◈조나단 에드워즈의 결심문에 관하여 요15:5, 고후10:31 출처
스티븐 로슨 Steven Lawson <결단, 선택, 응답> 관련글 모음 *결심문 70개 전문 보기
그래서 조나단 에드워즈는 앉아서
‘그의 결심문 his resolutions’이라고 알려진 것을 쓰기 시작했습니다.
그리고 1년 반에 걸쳐
그는 70개의 결심 resolutions 들을 썼습니다. *아래 영어 전문 있음
그 결심들은 ‘자기 삶과 신앙의 목적 선언 Purpose statements’ 같았습니다.
그 결심들은 거의 모두가 ‘나는 결심한다 Resolved’라는 단어로 시작했습니다.
그 단어에 이어서, 자기 선언의 내용이 나오는데
그것은 하나님의 말씀에 기원하고 근거를 둔 것입니다.
그의 결심문은 이런 서문으로 시작합니다.
여기서 서문 preamble 이란, 결심문의 맨 위에 적혀있는
짧은 문장입니다. *아래애 갈색
이 서문은 매우 중요한데, 그 이유는, 이 서문안에
그가 이 결심대로 살 수 있게 하시는 하나님의 은혜에,
그가 얼마나 의존적인지를 진술하고 있기 때문입니다.
그러므로 이 결심문은
조나단 에드워즈가 자기의 신발끈을 조여 매면서
자기 의지적, 윤리적 결단을 했다는 것이 아니라는 뜻입니다.
자기 의지로 자신의 성화를 이루려 하지 않았다는 뜻입니다.
(그러면서도 그는 주님의 은혜에 의지하여 결단, 결심하였습니다.)
그는 전적으로 하나님의 은혜,
곧 그의 삶 속에서 당신의 기쁘신 뜻 안에서 일하시는
성령 하나님의 (성화의) 사역에 자신을 의존하였습니다.
그 서문은 다음과 같습니다.
‘나는 하나님의 도움 없이는 아무 것도 할 수 없음을 알고 있기 때문에...’
여기서 우리는 요15:5절을 기억하게 됩니다.
‘나를 떠나서는 너희가 아무 것도 할 수 없음이라’
다시 서문으로 돌아가서
‘나는 하나님의 도움 없이는 아무 것도 할 수 없음을 알고 있기 때문에
이 결심이 하나님의 뜻에 일치하는 한
그리스도를 위하여, 하나님의 은혜로
내가 이 결심을 지킬 수 있도록
내게 능력 주시기를 겸손하게 하나님께 간청합니다’
그는 이렇게 서문을 먼저 쓰고 나서
이어서 그 아래에 그의 결심문 resolutions 들을 써 내려 갑니다.
처음에 나오는 4개의 결심문은
하나님의 영광을 향하고, 또한 가리키고 있습니다.
이 결심문의 순서에 관해서는
어떤 운율이나 규칙으로 나열된 것이 아니라
다소 뒤죽박죽입니다.
처음 4개를 제외하고는 뒤죽박죽입니다.
이 처음에서 조나단 에드워즈는
‘그의 삶 전체가 하나님의 영광을 추구하는 것으로 향해야 한다’
라는 토대를 세웁니다.
이것은 웨스트민스터 요리문답 Westminster Catechism,
웨스트민스터 신앙고백 Westminster Confession,
종교개혁자들의 가르침,
청교도들의 가르침에 대한 그의 연구에서 (종합해서)
흘러나온 것입니다.
이 첫 4개의 결심문은 ‘하나님의 영광’에 푹 빠진 것입니다.
그는 하나님을 아는 지식과
사람을 아는 지식으로 시작하는
칼빈의 기독교강요를 읽었습니다.
처음은 웨스트민스터 요리문답에 푹 빠진 것이었습니다.
‘사람의 제일되는 목적은 무엇입니까?
그것은 하나님을 영화롭게 하고, 그를 영원토록 즐거워하는 것입니다’
그래서 그는 18세의 나이에 손에 펜을 들었습니다.
처음 4개의 결심은, 제가 조금 읽어드리겠습니다.
이것들은 하나님의 영광에 초점이 맞춰져 있습니다.
①첫째 결심, 나는 하나님의 영광을
가장 위하는 것이라고 생각되는 것이 무엇이든지
그것을 행할 것이다.
