Jonathan Edwards | BJU Press Summer History eCamp

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Jonathan Edwards

In 1703 in the little town of East Windsor, Connecticut, a baby boy was born. He had ten sisters but no brothers. He was a quiet, thoughtful child, and no one could guess that he would grow up to be a great preacher of God’s Word.

Young Jonathan Edwards was a very intelligent boy. He liked to write down his thoughts. It helped him think about things that interested him. He wrote about the spiders he saw while playing outside and the colors of the rainbow that came out after a rain storm. He even wrote about the soul and how it will never die.

His parents taught him at home when he was in elementary school, but he was such an intelligent student that he got accepted to go to college at Yale when he was only thirteen years old.

He studied hard in college and excelled in his classes. But his talent did not make him proud. He took a job in the school’s dining hall serving food to the other students.

Jonathan’s father was a pastor, so after Jonathan graduated from Yale, he decided to become a preacher. He was studying the Bible one day and read the verse found in I Timothy 1:17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.” As he thought about this verse, the Holy Spirit moved his heart. He began to realize how powerful God is and that God wanted Jonathan to serve Him. He wrote that at this moment he “began to have a new kind of [understanding] of Christ . . . and the glorious way of salvation by Him.” The experience changed him forever.

He became a pastor shortly afterward. He spent most of his time writing sermons in his study. He was a powerful preacher, calmly and clearly explaining God’s Words to his congregation and teaching them to apply the truths to their lives.

He had a burden that people would know God just like he did. One night, he preached a powerful sermon called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Many people who heard it were convicted by the Holy Spirit and turned to God.

Jonathan Edwards did more than just write sermons. He believed it was very important to educate children. He spent many hours teaching small groups of children in the church the truths of God and helping them practice their catechisms.

God gifted Jonathan Edwards in an extraordinary way, and he gave those talents back to God. Because he was humble instead of boastful about his gifts, God used him in amazing ways to change people’s lives forever.