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Jonathan Edwards

As a part of the sermon on October 12, 2025, I referred to some insights from Jonthan Edwards, a Christian from the 18th century who has become one of the most influential theologians in America’s history.

{Note: This blog is also released as a podcast episode. Find it on our podcast, 'The Word at Westminster.'}

Edwards went to Yale, was converted to Christianity in 1721, became a pastor, and was a part of a significant spiritual awakening at Northampton in the 1730’s. He was caught up in the “Great Awakening” of 1740, and also became a prolific writer. In 1758 he became the president of Princeton, but died shortly thereafter of a smallpox inoculation.

One of Edwards’ enduring works is “The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God.” It was about discernment: How do we know when the Spirit of God is at work, as opposed to something else?

I referred to some of his points during the sermon because his essay was based on the exact same text we were studying—1 John 4:1-6.

Since our review was quick, I said that I would reproduce some of Edwards’ insights here so interested parties could ponder them more fully. Please note that I’ve included only some (not all) of his points, and am providing a summary in modern, condensed English.[i]

Spiritual Warfare

Before we jump in, let me quickly remind us that Edwards’ points are related to the overarching theme of spiritual warfare. The apostle John writes: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” (1 John 4:1) At the end of chapter 3, John spoke about the Holy Spirit. The context is that some people thought they were hearing from the Holy Spirit, when in fact they were hearing from demons. Demons are disembodied spirits who have rebelled against God. In the New Testament they are also called “unclean spirits” or “evil spirits.” The Holy Spirit is, well, holy, meaning the others are un-holy. We had better not get them mixed up.

Demons can exert influence on people in a variety of ways. This is the reality to which the apostle Paul points in Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Notice how our (spiritual) battle is not against “flesh and “blood” (i.e. humans), but against those other things: “rulers,” “authorities,” “cosmic powers over this present darkness,” and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” According to people who have studied these words in the New Testament like scholar Clint Arnold, these are references to demonic entities! That’s the primary battleground.

Jesus calls Satan the “father of lies” (John 8:44). He comes to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). So, if we listen to him and to his workers (demons/unclean spirits) instead of the Holy Spirit, we are clearly being led astray and are going to be hindered in our ability to be agents of God’s grace and truth in the world. Satan wants to unplug you from kingdom work.

Testing the Spirits

Back to Edwards.

His main point was that we need to be discerning. The apostle John was concerned that people were being naïve and therefore easily duped. False prophets were claiming to have heard from the Holy Spirit, but were in fact being deceived by unclean spirits. These were demons who were promoting a “spirit of error” (1 John 4:6), not truth.

To help us Edwards looks to John the apostle’s wider body of writing, and also the New Testament as a whole, and provides some sage advice as we hone our discernment skills and “test the spirits.”

Six Insights from Edwards

1/ Impressive demonstrations of power, and people speaking with great emotion, does not necessarily mean the Holy Spirit is at work.

Emotions ahead, beware. We are easily swayed by emotion. Someone might say to me that they really “feel” something powerful and that God is saying such-and-such to them. My response is, “Maybe.” The nice feelings that we have, even “spiritual” ones, are not necessarily from our Redeemer. If we’re not careful, they can lead us astray. Just because you feel some sort of powerful emotion, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the source is God. More questions need to be asked.

Edwards also points out that demonstrations of power can also be misleading. Let’s call this the “wow factor.”

An example from the Bible is found in Exodus 7 when God had summoned Moses to lead the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt. As Moses stood before Pharoah, Aaron (Moses’ brother) threw his staff to the ground. It turned into a snake. Very impressive! But then the magicians and sorcerers did the same thing! Was it a trick? No. They too had access to power. They did it, we are told in verse 11, by “their secret arts.” The difference had to do with the source. Aaron’s source was God; the magicians’ source was demonic.

Does that mean that God and Satan are of equal strength? No, it doesn’t. God is “Most High” (Psalm 91:1); no one is greater than him. Thinking back to that same story from Exodus, the magicians of Egypt could also replicate a few of the plagues. They could turn the water of the Nile into blood. They could also bring forth the frogs. But as time went on it was clear that they couldn’t do everything that God could do. He was—and is—greater.

Satan is a lesser being; he was created. But that doesn’t mean dark power isn’t real. It’s subservient, but it is still real. That’s why we can’t naively equate demonstrations of power with the Spirit of God. More questions need to be asked to determine the source.

Not only do more questions need to be asked, but we need to ensure that our ongoing thoughts, words and actions are consistent with Scripture. That is essential if we are to ensure we are following the Holy Spirit and not some other spirit of error. What do our emotions and experiences lead us to do? Do they point us in the right direction, or the wrong one? Which direction is correct? In short, we look to the Scriptures.