에드워즈는 “그의 인생 중에, 어떤 결정을 앞두고
‘어떻게 가장 하나님께 영광을 돌릴 수 있는 것인가?’를 추구한 것입니다.
일례로, 누구와 결혼할 것인가? (하나님의 영광을 위하여)
내가 무슨 직업을 가질 것인가? (하나님의 영광을 위하여)
내가 어디에 살 것인가? (하나님의 영광을 위하여)
내가 이 일을 맡아야 할 것인가, 말 것인가? (하나님의 영광에 따라 결정하겠다)
에드워즈는 자기 삶의 가장 기초적인 핵심원리는
‘하나님을 가장 영화롭게 하는 것’이었던 것입니다.
‘나를 가장 발전시키려는 목적으로 결정’도 아니었고
‘나를 가장 잘 승진시키는 목적으로 결정’도 아니었습니다.
‘나의 앞에 있는 갈림길에서
어떤 결정을 내려야 했을 때,
어떤 갈림길을 택할 것인가에 대한 답은
언제나
하나님을 가장 영화롭게 하는 쪽으로 결정했고,
'나는 그렇게 결정하겠다'라고 결심하고 있는 것입니다.
②둘째 결심, 앞에서 언급한 ①항을 잘 지키기 위해
도움을 주는 어떤 새로운 수단이나 방법을 찾기 위해
계속적으로 노력할 것이다.
이 말의 뜻은,
’하나님의 영광을 추구하는 길에서,
내 삶에 추가되어서
하나님의 영광을 추구하는 것을 더하게 하는 곳으로
나를 가게 하는 것이 무엇인가?‘를 계속 모색한다는 것입니다.
즉 어떤 새로운 성경공부를 시작할 것인가?
어떤 새로운 목회사역을 시작할 것인가?
하나님을 영화롭게 하는 것을 ’더‘확장하기 위해
내가 할� 수 있는 새로운 시도들이 무엇이 있는가?
-이런 것을 계속 생각하고, 추구한다는 것입니다.
③셋째 결심, 혹시라도 내가 실족하고 지쳐서
점점 무감각해져서 이 결심문 중의 어떤 부분이라도 등한히 했다면
내가 기억할 수 있는 모든 것들을 회개하겠다.
다시 말하면, 그는 하나님의 영광을 추구하면서
자기 영혼이 지치거나 싫증이 날 때
곧 영적으로 미지근해질 때면
그는 그걸 오래 방치하지 않고, 즉각 회개하겠다는 것입니다.
하나님의 영광을 추구하는 것에 열심을 내기 위하여
그 싫증, 피곤함 으로부터 돌아설 것이라고 하는 것입니다.
④넷째 결심, 하나님의 영광에 도움되는 것이 아니면
영혼에 관계된 것이든지
육체에 관계된 것이든지
또는 적든지 많든지 간에 어떤 것이라도
절대로 하지 말겠다.
만일 내가 그런 일을 피할 수 있다면 피하기로 결심한다.
조나단 에드워즈는 하나님의 영공에 사로잡혀 있는 사람이었습니다.
제임스 패커는 이 <에드워즈의 처음 4개의 결심>들에 대해
다음과 같은 글을 남겼습니다.
“그는 하나님 중심적이며,
하나님께 집중되어 있고,
하나님께 도취되어 있고,
하나님께 정신이 팔려 있다.
매일, 아침부터 밤까지
그는 의식이 늘 깨어있는 가운데
하나님과 교제 안에서 사는 것을 추구했다.
이 말에는 어떤 과장도 없다!”
자 이후의 결심문들 중에서 (즉 5~70항)
63번째 결심문, 이것은 정말 비상한 결심문입니다.
저는 제 Steven Lawson 가 이 강의에서
정말 궁극적으로 말하고 싶은 것들을 위해
지금 마치 밥상을 차림처럼 지금 미리 말씀드리는데요.
그(에드워즈)는 우리와 같이 하나님을 영화롭게 하고 싶어합니다.
여러분도, 에드워즈처럼 여러분의 삶을 통해서
하나님을 영화롭게 하고 싶어한다는 것을 저도 알고 있습니다.
고전10:31 ’그런즉 너희가 먹든지 마시든지
무엇을 하든지 다 하나님의 영광을 위하여 하라’
63번째 결심문은 충격적이고
존경심이 드는 결심문입니다.
너무나 놀라운 결심인데, 다음과 같습니다.
만약 어떤 때에, 이 세상에서, 바로 ‘그 사람’이 존재한다고 가정해 보자.
