwards himself because I value the effect his more lengthy explanation and argumentation has on my heart.

But there is a second benefit to Storms' book - and this is really the reason I want to commend it. The last third of Storms' book (p. 153-213) contains Edwards' Personal Narrative, with Storms' commentary interspersed throughout. The Personal Narrative is Edwards' own recounting of his conversion experience and early spiritual growth. It is simply breathtaking! And Storms' commentary on it is exceptionally edifying. I read all of this on a Saturday evening and it really helped sensitize my soul to the Lord and prepare my heart for worship the next day.

So, if are stirred up by those occasional quotes from Edwards that you hear from your pastor, and you want to read him for yourself but don't think you can tackle 350+ pages of unedited Puritan prose, get Storms! Even if you don't read all of the Religious Affections section (though I hope you will!), you will benefit so much from reading the Personal Narrative section.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Religious Affections for a new generation August 1, 2007

By Zemekian

Format:Paperback

Signs of the Spirit by Sam Storms
review by Tony Reinke (The Shepherd's Scrapbook blog)

Published in 1746, Jonathan Edwards' Religious Affections remains the great masterpiece on biblical discernment. Edwards exposes the inner workings of the soul, using Scripture to make concrete the contrast between the fleeting affections of a hard hypocritical heart and the enduring affections of a softened and converted heart. The precise dissection of the soul in Religious Affections is one of the enduring characteristics of Edwards intellectual brilliance and a precision warranted from such delicate matters. Contemporary readers (like this one) will find Edwards' intellectual precision troublesome.

In his new release, Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards' `Religious Affections' (Crossway: 2007), Sam Storms has written an excellent guide through Edwards' rich arguments. Storms is noted for his study of Edwards and has worked through the Religious Affections at least 10 times (p. 12).

But Storms is not enthralled with the genius of Edwards. He begins the book with clear, foundational biblical exposition and carries biblical proof throughout the entire work. Genuine discernment of the true work of God finds its basis in God's Word, not Edwards. Storms' careful biblical development deserves applause.

From here Storms builds a historical backdrop to Religious Affections and then defines affections, finally concluding that affections are the "warm and fervid inclinations that reveal the fundamental orientation of the human heart" (p. 44). Storms follows the design of Edwards in explaining the 12 signs that don't necessarily authenticate the work of God in the soul and the 12 signs that do authenticate the genuine work of God in the soul. Genuine God-given affections are lit by the flame of God Himself, an enduring flame that displays itself in genuine love and admiration of God as He exists in His spectacular beauty. True religious affections will reveal themselves by causing us to hate sin and pursue Christ-likeness, driving our appetite for more of God and to pursue the sweetness in the Person and Work of Christ.

Edwards' personal testimony of these religious affections comprise the final 80 pages.

Religious Affections is always relevant but especially in our day when "Christianity" is often defined by outward affiliations, church strategies, and cultural relevance. Edwards' reminder to our era is that genuine Christianity is defined by soul transformation. Christianity is not defined pragmatically by what it offers. More important than marketing Christianity as a list of exclusive benefits, Edwards understands that a true work of God begins with a sweet enjoyment of God in His unspotted glory and supreme majesty.

"We must, therefore, be careful that our primary joy is in God, as he is in and of himself, and not in our experience of God. That we have been made recipients of his grace and are enabled to behold his beauty is a marvelous thing indeed. But it is secondary and consequential to a recognition of God's inherent excellency. What brings you greatest and most immediate delight: your experience of a revelation of Christ, or Christ revealed?" (p. 92)

Discerning the genuine work of God is essential for every generation of Christians, and Edwards' timeless truth has been made easier. But don't misunderstand. If reading Religious Affections is climbing the face of Mount Everest, reading Sam Storms' interpretation is climbing the rock wall at REI. There is a harness, air conditioning, engineered footholds and an attendant holding the rope, but you'll still sweat.

