PAUL AURICH is a father, home educator, and independent researcher. His research interests include church history, cultural philosophy, apologetics, worldview studies, and biblical exegesis. He holds a Bachelor of Religious Studies from Heritage College and Seminary and a Master of Theological Studies from McMaster Divinity College. Paul resides in Grimsby, Ontario with his loving wife Karen and his six children, Nathanael, Tobias, Liza, Josiah, Seth, and Isaiah. JONATHAN EDWARDS (1703-1758) was an American revivalist preacher, philosopher, and theologian of the 18th-century. Regarded as perhaps America's greatest and most original philosophical theologians, Edwards' works are broad in scope, rooted in Puritan heritage and the Westminster Confession of Faith. His role was significant in shaping the First Great Awakening. To this day the church has widely read his sermons and books, the greatest being his The History of Redemption.
I am grateful for this contribution by Paul Aurich to the broader conversation that every Christian should be participating in about the redemptive work of God in all of history. Aurich's review and analysis of Jonathan Edwards' unfinished work, The History of Redemption, considers the work of the Triune God throughout time as He redeems Creation and brings all things into submission. In an era when discussions about the redemptive work of God are often limited to individual salvation, it is refreshing to step back and consider how God is at work through all of history, and in all of Creation, to fulfill his redemptive design, and to call his covenantal people to faithfully trust and participate in God's purposes now. I commend this work to every faithful Christian desirous of such a refreshing reminder in anticipation of the triumph of God over all created things. Dr. Aaron Rock Lead Pastor, Harvest Bible Church Fellow for Church Leadership, Ezra Institute The scope of Jonathan Edwards' book, A History of the Work of Redemption, is extensive. As Paul Aurich notes, it could well be called his magnum opus. Edwards sets out to review the totality of God's redemptive work in history, from the Fall of man to the consummation of all things. Edwards' conclusion is that everything in human history from beginning to end stands in reference to the great work of redemption by Jesus Christ. Nothing can thwart Christ's redemptive work, and in the wisdom and sovereignty of God, all that comes to pass actually serves to advance it. In this valuable book, Aurich helps the reader recover the Biblical narrative of redemption from Genesis to Revelation as he takes the reader through Edwards' powerful book. It is breathtaking at times to consider the absolute sovereignty of God in controlling all of history for the purposes of his great work of redemption. Aurich also interacts with a number of current theological trends pointing out their deficiencies and lack of Biblical consistency and taking the reader back to Edwards and the Biblical text. The reader will be overwhelmed by a number of glorious theological truths. Spending time on these truths and other gems in this book will only expand the readers love and appreciation for the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It may also convict many Christians whose view of God, his sovereignty and comprehensive plan of redemption are too small! Jonathan Wellum President and CEO, Rocklinc Investment Partners Inc.