Exegetical Thoughts and Biblical Theology

Jonathan Edward's The Religious Affections , John Piper's lecture on Preaching as Worship ( TrinJ 16) and my study of holiness in the OT converged in a sermon this morning on Psalm 97. I've been listening to The Religious Affections in spare moments for nearly a year. At times it is brilliant. At others monotonously stuporific. His thesis is that true religion, in great part, consists in holy affections . His biblical-theological support for his thesis is unassailable. (Pdf copy of Religious Affections here .) Edwards defines the affections as " the more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclinations and the will ." He clarifies this by noting that the inclinations and the will are actually the same thing, just viewed from two different perspectives. It is called "inclination" when viewed from the angle of desire; it is called "will" when viewed from the angle of decision and action. Edwards asserts, rightly I believe, that " there ...

I found this address by John Piper this morning. It resonates with me and challenges me. "Let me point to three biblical reasons for believing that preaching is meant to be and to kindle God-exalting worship. First, I believe it because the Word of God says that everything is to be done in a worshipful, God-centered way: "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31); "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col 3:17). If everything is to be radically oriented on magnifying the glory of God and exalting the name of Jesus, how much more preaching. Whatever preaching deals with-and it is to deal with everything-it must be done with a view to begetting and sustaining worship-the valuing and cherishing and displaying of the glory of God. Second, I believe that preaching is meant to exalt the centrality of God because the Word says that God himself exalts his own centrality in all that ...