Sermon Feel Bad Know How Bad Ill Feel Start Feeling Bad Again

Emotions and Faith: The Perplexing Relationship Between What We Feel and What We Believe

Matthew Richard Schlimm

Matthew Richard Schlimm
Assistant Professor of Old Testament
The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary

Nigh of usa have developed a love-detest thing with the emotions. We recognize, at to the lowest degree in part, that emotions are primal to what it means to alive life, to be human, and to feel reality. Every bit Robert Solomon puts it, "Nosotros live our lives through our emotions, and it is our emotions that requite our lives pregnant. What interests or fascinates us, who we love, what angers us, what moves us, what bores us—all of this defines us, gives us character, constitutes who we are."¹ When nosotros talk with one another, our conversations oft focus on emotions. We ask, "How are y'all?" Then we share, at least with those shut to us, what makes us upset, what brings us joy, what saddens us, and what makes us grinning.

Yet, many of usa as well run across emotions as problematic. They impact our lives in means we cannot control. From an early on age, our gild has taught u.s.:

Emotions are irrational.
Emotions are childish.
Emotions are a sign of weakness.
Emotions can interfere with getting what y'all actually want.
Emotions are not ever reliable.

We know that negative emotions tin overtake us and those we honey. Sometimes, the cool sphere of reason seems a welcome alternative to the stormy and tumultuous landscape of emotion.

WHAT EMOTIONS ARE

With a touch of humor, psychologists Fehr and Russell take observed, "Anybody knows what an emotion is, until asked to give a definition."ⁱⁱ What exactly are they?

Obviously, we feel emotions—sometimes in overpowering ways. They trigger physiological responses inside united states, whether tears or smiles, an inner tightening or "the lifting of a load."

Emotions thus involve our bodies in profound ways. Notwithstanding, emotions also involve our minds. The feelings we have stalk from judgments we make about the earth around usa. Sometimes, these judgments happen so speedily that we practice not even realize nosotros are making them. Simply at their core, emotions involve assessments, typically regarding things that matter deeply to u.s.a. and things we cannot fully control.

To illustrate, consider the following chart:

PAST or Present                     Future
POSITIVE              Happiness, Joy, Relief                Excitement, Hope
NEGATIVE            Guilt, Sadness, Anger                 Worry, Anxiety, Fear

As it begins to illustrate, our emotions are defenseless up in positive and negative assessments nosotros make nigh the past, present, and time to come.

Some emotions involve a fairly general blazon of cess. Thus, happiness is a broad term that stems from the judgment that something positive has happened or is happening. Joy tends to be more than specific, referring to the judgment that something positive is enduring. Relief, on the other hand, is even more specific. It is our reaction when something nosotros feared fails to materialize.

Meanwhile, hope and excitement anticipate that something good is coming.

On the other hand, worry, anxiety, and fright occur when nosotros expect something negative to come our way. Guilt arises when people judge that they accept done something wrong. Anger occurs when someone else commits a wrongdoing. Sadness results from the perception of loss.

Emotions, then, are not only feelings. They practice not reside solely in our hearts. Instead, they lie at the intersection of the trunk and listen. They cause changes in what our bodies feel. At the same time, they stem from quick judgments fabricated by our brains near the nature of the world around united states.

If emotions are one way nosotros make sense of the earth effectually us, why does our civilization oftentimes devalue emotions, seeing them every bit irrational and childish?

That question is quite complex and tin be answered in many ways. Greek philosophers continue to exert a fair amount of influence on our civilisation. Plato and Aristotle thought that emotions, especially acrimony, could be irrational.³ Seneca even went so far as to claim that anger, particularly considering of its connections to violence, has done more than to threaten the survival of humanity than even the deadliest plague.⁴

There are other reasons than simply our philosophical heritage. Peter Stearns, in his book American Cool, argues that our culture has developed a set of rules governing the expression of emotions. He suggests that as consumerism, corporate management, and the service sector arose in twentieth-century America, the middle class devalued displays of emotions, particularly in the workplace where they could interfere with the generation of profits. Employees who appear angry or sorry could hurt the bottom line. And so our civilization valued dispassion, or to employ the word popular since the 1960s, we strove to exist "cool," even nether pressure level. Flight attendants, for instance, are trained to avert emotional displays even amid the well-nigh taxing of situations.⁵

