Emotions, A Biblical Perspective

Emotions play an important part in all of our lives, and yet believers often do not understand them or what their proper role should be. Some proclaim that emotions are a hindrance to a believer’s renewed-mind walk. They reason that since we are to choose to always do the will of God rather than be ruled by our emotions, our emotions must always be set aside and ignored as much as possible. Others look for a kind of mental euphoria, branding feelings of anger and sorrow as bad and feelings of joy and happiness as good. Yet others simply follow their feelings no matter where their emotions might lead them. All of these views are unbiblical.

Before moving on, let’s define the term. Some definitions of emotions include not only the feelings themselves but also the body’s responses to these feelings. Other definitions include the feelings themselves as well as the causes rather than the results of those feelings, i.e. essentially, the person is liking or disliking something, For the purposes of this article, we will view emotions as, “a person liking or disliking, with the feelings associated with this liking or disliking.”

Emotions are part of how God designed mankind, not a result of man’s fallen state. Eve displayed emotion in the Garden of Eden before the fall. She saw that the forbidden tree was “pleasant to the eyes” and “a tree to be desired.” (Genesis 3:6) This wasn’t just a calculated decision of if I do this then I’ll get that. She wanted it. She felt the desire. God never indicated that having desires was wrong, just this particular desire in this situation.

God formed, made, and created man to be whole, having body, soul, and spirit. He gave him the capacity to think and choose. He gave him the ability to like or dislike with feeling. On the sixth day God saw everything He had made, including body, soul, and spirit man with his intellect, will, and emotions, and “behold it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

To contend that all emotions are a hindrance to the renewed-mind walk is no more Biblically sound than to contend that having a physical body is somehow contrary to God’s will for mankind. God designed the physical body and He wove emotions into the fabric of all mankind. They must therefore be very good; but just as there can be times when the physical body might not function properly, so there can be times when a particular emotion felt by an individual can be inappropriate, ungodly, in a particular situation.

God is recorded to have grieved (Genesis 6:6), been angry (Exodus 4:4 and many other places), rejoiced (Deuteronomy 30:9), been comforted (Ezekiel 5:13), and been “very sore displeased (Zechariah 1:15). Jesus Christ is also seen to have experienced emotions. He was “exceeding sorrowful” in the Garden of Gethsemane. Tears came to his eyes as he approached the grave of his friend Lazarus. He marveled at the centurion’s great believing (Matthew 8:10) and was angry and grieved with the hardness of heart of others (Mark 3:5). Emotions should play a part in our lives also. Furthermore, since emotions such as sorrow and anger are attributed to God and His son Jesus Christ, these emotions cannot be wrong in and of themselves. In fact, they must be the proper response in certain situations. “Renewed-mind emotions” for the believer are neither the attainment of continuous euphoria nor the annihilation of all feelings; rather, they involve feeling as God and Jesus Christ would feel. Renewed-mind emotions are liking what God likes and abhorring what God abhors.

Hebrews 4:12 states that the word of God is the discerner (critic, judge) of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

There are a number of Greek words that are at least sometimes translated as “thoughts” or “think.” Each has a different nuance of meaning. Different words are used according to what kind of thinking is taking place. One indicates a supposing. Another shows a deliberating in the mind. Others carry the meanings of bringing to light, or having understanding, or holding to custom, or reasoning, or being of an opinion, or being anxious, or perceiving, or bringing together of two. The word translated “thoughts” in Hebrews 4:12 is none of the above. It is enthumesis, which is derived (indirectly) from thumos, which carries the idea of passion or heat. Dr. E. W. Bullinger in his “A Critical Lexicon of the English and Greek New Testament” defines enthumesis as “a revolving of the mind (as regards the emotions)….”

