The Foundation of True Affections

What changes a person forever?

There are moments in life that divide our lives into "before" and "after." The birth of a child. The death of a loved one. Witnessing a breathtaking wonder of creation. These experiences reshape us because they awaken us to a reality we had never fully grasped before.

The greatest transformation, however, occurs when a sinner encounters the living God through Jesus Christ.

Jonathan Edwards described this transformation as the awakening of our "religious affections." These affections are not merely emotions or religious excitement. They are the renewed desires, loves, and longings of a heart that has been made alive by God's grace. They answer the question: What has captured your heart?

The Christian life is not primarily about external behavior. It is about a new heart that treasures Christ above everything else.

The Apostle Paul explains this miracle in 2 Corinthians 4:6:

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Just as God spoke light into creation, He speaks spiritual light into the hearts of those He saves. Suddenly, Christ is no longer merely a historical figure or religious teacher. He becomes beautiful, glorious, and infinitely worthy.

That is the foundation of true affections.

Throughout Scripture, we repeatedly see that no one encounters God's glory and remains the same.

Job spent chapter after chapter asking God for answers to his suffering. Yet when God finally revealed Himself, Job no longer demanded explanations. Instead, he confessed, "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you" (Job 42:5). God's presence became the answer Job needed.

The Apostle Paul experienced an even more dramatic transformation. Once a fierce persecutor of Christians, he encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. From that moment forward, his entire life changed. His ambitions, identity, and mission were redirected toward making Christ known.

The demon-possessed man in Mark 5 experienced a similar transformation. After Jesus delivered him, his greatest desire was simply to be with Christ. When Jesus instead sent him home to testify, he joyfully obeyed, telling everyone what the Lord had done for him.

Even Nicodemus illustrates this progression. He first approached Jesus secretly at night, fearful of public association. Yet by the end of John's Gospel, Nicodemus publicly honored Christ at His burial, risking both reputation and position. Encountering Jesus had changed him.

What do these individuals have in common?

Each one saw something of God's glory, and their affections were forever altered.

This transformation is only possible because of regeneration. Jesus told Nicodemus, "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, our hearts remain spiritually blind. We may understand facts about Christ, but we cannot truly delight in Him.

When God saves us, however, He fulfills His promise from Ezekiel 36. He removes our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh. He grants new desires, new loves, and new affections. We begin to treasure what we once ignored and hate what we once embraced.

The beauty of Christ becomes the supreme delight of the believer.

This is why the psalmist could say, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You" (Psalm 73:25). God's gifts are wonderful, but they are never the ultimate treasure. God Himself is.

Ultimately, true affections are rooted in the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ. Paul declared that everything he once counted as gain had become rubbish compared to "the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8). Christ was no longer merely part of his life—He had become everything.

That is genuine Christianity.

It is not simply believing certain truths, attending church services, or performing religious duties. It is seeing Christ as infinitely glorious and responding with a heart that loves, trusts, obeys, and delights in Him.

The question each of us must answer is not merely, "Do I know about Jesus?"

Rather, we must ask, "Has my heart been captivated by His beauty?"

Because those who truly behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ never walk away unchanged.