Yet, for many of us, our discomfort with emotions does non result primarily from our civilisation's philosophical heritage or desire to maintain profit-margins. Instead, we experience uneasy about emotions because we know they tin can negatively bear upon usa. We have seen loved ones trapped in cycles of negative emotion, or perhaps we have experienced depression ourselves. At that place are times when our emotions do not make much sense. We have all done things motivated by emotion that we finish upwards regretting later. For some of u.s.a., we simply like feeling in control of our lives, and emotions are a powerful reminder that there is much we cannot control.

Stoics believed that while individuals cannot control the initial feelings that arise in response to situations, i can cull whether to continue to exist moved by what transpires.^{half dozen} They tried to prevent emotions from erupting and taking over. Our culture oft practices something like.

When someone starts expressing a negative emotion, many of us, equally a thing of habit, endeavour to talk people out of that emotion. We endeavor to help others see why they need non go along in a place of sadness or anger. Sometimes, those in the church are especially prone to do so. Nosotros experience Christians should have the joy of the Lord in our hearts, and nosotros are concerned that emotions like anger tin can lead united states of america away from God. Emotions threaten us.

In fact, when we feel persistent negative emotion, many of us feel it is time to consult a specialist. We go to therapists and counselors, who give usa safe environments to express emotions.

Hopefully, they help the states empathise our feelings and ourselves a petty better.

HOW EMOTIONS RELATE TO THE LIFE OF Organized religion

Does our faith make any difference when it comes to the world of emotions? The Bible speaks nigh the transformation of our minds (Rom 12:1), but what well-nigh the transformation of our feelings? Should we, as Christians, feel emotions differently than those outside the faith? How does the Bible relate to guilt, acrimony, sadness, and fright? Should Christians feel less of these emotions and more of the positive ones like happiness, joy, tranquility, and hope?

At first glance, the emotional mural of the Bible seems rather confusing. Both the Old and New Testaments seem to uphold fear equally a good emotion, particularly when people fear God (Deut 6:13; Acts ten:22). Notwithstanding, when God or i of God's messengers announced to people, they typically say, "Exercise not be afraid" (Gen fifteen:i; Luke 1:30). New Testament epistles frequently mention anger in their lists of sin (Eph 4:31; Col 3:8), but the Bible describes both God and Jesus as angry (Num 11:1; Mark 3:5; Rom 1:18). Paul instructs the Philippians to "rejoice e'er" (4:iv), but then other parts of the Bible make articulate that grief sometimes should overwhelm believers (Jer 4:8; James 4:9).

How does i make sense of the wide spectrum of emotions and the variety of things the Bible says about them? Starting time, the Bible recognizes that man feel can be quite diverse. A word that works well in one situation may not work well in some other situation (run into Prov 26:4-5). When it comes to the emotional life, the Bible does not offer commandments that hold for everyone in every circumstance. Instead, there are particular words for particular people in particular circumstances. As Romans 12:fifteen puts information technology, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" (NRSV here and elsewhere). Certain times phone call for certain emotional reactions. There volition be seasons in life when nosotros feel the serenity that comes from God'due south peace, which passes all agreement (Phil four:7)—but there will also be seasons when we bring together Ecclesiastes in decrying how utterly meaningless life tin exist (i:2).

Second, the Bible makes articulate that we are broken people living in a fallen world. As a result, our emotional reactions will not exist perfect, at to the lowest degree non this side of Christ's return. At that place will be times when we resemble Potiphar in the book of Genesis. When Potiphar received news that Joseph tried to seduce his wife, he became angry and had Joseph imprisoned (Gen 39:nineteen-20)—a seemingly reasonable response. However, we as readers know that his acrimony caused an innocent person to suffer. The situation was more circuitous than he realized; the accusations confronting his servant were faux. Potiphar did non always get his emotions right, and nosotros will non either.

