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The Portion of the Wicked (Romans 2:8-9) | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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Imagine walking into a local courthouse, right?
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You were, you know, expecting a standard traffic fine.
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Yeah, maybe a few $100 for running a red light or something
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simple. Right, so you pull up to the
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bench. The judge looks down at you.
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Instead of a fine, he hands out a sentence of infinite,
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unceasing torture. Oh man, your mind would just
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immediately scream that this is an outrage.
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Spot on. You would think the punishment
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does not fit the crime because we expect consequences to be
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calculated, you know, finite and measurable against our own human
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understanding of fairness. Right, our standard of what
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seems equitable. Yeah, well welcome to Reform
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thinking. Today we are taking a deep dive
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into Jonathan Edwards 1735 sermon, The Portion of the
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Wicked, which is based on Romans 2.8 T 9.
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And we are really looking at a judicial landscape that just,
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well, it shatters our finite measuring sticks.
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It really does. We are going to examine why
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Edwards argue that this terrifying sentence is the only
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math automatically perfectly just outcome for humanity.
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Yeah, Our mission here is to systematically examine Edwards's
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sobering theological framework regarding divine wrath, the
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temporal and eternal consequences of sin, and the
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absolute justice of God. Right.
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And this is an analysis tailored specifically for you, the
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listener, to help you grasp the sheer gravity of reformed
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eschatology and what human responsibility actually means
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when you stand before an infinitely holy Creator.
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It is a heavy topic, but so necessary to unpack.
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To understand what Edwards is doing here, we have to look at
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his starting point. Right, which is the biblical
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context. Yeah, he angers his entire
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argument in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans
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specifically, you know, the first 3 chapters.
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And Paul's overarching argument there is pretty clear.
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Right. Very clear, he argues that all
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of humanity, both Jews and Gentiles, are under sin.
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Yeah, and he points out that the Gentiles had the witness of
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creation and their own conscience.
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Right, while the Jews actually possessed the law and the
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covenants. But what Edwards highlights from
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this is that the Jews falsely assumed their chosen status
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exempted them from future wrath. Oh yeah, they looked at the
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Pagan nations, pronounced judgement on their outward
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behaviors while, you know, committing the exact same
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offenses in the hidden corners of their own hearts.
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Spot on. Paul shatters that illusion
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completely in Romans 2. God evaluates the reality of the
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heart, not ethnic heritage or religious affiliation.
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So let us unpack the cause and effect dynamic that Edwards
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points out in the text of Romans 2.
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Yeah, he splits the description of the wicked into two specific
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categories, right? He does.
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There are qualifications that have the nature of A cause and
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those that have the nature of an effect.
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The cause is entirely internal. Which is such a crucial
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distinction in reformed theology.
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It really is, he says. The cause is being contentious
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against the truth, quarreling with the gospel, finding fault
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with its declarations, and, you know, obeying unrighteousness
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instead of yielding to the truth.
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That is the root right there. Yeah, and the effect the fruit
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is the external practice of doing evil.
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It is fascinating how he separates the 2 so clearly.
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And you know, that distinction really defines the Reformed
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perspective. We often look at sin completely
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backwards. How so?
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Well, we see the external action, right?
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The theft, the lie, the gossip, the violence, and we think that
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is the core issue. Oh, I see.
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So we just try to modify the behavior.
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Yeah, but Edwards argues the outward action is just the
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superstructure. The root is that internal
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rebellion against God's authority he uses.
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That specific phrase contentious against the truth.
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Right. And that is not just a passive
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ignorance, it is an active, ongoing hostility.
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Sinners stumble at the gospel because they find Christ to be a
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rock of offense. So their subjection to their own
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lusts is basically the engine driving their outward behavior.
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Precisely. They obey unrighteousness
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because they are quite literally slaves to it.
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The will is bound by its own corrupt desires.
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That makes me think of an analogy.
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Think of a house with a compromised structural
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foundation. OK, I am picturing it.
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You walk through the living room and you see all these massive
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cracks in the drywall. Now if you just hire a
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contractor to patch the drywall and paint over it, you have not
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actually fixed the house. Oh, definitely not.
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The house is still sinking. Right.
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The internal rebellion, the unbelief, the act of hostility
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toward God, the subjection to lust, that is, the severe
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structural failure under the ground.
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Yeah, that is a great way to put it.
