"Sinners in the hands of an angry God"

I previously posted about unpleasant Bible verses. In this post, I draw attention to an unpleasant sermon by famed American preacher Jonathan Edwards. The sermon, entitled "Sinners in the hands of an angry God," was first delivered in 1741, and is widely considered the most famous sermon ever delivered on American soil.

This Wikipedia article provides a good summary of its content, including the sermon's famous line,

"There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God."

Many people struggle with Bible passages that command us to "fear" God. What does that mean? Does that conflict with the concept of a loving God? Indeed, the very idea of a God we must "fear" seems ... unfashionable.

Well, "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" makes it very clear why we should fear God. (Audio readings and pdf transcripts of the sermon can be downloaded here.)

Make sure to read (or listen to) the whole sermon, because, as frightening as much of it is, the ending provides hope, and it explains why "fearing" God remains consistent with the idea of a loving God.