What part do emotions play in the Christian life? Emotions are not sinful. Jesus expressed all the emotions you and I experience. After His death, the disciples remembered how Jesus was consumed with anger when He saw the money changers in the temple (Jn 2:17). When the Jews were watching to see if He would heal the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, He was both angry and grieved (Mk 3:5). Jesus expressed the full range of emotion at the tomb of Lazarus. The sisters noted His love (philos) for them (Jn 11:3) as did the crowd at the tomb (Jn 11:32). Witnessing their unbelief, Jesus wept (Jn 11:35). Even the Godhead expresses love (philos) between them (Jn 5:20) and toward us because we love (philos) the Son (16:27).
Emotions provide information regarding what we are thinking and feeling in the moment. However, in the fall, emotions were damaged. Adam and Eve, for the first time, experienced the emotion of shame (cf. Gen 2:25 w. 3:8ff.). Every human emotion was damaged from then on and became susceptible to sin.
James refers to soul salvation (Jas 1:21-25). This involves learning how to control our emotions through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God (cf. Heb 4:12; 6:19; 10:39). Maturity in the Christian life can be summarized as being able to control our emotions with our mind through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
Paul admonished the Corinthians that they were acting like babies (nepios, infants unable to articulate speech, 1 Cor 3:1-3). This was neither a compliment nor an excuse (Heb 5:12-14). Every believer in Jesus Christ is a son of God (Gal 3:24-4:7) old enough to understand and obey our heavenly Father’s will.
Overcoming the damage caused by the fall requires personal effort to know, understand, and apply God’s Word to everyday life. This means learning what triggers our emotions both for good and for evil. First, we need to work on our thoughts and intentions as these affect our emotions. We also need to recognize how culture and our response to it control our emotions. Mass marketing and propaganda are fine-tuned to move us, often in directions Christians should not go. Daily, we witness the effects of crowd psychology in many riots in the streets. We need to identify these triggers and avoid them by being transformed rather than just conforming to the culture (cf. Eph 4:17-32 w. Rom 12:2).
One additional thought is important. The effects of the fall on our emotions sometimes produce permanent changes to our personality over which we have no control, requiring mood-altering intervention. This does not alleviate our responsibility to use these drugs responsibly and not as a substitute for walking in the Spirit in light of God’s Word.
As we enter a time of turmoil around us, we need to be mindful of our emotions and how to express them in a manner that glorifies our Lord Jesus Christ.