Being a perfectionist with one'southward emotions tin can easily lead to disastrous results.⁷ It is a losing battle. God gives us many ways of making sense of the world around us: the Bible, tradition, friends, feel, reason, and emotion. None of these faculties are completely sufficient on their own. We can misinterpret the Bible. The church's tradition did not always get things right. Friends can misguide u.s.. Experiences are open to multiple interpretations. Reason has its limits. Emotions do not always brand perfect sense. God gives united states of america all of these faculties to work together. Relying on just one of them tin lead to a skewed view of God and the globe.

3rd, the Bible envisions that religion can accept a significant bear upon on our emotional lives. Equally just stated, the correlation between our organized religion and our emotional life will not always be perfect. We may detect ourselves unmoved by hearing the good news. Or, we may be unable to rid ourselves of anger fifty-fifty later on attempting forgiveness. We are not perfect. However, even in our cleaved bodies, in that location volition be times when the reality of our religion profoundly touches us. Many of united states of america can recollect of moments in worship when nosotros were moved to tears or plant ourselves smile considering of God'due south presence. Conspicuously, there will be times when we join Jesus in weeping over the death of those we dearest (John 11:35). However, equally St. Paul reminds us, the resurrection has blunted the abrupt edge of such grief (1 Thess iv:13).

Emotions result from assessments made almost the past, present, and future—and Christianity grounds its believers in a specific by, present, and futurity. Through the act of baptism, we are incorporated into the story of God healing a fractured globe. We are adopted into the household of faith, meaning that State of israel's story has become our story. Thus, we no longer see the past, present, and future the same way as the earth. We no longer need to embrace a narrative that says but the fittest will survive. Nosotros no longer need to see our happiness as tied to what gadgets and goods we possess. We no longer need to alive in deprival of the immense suffering and expiry that pervades human being. We no longer need to look to the time to come with utter uncertainty, for we know that our story ends with fellowship with God and all the saints.

Through conversion and discipleship, our personal story becomes fused with the biblical story. We see miracles unfold before our eyes. The fear of God keeps us from harming God's creation. We find reason to exist happy, fifty-fifty when poor, considering we know we possess the kingdom of God. Almost of the time, these changes in our emotional life practice not event from will power. They occur organically every bit a result of spending time in the community of faith, immersed in God'south dearest and holiness, and partaking in means of grace like service, worship, and fellowship.

Changes in one's emotional life often upshot from a profound human activity of imagination. By "imagination," I do not mean believing in things that are fake or unreal. Rather, I hateful being able to see what is real but not at all obvious.

Many biblical texts give people reason to rejoice, even when surrounding realities look exceedingly grim. Consider the book of Exodus. For the Hebrews in Egypt, slavery and genocide were not abstract concepts merely defining characteristics of their lives. The Bible describes their bitter, groaning misery. No one would expect that they would before long have reason to sing, dance, and rejoice. Yet, their given realities are shattered past a miracle-working God who hears the prayers of the oppressed and turns the mighty Pharaoh into a powerless fool.

Esther tells an coordinating story, pointing to ways that God's people prevail fifty-fifty when powers and principalities try to wipe them out. While Daniel and Revelation are a very dissimilar type of literature, they function besides, addressing those facing systematic persecution by state powers. Speaking to an audition that must have felt hopeless, these books invite readers into an alternating way of viewing reality, ane divers less past fear in what rulers may do and more by God's final triumphant victory.

Prophetic letters of promise, such as Isaiah 40-55 and Jeremiah xxx-33, similarly help readers imagine different realities. They are written to refugees, those in exile. To such audiences, it must take looked like all was lost, like their faith was in vain, like they were no more than than peons in someone else's empire. Yet, these texts achieve out to readers, inviting them to imagine a different way of conceiving reality. Isaiah twoscore begins with the well-known words, "Condolement, O comfort my people, says your God." In what follows, the prophet describes the restoration and forgiveness that God has in store for the exiles. Those other deities that seemed more powerful than Israel's God are shown to be mere blocks of woods (44:9-20).

Similarly, the New Attestation offers hope and joy over against the given realities and accepted wisdom of the day. Fifty-fifty a cursory reading of the Gospels shows that Jesus acquired people to think in profoundly dissimilar ways about what it means to be correct with God. He angered those causeless to be shut to God, while giving sinners reasons to grin. His actions and teachings caused people to imagine things in new means.

