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Gracious Affections Increase Spiritual Hunger | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. Today, we're taking a deep dive
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into a question that, well, it really touches the very heart of
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what it means to genuinely follow Christ.
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What do true Saints genuinely long for?
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And maybe more importantly, how does that longing reveal the
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authenticity of their faith? We've been really immersed in
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insights from a significant theological work looking at the
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very nature of spiritual longing.
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It shines a light on what a real hunger for God looks like, and
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maybe even more tellingly, what it doesn't look like.
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This isn't just, you know, theory.
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It's about discerning the pulse of authentic faith.
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Yeah. And what's really compelling
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here is how the source material helps us distinguish between,
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let's say, spiritual desire that genuinely comes from grace and
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what might just be, well, religious feeling.
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He gives us a pretty clear indicator.
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Do our affections spark an ever growing appetite for holiness?
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Where do they kind of settle down into self satisfaction?
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That distinction feels crucial. Oh, it's fundamental.
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It's not a minor point at all. It really goes to understanding
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our actual spiritual condition. So this deep dive is really
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about helping you, the listener, grasp that vital difference for
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your own walk with God. We want to uncover what that
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true spiritual hunger actually involves.
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Why it never really stops, and how it sets genuine faith apart
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from anything while superficial. It's about looking beneath the
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surface, beyond just religious activity, to the affections, the
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desires of the soul. So our source material kicks off
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by laying out this core identifier, this way to
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distinguish gracious affections from others.
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It says that true spiritual affections, as they're stirred
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up, actually increase a spiritual appetite, a yearning
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of the soul for further spiritual attainment.
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Right. It's suggesting spiritual growth
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isn't like reaching a plateau, but more like a continuous
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climb. That's a key concept, isn't it?
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Absolutely foundational. It means the more a true St.
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loves God with a love that flows from divine grace, mind you, the
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more they desire to love Him. It's not some static emotion
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that you achieve and then you know you're done cultivating it.
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No, it's dynamic, it's growing, and interestingly, it brings
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with it this fitting sense of disquiet and unease when they
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perceive any lack in their love for God.
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Unease. That sounds potentially
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negative. Well, it's not negative in the
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sense of condemnation or a lack of peace.
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It's more like a tender ache. You could say a holy
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dissatisfaction with anything less than a full, vibrant love
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for their Creator. Think of it like a spiritual
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feedback loop. The more God's grace is poured
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into your heart, the greater your capacity and desire for Him
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becomes, and that leads to an intensified longing for even
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more of that love. It's really a hallmark of
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authentic spiritual life. That's a powerful distinction,
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then, a love so deep that it actually creates an unease over
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any perceived lack. So how does this fitting
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uneasiness show up in a saint's practical day-to-day life?
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Is it like a heavy burden? No, not burdensome like
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spiritual oppression. No, not at all.
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Instead, this unease is well, it's a healthy animating force.
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It shows up as a continual Dr. toward God.
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It looks like prayerful wrestling with their own heart,
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you know, and a diligent application to the means of
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grace, reading scripture, prayer gathering with other believers.
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Usual. Means right?
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It's kind of like the spiritual equivalent of physical hunger.
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When you eat, you're satisfied for a bit, but your body
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eventually craves more nourishment for life and growth
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spiritually. This hunger for God is renewed
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and even intensified the more you experience Him.
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It's really a sign of spiritual health, not sickness.
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OK, that makes sense. It's sign of life, not decay.
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Precisely, And this pattern, it isn't just limited to loving
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God, it kind of expands to every dimension of holiness.
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For instance, the more a true St. genuinely hates sin, the
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more they desire to despise it completely, utterly.
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They grieve. They lament any remaining
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affection or even inclination towards sin within themselves.
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This isn't just a surface level regret for past action.
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No, it's deep. Much deeper, it's a deep seated
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aversion to sins very nature and its presence in their heart.
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They don't just stop at a certain level of purity, they
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long to be entirely free from sins power.
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It's pollution they yearn for a deeper conformity to Christ's
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purity. And that desire fuels action.
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It fuels A consistent, heartfelt process of repentance, not just
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for outward stuff, but for the internal inclinations of the
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soul. So it's this continuous process
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of cleansing of deeper alignment, not just a one off
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event. What about their attitude
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towards their own failings? Exactly.
