We have discussed ways to measure our body’s need for rest, nutrition, and exercise in order to be more reflective of God’s nature and hence to glorify God more.
Today we look at Emotion
Experts in General Revelation tell us that there are at least 6 basic human emotions: happy, sad, angry, scared, disgusted, and surprised.
As with all the other issues (mind, will, body) our emotions are reflections and imitations of God’s emotions. They MUST be if they are to glorify Him.
Let’s look at God’s expressions of each of these emotions.
Was/is God ever happy? Luke 12.32…God was well pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 15.7…Joy in heaven over one saved “sheep”. One of my favorites is in Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst; He is a warrior who can deliver. He takes great delight in you; renews you by His love ; He shouts for joy over you.”
Was/is God ever sad? Luke 19.41, Jesus wept over Jerusalem; John 11.35, Jesus wept at Lazarus’ grave
Was/is God ever angry? Ps. 5.5 God is angry with the wicked every day; John 2.15, Jesus was obviously angry with the money changers
Was/is God ever scared? Heb. 5.7 Jesus was heard because He feared…but not the kind of fear that causes one to run away, like phobia, but the kind that cause one to run toward God! Luke 22.39-44 “Father, let this cup pass…nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done
Was/is God ever disgusted? Gen. 6.5-6…God was grieved, insulted, at the actions of mankind, Rev. 3.16 God is so disgusted that He says, "I will vomit you out of my mouth."
Was/is God ever surprised? Probably not. Since it violates the very nature of omniscience. Therefore, surprise may not be truly an emotion. It may be just a startle response, like a reflex. Or maybe an emotion unique to humans, since God, by nature, cannot ever be surprised.
Since God experienced these emotions and obviously never sinned, then there must be ways for us to experience each of these emotions and an appropriate way to respond to them.
We see several principles regarding emotional expression:
- God expressed emotion at appropriate times
- God expressed emotion at appropriate levels (no over expression or under expression)
- God was not afraid of or embarrassed by His emotions
- God expressed His emotions, most often, verbally. But He also showed them non-verbally
- God never got stuck in an emotion, but lived through it to the other side
2 comments:
Do you think Jesus was ever surprised? I realize this is a complicated question, since the Incarnation is a complicated doctrine. But I've been wondering how to square Christ's omniscience with His humanity. Perhaps He wasn't omniscient in the same way the Father is omniscient?
Yes, I think the Lord Jesus set aside his omniscience (like He set aside His omnipresence) when He took on humanity.
But we also know that He had prophetic knowledge of stuff that He could not have known if the Father hadn't revealed it to Him (e.g. the thoughts and intentions of men's hearts).
I'm convinced that God, outside of the Humanity of Jesus Christ, cannot be surprised. But I'm not sure that we have any record of Jesus being surprised, exactly.
Maybe the gentile woman who asked for the 'crumbs from the table'. Jesus seemed surprised to find faith in her that He hadn't found even in all of Israel.
I have to keep thinking about this. I'm not certain that I'm right to assume that, just because God doesn't have the "emotion" of surprise that it is corollary that we do not.
On the other hand, I don't THINK it does damage to our understanding of human nature to define 'surprise' as a reflex, rather than an emotion...especially because virtually every 'surprise' experience carries with it some true emotion (e.g. it was a happy surprise, it was a sad surprise, it was a scary surprise).
Hoping this is clear as mud!
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