Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards' Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is a powerful, soul-piercing sermon delivered on July 8, 1741, during the height of the Great Awakening. Renowned for its vivid imagery and profound theological depth, this sermon was used by God to awaken multitudes to the reality of divine judgment and the necessity of repentance. Edwards, with striking clarity, paints the terrifying truth of God's righteous wrath against sin while holding out the hope of mercy through Jesus Christ.

The sermon draws its primary inspiration from Deuteronomy 32:35, emphasizing that all unconverted sinners are suspended over the pit of eternal destruction by the mere pleasure of a holy God. Edwards describes sinners as being held by a fragile thread, with nothing but God's sovereign grace preventing them from plunging into everlasting torment. His words are designed to pierce the conscience, emphasizing both the justice of God in punishing sin and the urgency of fleeing to Christ for salvation.

Yet, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is not a sermon of hopeless despair but one of gracious warning. Edwards calls his hearers to repentance, urging them to seek refuge in Christ, the only Savior from divine wrath. His masterful use of Scripture, combined with pastoral earnestness, makes this sermon a profound example of biblical preaching aimed at awakening spiritual deadness.