This past week in studying to preach through First Peter I was troubled again by something that seems to pervade the circles that many of us walk in. In particular it is the issue of emotion and experience. First Peter chapter one, verses six through nine are all about the experience of being a Christian, and in particular the heavenly inspired rejoicing that is to characterize this life.
Ever since I have been exposed to the Doctrines of Grace I have wondered aloud as to why those who are theologically reformed tend to be the most unemotional. And on the other hand, those who, by comparison, tend to downplay doctrine and be more man-centered, those in the traditionally charismatic, and now increasingly in the Arminian evangelical wing, tend to be more wrought with emotion.
I understand of course that there are other things in play here, not the least of which is whether or not much of the religious excitement that occurs within churches is true and genuine or not, but that is not my point here. I am simply wondering afresh why those who hold to such a God-exalting, man-humbling view of God, tend to be the more stiff, cold and unaffected. Why do so many of us love to talk about, defend, and study doctrine but then stand relatively unaffected when singing songs that reflect such glorious truth? Why do folks get more excited about defending an acronym and criticizing Arminians than they do about singing about the risen Savior?
There are many possible answers here, and I do not offer any. But my goal in posting this is to challenge those of you with a similar theological stripe as me to examine your own emotion. Do you tend to downplay or diminish emotions? Why? Is it not only possible but probable that God inserted such affections in your own soul that you might be so stirred and affected with genuine Scripturally informed emotion and feeling for his own sake?
(I went into this much further in the message on Sunday, along with what I believe to be a biblical emphasis upon emotion and experience in First Peter you can get the message here).