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And the external sins, the bad habits, the moral failings,
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those are just the visible cracks on the walls, right.
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So how does this challenge the modern idea that doing good
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things outweighs internal unbelief?
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Yeah, because, you know, you might encounter people today who
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think, well, I am generally a good person.
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I give to charity. I do not hurt anyone.
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Yeah, they assume their moral record or their background
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Shields them from judgement. But Edwards dismantles that
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assumption completely by redefining what good actually
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means in the sight of God. According to the Westminster
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Confession, right? Yeah, from a Westminster
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perspective, a work is only truly good if it proceeds from a
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heart purified by faith, is done according to the law of God, and
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is done for his glory. So if the structural base is a
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heart at enmity with the Creator, then even the seemingly
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positive actions are tainted by that core rebellion.
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Spot on. God evaluates the root.
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He looks at whether the heart is submitted to His truth or
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contentious against it. Because if the internal state is
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characterized by unbelief, the inevitable consequence is divine
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indignation. The outward good deeds are just
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well painted drywall over a collapsing foundation.
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That is a staggering reality to confront.
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It is. Having identified the nature of
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that rebellion, the discussion in the sermon shifts to how God
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responds to this rebellion during a person's earthly life.
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Right, because it does not just immediately skip to eternity.
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No, it does not. Edwards talks about the temporal
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wrath of abandonment. He argues an indignation often
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pursues wicked individuals in this life first.
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And the first and really the most terrifying method of this
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is God simply living them to themselves.
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I want to spend some time here because the mechanics of this
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are just chilling. How does that work
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theologically? Well, this brings us to the
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concept of God withdrawing his restraining grace in Reformed
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thought. We understand that human beings,
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left entirely to their own fallen nature, would run
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headlong into absolute destruction instantly.
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Because of total depravity. Yeah, exactly.
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I mean, spot on. What keeps the world from being
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a literal hell on earth right now is God's restraining hand,
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what we call common grace. God actively prevents people
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from being as wicked as they could be.
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But as a form of temporal judgment, God sometimes removed
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that hand. He does.
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Edwards quotes Hosea 4.1. The Ephraim is joined to his
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idols, let him alone. Let him alone.
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That has to be one of the most frightening phrases in all of
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Scripture. It really is.
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God leaves the Sinner to their own blindness, to the
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covetousness and the hardness of their own heart.
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He points to biblical examples like Saul and Judas to show what
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fatal backsliding looks like when God steps away.
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I have to offer a specific pushback here, or at least voice
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what I know many people listening might be thinking upon
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hearing this. Go ahead.
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Well, if God leaves someone to their own choices, isn't that
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what people actually want? I mean, they want freedom.
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They want autonomy from God's rules.
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Yeah, that is the modern mindset for sure.
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Right. So if God steps back and says
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have it your way, why is that a punishment?
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Let me frame it like this with an analogy.
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OK, let us hear it. Think of a toddler who
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desperately wants to play in the middle of a busy highway.
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The toddler thinks the parent holding their hand is a tyrant
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restricting their freedom. Oh wow.
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Yeah. But if the parent says, OK, have
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it your way and just let's go of their hand, that is not granting
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freedom. That is a severe, fatal
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judgement. That is a highly accurate way to
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look at it. The Sinner perceives God's law
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as a burden and their own desires as true freedom.
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Even though those desires are entirely self-destructive.
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Right. Their desires are utterly
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corrupted. So when God gives them over to
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those desires, He is quite literally handing them the tools
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of their own ruin. And Edwards points out that this
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abandonment often looks like massive success to the outside
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world. Doesn't it?
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Yeah, he details how prosperity itself becomes a curse for the
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wicked. If they possess wealth, honor,
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or pleasure, the curse of God attends it.
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So even their ordinary food, their employments and the very
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houses they live in become traps.
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Exactly. Prosperity acts as an
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anesthetic. It insulates them from feeling
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their real need for God. Edwards uses some very vivid
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language here. He says these prosperous people
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spend their entire lives trying to extract happiness from the
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world, and they're just feeding on the east wind.
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Which is such a brilliant, terrifying metaphor.
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It is. Let us pause and translate that
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metaphor for a second for the listener.
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The east wind in the biblical context of the Middle East is
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the hot, scorching desert wind that blasts the crops.