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They long to mourn for sin more, and the more their heart is
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broken by their sin, the more they desire it to be broken even
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further. That sounds intense.
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It is, but that it's not a desire for self pity or endless
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despair. It's a longing for a genuine,
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profound, appropriate sorrow, one that reflects God's own view
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of sin and its offense against His Holiness.
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So it's an increasing sensitivity to sin.
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Yes, rather than a hardening against it.
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And this deep remorse is coupled with an equally strong thirst, A
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yearning for God himself and for holiness just for its own sake.
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They even find themselves expressing a desire to desire,
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you know, breathing out their very being and longing after
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God. It paints a picture of intense,
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almost all consuming spiritual desire.
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A yearning for God and holiness that just takes over everything.
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Driving them toward deeper communion, greater purity?
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Yes. The source material uses this
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image of a flame being kindled. The higher the flame, the more
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ardently it burns, the more it seeks to expand.
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That's a vivid picture of this continuous spiritual intensity.
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It is, and that continuous, intensifying desire for holiness
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and spiritual affection is much more alive, much sharper, and
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those who really stand out in holiness.
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It's particularly evident when grace and holy affections are
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most active within them. It's not just an idea.
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You can see the spiritual dynamic in the lives of true
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Saints. It's almost instinctual then.
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You can say that it is as much the very nature of someone
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spiritually reborn to yearn for growth and holiness as it is for
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a newborn baby to seek its mother's breast.
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A healthy baby instinctively craves milk for life and growth,
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right? Their appetite is sharpest when
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they're thriving. Likewise, the spiritually reborn
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person inherently craves holiness for their spiritual
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well-being, for maturity. We see this reflected in first
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Peter 2 verses 2 and 3. New believers are told to desire
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the sincere milk of the Word so they may grow by it.
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Having already tasted that, the Lord is gracious that initial
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taste doesn't satisfy completely.
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It just makes you want. More, it stimulates a greater
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hunger. Exactly so even the most
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spiritually mature among us are still, in a sense, growing and
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longing. They've never fully arrived in
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this life. It feels like the best we get
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here is just a sample. That's absolutely right.
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The finest experience a St. has in this world is described as
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merely a taste or a prelobation, which just means a small
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foretaste, a sample of the glory to come.
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It serves as an earnest, like a down payment of their future
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inheritance in their hearts. The spiritual joys, the insights
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we get now, they're just glimpses, fragments of the
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fullness that awaits. So they point forward.
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Inherently, they mean that no matter how rich our current
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experience feels, it's incomplete.
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It's designed to Orient us toward what's still to come.
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The New Testament talks about the Holy Spirit this way, you
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know in Second Corinthians and Ephesians as a guarantee.
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And appetizer are not the main course then.
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Precisely. Even the most outstanding Saints
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in this life are, well, like children compared to their
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coming state of maturity and perfection.
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Paul talks about this in First Corinthians 13.
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Seeing dimly now, but then face to face.
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Exactly. Which means whatever spiritual
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gains we make, whoever significant they seem, they're
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still pretty basic when measured against the glorious perfected
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state waiting for believers. So the greatest spiritual
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attainments here don't lead to being fully satisfied or to the
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yearning lessening. Quite the opposite.
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They make you more eager. More eager to press forward.
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Like Paul in Philippians 3, he talks about forgetting what's
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behind, reaching for what's ahead.
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His past victories didn't make him complacent.
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No, they fueled. Him.
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They fueled his relentless drive for what was ahead in Christ.
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And that's a core characteristic of true grace.
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It propels you further. It never lets you settle into
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spiritual stagnation. OK, that helps clarify why this
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hunger seems endless in this life.
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What are the the deeper theological reasons behind this
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ever growing appetite for holiness and grace?
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Our sources mention a few core reasons.
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Well, firstly, the more someone actually possesses gracious
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affections, the more they gain that spiritual discernment, that
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ability to perceive the well, the surpassing excellence, and
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taste the divine sweetness of holiness itself.
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This isn't just thinking about it.
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It's a spiritual apprehension of beauty, a deeper seeing, a
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relishing of what holiness really is.
