Latest / Reformed Thinking / Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever (Hebrews 13:8) | Jonathan Edwards

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Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever (Hebrews 13:8) | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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So picture this for a second. You are hanging over a roaring,
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terrifying fire. OK, that is a fairly intense
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image to start with. Right, and the only thing
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keeping you from falling in is the single slender thread.
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Just one thread. Now imagine you have been
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hanging there for so long, maybe even years, that you have, you
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know, actually gotten used to the heat.
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You just acclimate to it. Spot on.
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You stop panicking. You were just hanging there,
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totally ignoring the fact that a moth has been slowly, quietly
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chewing through that thread the entire time.
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It is terrifying. It is, and that terrifying
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psychological trap is what we are taking apart today.
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Welcome to reformed thinking. I am really glad we are starting
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with that visual because the reality of how humans acclimate
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to danger is a massive part of what we are looking at today.
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Yeah, we definitely have to start there.
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But before we get to the terrifying parts, I want you,
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the listener, to just think about your current daily
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reality. Think about how rapidly
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everything in life shifts around you.
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I mean, your circumstances change.
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The technology you use is completely different from what
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you used like 6 months ago. Oh, without a doubt, public
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opinions flip overnight. Right.
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People you thought you knew surprise you.
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And you know, if you you are honest, even your own
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personality alters as the years go by.
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Your preferences, your fears, they all shift.
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We really do live in a state of constant, dizzying flux.
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We do. So the question we are asking
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today is this. What if there was an anger point
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in reality that never shifted? That is the big question.
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What if there was a fixed center that remained absolute
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regardless of what was happening in the world or the economy or
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even in your own mind? It is a staggering thought.
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Today we are opening up a massive piece of source material
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for this deep dive. It is a sermon preached in April
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of 1738 by the theologian Jonathan Edwards.
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A very weighty text. Very much so.
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The title is Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today, and
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Forever, and that is drawn directly from the text of
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Hebrews chapter 13, verse 8. Our mission for this
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conversation is to unpack Edwards's massive claim that the
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absolute immutability of Christ, his literally unchangeable
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nature, is the absolute guarantee behind every biblical
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promise. Yes, and behind every severe
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warning and every single comfort offered to the Christian.
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To really grasp what Edwards is doing here, we have to establish
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the theological framework he is operating within, right?
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We do. And as Protestant Christians who
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hold to Reformed theology and adhere to the Westminster
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Confession of Faith, we recognize that Edwards is not
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He's not offering a sentimental greeting card thought here.
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Like just saying, Jesus is a reliable friend who's always
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there for you. Right, that is not what this is.
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He is laying out a rigorous structural view of the eternal
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decrees of God. Let's dig into that.
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Well, the Westminster Confession teaches that God is without
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parts or passions, meaning he does not fluctuate.
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He does not learn or react the way human beings do.
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Right, he is entirely outside of our human timeline of emotional
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reactions. Precisely.
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Edwards is reading Hebrews chapter 13 through the lens of
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covenant theology. He is looking at the covenant of
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redemption, which was made in eternity past, and the covenant
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of grace, which is enacted in human history.
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OK, so he is arguing that the unchangeable nature of the
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Savior is the theological bedrock that makes the whole
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Christian faith structurally sound.
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Spot on. If the Savior could change his
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mind, or lose his strength, or alter his disposition, those
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covenants would just collapse. The whole system would fall
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apart. It would so because he cannot
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change. The decrees of God are entirely
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secure. OK, let us look at the specific
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text Edwards is preaching from Hebrews 13 verse 8.
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To feel the weight of this verse, we need to understand the
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human experience of the people originally receiving this
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letter. Yes, context is everything here.
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Let's put ourselves in the 1st century.
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The original audience of the Book of Hebrews was facing
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intense, crushing pressure. They really.
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Were they were Jewish Christians who had converted and now they
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were being squeezed from all sides.
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The Roman Empire was hostile and the local synagogues were
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excommunicating them. They.
