TibiasDad
Well-known member
I was reading an article on New England Theology in which the theology of Jonathan Edwards was being discussed, and I found the following information regarding what is termed "disinterested love":
"Another major element of Edwards's theology is the concept of disinterested love. Edwards believed that true Christians are disinterested in themselves and completely preoccupied with the beauty of God and his desires, ways and purposes. Their lives are God-centered rather than self-centered.[15] Attainment of this disinterested spirituality was only possible through regeneration and conversion, when the Holy Spirit allowed the individual to see and understand the inherent beauty and excellency of God.[16]
"Such disinterested spirituality was an important part of Edwards's own doctrine of assurance. If one's religious feelings or, in Edwards's language, affections (such as love and desire) are driven by self-interest (such as "God loves me" or "I am saved"), then they are not marks of true religion. In his view, authentic religious affections arise from the soul that is completely preoccupied with God's worth and excellency. In fact, Edwards notes that the truly converted will be so disinterested in themselves that their own salvation will not be their primary concern:
"It has more frequently been so amongst us, that when persons have first had the Gospel ground of relief for lost sinners discovered to them, and have been entertaining their minds with the sweet prospect, they have thought nothing at that time of their being converted. ... There is wrought in them a holy repose of soul in God through Christ, and a secret disposition to fear and love him, and to hope for blessing from him in this way. And yet they have no imagination that they are now converted, it don't so much as come in their minds.[17]
"For Edwards, then, gaining assurance of one's salvation should not be the primary concern of a new convert. He believed assurance would develop as a convert grew in sanctification. The concept of disinterested love also led to an ethic of self-denial. The spread of the gospel and the salvation of people should be a Christian's primary concerns.[18]"
Now, what I, as a Wesleyan Arminian, find interesting, is the similarities of this concept with the Wesleyan doctrine of "perfect love", or what is traditionally termed as " entire sanctification ". There are many similarities, as well as differences:
Similarities:
1) That the believer can and should attain to being "disinterested in themselves and completely preoccupied with the beauty of God and his desires, ways and purposes", in other words, the true believer will demonstrate a consistent lifestyle of God's will being enacted over self-will in an instinctual manner.
2) That this behavior is not natural to man, and is "only possible through regeneration and conversion, when the Holy Spirit allowed the individual to see and understand the inherent beauty and excellency of God.[16]", or by some secondary act of grace by God.
3) And that the effect of this grace changes to focus and motivations of the believer to be outwardly pointed toward concerns for others rather than themselves. (see Phil 2:4) That the "spread of the gospel and the salvation of people should be a Christian's primary concerns.[18]" "
Differences:
1) Edwards sees this as an nearly immediate effect of conversation, and to not have this mark of change means "they are not marks of true religion"! Wesleyan adherents would say that this is a mark of being sanctified wholly, subsequent to true conversion, and having perfect love toward God and loving our neighbor as ourselves!
2) That a true believer does not have any sense of "God loves me", or sense of personal awareness that "I am saved", whereas Wesleyan thought would say that we are definitely aware and concerned with God's love for us, and that we are indeed saved from wrath and sin and death, and that the Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God. (Rom 8:16)
Holiness teaching, properly taught and understood, says that we all should and can "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt 12: 30-31) And that "...perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love." (1 John 4:18) Both Edwards and Wesley make this an attainable and necessary experience in this life, and that this is the true mark of a believer.
Finally, I must confess that I had not been familiar with the term "disinterested love" before reading this article, but was struck by the way it reminded me of the foundational distinctive of Wesleyan thought, namely, Perfect Love. The only thing we are ever commanded to be perfect in! (Matt 5:48)
Doug
"Another major element of Edwards's theology is the concept of disinterested love. Edwards believed that true Christians are disinterested in themselves and completely preoccupied with the beauty of God and his desires, ways and purposes. Their lives are God-centered rather than self-centered.[15] Attainment of this disinterested spirituality was only possible through regeneration and conversion, when the Holy Spirit allowed the individual to see and understand the inherent beauty and excellency of God.[16]
"Such disinterested spirituality was an important part of Edwards's own doctrine of assurance. If one's religious feelings or, in Edwards's language, affections (such as love and desire) are driven by self-interest (such as "God loves me" or "I am saved"), then they are not marks of true religion. In his view, authentic religious affections arise from the soul that is completely preoccupied with God's worth and excellency. In fact, Edwards notes that the truly converted will be so disinterested in themselves that their own salvation will not be their primary concern:
"It has more frequently been so amongst us, that when persons have first had the Gospel ground of relief for lost sinners discovered to them, and have been entertaining their minds with the sweet prospect, they have thought nothing at that time of their being converted. ... There is wrought in them a holy repose of soul in God through Christ, and a secret disposition to fear and love him, and to hope for blessing from him in this way. And yet they have no imagination that they are now converted, it don't so much as come in their minds.[17]
"For Edwards, then, gaining assurance of one's salvation should not be the primary concern of a new convert. He believed assurance would develop as a convert grew in sanctification. The concept of disinterested love also led to an ethic of self-denial. The spread of the gospel and the salvation of people should be a Christian's primary concerns.[18]"
Now, what I, as a Wesleyan Arminian, find interesting, is the similarities of this concept with the Wesleyan doctrine of "perfect love", or what is traditionally termed as " entire sanctification ". There are many similarities, as well as differences:
Similarities:
1) That the believer can and should attain to being "disinterested in themselves and completely preoccupied with the beauty of God and his desires, ways and purposes", in other words, the true believer will demonstrate a consistent lifestyle of God's will being enacted over self-will in an instinctual manner.
2) That this behavior is not natural to man, and is "only possible through regeneration and conversion, when the Holy Spirit allowed the individual to see and understand the inherent beauty and excellency of God.[16]", or by some secondary act of grace by God.
3) And that the effect of this grace changes to focus and motivations of the believer to be outwardly pointed toward concerns for others rather than themselves. (see Phil 2:4) That the "spread of the gospel and the salvation of people should be a Christian's primary concerns.[18]" "
Differences:
1) Edwards sees this as an nearly immediate effect of conversation, and to not have this mark of change means "they are not marks of true religion"! Wesleyan adherents would say that this is a mark of being sanctified wholly, subsequent to true conversion, and having perfect love toward God and loving our neighbor as ourselves!
2) That a true believer does not have any sense of "God loves me", or sense of personal awareness that "I am saved", whereas Wesleyan thought would say that we are definitely aware and concerned with God's love for us, and that we are indeed saved from wrath and sin and death, and that the Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God. (Rom 8:16)
Holiness teaching, properly taught and understood, says that we all should and can "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt 12: 30-31) And that "...perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love." (1 John 4:18) Both Edwards and Wesley make this an attainable and necessary experience in this life, and that this is the true mark of a believer.
Finally, I must confess that I had not been familiar with the term "disinterested love" before reading this article, but was struck by the way it reminded me of the foundational distinctive of Wesleyan thought, namely, Perfect Love. The only thing we are ever commanded to be perfect in! (Matt 5:48)
Doug
