The Mark of True Affections: Spiritual Conviction | Jonathan Edwards

Deep Dive into Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards - Truly Gracious Affections Are Attended with a Reasonable and Spiritual Conviction of the Judgment, of the Reality and Certainty of Divine ThingsDelusion can cause a form of belief, although the sources describe this belief as counterfeit or false persuasion, which is ultimately "nothing worth." This happens primarily through two mechanisms.First, extraordinary impressions made on the imagination, such as visions, supposed divine voices, or strong impulses, can create a strong persuasion of the truth of invisible things. People might become confident that spiritual realities exist, or that specific biblical statements are true, based on these vivid internal experiences that they perceive as divine communication or sight. However, this confidence is explicitly stated to be founded in delusion, described as seeing a "phantom."Second, belief can arise from a prior, potentially unfounded, persuasion of one's own good spiritual estate. If a person is convinced they are in a good spiritual state and that divine promises apply to them, this prejudices their judgment in favor of religious truths. They easily become confident in the reality of these things because they believe the benefits belong to them, showing how self-interest can influence belief.In both cases, this belief is distinguished from true, spiritual conviction, which is based on apprehending the inherent divine glory of the gospel itself.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianPatreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed