New Year's Resolutions (Jonathan Edwards style)

A recent article from Pulpit Magazine maintained that the resolutions "we make as Christians (whether for the New Year or sometime else) ought to be profoundly deeper, and thus categorically different, than the resolutions made by unbelievers."

What they did was to look at a list of 70 resolutions that Jonathan Edwards made. In looking at these, they are remarkable, especially if one takes into account that he made these in his late teens and early twenties.

Another thing that should be mentioned is that, according to the article, "...the commitments he made were lifelong pursuits; they were not limited to just the next year (as our New Year’s resolutions often are)."

Here are the primary areas in which Jonathan Edwards was resolved:

1. To live for God’s glory (see resolutions #s 1, 4, 27)

2. To make the most of this life, in terms of eternal impact (see #s 5, 6, 7, 9, 17, 19, 23, 52, 54, 69)

3. To take sin seriously (see #s 8, 24, 25, 26, 37, 56, 57)

4. To become theologically astute (see #s 11, 28, 30, 39)

5. To be humble (see #s 12, 43, 68)

6. To exhibit self-control in all things (see #s 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 40, 44, 45, 59, 60, 61, 64, 65)

7. To always speak with grace and truth (see #s 16, 31, 33, 34, 36, 38, 46, 47, 58, 66, 70)

8. To constantly develop an eternal focus (see #s 10, 18, 22, 50, 51, 55, 67)

9. To be a faithful Christian, in prayer and dedication (see #s 29, 32, 35, 41, 42, 63)

10. To daily pursue a fervent love for Christ (see #s 48, 49, 53, 62)

* Edwards also committed himself to keeping his other resolutions (see #s 2 and 3)

As we consider the resolutions that we make for 2007, we can definitely learn something from the man widely recognized as America’s greatest theologian.

Even when Edwards resolved to use his time wisely (see #5), to eat properly (see #20), or to maintain healthy relationships with others (see #31)—resolutions that seem to coincide with the secular “top ten” list—his resolve flowed out of a God-focused perspective that was eternal in its scope. Thus his resolutions were not merely temporal lifestyle adjustments designed to solve a perceived bad habit. Instead, they were earnest spiritual decisions made for the purpose of combating sin and living a God-glorifying life.

Moreover, Edwards did not solely rely on his own willpower or clever scheming to stay true to his resolutions. To be sure, his resolutions required a tremendous amount of personal discipline and hard work. Yet, unlike the self-made commitments of the world, Edwards ultimately relied on God’s grace to help him accomplish what he knew to be humanly impossible (cf. Php. 3:12–13). In the preamble to his resolutions, he wrote: “Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.”

So what kind of resolutions will you make this year? Will they be those that accord with biblical priorities? Will they be those that necessarily depend on divine grace to accomplish? Will they be those that accord with the will of God and the glory of Christ?

I for one hope to follow Jonathan Edwards’s example and answer “yes” to those questions. If I can’t, then what makes my resolutions any different than the good intentions of the unbelieving world? But, if my perspective is eternal and my priorities are biblical, than my resolutions will be categorical different than those of the world—even if both of our lists include things like better time management, greater self-discipline, and more love for others.

After all, as a Christian, good intentions aren’t enough … only godly intentions will do.

Wow... what incredible insight he had. I especially like the last like in the article, "After all, as a Christian, good intentions aren’t enough … only godly intentions will do." Amen.