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Were losing their businesses, their families, their social
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standing. The pressure was immense.
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And so the temptation was to abandon Orthodox Christian
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doctrine. They were tempted to drift
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toward heretical ideas or simply slip back into the old Jewish
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religious system of animal sacrifices.
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Because it was legal and it was safe.
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Right, the Apostles counter argument to them is incredibly
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simple but staggeringly brilliant.
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He tells them to follow the faith of their early ministers,
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the pastors who first taught them the gospel and likely died
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for it. And why does he tell them to do
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that? Because the object of that
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faith, Jesus Christ, has not changed, therefore true
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Christianity has not changed. That is such a crucial link.
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Edwards makes a very simple timeline definition here that
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helps frame everything else. What is his definition?
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He says yesterday means all time past stretching all the way back
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into eternity. Today is the present moment and
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forever spans all the way into eternity future.
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It literally covers everything. It is a comprehensive, airtight
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timeline. It really is.
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Edwards is pointing out that if Christ was a specific way when
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those early ministers preached him, and Christianity was a
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specific objective truth, then it must be the exact same
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objective truth right now. So the apostle is warning these
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battered Christians against being fickle.
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Yes, against being carried about by strange doctrines just
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because their circumstances got hard.
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The logic is ironclad. If the foundation of a building
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is unchangeable rock, the house built on top of it should not be
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wobbling in the wind just because a storm hits.
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That is a great way to put it. Edwards then takes this eternal
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timeline and applies it to the two natures of Christ, what
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theologians call the hypostatic union.
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This is where we get into the actual mechanics of how Christ
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is unchangeable. And this is where it gets really
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fascinating to me because, you know, trying to parse out the
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two natures of Christ, fully God and fully man, and one person
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that can break your brain a little bit.
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It is definitely a massive concept to work through.
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I was trying to map this out with an analogy based on Edwards
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text. Let's think about a computer
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system. OK, I'm listening.
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The human nature of Christ seems a bit like a device running an
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operating system that is designed to receive constant
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updates and experience changes. I see where you're going.
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When Jesus was on earth, his human nature experienced genuine
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physical and mental progression. I mean, he was a helpless infant
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and he grew in stature and wisdom.
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Right. He experienced hunger, thirst,
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the cold night air. Exactly.
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I mean, yes, precisely. He suffered the agonizing
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changes of torture, death, and then the glorious change at the
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resurrection. The human nature went through a
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very real progression. But the divine nature of Christ
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the Godhead is like the unbreakable hardware or the
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fundamental root code that never ever alters.
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It cannot be upgraded because it is already flawless.
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Software analogy helps us visualize the distinction, but
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we had to push it further to align with Edwards's precise
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theological parameter. OK, correct me where I'm off.
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Edwards is very careful to point out that while Christ's human
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nature did undergo sorrowful changes like aging, bleeding,
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and dying, it never underwent any sinful changes.
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And this is a massive Reformed distinction.
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The human nature avoided thin not because human nature
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inherently possesses the strength to remain sinless on
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its own. Because we know from the fall of
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Adam and the fall of the rebel angels that created beings are
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mutable. They can fall, and they do fall.
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Spot on Christ's human nature remains spotless solely because
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it was upheld by its union with the divine nature.
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Wait, let me make sure I'm grasping this.
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Are you saying the human nature of Jesus didn't just choose to
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be sinless on its own human strength, but rather the divine
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nature acted as a firewall? Precisely.
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To build on your analogy, the software never crashed.
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Not because the software itself was impervious to a virus, but
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because the divine hardware actively, constantly sustained
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it. Florida State, Oh.
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Wow, that is a crucial distinction.
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Edward stresses that but the divine nature of the sun
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underwent 0 alteration from the eternal joyful fellowship before
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creation, down into the squalor of the Manger in Bethlehem,
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through the utter horror of the Garden of Gethsemane on the
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cross, and into His current glorification at the right hand
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of the Father. The divine nature did not shift
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one iota. Not a single bit.