If the Word of God is the critic of one’s emotional thinking, then it follows that one’s emotions in a particular situation may be judged appropriate or inappropriate according to God’s Word. Given that God would not critique that which we cannot change, it follows that we have the capacity to control our emotions. The big question is HOW? On the surface it would often seem that our feelings are a bit out of our control. “I am depressed. That’s just the way it is. Maybe there is a drug that can change that.” “I know I should be more forgiving or understanding of … whatever … but the guy made me so mad.” Again, Hebrews 4:12 has some wisdom for us. “The Word of God is … a discerner of the thoughts and intents of THE HEART.” Emotions come from the heart. It might not be possible to completely control what one is feeling at some given moment, but it is possible to determine what is in one’s heart. What is in our hearts is determined one thought at a time. We decide whether to think what God’s Word says or to let our minds run to whatever. This happens thought by thought, and the conglomeration of it is what is in our hearts. When our thoughts and then our hearts are in alignment with God’s Word, then our emotions will be there also.

When a believer’s thoughts and then his heart and consequently his emotions are in alignment with God’s Word, these emotions are an aid to the renewed-mind walk. How often Jesus was “moved with compassion” to do God’s will (see Matthew 9:36; 14:14; Mark 1:41; 6:34 and others). This compassion was not a dry unfeeling resignation to do what was necessary. His emotions helped motivate him to give of himself. His emotions were an asset to his life and ministry.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the great emotion recorded was sorrow, exceeding sorrow. Jesus did not allow this sorrow to dissuade him from God’s purpose. Instead, it motivated him to pour out his heart to God more fully. In this way, Jesus was able to turn even his sorrow into his servant at that crucial time.

There are at least three criteria for judging the appropriateness of an emotion in a particular situation: 1) its cause, 2) its duration, and 3) its intensity. What is the cause of the emotion? Is the individual liking something God also likes? Is he feeling dislike for something God also dislikes?

Even an emotion that may be appropriate by the first criterion

becomes inappropriate if held too long. This is evidenced by Ephesians 4:26:

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”

In the Old Testament we see that Samuel mourned over the demise of Saul. This was an appropriate response to the situation Yet there came a point when it was time for Samuel to stop mourning and move on with what needed to be done.

1 Samuel 15:35-16:1

35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel. 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

God wanted Samuel to stop mourning for Saul and instructed him to take action, to go.

The third criterion for judging the appropriateness of an emotion is its intensity. In Mark 3:5 Jesus looked round about on the Pharisees with anger; but notice that the verse says “anger,” not “fierce rage.” Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees in John 8:12ff was intense and certainly very heated, but on another occasion when the Pharisees questioned him, he simply “sighed in his spirit” (Mark 8:12), and left them. His intensity varied from one situation to the next, but it was always appropriate to the situation he was in.

Fear is an emotion that cannot always be judged by the above criteria. The believer must learn to distinguish between natural and unnatural fear. The body’s response to sudden danger is a built-in defense mechanism common to all people. This godly design of the mind and body is an aid to survival, not a symptom of an unrenewed mind. Let’s say a car pulls out into an intersection close in front of you. Your muscles tighten and your heart beats faster. Every sense is heightened. Adrenalin pumps through your body. You swerve out of the way before you even have time to fully evaluate the situation and the alternatives. This is natural fear. It can save your life. Being afraid to get back in your car the next day, however, would be an unnatural fear, since the danger has passed. This unnatural fear is inappropriate, ungodly, and must be conquered.

Sometimes certain fears might seem warranted. Perhaps someone is facing probable bankruptcy and is worried sick about what might happen to him and his family. In such situations, the believer must control his mind, expecting God to answer his prayers and remembering that as we trust in God, He has promised to supply all our need (Philippians 4:19). Just repeating “don’t be afraid” over and over will not work.

Believers today can embrace the emotional aspect of their lives without allowing their emotions to become their masters. We can control our emotions primarily by controlling the thoughts we put in our hearts. As we let the Word of God dwell in us richly, our hearts will become in alignment with His will. Our emotions will become our servants, aiding in the renewed-mind walk.