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It brings famine. It dries everything up.
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Right, so Edwards is saying that trying to find soul satisfaction
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in money or career or status is like trying to satisfy your
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physical hunger by opening your mouth and trying to eat a
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scorching desert hurricane. Yeah, it does not just fail to
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fill you, it actively dehydrate and destroys you from the inside
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out. That is the psychological
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torment of prosperity without God.
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And the wealth accelerates the moral decay because it provides
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the resources to indulge every single corrupt desire.
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Yeah, and Edwards takes it even a step further.
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He says their spiritual privilege has become a curse as
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well. This is a heavy warning for
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anyone sitting in a church Pew, he says.
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Having a Bible, sitting under solid preaching, hearing the
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Gospel, if those things are met with a hardened, unbelieving
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heart, they only aggravate the person's guilt.
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The word of God becomes a savor of death unto death for them.
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Right. Every sermon they hear without
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repenting adds another layer of culpability.
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They could live 100 years, gather all this wealth, attend
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church every Sunday, and their souls are completely starving.
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Because God's indignation is quietly pursuing them through
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the very mundane details of their earthly success.
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But you know, while temporal life contains these severe
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warnings, it is finite. Yeah, that temporal abandonment,
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that horrifying freedom to ruin yourself, has a hard expiration
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date. Right.
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The discussion in the sermon moves to the inevitable
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threshold everyone must cross. The terrifying reality of
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Edwards theology is not just that God let's go of your hand.
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It is what happens the moment the clock runs out on that
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freedom. And that brings us to the King
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of Terrors. Edwards transitions to what he
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calls the execution of the law's curse, which is death.
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He points out that death is a far different thing for the
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wicked than for the righteous. They are, as the proverb says,
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driven away in their wickedness. The stripping away process at
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death is absolute and, well, instantaneous.
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Edwards references the parable of the wealthy fool from the
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Gospel of Luke. Oh right, the man who had ground
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that brought forth plentifully. Yeah, he decided to pull down
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his barns, build greater ones, and tell his soul to take its
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ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God said to him, Thou fool,
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this night thy soul shall be required of thee.
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Precisely. Death cuts off all projects and
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all designs at one single blow. As they came naked into the
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world naked, they must return. Every earthly comfort, every
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distraction, every dollar, every thread of common grace is
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spoiled instantly. Edwards highlights the
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psychological terror on the deathbed.
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He talks about the drastic shift in perspective that happens when
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a person realizes their time is up.
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The panic must be unimaginable. Suddenly all those riches mean
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absolutely nothing. Time which they used to waste
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and delay repentance with becomes infinitely precious.
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Some cry out 1000 worlds for an hour for a moment.
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Yeah, when the reality of eternity finally breaks through
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the anesthetic of the world. Let us pose a thought experiment
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for you, listening right now. Imagine viewing your entire
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life, all your current anxieties, your financial goals,
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your arguments, your streaming cues, from the vantage point of
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your final 5 minutes of breathing.
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That really changes the lighting on everything.
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Doesn't it? It completely alters your
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current priorities. What retains its value when you
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were standing on the edge of that boundary?
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It exposes the sheer madness of living for the present world.
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When a person stands on that edge without a mediator.
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The realization is. Rushing and Edwards notes the
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specific tragedy of those who die in youth as well.
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Right. Yeah, he does.
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Wrath pursues them and overtakes them in the very midst of their
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vanity. They are stopped in the middle
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of their career in sin. All their youthful pleasures are
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violently torn away. He describes them coming to the
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edge of the boundless gulf of eternity, launching forth into
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it without any God or savior to take care of them.
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He says they feel themselves clasped in the cold arms of
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death, their breath failing, their eyes growing dim.
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The horror of that moment, he says, cannot be told nor
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conceived. The physical body fails, but the
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text reveals the soul's awareness sharpens immediately
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upon crossing over. This brings us to the particular
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judgement and the intermediate state.
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Right. Edwards asserts that immediately
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at death, the soul undergoes a particular judgement.
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It does not sleep. It is cast down into hell while
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awaiting the final resurrection at the end of the world.
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What are the actual mechanics of this particular judgement?
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Because people might be confused about the timeline here.
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He makes a very careful theological distinction here
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based on reformed eschatology. This particular judgement is not
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the grand, outward, solemn transaction that will happen at
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the end of the world. OK, so Christ does not descend
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from heaven for this specific moment.