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So let's stop and ask what this means for you, the listener.
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I want you to consider what it means to place your absolute
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trust in someone whose core character cannot be altered by
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immense suffering or by total success.
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That is a very rare thing. It is.
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We know how human beings react to extreme circumstances.
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Give a person a massive amount of pain and they almost always
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become bitter, resentful, or withdrawn.
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Yeah, trauma changes people. It does, and on the flip side,
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give a person a massive amount of authority, wealth and glory
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and they almost always become proud, disconnected, or corrupt.
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Power altered human character just as much as pain does.
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But Christ went through the most extreme suffering imaginable in
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the universe and then ascended to the most extreme glory
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imaginable, and His divine character remained absolutely
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identical through the entire spectrum.
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That is the kind of anchor we are talking about.
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Which brings us logically to the next phase of Edwards argument.
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Where do we go next? Because Christ's divine nature
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is fixed and unalterable, His specific role, His office as the
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mediator between God and man, is also permanently fixed.
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We are moving from the constitution of His Person to
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the execution of His work. OK, from his person to his
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office. Yes, Edwards contrasts the
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permanent reality of Christ's mediatorial office with the
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fading shadows, the Old Testament.
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The Old Testament was filled with typical mediators, people
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who stood between God and the people for a little while to
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function as a preview, but they all passed away.
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Like Moses? Yes, Moses introduced A
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magnificent legal dispensation. But Moses struck the rock.
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He failed, and he was not permitted to continue due to
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death. He had to give place to the
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reality he pointed toward. And the priests too, right?
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Right. The Auronic priests had a short
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lived biological priesthood. Aaron died on a mountain and he
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literally had to take off his priestly garments and pass them
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to his son Eleazar. Think of the vulnerability of a
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religious system that relies on dying men.
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Exactly. Earthly kings like David and
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Solomon possessed great authority, and they typified the
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reign of Christ, but death eventually stripped them of
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their crowns. Their kingdoms came to an end.
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The imagery Edwards uses here is so striking.
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I particularly loved his description of John the Baptist.
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All of that is a beautiful section.
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He compares John to the morning star.
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Now the morning star, which is usually the planet Venus, shines
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so brightly in the absolute pitch black right before dawn.
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But no matter how bright it is, it has a temporary lifespan.
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Right, it fades out. It must eventually go out as the
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sun rises and floods the sky. John the Baptist himself knew
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this. He said he must increase, but I
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must decrease. A perfect acknowledgement of his
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temporary role. All of these Old Testament
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figures, no matter how holy or great, were just morning stars
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or shadows. They were designed by God to
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fade. But Christ never gives place to
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anyone else. He is the anti type, the
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prominent unyielding reality. And This is why Edwards brings
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the obscure figure of Melchizedek into the discussion.
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Melchizedek is always a fascinating figure to look at.
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He is the writer of Hebrews points out that Melchizedek is
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described in Genesis as being without father and without
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mother, without descent. Meaning he does not receive his
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priesthood by biological inheritance.
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Right. And he does not pass it down to
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a successor. He just appears in the
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narrative, blesses Abraham, and steps off the page.
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In this way, Melchizedek is a striking prophetic foreshadowing
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of Christ. So Christ's priesthood is not
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based on a biological lineage like the sons of Aaron who
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constantly aged and died. No, it is based on the strength
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of an endless, indestructible life.
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He has no predecessor in his heavenly priesthood, and he will
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have no successor. His office never ceases.
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And because his life is endless, his sufficiency to execute that
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office is eternal. Yes, let's unpack that idea of
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eternal sufficiency, because Edwards makes a claim here that
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is just staggering. What does he say?
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He says that Christ's capability, His wisdom, and His
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worthiness are at all times equally sufficient for the
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salvation of sinners. He points out that this
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sacrifice Christ offered is permanently effective.
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I remember this part, Edwards writes that Christ's blood is a
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sufficient to cleanse away sin today as when it was warm from
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his wounds. That phrase is incredible.
