Theology of Emotions

After our Wednesday night discussion of emotions a couple things have come to mind. One question I had was whether the philosophy of Stoicism has had an impact on the Christian view of emotions. I found the following quote: “The emotions were viewed as irrational and intemperate and as a sign of weakness, dependence, and contingency. As a result, the Stoic ideal of apatheia became the ideal and this idea was imposed upon God… It is because of a Stoic bias, not Scripture, that some say God does not care about our emotions, but only our holiness…”
(http://biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/resources/toward-a-theology-of-emotion).

It appears then that in some areas the church has bought into the idea that emotions are dangerous and are to be suppressed. This particular site goes on to say, “contrary to the Stoical tendency to view emotion as a nuisance are many biblical commands to experience particular emotions. We are instructed to hate sin, rejoice always, delight and be glad in the Lord, weep with those who weep, grieve like those who have hope, and fear God… Serving God rightly requires right emotions.”

I’ve heard from multiple sources “Don’t trust your emotions!” While I agree that emotions can be more highly charged than a situation demands, and may indeed be inappropriate, they are also indicators of what’s going on inside. “As biblical counselors we often treat emotions as if, at best, they serve as a sort of flashing light on the dashboard of our lives warning us that something has gone wrong under the hood… There’s some truth to that. Emotions certainly aren’t ‘free agents’ operating independently of our beliefs. But relegating them to the category of ‘symptom’ doesn’t quite do justice to the functions the Bible assigns to emotions”
(http://www.ccef.org/do-biblical-counselors-give-emotions-bad-name).

What then are we to do with our emotions? There are probably a lot of possibilities, and I’ll name just a few.

1) Investigate the roots of emotions. They may reveal unmet desires and expectations, in which case we need to know whether those desires are legitimate and godly or not. Godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). Ungodly anger leads to unrighteousness (Psalm 37:8). Godly grief looks forward with hope for eternity (1 Thess. 4:13). The roots of emotions may also reveal unconfessed sin, unresolved conflicts, and unhealed wounds. As those things come to light, there will probably be some steps to take to move forward.

2) Listen to your body. Our culture thrives on overwork, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, calorie overload, sugar and caffeine highs, alcohol lows, etc. It’s little wonder that we’re often emotional basket-cases. We could probably all use some time to “detox” from everything we’re doing to ourselves. Take some time to relax; eat better; sleep more; eliminate activities from the schedule; simplify. In short, take care of the body God gave you because it needs to last a lifetime.

3) Glorify God with your whole being. The Psalms are full of a wide range of emotions. It is evident that God never intended for us to ignore such a significant piece of ourselves. Jesus wept, rejoiced, and became angry. We too can respond to God emotionally in whatever way He leads. Some Christian traditions have taught that Christianity isn’t supposed to be fun, holiness requires an unemotional objectivity, or depression is just self-centeredness. I don’t see evidence for any of that in Scripture. I see Jesus enjoying a wedding reception (John 2:2). I see David dancing with reckless abandon before the Ark of the Covenant (1 Chron. 15:29). I see a despondent Elijah being sustained and encouraged by the Lord (1 Kings 19:4).

4) Encourage one another in love. One way we can glorify God is to support one another in the Body of Christ. “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:15-16). Don’t pass judgment on those who see life differently, but walk alongside them as a brother or sister in Christ.

Emotions aren’t wrong in and of themselves. Acknowledge them, feel them, and explore them. Suppressing emotions only seems to lead to trouble. Telling someone to “Get over it, just move on,” communicates that they are wrong (which adds guilt) and that you know better than them (which adds shame). I don’t think any of us are qualified to judge some else’s emotions if we haven’t lived inside their head their whole life.

No matter how dark the day may seem, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14).