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Like developing a taste for fine art or music.
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That's a good analogy. An untrained ear might enjoy a
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simple tune, but a seasoned musician hears the complex
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harmonies, the counterpoint, the emotional depth.
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Their appreciation is far richer.
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And that makes them want to engage more.
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Right. Similarly, this spiritual
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insight, rather other than fully satisfying, makes the soul crave
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more of that divine sweetness because they're increasingly
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aware of its infinite depths. And secondly, the more grace
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they have while still living in this imperfect state, the more
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clearly they see their own imperfection, their spiritual
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emptiness, how far they really are from what they ought to be.
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Well, yeah, But it's a healthy realization.
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This recognition gives them an increased sense of their need
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for grace. This comes up when we talk about
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evangelical humility. True grace works to reveal the
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depth of our own shortcomings, our remaining sinfulness.
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And that naturally compels us to seek even more of God's grace
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for cleansing, for transformation.
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So it drives us towards God as the only source.
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Exactly. It's not paralyzing.
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It's motivating. It pushes us toward God as our
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only true supply. So the very presence of grace
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let's you see your need for more grace.
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It's a kind of spiritual paradox that seems to create the self
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perpetuating desire. It absolutely does, and beyond
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that, grace itself, as long as it remains imperfect in US,
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inherently has a growing nature. It's in a state of ongoing
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development. Think about any living thing
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that's not yet fully mature. It's very nature compels it to
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see growth, especially when it's healthy and thriving.
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Like a plant reaching for sunlight.
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A robust plant, exactly. It continually reaches for more
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light, more water, more nutrients to expand and flourish
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in the same way every true grace within us cries out.
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It's like that expression of true faith in Mark 9.
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Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.
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Yes, both the statement of possession and lack.
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Precisely a confession of what's been received and what's still
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lacking. A sincere desire for spiritual
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completion, for greater conformity to God's will.
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So the greater the spiritual insights and affections a true
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Christian gets, the more they become an earnest petitioner
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asking for grace for spiritual nourishment so they can keep
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growing. And it's not passive longing.
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Definitely not. They pursue this growth with
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diligence, through the proper means, through action.
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Because genuine grace filled longings for holiness aren't
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just idle ineffective wishes. If they lead somewhere.
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They lead to action, to fervent prayer, diligent engagement with
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the Word, participation in the community of faith, actively
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striving for righteousness day by day.
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OK, but here's something that might trip people up.
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You might be thinking. Hold on, if spiritual enjoyments
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are soul satisfying, how can they also lead to this unending
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hunger for more? It seems like a contradiction,
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right? Yeah, that's a really common
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point of potential misunderstanding.
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Spiritual enjoyments are satisfying, but not in the sense
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of being cloying. Cloying like too much dessert.
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Exactly not like something overly sweet where having a
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little makes you want no more. Instead, they are soul
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satisfying in several distinct ways that actually fuel further
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desire. Think of it like a truly amazing
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meal. It satisfies your immediate
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hunger, sure, but it also might create a lasting desire for that
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specific kind of exquisite taste.
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OK, so how are they satisfying then?
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Well, first, they're perfectly fitted to the very nature,
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capacity, and needs of the human soul.
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Those who experience them, they don't desire any other kind of
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enjoyment. They're content with that
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specific kind of happiness. They don't wish for a change or
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feel inclined to wander off looking for other sources of
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joy. The soul never gets tired of
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this divine happiness. But that doesn't mean they don't
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want more of it. Exactly.
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That's the key. It doesn't mean those who have
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some of this happiness desire no more of the same kind.
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It's about the inherent quality of the satisfaction.
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It's uniquely suited to the soul's deepest longings, not
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about the quantity indicating fullness.
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It's the perfect fit that makes it desirable and increasing
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measure. So it's the perfect adaptation
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of spiritual good to the soul. That's satisfying.
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Not the feeling of having had enough of it, like finding the
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most refreshing water when you're thirsty.
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You're thrilled with the kind of drink, but you'll gladly drink
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more if it's available. Perfectly put.
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Second, they fulfill the expectation of the appetite.
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When you have a strong appetite for something, your expectation
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is usually high. Worldly enjoyments.