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Right. No.
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Instead, as soon as the soul departs the body, it is made
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immediately sensible of the presence of an infinitely holy
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God. The soul comes naked, carrying
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all its guilt, filthiness and rebellion directly before its
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judge. Yeah.
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God manifests as His strict justice inwardly to the
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immediate view of the soul and the apprehension of the
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conscience. The door of mercy shuts forever.
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And the irrevocable sentence is passed in the quietness of that
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spiritual reality. That inward manifestation of
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justice is chilling. There is no grand outward
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spectacle yet. Right.
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There is no courtroom drama, no chance to argue, no calling of
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witnesses, just the immediate crushing weight of total
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exposure before holiness. Edwards contrasts the death of a
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believer with the death of the wicked in a way that is just
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hard to shake. How does he frame that contrast?
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Well, when a believer like Lazarus dies, the text says, he
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is carried by angels to Abraham's bosom.
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But for the wicked, Edwards envisions their soul being
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seized by fierce, cruel spirits. Oh wow, so there are no good
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angels to guard them? No God takes no merciful care of
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them. They are left in the hands of
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the very demons they followed in life.
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We must look at what they experienced in that intermediate
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state. Edwards points out that while
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they are in hell, this is still not their complete punishment.
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Right. They're reserved in chains of
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darkness for the judgement of the great day, much like the
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demons themselves. But their current torment is
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extreme. He references the wealthy man in
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Luke 16 who lifts up his eyes in torment and begs for a drop of
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water to cool his tongue because he is tormented in a flame.
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And Edward suggests the flame is not just around him, but in him.
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They are full of the wrath of God.
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And he also mentions they are tormented by their own
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conscience. That is the biblical concept of
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the worm that never dies. Yeah, the conscience is fully
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awakened. Let us explain this
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mechanistically. Think of the human conscience in
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this life like a smoke detector with a dying battery.
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OK, that is a relatable analogy. Right, we can easily ignore the
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faint chirps, or we can just take the battery out completely
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through distractions, entertainment, or, you know,
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self justification. We find ways to muffle the
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sound, yeah. But Edwards is saying that in
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the intermediate state, that smoke detector is hardwired
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directly into your consciousness, the alarm is
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deafening and there is no mute button.
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You are trapped in a room with your own perfect memory of every
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single warning you ignored. Every sermon you slept through,
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every plea from a Christian friend you brushed off, every
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moment of conviction you suppressed so you could go
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indulge a lust. How does that memory fuel the
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fire? It fuels it because they have
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nothing else to do in that state but reflect on their own folly.
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That is the terror of an awakened conscience when there
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is no longer any blood of Christ available to cleanse it.
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Because in this life, men find ways to sedate their conscience.
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Right, but the conscience operates with perfect, unclouded
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accuracy in the next life, constantly agreeing with the
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God's justice against the self. You literally become your own
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accuser. And as Edwards notes, they also
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suffer from the terrifying anticipation of the final
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judgement. Yeah, they know a day is coming
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when their torment will be vastly augmented.
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They're essentially in a holding cell, fully aware of the
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upcoming execution date. This section confronts you with
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the absolute finality of death. All earthly comforts and second
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chances expire the moment the soul separates from the body.
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It is a sobering reality. As terrible as this intermediate
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state is, Edwards notes, it is just a holding cell before a
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much larger final event. And that leads us to the
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resurrection of damnation. The Final Judgement brings the
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resurrection of the wicked. They are summoned unwillingly,
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their souls dragged out of hell to be reunited with their
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physical bodies. And this is the point I want to
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raise an original question about.
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If the soul is already suffering in the intermediate state, why
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drag the physical body back out of the grave?
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It is a valid question. Right.
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What is the theological necessity of physical
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resurrection for the wicked? Why isn't a spiritual punishment
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enough? I tried to reason through
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Edward's text on this. And what did you see there?
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Well, because the physical body was the tool used to rebel
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against God. The hands that stole, the tongue
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that lied, the eyes that consumed wickedness, the feet
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that ran toward mischief. Yeah, there were instruments of
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unrighteousness. So exact justice requires that
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the very instrument of rebellion is resurrected to face the
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consequences. The body and soul sin together.
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They must be judged together. That makes terrifying sense.