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Warm from his wounds. That stopped me in my tracks.
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We tend to think of historical events as losing their potency
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over time. We do.
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A political treaty from 200 years ago doesn't carry much
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weight today. Even a photograph fades in the
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sun. We assume time decays
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everything. It is the natural law of our
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universe. But Edwards is saying the cross
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does not have an expiration date.
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The effectiveness of the atonement bypasses chronological
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decay entirely. The Atonement is eternally fresh
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because the one who made the Atonement is eternally alive.
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He is, as the author of Hebrew says, able to save to the
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uttermost because he ever lives to make intercession.
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His endless life guarantees his ability to save.
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Spot on. He doesn't have to keep dying
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over over again. He is always equally accepted by
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the Father. The Father is ever well pleased
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in him. So if his office never ends and
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his sufficiency never diminishes over thousands of years, the
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next logical question we have to ask is about his attitude.
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Yes, his internal disposition. What is his internal disposition
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while he is performing this endless work?
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We have mapped out the mechanics of his office, but we need to
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examine his heart. I am so glad we are moving to
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his disposition, because this is where the theology becomes
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intensely practical for the listener.
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Think about a human being who takes on a noble life saving
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job. Let's say a public defender or
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an emergency room doctor or a social worker.
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High stress, high stakes jobs. Very high stress.
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They usually start their careers with incredible enthusiasm and a
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genuine burning desire to help people.
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They want to change the world. Right.
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But over the years, the grinding reality of the work, the sheer
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ungratefulness of the people they help, the bureaucratic red
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tape and the massive volume of the need often cause them to
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experience severe compassion fatigue.
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Burnout is inevitable. Their disposition changes from
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delight to duty, and sometimes from duty straight into bitter
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resentment. They do the job, but they hate
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it. Edwards points out that Christ
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is nothing like us in this regard.
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Christ undertook the role of mediator from eternity past with
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sheer delight. He rejoiced in it.
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He rejoiced in the thoughts of saving sinners before the
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physical world was even spoken into existence.
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And when humanity actually fell, when we became violent rebels
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and enemies to him, his disposition did not cool off.
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He's still delighted to step into the role of a mediator.
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He did the ultimate stress test of this unalterable disposition
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is seen in the Garden of Gethsemane.
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Because that is the moment of maximum pressure.
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Yes, Edwards directs our attention there.
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Christ is presented with the bitter cup of God's wrath.
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He has an extraordinary crushing view of what it will actually
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cost to be the mediator. The sight of it makes his human
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soul exceedingly sorrowful even unto death.
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We know from the medical descriptions that the
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psychological terror was so immense it caused hematidrosis,
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where he was sweating great drops of blood.
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If ever a disposition was going to crack, if ever a rescue
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mission was going to be aborted because the cost was too high
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and the victims were too ungrateful, it would be at that
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exact moment. Any human would have walked
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away. But even then, facing the
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terrifying reality of bearing the sins of the world and the
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wrath of a holy God, his disposition to save sinners
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remained entirely intact. He retained his delight in the
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task, he loved his own, and as the Gospel of John explicitly
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states, he loved them to the end.
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So he has this unbroken, unyielding disposition, but what
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is he actually aiming at? What is the goal of all this
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relentless effort? Edwards breaks down to supreme
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ends that Christ aims at without any variation.
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What is the first one? The first end is the glory of
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God, specifically vindicating the honor of God's majesty, His
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strict justice, and His holy law.
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OK. And the second.
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The second end is the salvation and happiness of the elect.
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Now I have to jump in here and voice some skepticism on behalf
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of the listener, because reconciling these two goals
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feels totally contradictory. It does seem that way on the
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surface. Think about a courtroom How does
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a judge vindicate strict, uncompromising justice which
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absolutely demands the severe punishment of a guilty criminal,
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while simultaneously securing the complete happiness of that
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exact same guilty criminal? Right.
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If a human judge did that, we would protest.