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They often disappoint. They fall short of the hopes
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they raise. We've all been there.
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Right. But spiritual enjoyments.
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They fully meet and even exceed what the soul yearns for.
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They deliver on their promise, and in doing so, they actually
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deepen the very hunger they initially satisfied.
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So the satisfaction validates and intensifies the desire, it
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doesn't kill it. Correct. 3rd the pleasure and
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contentment you get from spiritual enjoyments are lasting
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worldly enjoyments. Sharp contrast here might
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satisfy a particular appetite temporarily, but then the
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pleasure fades and that general human thirst for real lasting
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happiness just returns, leaving soul feeling empty again.
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The crash after the sugar rush. Kind of spiritual joy, though,
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prevents that return to emptiness.
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The satisfaction gained isn't fleeting.
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It settles deep within the soul, providing A sustained sense of
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contentment that lasts beyond the initial experience.
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It's like a constant spiritual well you can always draw from.
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So unlike a quick fix, it's a more consistent state of
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gratification. Yes.
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And fourthly, spiritual good is satisfying because there's an
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infinite abundance of it. There's enough to satisfy the
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soul to any degree, if only you know.
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The hindrances were removed and our capacity to receive was
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fully used. There's an infinite ocean of it
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available for the soul to just extend itself into.
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If people aren't satisfied in the degree of happiness they
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experience, the reason lies within themselves.
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It's our limitation, not God's. Exactly.
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It's because we don't open our mouths wide enough, so to speak.
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The problem is never with the supply of spiritual good, that's
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boundless, but with our limited capacity or maybe willingness to
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receive it. The more we engage with it, the
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more we realize it's endless depth and therefore the more we
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yearn to partake of it more fully.
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So if I'm getting this right, the very satisfying nature of
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spiritual good is precisely why the soul, once it tastes, it,
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yearns for more and for its ultimate fullness.
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It's like a magnetic pull towards the infinite.
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That's a perfect way to put it. It's like bodies drawn into
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Earth's gravity. They tend toward it with
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increasing force the closer they get right, and they aren't at
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rest until they reach the center.
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Spiritual good is of such an inherently satisfying nature
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that the soul which truly tastes it begins to comprehend it, will
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thirst for it and for a complete measure of it so it can be fully
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content. The more someone genuinely
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experiences and understands this excellent, unparalleled,
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exquisite, satisfying sweetness, the more earnestly they will
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hunger and thirst for more until they reach ultimate perfection
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in God's presence. And that explains the link.
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That's precisely why the greater the genuine spiritual affections
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are, the greater the appetite and longing become for more
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grace and more holiness in their lives.
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It's a journey of ever increasing spiritual intensity
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as we draw near to the very Source.
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OK, now let's contrast that. In stark contrast to these
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growing active desires, our sources show that false or
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counterfeit religious affections work in a fundamentally
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different way. They tend to settle into a state
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of self satisfaction. This seems like a really
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critical indicator for telling the difference.
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It is absolutely critical for spiritual discernment.
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If there was a desire for grace before, maybe driven by legal
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conviction, fear of judgment, something like that.
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As these false affections increase, that initial desire
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often just stops or it significantly lessens.
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How so? Well, for example, someone under
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heavy conviction of sin might have really longed for spiritual
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light, for understanding, maybe for faith that brings peace.
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But once false affections deceive them into thinking, OK,
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I'm converted, my spiritual state is secure, I'm good.
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Those earnest longings for more light, more grace.
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Yeah, they just stop. It because the perceived goal is
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met. Exactly.
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They feel they've arrived spiritually, so the spiritual
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hunger they once felt often just vanishes or fades away.
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It's like taking off a spiritual checklist item rather than
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entering into a dynamic living relationship.
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They think they found the solution, so the problem in
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their minds is gone. That nails it.
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A central characteristic of false affections is they lead
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people to become overly confident that their sins are
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forgiven, that they're guaranteed heaven, and as a
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result they become content with where they are.
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Their perceived end is answered. They think their spiritual quest
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is complete. When these affections get
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stirred up really high, they effectively put an end to any
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further longings for grace and holiness.
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They feel they've got it made, spiritually speaking.
