The Great Awakening was a series of intense, widespread religious revivals in the 18th century, characterized by an emphasis on personal piety, the necessity of the new birth, and the preaching of the gospel's transforming power. It served as a powerful reminder that true spiritual life comes not from human effort or tradition, but from the Holy Spirit, who alone can bring dead hearts to life in Christ.
The Great Awakening, much like the outpouring of the Spirit described in Joel 2:28, was a profound demonstration that God is the author of true spiritual renewal. In our tradition, we view such awakenings as sovereign works of the Holy Spirit—not merely as social or historical phenomena, but as times when the Lord 'poured out' his grace to quicken the church. As noted in Plain Theology for Plain People, when the gospel is preached faithfully, the Spirit often works with 'matchless power' to draw lost souls to the Savior. Such seasons remind us that we are more sinful than we dare believe, but in Christ, we are more accepted than we ever dared hope, as he alone justifies the ungodly through faith.
The core of the Awakening was the exaltation of Christ's finished work. It sought to move people away from reliance on dead ritual or moralism and toward a living, faith-filled union with Jesus. As it is written, 'John 3:16'—the gospel remains the only power for salvation. Throughout church history, whenever the church has drifted into complacency or spiritual 'unfruitfulness,' the remedy has always been a return to the preaching of the cross. Our hope is not in the history of movements, but in the God who 'sent his only begotten Son' to redeem a people for himself. By the grace of God, we trust that he continues to build his church through the simple, life-giving announcement of the gospel.