Let me give you a simplistic example. Let’s say that you have a powerful feeling to cheat on your spouse. Or perhaps you think you’ve seen a vision of an angel telling you to steal something from the grocery story. Are those from the Holy Spirit? No. Why not? Because they are actions which contradict God’s teachings in the Bible. The Holy Spirit will never go against the Word of God. Granted, those are simplistic examples. But you can see the point. If our emotions or the things we experience are inconsistent with the Bible, we are being led astray, regardless of how strong those emotions or experiences may be.

Edwards explains that the Bible “is the great and standing rule which God has given to his church, in order to guide them in things relating to the great concerns of their souls; and it is an infallible and sufficient rule.”[ii] Well said. If you feel led to think, say or do things that are inconsistent with the Bible, you are being led astray since it is our “great and standing rule.”

2/ God’s Spirit is at work when your reverence for Jesus increases—in who he is and what he has done for us in the gospel.

Jesus is the World Saviour, Hope of the Nations, and Healer of hearts. He has reconciled us to God through what he has done for us on the cross. If an idea or action leads us closer to him and to reverence him for who he is and what he has done for us it is good, if not, it is bad. A “spirit of error” (or any demonic spirit for that matter) will want to lead you further away from Jesus, not closer.

3/ God’s Spirit is at work when Satan’s kingdom and sin are diminished.

Satan is a master deceiver. He’s been at the game a long time (see Genesis 3:4-5). He also has considerable influence. He has “blinded the minds of unbelievers” to keep them from the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the world lies in his power (1 John 5:19).

Since Satan is the enemy of everything good, holy, wise, loving, true and beautiful, and since he is in ongoing rebellion against God, if an idea or action leads us away from him, it is good, if not, it is bad.

4/ God’s Spirit is at work when your regard for divine Scripture increases along with your confidence in it.

The Bible is the divinely-inspired Word of God. It is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). It was written “for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). It is a lamp to our feet and light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

This isn’t to say that we might not struggle from time to time, or that we won’t have questions or even doubts. But when we look at the trajectory of our lives, we want to be moving in the right direction. When our regard for and confidence in Scripture increases it is good, when it diminishes, it is not.

5/ God’s Spirit is at work when people are led into God’s truth.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). When we increase in truth, it is good, when we walk away from it, or when we indulge in deception, it is bad.

6/ God’s Spirit is at work when love for God and people is increased.

This is the greatest commandment. Jesus said: “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).

Loved people love people. In an act of sacrificial love, Jesus laid down his life for us (John 15:13). We, therefore, ought to love one another (1 John 4:11). Satan hates this. He wants us to be selfish, faithless, proud, and vengeful. So, do our ideas and actions lead us to a greater love for God and others? If so, it is good, if not, it is bad.

Your Day-to-Day Life

Perhaps at this point you are wondering what any of this has to do with you. In short, everything. Every day each and every one of us makes decisions about what to think and how to live. So much of the battle is in the mind. As you speak with others, go to work or school, interact with your family and friends, and as you set priorities, are you growing closer to Jesus, or further away? Are you increasingly turning away from sin, or indulging it in a way that makes Satan smile? Is your regard for and confidence in Scripture increasing, or decreasing? Are you being led in God’s truth, or neglecting it? Are you increasing in love for God and others, or not?

Satan Loves to be Ignored

As I mentioned in that same sermon, you sometimes see artwork where a person has an angel over one shoulder and a demon over the other. The idea is that there are good and bad forces in the unseen realm trying to influence us. We may not be able to see them, but they’re there.

It was true in Jesus’ day, it was true in Jonathan Edwards’ day, and it is true in our day.

Neil Anderson and Timothy Warner say that “Satan loves to be ignored.”[iii] How very true. If he jumped out from behind every bush with horns and a pitch fork we’d easily be able to identify and reject him. He is, therefore, a master of subtlety. In the unseen realm he and his workers love to promote ideas and actions that put a wedge between us and God. A little bit here, and a little bit there, until we are endorsing the broad path to destruction, instead of the narrow path to eternal life.

In the Womb of His Eternal Purpose

Let me leave you with this final thought. In all of this, there is nothing to fear. As John writes in verse 4: “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” In other words, the Holy Spirit who is in you is greater than Satan who is in the world. Not only is God’s Spirit in you, but you are awash in his perfect love. In a classic about spiritual warfare, William Gurnall writes: “Can you imagine the love God has for a child He has carried so long in the womb of His eternal purpose?”[iv] That’s you! Yes, we are most certainly in a battle, but Christ has guaranteed us the victory and we are enfolded in the loving arms of our unfailing Shepherd.

I offer thanks for the enduring legacy of Jonathan Edwards and his sober reminder to look to the Word of God for guidance. As the winds blow, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…”

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[i] Summarized and language updated from: Jonathan Edwards, “The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God” In Jonathan Edwards on Revival (Carlisle: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1965).

[ii] Ibid., 87.

[iii] Neil T. Anderson and Timothy M. Warner, The Essential Guide to Spiritual Warfare (Minneapolis: BethanyHouse, 2000), 142.

[iv] William Gurnall, ed. James S. Bell Jr., The Christian in Complete Armour (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), entry for January 11.