In 1742, Jonathan Edwards undertook the task of creating a sermon that would be powerful in the eyes of both believers and unbelievers. The result exists today as his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The sermon differs from traditional sermons of both his time and modern times. Instead of representing the merciful and loving God of the Christian faith, Edwards brings to light a wrathful and angry God. It takes a look at the human condition while justifying God's wrath. But this is not the image of God that this message wants to take away. Although the language and imagery of the sermon were intended to provoke feelings of hopelessness and fear, these are not the emotions Edwards wanted his audience to walk away with. In his sermon, Edwards identifies the human condition and the depravity of man while justifying God's growing wrath only to use such harsh and violent imagery to paint the picture of a merciful and just God. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Edwards uses oversimplification and imagery to establish the human plight and the depravity of man. His first set of points establishes the dire situation of all human beings. He establishes a world where the possibility of destruction is ever present and where a man “standing on such slippery and declining ground, on that edge of an abyss, cannot stand alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and loses” (Edwards 430). He sees the human race on the brink of destruction with no inner power to prevent such ruin. He supports this when speaking of human nature: “In the souls of wicked men reign those infernal principles which would soon kindle and blaze in hell-fire, were it not for the restraints of God” (Edwards 432). Men are not simply in constant danger of destruction; they are in danger of being destroyed by their own hands. Human beings are inherently corrupt and even self-destructive. He goes on to comment on God's role in this situation: “...if God left everything unrestricted, nothing else would be needed to make the soul perfectly miserable...he would immediately turn the soul into a fiery furnace, or a furnace of fire. and sulphur” (Edwards 432). This transformation of the soul echoes the image of hell. “Edwards saw himself as a spokesperson for God's threat of terrible punishment to the unregenerate sinner…often [using] images that evoke violent and destructive events that activate pain receptors” (Steele and Delay 250). He is using this type of imagery to appeal to the senses of his audience to horrify them at the darkness of their hearts and the reality of the place devoted to such degradation. Hell is supposed to be a place of fire, eternal torment and pain for the souls of unbelievers. With this overlay of imagery, Edwards seems to suggest that hell is simply a manifestation of unbridled human nature. It is a place where the hand of God does not restrain men from their destructive tendencies and the result is a place of eternal misery. “Hell is what every day would be if it were not for the continual mercy of God” (Adams and Yarbrough 30). However, the blame falls on humans themselves rather than God because hell is not simply a place that God created to punish them. It is the manifestation of their nature and the sin from which the hand of God attempted to save them. Having set the scene and revealed the darkness of human nature, Edwards establishes both man's capacity to be angry with God and his uselessness towards the immeasurable and eternal. powerof God. Edwards moves from the attack on human nature to the attack on human intelligence. He states, “Unconverted men walk the pit of hell on a rotten covering” (Edwards 433). It states that godless men walk the earth and remain ignorant of the possibility of death and destruction that is ever present. Indeed, any man aware of hell “finds that [he is] kept out of hell, but [does not see] the hand of God in it; but look to other things” (Edwards 434). It reveals that unbelievers ignore their circumstances with a false sense of security found in their own intelligence. Human ignorance regarding the human situation and the means by which all are preserved from destruction is the reason for God's wrath. Edwards states: "...the sun does not willfully shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan" (Edwards 435). It uses natural imagery because nature is God's creation and is intended for the benefit of men, yet men simply use it to further their sinful nature in opposition to God. This is the justification of God's wrath against the human race . Human ignorance extends to the power of God, who is to be feared: “… fear him who, after killing, has power to cast into hell” (Edwards 437). Depraved and ignorant beings have no position against such power. Human beings do not have the means to abstain from sin and Satan, the enemy of God. Such opposition can only be met with anger and final punishment from an almighty God. Edwards offers hope at the end by stating that God's wrath is only imminent and that he is currently ready to pity and have mercy on depraved humans. . It clarified the terrible situation in which all human beings find themselves and justified God's wrath against such depraved creatures. At the end of his sermon, Edwards changes the mood of the sermon slightly by stating, “And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day when Christ has thrown open the door of mercy” (Edwards 440). This statement reveals that God's impending wrath is still in the future and that the angry God described in the sermon is still open to reconciliation and offering mercy in the present moment. As this point of hope emerges, Edwards changes the meaning of the stark images and descriptions used in the first part of the sermon. The emphasis on the justified anger of almighty God and the imminent death of all unbelievers serves as a contrast to highlight God's mercy. This makes the impact of the message twofold. In the words of John Adams and Stephen Yarbrough, “…holy reviewers will identify themselves with the hand of God. They can shout for joy. Grounded in certainty, saints are able to discern the extraordinary beauty of God's justice…” (Adams and Yarbrough 32). For believers, the terrible situation of human beings and the merciful God who preserves them from such destruction is a cause for praise and joy. For the unbeliever, the sermon removes complications and reveals their desperate situation. It also reveals to them the wrath to which they will be subjected, while offering hope and a way around that end. Therefore, the image drawn from the sermon must not be that of a vengeful God who seeks only to destroy people. The image that Edwards, as a believer, would have drawn from this message is that of the depraved nature of human beings and of the merciful and just God who saves such beings from self-destruction and eternal damnation. His main goal was to convert his audience. Therefore, this image is one that Edwards would have wanted his audience to remember and retain; he would have wanted them to live in awe and praise of such a merciful God rather than in fear of. 2016.