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Right. And this is often compounded by
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their inflated view of their own spiritual riches, a person with
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strong false affections. They're far from seeing
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themselves as a poor, empty creature needing constant divine
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help. Instead, they feel rich and
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increased with goods. They hardly perceive anything
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more excellent or necessary than what they think they've already
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got. That sense of spiritual
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abundance leaves no room for more desire.
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Exactly. They are spiritually
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self-sufficient in their own eyes, which is frankly a
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dangerous place to be. And this false sense of
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satisfaction? It often results in just
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stopping the earnest pursuit, doesn't it?
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Many people seem to start diligently seeking after what
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they call their conversion, or after some intense emotional
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experience makes them totally confident.
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They really do. They start acting as though
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their spiritual work is basically done.
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They rely heavily on their first work, that initial emotional
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experience, that past moment of intense feeling, and they're
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crying and striving after God and grace just comes to an end.
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Which is the opposite of what the Bible.
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Teaches it leads to behavior that is starkly contrary to
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Scripture. The New Testament almost
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universally talks about believers watching, giving
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careful heed to themselves, running the race, striving,
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agonizing, wrestling, fighting, putting on the whole armor of
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God, pressing forward, reaching forth, continuing instant
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prayer, crying to God day and night.
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And that's directed at believers.
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Crucially, yes, these commands are almost entirely directed to
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Saints. Those were already converted.
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While you might find these actions applied to sinners
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seeking conversion once or twice, they are applied to the
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Saints ongoing pursuit of their high calling maybe 10 times more
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frequently. It highlights the ongoing,
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active, lifelong nature of true faith, the continued need for
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spiritual effort even after regeneration.
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So the biblical picture is the converted person continuing the
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struggle, not stopping as if they crossed a finish line.
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Absolutely. But many today seem to have
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adopted this strange, unbiblical approach, where all their
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striving, all their wrestling, is believed to be over before
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they're converted. Then they expect an easy ride
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afterwards, settling into spiritual ease, even idleness,
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like people who've got all they need and consider themselves
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spiritually rich and full. But there's a warning against
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that. There's a sobering warning.
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Luke 1.53 says. He is filled the hungry with
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good things and the rich. He is sent away empty.
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It's a stark warning against that spiritual complacency that
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often comes from a perceived fullness based on false
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affections. The truly hungry are filled, not
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those who think they're already full.
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OK, but what about this? Some people with false
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affections might push back and say no, I do desire more.
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I am pressing forward spiritually.
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Our sources seem to draw another clear line here, suggesting the
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object of their desires is often fundamentally different from a
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true Saints. That is a truly vital point for
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getting the discernment right. The desires of genuine Saints
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are a proper appetite for holiness itself, for its own
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sake, or for the moral excellence, the spiritual beauty
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that resides in it. It's described as a natural and,
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as it were, necessary appetite and thirsting of the new man
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after God. And holiness, Yes, an inherent
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longing, a spiritual impulse that's as natural to the new
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spiritual nature as, say, vital warmth is to the body.
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There's a holy breathing, an intense yearning after the
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Spirit of God to increase holiness, as natural to a holy
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nature as breathing is to a living body.
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It's not forced or imagined or something you manufacture
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yourself. It's an organic expression of
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their regenerated being, a fundamental drive to be more
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like Christ. So it's an internal drive for
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holiness, not just an external pressure to look holy.
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Exactly. And holiness or sanctification
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is more directly the object of a spiritual appetite than just,
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say, a display of God's love or favor.
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This is the meat and drink the spiritual appetite seeks.
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Remember John 4.34, Christ says, my meat is to do the will of him
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that sent me, and to finish his work.
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His deepest satisfaction, His sustenance, was obedience.
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Doing the Father's will. Right.
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And when Scripture talks about the desires, the longings, the
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thirstings of Saints, righteousness and God's laws are
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mentioned far more often as the object than anything else.
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True Saints desire the sincere milk of the Word, not primarily
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to confirm God's love to them, but so they may grow thereby in
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holiness, in Christlikeness. Holiness is the primary object
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of a spiritual taste, and therefore the chief object of a
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spiritual appetite. It's a fundamental shift in what
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they desire most. A total reorientation, placing
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God's character and will above everything else.