정말 모든 면에서 완벽하여, 어떤 때에,
이 세상에서, 모든 면에서 완벽하여,
기독교를 그의 참 빛으로 밝히며
탁월하고 사랑스럽게 나타내는 그 사람이 존재한다고 가정하면,
마치 내가 그 한 사람이 되기 위해
내 힘껏 노력해서 그렇게 그와 같이 될 수 있도록
그렇게 (최선을 다해 본받아) 행동하자.
63. on the hypothetical supposition that at any one time there was never to be but onE individual in the world who was a genuine and complete Christian, who in all respects always demonstrated the Faith shining in its truest luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever angle and under whatever circumstance this Faith is viewed… Resolved: To act just as I would do, if I strove with all my strength, to be that onE; and to live as if that onE should live in my time and place.
조나단 에드워즈가 뭐라고 말하고 있는지 이해하셨습니까?
이것을 생각해 보시기 바랍니다.
‘지구 상에, 역사의 어떤 순간에라도,
아주 강력한 그리스도인이 살아있다고 한다면,
에드워즈는 말하기를
’내 인생의 목표는 바로 그 사람이 되는 것이다‘
그를 본받고, 겸허히 배우고, 최선을 다해 따라가겠다는 것입니다.
그러면 혹자는 이렇게 말할 수도 있겠습니다.
’음.. 그건 좀 교만한 결심 같습니다.‘
그렇게 뭐가 뒤틀린 사람은, 어쩔 수 없습니다만..
우리 모두는 이렇게 말해야 합니다.
’하나님! 지금 제 세대에, 이 시간에,
제가 바로 ‘그 사람’이 되게 하여 주소서!
제가 하나님을 가장 영화롭게 하는 삶을 살게 하시고
그 삶으로부터 나오는 밝은 광채로 가득하여
기독교가 가장 빛나게 하여 주옵소서!’
놀라운 것은, 에드워즈가 18~19세에 이 글을 썼다는 것입니다.
제가 그 나이 때는, 풋볼할 생각만 하고 살았었습니다.
그렇지만 에드워즈는, 벌써 그 나이에
‘나의 세대에서 가장 위대한 그리스도인을 본받고 싶다’라고 말한 것은
자기가 가장 위대한 그리스도인이 되겠다는 결심이었던 것입니다.
그걸 생각하며 그는 살았습니다.
타자 : Ji Kim
◑The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
Aware that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do pray that, by his grace, he will enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are in line with his will, and that they will honor Christ.
NOTE: Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.
1. Resolved: I will DO whatever I think will be most to God’s glory; and my own good, profit and pleasure, for as long as I live. I will do all these things without any consideration of the time they take. Resolved: to do whatever I understand to be my duty and will provide the most good and benefit to mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I encounter, and no matter how many I experience or how severe they may be.
2. Resolved: I will continually endeavor to find new ways to practice and promote the things from Resolution 1.
3. Resolved: If ever – really, whenever – I fail & fall and/or grow weary & dull; whenever I begin to neglect the keeping of any part of these Resolutions; I will repent of everything I can remember that I have violated or neglected, …as soon as I come to my senses again.
4. Resolved: Never to do anything, whether physically or spiritually, except what glorifies God. In fact, I resolve not only to this commitment, but I resolve not to even grieve and gripe about these things, …if I can avoid it.
5. Resolved: Never lose one moment of time; but seize the time to use it in the most profitable way I possibly can.
6. Resolved: To live with all my might, …while I do live.
7. Resolved: Never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
8. Resolved: To act, in all respects, both in speaking and doing, as if nobody had ever been as sinful as I am; and when I encounter sin in others, I will feel (at least in my own mind& heart) as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same weaknesses or failings as others. I will use the knowledge of their failings to promote nothing but humility – even shame – in myself. I will use awareness of their sinfulness and weakness only as an occasion to confess my own sins and misery to God.
9. Resolved: To think much, on all occasions, about my own dying, and of the common things which are involved with and surround death.
10. Resolved: When I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom – both of Jesus and of Believers around the world; and remind myself of the reality of hell.
11. Resolved: When I think of any theological question to be resolved, I will immediately do whatever I can to solve it, … if circumstances don’t hinder.
12. Resolved: If I find myself taking delight in any gratification of pride or vanity, or on any other such empty virtue, I will immediately discard this gratification.