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If a judge let's a murderer go free just to make him happy, we
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call that judge corrupt. That tension is the central
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problem of the entire Christian religion, and Reformed theology
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provides the clear biblical answer.
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You reconcile those two seemingly contradictory goals at
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the cross. Let's unpack that.
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Christ does not pursue the glory of God's justice for a while,
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realize it conflicts with the happiness of the elect, and then
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change his mind to figure out a compromise.
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He achieves both simultaneously through substitutionary
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atonement. By standing as the surety.
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Yes, as the legal substitute for the elect, Christ takes the
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full, unmitigated penalty of the broken law upon Himself.
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In his physical and spiritual suffering.
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The strict justice, majesty and holy law of God are completely
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vindicated. God's wrath against sin is fully
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exhausted. Not a single sin is swept under
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the rug because justice is totally satisfied.
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The free grace of God can now flow unhindered to the elect,
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securing their salvation and eternal happiness without God
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compromising His own holiness. The cross is the only place in
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the universe where absolute uncompromising justice and
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absolute unmerited grace crashed together and kiss.
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That is a beautiful way to phrase it.
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Christ had both of these ends in his eye from eternity, and He
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unchangeably aims at them both. OK, so we have established his
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goals. Now we need to look at the
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specific rules he uses to achieve those goals.
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This transitions us directly into covenant theology.
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Which is the structural backbone of the Reformed framework.
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Edwards says that Christ ever acts by the same rules in the
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execution of his office, and those rules are contained in a
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twofold covenant. Let's start with the first one,
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the Covenant of Redemption. Talk to me about the mechanics
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of this eternal agreement. The covenant of redemption is
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the eternal agreement made between the Father and the Son
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before time, space, or matter began.
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So outside of history. Completely outside of history.
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In this covenant, the Father appoints the Son to stand as the
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mediator for falling humanity, and the Son voluntarily
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undertakes the work. Every single detail concerning
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Christ's execution of His office was established, published in
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this eternal boardroom. So Christ acts strictly
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according to this highest rule. He never departs from it.
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He does the work the Father gave him to do and absolutely no
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other. He saves those, and strictly
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those whom the Father gave him in that covenant to save, and he
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brings them to the exact degree of happiness agreed upon.
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His regard for this eternal covenant is entirely
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unchangeable. Spot on.
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So if the covenant of redemption is the private, eternal
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boardroom agreement between the Father and the Son, how does
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that differ from the covenant of grace?
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Because Edwards brings that up. Next, it is a vital distinction.
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To me, looking at it practically, it seems like the
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covenant of grace is essentially the public rollout of that
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eternal agreement. I like that it is the covenant
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revealed to humanity and history, written down in the
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Scriptures for our comfort and our faith.
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The public rollout analogy is quite helpful, Edward says.
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The covenant of grace is essentially the covenant of
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redemption partly revealed to mankind.
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God makes promises to his creatures, and those promises
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become the revealed rule by which He acts toward us.
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But God's promises and time are not reactive.
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No, they are consequent on His eternal purposes.
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Because Christ never departs from the eternal covenant of
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redemption, we have an absolute ironclad guarantee that He will
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never depart from the historical covenant of grace.
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All that is promised to believers in the covenant of
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grace was already locked in, signed and agreed upon by the
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Father and the Son in eternity. And Edwards points out a
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fascinating historical detail to prove this unbreakable promise.
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He notes Christ's use of the name Jehovah or I am that I am
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in the book of Exodus. Think about the context there.
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The Israelites are in brutal Egyptian bondage.
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Hundreds of years have passed since God spoke to Abraham.
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They probably feel totally abandoned.
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Christ reveals Himself to Moses at the burning Bush, using this
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specific eternal name to prove He will fulfill every single
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promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob centuries earlier.
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Time does not erode his memory. It does not weaken his
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capability. He fulfills every jot and
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Tuttle. Heaven and Earth will literally
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pass away before 1 tiny fraction of his promise fails.
