Books don't change people, paragraphs do.

I often said, "Books don't change people, paragraphs do—and sometimes sentences do.".

Perhaps this is unfair to books, as paragraphs come to us through books, and often gain special power precisely because of the context they are in. But the point remains the same: a single sentence or paragraph can become so deeply etched in our minds that its impact becomes colossal when everything else is forgotten.

Perhaps it is worth illustrating this with the example of two books by Jonathan Edwards that have had the greatest influence on me. Here are the key paragraphs and lessons from these books. Most of the rest of their content I have long since forgotten (but who knows what lingers in the subconscious and has a profound impact?).

1. The purpose for which God created the world

The extra-biblical book that has perhaps had the greatest impact on me is this one. Its influence was inextricably linked to the course "The Unity of the Bible" taught by Daniel Fuller in seminary. Two fundamental truths were established for me. The first:

«All that Scripture speaks of as the ultimate end of God’s works is encompassed in one expression: the glory of God» (Yale, Vol. 8, p. 526).

The book was an avalanche of Scripture for me, demonstrating one of the most influential convictions of my life: God does all things for His glory. And then came a life-changing conclusion:

«In the knowledge, reverence, love, joy, and glorification of God by creation, God’s glory is both revealed and acknowledged; His fullness is received and returned. It is like emanation and remanence. The radiance illuminates the creation, penetrates it, and then reflects back to the source of light. The rays of glory proceed from God, are part of God, and return to their starting point. Thus, all things are of God, through God, and for God; and God is the beginning, the middle, and the end in this process.» (Yale, Vol. 8, p. 531)

To me, it was simply beautiful. It was a breathtaking insight into the majesty of God. The impression was heightened by the fact that the last phrase is a clear echo of Romans 11:36: «For of him, and through him, and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.».

But the central, vital influence was the phrase: «In the knowledge, reverence, love, joy, and glorification of God by creation, the glory of God is at once revealed and acknowledged.» And more specifically: «In the joy of creation in God the glory of God is revealed.» The glory of God is revealed in my joy in Him. Or, as Edwards says earlier: «The happiness of creation consists in the joy in God, through which God is also glorified and magnified» (Yale, Vol. 8, p. 442). If insufficient joy in God deprives Him of His glory, it changes everything.

This has become the central message of my life: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

2. Free will

It was a breathtaking book. The scale and depth of the argument made it one of the most difficult books I have ever read. David Wells calls it a watershed book: how you evaluate this argument determines the direction of your entire life. My assessment was: unquestionably compelling.

Here is a memorable concluding sentence:

«God’s moral management of mankind, His dealing with men as moral persons, making them the objects of His commandments, counsels, exhortations, warnings, reproofs, promises, threats, rewards, and punishments, is not inconsistent with His determining all events in the universe in His providence, whether by active action or by permission.» (Yale, Vol. 1, p. 431)

God controls all events of every kind, including my actions, but in such a way that I am still responsible for rewards and punishments. His sovereignty and my responsibility are compatible. The implications of this are enormous.

One of the most important realizations for me in understanding this was the distinction Edwards made between a natural inability to do something and a moral inability to do something.

Here is the key paragraph:

«We are considered naturally incapable of doing something when we cannot do it even if we wish, because what is commonly called nature does not permit it. This may be due to an external defect or obstacle not dependent on the will, such as limitations of mental faculties, physical limitations, or external objects. Moral incapacity, on the other hand, is not due to such factors, but arises from a lack of desire, the force of internal contradiction, the lack of motivation for action, or the force of opposing motives.» (Yale, Vol. 1, p. 159).

If we are not naturally able to do something, then we are not responsible for it (such as trying to get out of bed when we want to but are chained to it). But if we are morally unable to do something, then we are still responsible (such as trying to keep God’s law when we cannot because we hate it). This understanding was crucial in interpreting such verses as «the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be» (Rom. 8:7), and «the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them» (1 Cor. 2:14).

As I look back on my life and what I have been able to see and enjoy in God’s Word, I give thanks for the great sentences and paragraphs and for the people filled with God’s presence who wrote them. In this case, I thank God for Jonathan Edwards.