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The body was the weapon, so the weapon is brought into the
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courtroom. Furthermore, Edwards points out
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a stark contrast regarding the bodies themselves.
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What kind of contrast? He notes that while the bodies
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of the Saints will rise glorious like unto Christ's glorious
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body, the bodies of the wicked will arise proportionately
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deformed and hideous, matching the hideousness of the soul.
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Oh wow, because in this world, a polluted soul is often hidden
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inside a beautiful outward appearance.
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Right. You can have a heart full of
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malice and a face that belongs on a magazine cover, but in the
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resurrection the external form will perfectly match the hellish
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deformity of the soul within. They stand before the judge and
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hidden sins are brought to light.
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All those secret things kept hidden from the world are
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broadcast across the universe. And former companions, people
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they tempted into sin, rise up to condemn them.
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Even the heathen who had lesser advantages will rise up in
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judgment against them. They will be struck completely
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dumb, and then the final sentence is pronounced.
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Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for
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the devil and his angels. Edwards notes that every
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syllable of that sentence will Pierce their souls like
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lightning. Upon that sentence, the world as
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we know it dissolves. He describes the heavens passing
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away with a great noise, the elements melting with fervent
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heat. Yeah, just as God once judged
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the world with a deluge of water and Noah's day, he will drown it
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in a deluge of fire. The wicked enter into that state
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and their punishment is complete.
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And Edwards laborers to describe the duration.
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It is eternal. It was wear out 1000 years after
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another. Millions of ages pass and the
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arithmetic of time fails. There is no end.
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Let's pause on that word eternal.
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Faced with such a staggering description of eternal
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punishment, the human mind naturally protests.
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It really does. People recoil at the concept.
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Why does God's justice demand an unending duration?
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Why not just an intense punishment for a set number of
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years and then annihilation? This gets right to the heart of
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Reformed theology regarding the nature of God.
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The severity of a crime is measured by the worth and
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dignity of the one offended. OK, lay that out for us.
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If you strike a fellow citizen, you might get a fine.
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If you strike a king, you might be executed.
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Sin is an offense committed against an infinitely holy,
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infinitely worthy Creator. Therefore, the debt incurred by
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sin is an infinite debt. Precisely, A finite creature
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cannot pay an infinite debt in a finite amount of time.
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It is mathematically impossible. Therefore, the duration of the
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payment must stretch into eternity.
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Arithmetic fails because the debt is boundless, there is no
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rest, no atonement, and the torment never grows easier by
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becoming accustomed to it. So if God is doing all of this,
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condemning souls, resurrecting bodies for infinite torment, and
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dissolving the world in fire, the immediate human response is
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usually pushed back. Right.
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People say this is an overreaction.
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God is too severe. This leads us to Section 6,
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answering objections and the justice of God.
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Wicked men often think God is too severe, but Edwards provides
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A rigorous multi point defense of God's justice.
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He systematically walks through these arguments to a
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congregation that was likely just as horrified as we are.
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He addresses the Sinner directly, doesn't he?
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He does. He dismantles every objection.
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First. He argues it is perfectly just
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for God to leave you to yourself because you obstinately refuse
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to leave your sins. God commanded you to forsake
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them, and you allowed them to sit on the throat of your heart.
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You harbor God's mortal enemies, sin and Satan.
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Right. Why should God dwell with that
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which is odious to Him? Second, it is just for God to
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curse your earthly blessings because you used every one of
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them as weapons against His honor.
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You used your health, your money, your time to serve his
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enemies and he goes on to say it is just to cut your life short
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because you abused his patients. Yeah, God gave you breath today,
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and instead of repenting, you use that breath to multiply
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transgressions. I want to highlight the most
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striking counter arguments Edwards makes against the
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complaint that the punishment is too great.
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He uses this an incredible phrase he says to the center.
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You stretched out your hand against God and ran upon the
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thick bosses of his buckler. That is some intense imagery.
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It is, let us translate, that a buckler is a shield, and the
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boss is the heavy spike metal center of that shield.
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OK, So what is Edward saying with that?
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Edwards is saying sinners aren't just passively ignoring God,
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they are actively, aggressively throwing themselves onto the
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spikes of his armor. It is an image of suicidal
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rebellion. You cannot complain about the
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severity of a sentence when you spent your life throwing
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yourself onto the judge's sword. It is like a criminal
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complaining a find is too high. Yet the judge points out the
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criminal ignored every warning sign and dared the authorities
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to act. Spot on.