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We have to stop and grasp the gravity of that unchanged If
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Christ never changes and his adherence to His covenants never
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shifts, that is an overwhelming comfort for the believer.
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But there is a flip side. There is.
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It is also an utterly terrifying reality for the unrepentant.
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This is where Edwards pivots from the mechanics of Christ's
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immutability to its intense practical application.
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And he starts with severe warnings.
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If Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then his
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warnings and his strict justice are as permanent as his promises
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of mercy. They do not age out.
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Edwards begins this application by bringing up Adam.
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He calls Adam the first surety of mankind.
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But Adam failed because he was a mere creature.
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He was a mutable, changeable being, right?
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He had pristine conditions, but the subtle temptation of the
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devil turned him aside and all his posterity fell with him.
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This makes the unchangeable nature of Christ, the second
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Adam entirely necessary. We needed a surety who could not
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fail, who would certainly stand against all trials.
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But for those who reject the second Adam, the outlook is
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bleak. Edwards lists out the terrifying
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threats Christ pulled from Scripture when he was on earth.
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Yes, Edwards is systematically removing the false comfort that
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modern people often cling to. What kind of false comfort?
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Well, many people imagine the softening in the divine
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character over time. They think the God of the Old
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Testament was harsh, but Jesus was mild.
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And maybe today God is just universally tolerant.
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Right, like he mellowed out over the centuries.
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Exactly. I mean, yes, that is the popular
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thought, but Edwards brings to mind what Jesus actually said.
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Christ threatened to gather the tares and cast them into the
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fire. He warned that the unprofitable
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servant would be bound hand and foot and cast into outer
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darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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And he declared that judgment would be far more intolerable
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for gospel sinners. People who sit in church hear
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the truth and reject it. Right, that it would be worse
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for them than it was for the wicked cities of Sodom and
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Gomorrah. The chilling reality Edwards
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presents is that Christ is as much an enemy to sin right now
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as he was the moment those terrifying words left his lips.
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He is just as strictly just today as he was then.
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This leads to a section of the sermon that contains some of the
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most piercing psychological analysis I have ever read.
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And this is where that image of the moth comes in.
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The awakened, but careless. Yes, Edwards directs A reproof
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to a very specific group of people, those who are awakened
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but careless. He is describing a state of mind
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that is so common today. Think about how humans react to
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a health scare. You find a weird lung or you get
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a bad blood test. You are terrified.
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You immediately change your habits.
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You eat kale for a month. You start running.
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You obsess over your health. You are highly motivated by
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fear. But then, as time goes on and
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nothing immediately terrible happens, the terror fades.
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You grow bold again. You go right back to eating junk
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food and skipping the gym. Because the immediate threat
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feels gone. Edwards is talking about people
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who do this spiritually. They used to be terrified of
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hell. They used to be incredibly
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careful to avoid sin. They guarded how they spent
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their time. They were watchful over their
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behavior and they constantly asked themselves if what they
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were doing was contrary to the will of God.
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But over time, the adrenaline faded.
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They grew bold. They now live in the neglect of
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duties and commit sins they know are wrong, and they do it
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without much disturbance in their conscience.
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The psychology there is universal, and Edwards dissects
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the fatal flaw in their thinking with brilliant, terrifying
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logic. What does he ask them?
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He asked them directly, Why are you careless now?
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Do you act as if Christ has somehow altered His view of your
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sin? Do you imagine that He has
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become weaker over the last few years, or less able to fulfill
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His threatenings? Do you think He has become more
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reconciled to your specific rebellion?
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The dreadful truth is that Christ has not softened one bit.
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In fact, Edwards argues that the careless Sinner is in vastly
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greater danger now than when they were first awakened and
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terrified. The imagery he uses to describe
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this increasing danger is haunting.
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He tells the careless Sinner that they have spent all the
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intervening time kindling and enraging the flames of the fiery
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gulf they hangover. Their hearts are vastly more
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hardened. And then he uses this phrase.
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The moth of time has been nibbling away at the slender
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thread holding them over the pit.
