Much continues to be written on the evangelical perspective of spiritual formation. A survey of recently published books on the topic shows common themes.1 A representative list includes: experiencing the presence of God, being close to God, rhythms in life to make space for God, daily habits to foster a personal relationship with God, mirroring the way of Jesus, and attention to the interior life. While these are all wonderful pursuits for personal sanctification, more attention could be given to the theocentric aspects of formation as God is the source of the holy life. A lacuna in the works being treated by contemporary authors writing in the area of spiritual formation are the writings of Jonathan Edwards.2 I believe aspects of Edwards’s theological ethics can provide a key supplement to current works on Christian formation by placing God as the starting point and initiator of spiritual growth. Specifically, Edwards’s doctrine of God’s self-enlargement via divine communication and consequently, creaturely participation, can provide needed God-centered perspectives. What Edwards likens as an “emanation” from God and “remanation” from humans highlights the needed communication of God’s attributes and the return of those attributes by creaturely participation.3 In other words, it is primarily about God’s initiative to communicate rather than the activities of humans. Thus, the thesis of this paper is that Jonathan Edwards’s doctrine of divine self-enlargement provides a helpful supplement to contemporary works on Christian formation by emphasizing God-centered aspects of the spiritual life. I will argue for this thesis by providing an overview of representative themes of recent works on spiritual formation, expositing Edwards’s doctrines of divine self-enlargement and communication, and showing how Edwards’s views provide helpful perspectives for current discussions on spiritual formation. As a result, an ontological understanding of divine and creaturely union, the union humans have with other humans, and the creaturely reciprocation of divine virtues fill a void in current literature on Christian formation.
1. For representative examples, see: John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2019); Kelly M. Kapic, You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2022); James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2016); Rich Villodas, The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2020); Rich Villodas, Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured World (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2022).
2. My point is that Edwards is seldom cited. Certainly, there are some current works on Christian formation that interact with Edwards’s writings. For example, see Dane C. Ortlund, Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners (Wheaton: Crossway, 2021).
3. Jonathan Edwards, “Concerning the End for Which God Created the World,” in Ethical Writings, ed. Paul Ramsey, vol. 8, The Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1989), 531.