13. Resolved: To be endeavoring to discover worthy objects of charity and liberality.
14. Resolved: Never to do anything out of revenge.
15. Resolved: Never to suffer the least emotions of anger about irrational beings.
16. Resolved: Never to speak evil of anyone, except if it is necessary for some real good.
17. Resolved: I will live in such a way, as I will wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved: To live, at all times, in those ways I think are best in me during my most spiritual moments and seasons – those times when I have clearest understanding of the gospel and awareness of the World that is to come.
19. Resolved: Never to do anything, which I would be afraid to do if I expected it would not be more than an hour before I would hear the last trump sound. (i.e. when Jesus returns.)
20. Resolved: To maintain the wisest and healthiest practices in my eating and drinking.
21. Resolved: Never to do anything, which if I saw another do, I would consider a just reason to despise him for, or to think in any way lesser of him.
22. Resolved: To endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the world to come as I possibly can. To accomplish this I will use all the strength, power, vigor, and vehemence – even violence – I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
23. Resolved: Frequently take some deliberate action – something out of the ordinary – and do it for the glory of God. Then I will trace my intention back and try to discern my real and deepest motive: What did I really desire out of it? If I find that my truest motive was not for God’s glory, then I consider it as a breach of the 4th Resolution. (See Above)
24. Resolved: Whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, I will trace it back till I come to the original cause; and then I will carefully endeavor BOTH 1) to do so no more AND 2) to fight and pray with all my might against the source of the original impulse.
25. Resolved: To examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is that causes me to doubt of the love of God, even the least little bit; and then to direct all my forces against it.
26. Resolved: To oust away anything I find that diminishes my assurance of God’s love and grace.
27. Resolved: Never intentionally omit or neglect anything, except if such an omission would be for the glory of God. NOTE to Self: frequently examine anything I have omitted.
28. Resolved: To study the Scriptures so steadily, and so constantly, and so frequently, that it becomes evident – even obvious – to myself that my knowledge of them has grown.
29. Resolved: Never consider something a prayer, nor to let pass for a prayer, any petition that when making I cannot actually hope that God will answer; nor offer as a confession anything which I cannot hope God will accept.
30. Resolved: To strive to my utmost every week to be brought to a higher spiritual place, and to a greater experience of grace, than I was the week before.
31. Resolved: Never to say anything at all against anybody; except when to do so is perfectly consistent with the highest standards of Christian honor and love to mankind; and except when it is consistent with the sense of greatest humility and awareness of my own faults and failings. Then, whenever I have said anything against anyone, I will examine my words against the strictest test of the Golden Rule.
32. Resolved: To be strictly and firmly faithful to whatever God entrusts to me. My hope is that the saying in Proverbs 20.6, “A faithful man who can find?” may not be found to be even partly true of me.
33. Resolved: Always do whatever I can towards making, maintaining, establishing and preserving peace, whenever it can be, but without over-balancing the value peace to such a degree that it becomes a detriment in other respects.
34. Resolved: When telling stories, never to speak anything but the pure and simple truth.
35. Resolved: Whenever I so much as question whether I have done my duty, to a point that my peace and tranquility is disturbed, I will stop and question myself until my concern is resolved.
36. Resolved: Never to speak evil of anyone, except I have some particular good purpose for doing so.
37. Resolved: To inquire every night, as I am going to bed, where I may have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and how I have denied myself. I will also do this at the end of every week, month, and year.
38. Resolved: Never to speak anything that is ridiculous, trivial, or otherwise inappropriate on the Lord’s Day or Sabbath evening.
39. Resolved: Never to do anything when the lawfulness is questionable. And then afterward, resolve to consider and examine whether or not whatever I have just done is truly lawful and/or whether whatever I have refrained from doing would have actually been permissible.
40. Resolved: To inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking.
41. Resolved: To ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, where I could have possibly done better in any respect.
42. Resolved: To frequently renew my dedication to God, which was first made at my baptism and which I solemnly renewed when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have now solemnly re-made this [DATE] day of [MONTH], [YEAR].
43. Resolved: Never, from this day until the day I die, act as if I were in any way my own, but entirely and altogether belong to God, and then live in a way agreeable to this reality.
44- Resolved: That nothing other than the gospel shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, even in the very least circumstance, anything other than gospel declares, demands, and implies.