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I want you to visualize the silent nature of a moth.
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It is so quiet. You do not hear a moth
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destroying your clothes in the closet.
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It happens quietly over time. The thread holding you was
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already slender when you were first afraid, but now, after
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years of carelessness, the silent moth of time has gnawed
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that thread almost entirely through.
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The danger has not decreased just because you stopped feeling
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afraid. No, the danger has exponentially
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increased because the Savior's justice remains utterly
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unchanged and your time is running out.
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He then focuses that same piercing logic on the
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backsliders in his own congregation in Northampton.
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We must remember the historical context here.
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Set the scene for us. Edwards is preaching in 1738,
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just a few years after a massive historic revival swept through
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the town in 1734 and 1735. He brings to mind that just
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three years prior, Christ was the great object of regard.
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Everyone in town was talking about the Excellency of Christ,
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the dying love of Christ. The Taverns were empty.
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People were ready to neglect their worldly business just to
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secure an interest in him. But now, a mere three years
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later, the zeal has evaporated. Prices dropped out of their
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common conversation. They're wandering after riches,
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getting into petty arguments over land and obsessing over
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fine clothes. Edwards asks them.
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Such a pointed, almost sarcastic question.
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He asks, are we so foolish as to think that he that is the same
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yesterday, today and forever is so much altered from what he was
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three years ago? It is a direct hit to their
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complacency. He is challenging the listener
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to examine their own life. Look at your own history.
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Has your religion become like a morning cloud that vanishes as
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soon as the sun gets hot? Has your devotion evaporated
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simply because you are treating the unchangeable Christ as if He
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were a passing fad or a seasonal trend?
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It is a severe reproof, but it's entirely necessary to clear the
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ground for the immense comfort Edwards wants to offer next.
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We are finally getting to the comfort.
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Yes, as is typical with the great Puritan and Reformed
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preachers, the severe warnings are designed to strip away false
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security and drive the center to the only actual place of safety.
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Having established the terrifying nature of
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unchangeable justice, Edward shifts his focus to the
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sweetness of the unchangeable Savior, offering immense
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consolation to burdened sinners and to true believers.
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And he starts his consolation by looking at the invitations of
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Christ. Think of texts like Matthew 11
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verse 28. Come unto me, all ye that labor
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and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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Or Isaiah 55 Ho everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the
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waters. Edwards makes the point that
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because Christ is unchangeable, these invitations are not dusty
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historical quotes trapped in the 1st century.
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They are active. They are present tense.
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If you open your Bible and read those words, it is a live
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broadcast. They are as alive right now as
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if Christ were standing physically in front of you,
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speaking them directly from His lips to your ears.
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That is a staggering reality to comprehend.
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The words of a changeable human lose their force when the person
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dies, or when they simply change their mind about you.
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But the words of the immutable God possess an eternal, present
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tense vitality. And Edwards adds A crucial
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theological point here regarding the integrity of Christ's
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character. He says that if you actually
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come to Christ, He will prove to be exactly the same, well,
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precisely the same in his acceptance of you as he was in
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his invitation to you. I love how Edwards phrases that
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he says Christ does not have two faces.
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There's a great way to put it. We all know people who operate
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like this. Think about a corporate
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recruiter. They have a sweet, winning
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public relations face to invite you in.
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They promise you a great salary, amazing culture, and endless
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vacation time to get you to sign the contract.
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But once they have you. Once you start the job, they
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reveal A frowning, harsh, demanding face.
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The boss is a nightmare. Edwards guarantees that Christ
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does not pull a bait and switch. He is consistent with himself.
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He is exceedingly gracious in his invitations, and he will be
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equally gracious in his treatment of you when you close
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with his call. He promised in John 6.
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Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out the one who
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is the same yesterday, today, and forever will be found the
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same and fulfilling as He is in promising.
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He extends this comfort specifically to the afflicted.
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Edward surveys the earthly ministry of Christ and notes how
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he handled people, bringing their difficulties to Him.