Storms' timing is excellent. Our generation needs Edwards to help us ground our discernment between the facade of inauthentic Christian profession and the genuine work of God in the soul.

"I doubt if there is a more pressing and urgent issue for the church today than determining `what are the distinguishing qualifications of those that are in favor with God, and entitled to his eternal rewards.' Or to put it in other words, what is the nature of true spirituality and those features in the human soul that are acceptable in the sight of God?" (p. 37)

I think he's right.

-------------

Title: Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards' `Religious Affections'
Author: Sam Storms
Reading level: 3.5/5.0 > moderately difficult
Boards: paperback
Pages: 238
Volumes: 1
Dust jacket: none
Binding: glue
Paper: normal
Topical index: yes
Scriptural index: yes
Text: perfect type
Publisher: Crossway
Year: 2007
ISBNs: 9781581349320, 1581349327

[review published on The Shepherd's Scrapbook blog]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Subject from an Interesting Man and Time. January 17, 2008

By Books and Woodworking

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was an excellent book. As you know, it is an interpretation of Jonathan Edward's book "Religious Affections" - written around 1750. It is deals with what Christian Conversion is and how we can know that others and ourselves have been genuinely converted. The author Sam Storms is good to give the historical and theological context of this book. In so doing, he greatly increases the significance and meaning to what Jonathan Edward's wrote. Without this background, this book would have lost much of its meaning.

I note 5 background events: 1) Jonathan Edwards was in the middle of 2 or 3 large Revivals or Awakenings in America, there were differing views on their genuineness and what was really happening, 2) religion by the established church at the time was often cold and purely intellectual, 3) Jonathan Edward's had an argument with his parents concerning the nature of conversion that lasted 18 months, 4) there was a particular preacher that vehemently opposed Jonathan Edward's teachings on conversion, and 5) he left his church because he wanted to question the genuineness of his parishioners before they partook of communion.

Jonathan Edwards made 2 lists of Signs - one being a list of Indefinite Signs and the one a list of Definite Signs. The Indefinite list was a list of signs that could be true of both believers and non-believers. The Indefinite Signs were real; but since they could be true of non-believers as well, they could not be used to show that a person was truly converted. Below is my summary of the 2 lists. I made this list to help me summarize what Jonathan Edwards was saying and hopefully I can actually use this in a Sunday school class. My summary could certainly be improved upon.

1. 12 Indefinite Signs of Conversion
a. Intensity of Heart not a sign of Affections
b. Physical Activity not a sign of Affections
c. Much Talk not a sign of Affections
d. The way you came to have Affections not a sign of Affections
e. Scriptural Text comes to mind not a sign of Affections
f. Displays of Love not a sign of Affections
g. Much Activity not a sign of Affections
h. Order of experiences not a sign of Affections
i. Fervency of Worship not a sign of Affections
j. Vocal Praise of God not a sign of Affections
k. Profound Assurance not a sign of Affections
l. Attractiveness of Life Style not a sign of Affections

2. 12 Definite Signs of Conversion
a. Spirit-Led Affections
b. God-Focused Affections
c. God's-Holiness Affections
d. Spirit-Enlightened Affections
e. Spirit-Assured Affections
f. Godly-Brokenhearted Affections
g. Spirit-Transformed Affections
h. Christ-Like Affections
i. God-Sensitive Affections
j. God-Balanced Affections
k. God-Craving Affections
l. Godly-Fruit-Bearing Affections

The author has about 40 pages showing how Edward's described his own conversion. Jonathan Edwards was truly a unique individual. The book concludes with a chronological history of Edward's life. It is very interesting.

While I find this book to be very good, I am not sure that everyone who buys it will actually read it. The subject matter - while excellent is very focused and some people will not be able to finish it. While I was reading this book, I kept wondering, where can I ever use this material? I want to be able share this in a SS lesson. That is why I summarized the 2 lists (see above). I want to be able to summarize what I read so that I can share with others at church.