Passionate Devotion II

A passionate devotion involves more than the intellect. Knowledge and reason inform our faith and devotion and are indispensable to it, but God spare us from a mere cold, intellectual Christianity. Knowledge inspires passion, not indifference. Knowledge inspires emotion, not coldness. To know that Christ died is one thing. To know that Christ died for sinful men and that this has always been God's plan and that I have always been one of those sinful men for whom God planned his eternal redemption, this inspires a panoply of emotion. It also inspires action.

Knowledge of the holy is the foundation upon which our faith and devotion is built. There is no better illustration of this than Paul's epistle to the Romans. The first eleven chapters are deep, deep theological teaching and argumentation. Having never been to Rome at the time of its writing and having had no intercourse with the Roman church up until that time, Paul wanted to ensure that their faith was laid upon the same theological foundation as his. But then Paul begins the twelfth chapter with this:

Romans 12:[1] I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)

Paul's appeal to them is based on "the mercies of God." This is the theme of his theological treatise of the previous eleven chapters. It's as if he says, "Now that you know all this, brothers, I appeal to you to do something because of it." Their presentation of themselves, their lives, their entire being to God is the reasonable response (King James) to their knowledge of God's mercy.

Here is the King James rendering:

Romans 12:[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (KJV)(emphasis mine)

We cannot divorce reason from spiritual worship from Christian service. They are companions. They rely upon each other. The more we know of God, the more we love him. The more we know of his love and devotion toward us, the more we wish to devote ourselves to him.

Notice verse two of the above-quoted passage. First, we give ourselves completely to him, then we allow ourselves to be transformed by him. How? By the renewing of our minds. Again, our intellect informs our faith and devotion--inspires it. Knowledge of the holy is meant to change us, transform us. And how are we to "know" God's will, by what are we to prove it? On what is our discernment based? It is based upon that same knowledge of the holy.

So the more we know of God, the deeper our knowledge of him, the more devout and passionate we will be toward him, and the better our service will be.

James says something about a cold, dead theological knowledge which does not result in passionate devotion:

James 2 [19] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! (ESV)

So you have an orthodox creed, James says. Wonderful. But so do the demons and at least it makes them shudder!

How much worse is a deep theological understanding with no emotional or devotional result at all?