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So genuine grace means the godly person finds godliness itself to
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be their greatest treasure. Like Isaiah says, the fear of
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the Lord is his treasure. Yes.
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Godliness is the gainer, eager for, zealous.
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For as First Timothy 6 suggests, their deepest longing is for the
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very character of God to be reflected in them, for their
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lives to increasingly align with his righteousness, his truth.
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It's a desire for God's glory to be seen in their obedience.
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OK, but what about those who say they long for great discoveries
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or tastes of God's love? Aren't those often seen as marks
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of true faith? Many people connect those
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experiences with spiritual authenticity.
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Well, our sources are quite clear here.
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Individuals with false affections often long for those
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discoveries more for the immediate comfort they bring or
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the feeling of a high manifestation of God's love,
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rather than for any purifying or sanctifying influence it might
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have. Their desires are frequently for
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what the text calls buy ends, meaning they have ulterior
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motives, secondary goals, not a pure desire for holiness itself.
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Can you give examples of these Buy insurance?
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Sure. For instance, they might long
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for clearer spiritual experiences primarily to feel
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more certain about their own soul state.
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The focus is overwhelmingly on their own assurance, their
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emotional well-being. Rather than on the inherent
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spiritual good of knowing God more and becoming like Him.
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Precisely another common one is self gratification.
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They desire great spiritual displays.
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What they see is divine favor because their self feels
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gratified by feeling highly favored, maybe elevated above
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others. A kind of spiritual pride.
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It's a common pitfall, yeah, where the focus subtly shifts
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from God's glory and holiness to personal spiritual status.
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And furthermore, they might long to taste the love of God, as
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they put it, more than to actually have more love to God.
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That's a key difference. It's.
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Critical A desire for an emotional experience of God's
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love. A passive reception rather than
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an active increase in their own self denying, obedient love for
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God. The true St. desires to give
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love to God through obedience and adoration, not just receive
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a feeling of His love. So the object of their longing
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is passive reception, a subjective feeling, not active
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transformation or obedience. It's about what they get, not
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what they become or how they respond.
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You've captured it exactly. They might even have a kind of
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forced or imagine longing because they think they must
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long for more grace, otherwise it looks bad for their spiritual
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state. A desire born out of obligation.
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Or fear of not seeming spiritual enough, rather than a genuine
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internal hunger for God and holiness.
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Their longing for discoveries is mainly for the present comfort,
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the feeling, the big display of God's love, rather than for any
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purifying or transforming effect on their character or actions.
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Which is why the sources provide a clearer distinguishing mark.
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Right. And that's why they state that
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longing for great discoveries or great tastes of God's love, or
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even longing to be in heaven, or longing to die, those are not
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nearly as distinguishing marks of genuine Saints as what as
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longing for a more holy heart and living a more holy life.
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The ultimate test, the clearest indicator, lies in that deep
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seated desire for conformity to God's character and will, for
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true righteousness, for sanctification rather than
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simply for comforting experiences, spiritual status,
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or even future glory. It's about the desire to become
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like Christ. Not just to feel good about him
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or about one's own salvation. Yes.
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Wow, this deep dive has really shown a light on the heart of
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genuine faith, hasn't it? It's not primarily about what we
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feel we've already achieved, how much we think we know, but about
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what we still hunger for. That deeper walk, that pure
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heart, a life more truly conformed to his ways.
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It's really a call to honest self examination for all of us.
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Indeed it is. The central message seems pretty
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clear. The path of the true St. is one
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of constant spiritual progression.
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It's fueled by a spiritual appetite that only gets keener
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with every taste of divine goodness.
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This appetite consistently drives them forward toward the
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fullness found only in God and in holiness.
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It's not a static faith, not at all.
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It's a dynamic, active pursuit of God's character in your own
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life, a living faith that never stops reaching out for more of
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God. A path of increasing purity and
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knowing God better. That's it, a journey towards him
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so. As you, our listener, reflect on
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this today, maybe consider this question for yourself.
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What are you truly hungry for in your spiritual life?
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What does your spiritual appetite really say about the
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nature of your affections? Let this be a guide as you seek
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to live a life that genuinely pleases Him.