Unreliable Signs of Grace

Jonathan Edwards wrote a book called Religious Affections, an insightful manual on spiritual discernment many years ago. Gerald McDermott wrote a book which used Religious Affections, as a guide called Seeing God. In Seeing God: Jonathan Edwards and Spiritual Discernment, McDermott identifies twelve unreliable signs of true spirituality and twelve reliable signs of true spirituality. I am going to blog on the unreliable signs briefly. Listed below are the unreliable sings.

The Unreliable Signs of Grace are:

1. Intense religious affections
2. Many religious affections at the same time
3. A certain sequence in the affection
4. Affections not produced by the self
5. Scriptures coming miraculously to mind
6. Physical manifestations of the affections
7. Much or eloquent talk about God and religion
8. Frequent and passionate praise for God
9. The appearance of love
10. Zealous or time-consuming devotion to religious activities
11. Being convinced that one is saved
12. Others bring convinced that one is saved

These are all helpful and McDermott adequately goes into more depth, but what I want to briefly do is list perhaps a few more unreliable signs that we can think about today. Some of these can be placed under McDermott's catagories, but that's for you to determine!

More unreliable signs:

1. Listens to KSBJ (or any local Christian-music radio station)
2. Does not eat meat on Fridays (JK-"Lent is spring training for Christmas")
3. The use of Scripture out of context to prove a point
4. Wearing a necklace with a cross on it
5. Giving money to the church or a good cause
6. Being a Cub Scout leader or staying involved in "Save the Redwoods League" (or any community service deal)
7. Being clean-cut and wearing Polos and Khakis
8. A person who refuses to drink, dance, or smoke a cigar "because those things are wrong"
9. A person who always prays first during the time a group gathers (or a person who always has something to say or add to the conversation)
10. Any guy who says he doesn't struggle with lust

Let us be people who live the truth daily and not just give a good outward appearance of it.