I continue to owe Jonathan Edwards and those who write about him a tremendous debt. If you have been reading my posts you know how much I enjoy reading Edwards’s sermons. He’s made me a better preacher by making me a better theologian.

One way Edwards helps me be a better theologian/preacher is by showing me the importance of making God look good. And one of those writers-about-Edwards is John Carrick. In his book, The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards, he has a chapter, God-Centredness. Carrick states,

“Kimnach correctly identifies ‘the grandeur of God’ as ‘a favorite theme’ of the Northampton preacher; but what contributes to this…is Edwards’ striking use of adjectives–indeed, his unashamed use of superlatives–as he seeks to portray, via the limitations of language, the glory of that great Being who is ultimately incomprehensible and indescribable.” (pp. 26-27)

It is what Edwards knows about humankind that makes him bent on glorifying God through literary flourishes. Carrick writes,

“One of the most striking features of Edwards’ preaching is that it constitutes a deliberate and powerful counter blast to the inveterate tendency in man to belittle and degrade the great God of heaven. ‘The thing at bottom is’, observes Edwards in ‘The Justice of God’, ‘that men have low thoughts of God, and high thoughts of themselves…'” (p. 31).

Or, in his, “Men Naturally God’s Enemies,” Edwards wrote, “‘…you have at least had a low and contemptible estimation of God; and that, in your esteem, you set the trifles and vanities of this world far above him.'” (p. 32)

Some texts make it fairly easy to exalt God. Like, for instance, my Psalm 82 for this coming Sunday, Lord willing. It begins,

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment;”

Yes, our God is the Supreme ruler among the gods!

How does your preaching portion for this Sunday lend itself to making God look good?

Use all the adjectives and superlatives you can to communicate His grandeur. Even though our language and skill are deficient, God will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we fight against the human tendency to have “a low and contemptible estimation of God.”

Randal