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You had his commands repeated, his threatening set before you
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hundreds of times, and you went on doing the very things he
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forbade right to his face. You bid defiance to the
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Almighty, it is no wonder He will make you know how terrible
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His wrath actually is. And then Edwards makes the
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specific point about Christ's rejected love, which I think is
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his strongest argument. Yes, elaborate on Edwards point
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regarding Christ because it stopped me in my tracks.
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It seems he's essentially using a mathematical equation.
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The severity of the punishment is directly tied to the value of
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the rescue mission that was rejected.
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That is a great way to summarize it.
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He asks the Sinner to weigh the wrath they are afraid of against
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the love they have actively rejected.
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God provided a way of escape at an infinite cost.
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He gave His only begotten Son a person equal with God.
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Right, to become Incarnate, to suffer death, to be made a
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curse, and to absorb the dreadful wrath of God.
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This glorious person stood and knocked at your door.
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And this infinite love was offered times without number.
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And the Sinner looked at Christ and saw no beauty to desire him.
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They love their sins more than the blood of the Son of God.
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So Edwards concludes that the misery of hell is not greater
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than the infinite love and glory the Sinner has despised.
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If you trample on the blood of the Son of God, what kind of
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punishment do you suppose is mathematically appropriate?
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That silence is the argument completely.
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The infinite value of the blood demands an infinite penalty if
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it is trampled. It really does.
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Edwards points at a brilliant logical flaw in the Sinners
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complaint as well. He says if you complain this
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punishment is truly too great, why wasn't the threat of it
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enough to stop you from sinning? Yeah, that is a devastating
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question. If it is so unreasonable and
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massive, why did you make light of it?
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You acted as if it was not great enough to deter you.
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You went on day after day, gathering fuel for your own
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fire. You dared God to do his worst.
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Right. You cannot live your life
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treating the threat of hell as a joke and then complain at the
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judgement seat that it is too severe.
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The Sinner condemns himself out of his own mouth.
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If God is true, his threatenings are substantial, not mere
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shadows. He is not using fallacious
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tricks to frighten men into submission.
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He is a God of truth who will by no means clear the guilty.
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Reason itself teaches that a wise and just Creator must
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govern His creatures and make a difference between the good and
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the bad. To think God would let men live
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in wickedness, prosper, and then simply die like beasts with no
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future accounting, is to deny the very justice of God.
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This challenges you to evaluate your own view of God.
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Do you view his warnings as mere fables?
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Do you think the Bible's descriptions of judgement are
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just ancient scare tactics? Or do you view them as the
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guaranteed promises of a perfectly holy Creator who
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cannot look upon sin? We have to reckon with the
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reality that God's nature is infinitely averse to sin much
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more than our human nature is averse to pain.
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So to synthesize the trajectory of Edward's sermon, he shows
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that the portion allotted to the wicked is not an arbitrary
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lightning bolt thrown by an unpredictable deity.
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No, it is a highly ordered, perfectly just, direct result of
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the sinner's own unyielding rebellion and rejection of
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truth. It plays out chronologically
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through temporal abandonment where God hands them over to
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their own desires. Through the horror of the
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deathbed, where all illusions fail.
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Through the immediate conscious torment of the intermediate
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state. And finally, through the bodily
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resurrection, to face the eternal unquenchable fire, every
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step is governed by strict, unassailable justice.
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God's justice is perfect. We've spent this time walking
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through a very heavy, very dark reality we just examined the
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sheer infinite weight of God's wrath against sin, a wrath that
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arithmetic fails to calculate. It is a heavyweight to bear.
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But I want to leave you with a final provocative thought built
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directly on the source material we just covered.
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What is that final consideration?
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If this eternal, unmitigated terror is the exact penalty that
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every single sin requires from a perfectly just God, consider
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what was actually happening on the cross.
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Oh. Wow, yes.
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How heavy was the burden Christ bore during those hours in the
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darkness He stepped in to absorb this specific, unquenchable
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wrath, drinking the cup of indignation down to the dregs on
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behalf of his people. He took the infinite debt upon
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himself. Let the sheer terror of Edwards
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warning shape your understanding of how massive, how costly, and
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how breathtaking God's grace truly is today.