Many of the earliest Christians who received the New Testament's letters faced persecution and adversity of one kind or another. These epistles kindle readers' imaginations, helping them to see, for example, that their "slight momentary affliction is preparing united states of america for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure" (2 Cor 4:17). We larn from reading Romans that "nosotros are more than conquerors" (eight:37), that no affair what the world may throw at us—death, life, principalities, rulers, things nowadays, things to come, powers, or anything else—nosotros shall not exist separated from Christ'south dear (8:38-39). Although external realities may brand Christians feel powerless, the Bible's joy and hope comes from rejecting worldly assumptions and daringly envisioning God'southward alternate reality.

Yet, even though we have bang-up reason to cover joy amid hardship, the Bible is clear that nosotros will never achieve an anger- or sadness-gratis beingness. In fact, the Bible suggests that nearly every emotion can be honestly expressed to God in prayer. I sees this betoken quite conspicuously in the Psalms, Job, Lamentations, and parts of Jeremiah. While excessive complaining may non be embraced (encounter Num fourteen:27-30), the Bible contains many gut-wrenching outpourings of emotion.

Many texts limited grief in means that our gild rarely permits. For example, in Psalm 6:half dozen, the speaker envisions so many tears that they make article of furniture like couches swim and fifty-fifty deliquesce, as though they were mere grains of table salt in a glass of water. No matter how drastic, how negative, how hopeless, or how angry the Psalmists felt, they brought their hearts to God. Ane of the most common questions in the Psalter is, "How long?" It makes over a dozen appearances, often in verses such equally 13:one that limited acrimony directly at God: "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?"

The Bible thus affirms that faith does non rid believers of negative emotions. Even Jesus establish reason to pray with these aroused Psalms. On the cross, he uttered the opening of Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why have y'all forsaken me?!" Similar Jesus, Abraham and Moses knew acrimony and grief all too well (Gen 21:11, 23:two; Num sixteen:15). We should not expect to do better than they. When Paul tells believers to "rejoice always" (Phil 4:7), he calls the church building every bit a whole to gloat Jesus. He is not telling individuals they should never experience sad.⁸ Thus, we read of Paul himself having a cleaved heart (Acts 21:thirteen).

The Psalter suggests that sometimes, anger and sorrow will be enduring (Pss 44, 88). Yet, many of the Psalms begin with raw expressions of anger and grief, but and so they end with praises of God. Somehow, in the midst of these gut-wrenching prayers, a way is made for rejoicing in God, even amid our tumult. Information technology is every bit though those praying are invited to take a bold step of faith, engage their imaginations, and recognize that God has heard their plea and will work on their behalf in powerful ways. Earlier, nosotros read the Psalm that begins, "How long, O Lord? Will you lot forget me forever?" (13:1). Information technology ends with a assuming expression of confidence in God'due south decisive action: "But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your conservancy. I volition sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me" (13:five-half dozen).

While much more could be said most emotions and religion, my final bespeak volition focus on the emotion of guilt because the Bible spends then much fourth dimension on this topic. Information technology makes clear that people rarely get this emotion correct. There are times when nosotros experience the overwhelming brunt of our own sins, assuming we are beyond redemption. Thus, we read of the tax collector, too ashamed to enter the temple or fifty-fifty lift his optics toward sky. Strikingly, Jesus tells us that although this homo imagined himself remotely far from God, he was in fact closer to God than the highest religious leaders of his time (Luke eighteen:ix-14).

1 of the most popular stories of the Bible is the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). We love it in large part considering it addresses all of us who feel weighed down past guilt and shame. Like this wayward child, there are moments when we "come to our senses." We realize that we have squandered what God has given us, and we assume that at best God will treat the states like a retainer. But then, nosotros are surprised by joy when God comes running out to embrace u.s.a.—the foolish and guilt-covered child.

