Are you sure you are saved? Part 4
Before getting into debate on what it means to be saved, Edwards spends a few chapters to address Chauncy’s concern regarding emotionalism in the religion. According to Edwards, there can be no true religion without emotions. However, instead of emotions, he uses the term ‘affections’, and it is very important to understand the difference between the two.
Affections, according to Edwards, are extreme longings of the will. Emotions can often be no more than states of either euphoria or fear that are unrelated to what mind perceives as true. Affections, on the other hand, are always a fruit of what mind understands and knows.
If I correctly understand Edwards, affections are emotions that arise as a result of some kind of deep understanding of the truth. So if you feel happy on a sunny day, it is an emotion, but if you feel happy if you win a lottery, it’s an affection. If you feel angry because somebody cut into your lane, it is an emotion. If you feel angry because of somebody’s misery or misfortune, it is an affection.
To Edwards, affections are a true sign of Christian understanding; if our understanding did not affect our emotions, we didn’t really understand it. So insisting on emotionless worship and study is really pointless as it prevents the most natural expression of what we learn. Yet, while emotion is a sign of true understanding, it is not a guarantee. To outsiders, affections and emotions look alike. Only as we examine our own hearts we can understand whether we are truly saved. But more on this in my future posts.