Reisinger on Doctrine and Devotion

'Christian experience is the influence of sound biblical doctrine applied to the mind, the affections, and the will by the Holy Spirit. True religion is not some mystical, nebulous thing, floating around in the sky. It cannot be anything less than right thinking in respect to God, right feeling in respect to God and right acting in respect to God. Therefore, true religion must reach the whole man. It must reach his mind because that is what he thinks with, it must reach his affections because that is what he feels with, and it must reach his will because that is what he decides with.

It is impossible, therefore, to over-emphasize the importance of sound doctrine as the foundation for the Christian life, Christian worship and Christian witness. Bishop J. C. Ryle said it well when he said, "You can talk about Christian experience all you wish but without doctrinal roots it will be like cut flowers stuck in the ground--they will wither and die."

In the last issue of this journal I focused exclusively on the importance of sound doctrine. In this issue I want to call your attention to the other side of the same coin--Devotion.

I am using devotion and Christian experience synonymously. To put it another way: the devotional house must be built on a doctrinal foundation. We must ever keep before us, however, the realization that doctrine and creeds are not an end in themselves. Many fail at this very point. That is, they make doctrine an end in itself. This will produce nothing but dead orthodoxy. Many never get off the foundation. They are doctrinally as straight as a gun barrel and just as empty. They are very sound doctrinally, but unfortunately, they are sound asleep.
A devotional house, therefore, must be built on a sound doctrinal foundation. The Holy Spirit uses this doctrinal foundation to produce a holy life because the gospel is a holy-making gospel.
Some Christians are afraid of biblical holiness. I wish they were as much afraid of sin as they are of holiness.

Robert Murray M'Cheyne said, "It is a holy making gospel. Without holy fruits all evidences are vain. Dear friends, you have awakenings, enlightenings, experiences, and many due signs; but if you lack holiness, you shall never see the Lord. A real desire after complete holiness is the truest mark of being born again. Jesus is a holy Saviour, He first covers the soul with His white raiment, then makes the soul glorious within--restores the lost image of God, and fills the soul with pure, heavenly holiness. Unregenerate men among you cannot bear this testimony."

It is strange that so many church members either have a false standard of holiness, or else they are afraid of holiness altogether.

If you cannot persuade yourself to be holy you will have no success with others. We must taste and see that the Lord is good. We must taste before we can tell. One thousand wonderful sermons on holiness will not cover a cold, carnal, careless life. A holy sermon is but for an hour, but a holy life is a perpetual sermon.'

Read the entire article at:
www.founders.org/FJ04/article1.html