In the Old Testament too, we read of those who announced awash in their own guilt, unable to think that God would forgive. Most of the prophets spent their ministry trying to shock people out of their complacency and help them realize their sinfulness. All the same, these prophets knew that their audience could become also far in the opposite direction, imagining themselves and their descendants as damned for all time. And so, they bring incredible messages of hope and forgiveness to a people crushed under the weight of their own sins. In the volume of Isaiah, the guilt-ridden people assume that God has forsaken and forgotten them. The Lord responds, "Tin can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no pity for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you lot. See, I have inscribed yous on the palms of my easily" (49:xiv-16a). Joel similarly tells people that God will make up for all the years of hunger they have endured, that they will find such incredible restoration that they volition never feel ashamed once again (two:25-26). Besides, Jeremiah envisions a time when the fearful people in exile shall return abode and find themselves quiet, at rest, and in peace (30:ten).

While the Bible thus has a powerful word of comfort for those overwhelmed past the emotions of guilt, shame, and fear, information technology also has a powerful give-and-take of judgment for those who seem incapable of feeling whatsoever guilt or remorse for their wrongdoings. Much of the Bible shows that people neglect to feel guilty when they should: Numbers, Judges, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, most of the Modest Prophets, Jesus' Teachings of Woe, admonitions in New Testament Epistles, and much of Revelation. As these scriptures suggest, nosotros tin easily deceive ourselves about what is correct and wrong. Thus, Isaiah describes how we confuse such nuts as good and evil, light and darkness, sweet and bitterness (5:20). Morally mixed up, we sin without realizing information technology, failing to feel healthy guilt, and thus we wreak havoc on the goodness in this globe.

The Bible has a strong message for those who fail to feel appropriate guilt. The prophets, Jesus, and St. Paul use all manner of persuasion and rhetoric designed to daze people out of their complacency. They remind people that although God is slow to anger, God is non immune to anger. Even though God'due south anger lasts only a moment, it still can come. God is no friend of evil, and God does bring punishment when sins are habitual, systematic, heinous, grievous, and relentless. The advisable response to realizing our sins and cocky-deception is to feel guilty; to grieve the ways we have hurt others, ourselves, our world, and God; and to ask God to make u.s.a. amend people.

CONCLUSION

On Mount Sinai, God walks before Moses, letting the human run into the divine. In this dramatic text, equally Moses hides in the fissure of a stone, we read this description of who God is:

The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, wearisome to anger, and abounding in steadfast dear and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no ways immigration the guilty, only visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children's children, to the 3rd and the quaternary generation." (Exod 34:half-dozen-7)

In many respects, the Christian emotional life is shaped in response to God'due south grapheme. Nosotros feel peace, joy, honey, and hope from knowing of God'south mercy, grace, love, and faithfulness. We besides take a salubrious sense of fear of God. Knowing that God is slow to anger does not brand united states desire to continue in sin. Nosotros have an advisable sense of guilt over failing to dear God, our neighbors, and ourselves. Or, at least nosotros genuinely try to, in this imperfect world outside of Eden.

Discussion QUESTIONS
1. What emotion is the nearly confusing to you? Why?
2. How could Christian worship change to permit people to express negative emotions before God?
iii. Describe one specific way that being a Christian has bro

NOTES
^oneRobert C. Solomon, True to Our Feelings (Oxford University Press, 2007), 1.
²B. Fehr and J. Russell, "Concept of Emotion Viewed from a Image Perspective," Journal of Experimental Psychology: Full general 113 (1984): 464.
³Plato, Republic 4.xiv, §439C-D; Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics 7.3.7.
⁴Seneca, On Acrimony 1.1-2, ii.4.1, 3.i.3-6.
⁵Peter N. Stearns, American Cool: Constructing a Twentieth-Century Emotional Fashion (New York University Press, 1994).
^sixRichard Sorabji, Emotion and Peace of Mind: From Stoic Agitation to Christian Temptation (Oxford University Press, 2000), capacity ii-iii.
⁷Martha C. Nussbaum, Upheavals of Thought (Cambridge University Printing, 2001), 234.
⁸Phillip Cary, Proficient News for Broken-hearted Christians (Brazos, 2010), 140.

@ This Indicate is grateful to Matthew Schlimm and Baker Academics, a sectionalisation of Baker Publishing Group, for assuasive the states to share his work. Portions of his lead essay are adjusted from his forthcoming book, A Stranger in the Night. To meet more, visit www.bakerpublishinggroup.com.

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Source: https://www.ctsnet.edu/at-this-point/emotions-faith-perplexing-relationship-feel-believe/

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