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He healed the sick freely without demanding money or a
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certain level of status. He pity the grieving, stopping a
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funeral procession to raise the widow of Nain's son.
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He groaned in spirit and wept with physical tears of
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compassion for Mary and Martha at the loss of Lazarus.
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He aggressively cast out Satan from those who were possessed
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and tormented. He spoke words of total
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absolution to the spiritually dark, telling the paralyzed man
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to be of good cheer because his sins were forgiven.
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And the connection Edwards makes for the listener here is so
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intensely encouraging. He's saying that even though
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Christ is currently located in heaven, seated in absolute glory
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at the right hand of the Father, His readiness to relieve
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physical, emotional and spiritual darkness remains
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identical to the days when he walked the dusty roads of Judea.
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That is a massive comfort. If you are sick, if you are
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mourning the loss of someone you love, if you are wrestling with
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crushing spiritual darkness or the accusations of Satan in your
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own mind, you are bringing your case to a Savior whose
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compassion has not cooled by a single fraction of a degree.
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This brings us to the final sweeping consolation Edwards
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offers the godly, and he roots it in the magnificent logic of
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the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8, verses 29 and 30.
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This is often referred to by Reformed theologians as the
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Golden Chain of Salvation. Let me read the sequence.
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For whom he did foreknow, He also did predestinate.
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And who He did predestinate them he also called.
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And whom he called them he also justified.
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And whom he justified them he also glorified.
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Notice the unbroken progression. It is an unbreakable chain
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forged by an unchangeable savior.
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There are no weak links. Edwards points out that because
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Christ is unchangeable, he will most certainly finish the work
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he started in the believer's heart.
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You do not have to rely on your own ability to remain
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unchangeable. That is a huge relief.
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Because our love is incredibly fickle, our faith waivers
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depending on how much sleep we've got or what the bank
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account looks like. We would utterly fall away if
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left to our own strength. But Christ is the Author and the
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finisher of our faith. His love to you is unchangeable
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and therefore He will never allow your love to Him to
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utterly fail. He secures both ends of the
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relationship. The conclusion of Edward's
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sermon elevates the believers gaze far above the temporary
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losses of this world. He is a realist.
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He acknowledges that earthly enjoyments will be removed.
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Human friends are fickle and will sometimes betray you.
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Sickness will eventually come to your body, earthly wealth will
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fail, or at the very least you will have to leave it behind.
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Eventually you will have to part with all earthly things in
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death, but the believers ultimate happiness is completely
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locked in because Christ himself is their unalterable portion.
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When you enter the happiness of heaven, it can never be taken
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from you, because the Savior who bestows it is the same
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yesterday, today, and forever. We have covered a massive amount
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of theological and historical ground today.
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We've seen how a constantly changing, chaotic world requires
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A radically unchangeable savior. We have traced the unalterable
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nature of His divine person holding up His human nature.
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We looked at the unfading reality of his mediatorial
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office replacing the dying priests of the Old Testament,
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and the fixed delight of his disposition, surviving the
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crushing terror of Gethsemane. We've looked at the terrifying
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permanence of his warnings against those who grow careless
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as the moth of time chews through their thread.
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And the incredibly sweet, active comfort of his invitations to
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the burdened. The decrees of God stand firm
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because the Son of God does not shift.
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It is a thorough, systematic presentation of why the
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immutability of Christ is the very bedrock of Christian
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assurance. It demands a response of
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profound reverence from the careless, and it offers an
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absolute fortress of peace for the believer facing a chaotic
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world. I want to leave you with one
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final lingering thought to ponder on your own as you go
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about your day. Look at the things making you
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anxious right now. Look at the headlines, the
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bills, the shifting relationships.
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There's always something to worry about.
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If the core of your faith is truly united to a Savior who is
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the same yesterday, today, and forever, how much of your
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current daily anxiety is tied up in the illusion that you're
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changing circumstances? Have the final say over your
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life. Thank you for joining us for
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this deep dive into Edwards theology on reforms thinking.