Holy Living

In Holy Living: Jonathan Edwards’s Seventy Resolutions for Living the Christian Life, author Matthew Everhard explores the "resolutions" Jonathan Edwards wrote when he was just nineteen years old, revealing how they are still beneficial to Christians today.

 Though not yet ordained, Edwards (1703-1758) wrote these short but powerful aphorisms to guide his life, and now they offer spiritual guidance to a modern audience as well. Following a brief biography of Edwards, the book then looks at each resolution under three main categories: (1) existential (considering the purpose of life); (2) ethical (considering the duty and character of the Christian); and (3) eschatological (preparing for the brevity of life followed by death and eternity). Lay readers, pastors, students, church elders, and study group members will find troves of timeless wisdom and guidance for how to live the Christian life.

Chapters are split into five sections (An Introduction to the Life of Jonathan Edwards, The Meaning and Purpose of Life, How Should We Then Live?, The Brevity of Life and Eternal World to Come, and Why Did Jonathan Edwards Stop Using the Resolutions?) and include:

   Edwards’s Youth and Conversion to Christ

   The Early Pastoral Years

   The Writing of the Resolutions

   Faith and Assurance

   Peace Relationships and Self-Control

   The Brevity of Life

   Heaven and Hell

   Between Antinomianism and Legalism

   Reflections of a More Mature Saint

   Resolutions and the Gospel of Grace

About the Author

Dr. Matthew Everhard is the senior pastor of Gospel Fellowship Presbyterian Church (PCA), a Reformed congregation just north of Pittsburgh. Matthew is a graduate of Malone University (BA), Ashland Theological Seminary (MA), and Reformed Theological Seminary (DMin). He wrote his doctoral dissertation on Jonathan Edwards’s theology of joy. Matthew has been reading and studying the works of Edwards for several years and has written books, articles, and reference materials on the famed Colonial preacher.