Deep Dive into Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards - It Is No Sign That Religious Affections Are Truly Holy and Spiritual, Or That They Are Not, That They Come with Texts of Scripture...

Men's own hearts can deceive them because they are inherently deceitful, a state rooted in their folly and corruptions. This internal sin is described as acting like its "father," the devil, meaning it operates in a deceptive manner mirroring his work. Crucially, men's own hearts are explicitly stated to be deceitful like the devil, employing the same means to deceive. This creates a direct parallel: the tactics the devil uses to mislead others are also utilized by a person's own heart to deceive itself.A primary "means to deceive" shared by both men's internal corruption and the devil is the abuse of Scripture. While Scripture is pure and perfect, affections can arise, not from its genuine fruit or right use, but from a misapplication or distortion of its truth. This abuse can stem from men's own folly and corruptions. Their deceitful hearts can twist the meaning or context of Scripture, using it to generate feelings or false beliefs.This self-orchestrated abuse means affections, even joyful ones, can be based on a perversion of God's word rather than a true understanding. The heart's inherent deceitfulness, acting like the devil and misusing Scripture, thus becomes a powerful force for self-delusion, causing affections to spring from a foundation of internal corruption and error.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianPatreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed