I’m continuing to share penetrating quotes from Dr. John Hannah’s class on Jonathan Edwards, one of the most memorable classes I ever took.
Quotes from Tuesday’s Class
Reading the Bible: The first book you need is a Bible. I recommend reading it. Many don’t. They study it. I’ve been at seminary for 38 years, and the guys who read their Bibles are the guys who are going somewhere. They’re the ones I want to hire and the ones I want to place in churches. I didn’t read my Bible when I was in seminary because I was too busy exegeting it.
Memorization: If you only do what you’re good at, you won’t do much in life.
Mark of a saint: The mark of the saint is not how well we’re doing but what we do when we’re not doing well.
True virtue: True virtue is a love for God not for what he provides but for who he is. Anyone loves someone who meets his needs. That’s not biblical love. Love for God is not love for a cosmic Santa Claus. It is a love for him.
Loving God: Most people love him because he’s a giver, and that’s selfish.
Going beyond the Bible: I like Calvin because he says what Calvinists never say: “I don’t know.” When the Bible stops speaking, you stop. But I find preachers who keep on talking. Get your education for one simple reason: to know when God has stopped speaking.
Education: If you don’t develop character and tenacity, you’re done for. The real you is what you do when no one’s looking.
Falling away from God: What happened to these people? Nothing. Just a slow leak over time.
Puritan prayer: “Lord, lead me not into error because you know how hard it is to change my mind.”
Revival: Enthusiasm and excitement are not interpretive; only time.
Anticipation and disappointment: Anticipation and reality are two different things. Anticipation has no objective basis, and reality does. This is why the discontinuity exists.
Being biblical: Being biblical is not about having verses. Heretics have verses. Being biblical is taking what often seems to be a cacophony of revelation and harmonizing it without distorting any of it.
Persecuted church: Those who have been persecuted for their faith might know more about your subject than you do, and without your technology.
davidagundersen.com 