45. Resolved: Never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance, but what advances the gospel.
46. Resolved: Never allow the least measure of any fretting or uneasiness about my father or mother. Resolved to never allow the effects of disappointment in them, or frustrations with them, to even in the very least alter what I say to them or about them, or any activity in reaction to them. Let me be careful about this, not only about my parents, but also with respect to any of our family.
47. Resolved: To endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peace able, contented, easy, compassionate, generous, humble, meek, modest, submissive, obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable, even, patient, moderate, forgiving, sincere temper; and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to. Examine strictly every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5,1723.
48. Resolved: With the utmost niceness and diligence, and with the strictest scrutiny, constantly be looking into the state condition of my soul, so that I may know whether or not I have truly an interest in Christ at any given time. I will do this so that, when I come to my end in death, I will not have neglected to repent of anything I have found.
49. Resolved: That Neglect never shall be, if I can help it.
50. Resolved: I will act in such a way as I think I will judge to have been best and most prudent, when I have come into the future world – Heaven.
51. Resolved: That I will act in every respect, as I think I would wish I had done, if in the end for some reason I would have be damned.
52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again, so… Resolved: That I will live just as I can imagine I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.
53. Resolved: To improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my eternal safety, knowing that my confidence is in my Redeemer.
54. Resolved: Whenever I hear anything spoken in a conversation of any person, if I think what is said of that person would be praiseworthy in me, I will endeavor to imitate it.
55. Resolved: To endeavor to my utmost to act as I can imagine I would if I had already seen all the happiness of heaven, as well as the torments of hell.
56. Resolved: Never to give up, nor even slacken up, in my fight with my own corruptions, no matter how successful or unsuccessful I may be.
57. Resolved: When I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done all I am expected to do, and resolve to do everything I am able to do. once I have done all that God requires of me, I will accept whatever comes my way, and accept that it is just as God’s Providence has ordered it. I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my own duty and my own sin.
58. Resolved: Not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversations, but also to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and graciousness.
59. Resolved: Whenever I am most conscious of feelings of ill nature, bad attitude, and/or anger, I will strive then the most to feel and act good naturedly. At such times I know I may feel that to exhibit good nature might seem in some respects to be to my own immediate disadvantage, but I will nevertheless act in a way that is gracious, realizing that to do otherwise would be imprudent at other times (i.e. times when I am not feeling so irked).
60. Resolved: Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of sorts, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within my own heart and/or soul, or the least irregularity in my behavior, I will immediately subject myself to the strictest examination. (i.e. Psalm 42.11)
61. Resolved: I will not give way to that apathy and listlessness which I find artificially eases and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on God’s Grace. Whatever excuses I may have for it, whatever my listlessness inclines me to do, or rather whatever it inclines me to neglect doing, I will realize that it would actually be best for me to do these things.
62. Resolved: Never to do anything but what God, by the Law of Love, requires me to do. And then, according to Ephesians 6.6-8, I must do it willingly and cheerfully as to the Lord, and not for man. I must remember that whatever good thing any man has or does he has first received from God; and that whenever a man is compelled by faith to act with love and charity toward others, especially those in need, that we do it as if to/for the Lord.
63. on the hypothetical supposition that at any one time there was never to be but onE individual in the world who was a genuine and complete Christian, who in all respects always demonstrated the Faith shining in its truest luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever angle and under whatever circumstance this Faith is viewed… Resolved: To act just as I would do, if I strove with all my strength, to be that onE; and to live as if that onE should live in my time and place.
64. Resolved: Whenever I experience those “groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8.26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those “longings” that consume our souls, of which the Psalmist speaks (Psalm 119:20), I will embrace them with everything I have within me. And I will not be weary of earnestly endeavoring to express my desires, nor of the repetitions so often necessary to express them and benefit from them.
65. Resolved: To exercise myself in all my life long, with the greatest openness I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires; and every thing in every circumstance. (See Dr. Manton‘s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119.)
66. Resolved: I will endeavor always to keep a gracious demeanor, and air of acting and speaking in all places and in all companies, except if it should so happen that faithfulness requires otherwise.
67. Resolved: After afflictions, to inquire in what ways I am now the better for having experienced them. What good have I received by them? What benefits and insights do I now have because of them?
68. Resolved: To confess honestly to myself all that I find in myself – whether weakness or sin. And if it something that concerns my spiritual health, I will also confess the whole case to God, and implore him for all needed help.
69. Resolved: Always to do that which I will wish I had done whenever I see others do it.
70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.