God + Emotions
Introduction —— There are some who believe that God is cold, detached, and emotionless.
They believe that God's nature causes Him not to feel, not to care, and to be indifferent.
Is this true? Do we believe in and follow an emotionless God?
That would be problematic, especially since we as humans feel so deeply.
If we are created in the Image of God, then God must have wired emotions into the fabric of what it means to be human.
If we are created in the Image of God, then God must be the very source of emotions.
The Bible does not teach that God is cold, detached, and emotionless. Rather, it teaches us that God feels deeply. God is an emotional being, and He is the very source of human emotions. Not only does God feel emotions, He feels them perfectly just as they were originally designed to be felt.
Here are some examples of emotions that God feels:
God feels love / John 3:16; 1 John 4:8
God feels joy / 1 Chronicles 16:27; Jeremiah 32:41
God feels sorrow / Psalm 78:40; Ephesians 4:30
God feels anger / Numbers 32:10–13; Hebrews 3:11; 4:3
God feels jealousy / Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:14
God feels peace / Romans 15:33; Philippians 4:7
Knowing that God is an emotional being —— and that emotions come from His very nature, should cause us to rethink our core understanding about emotions as followers of Jesus.
Here are four foundational truths to begin to develop a healthy understanding of emotions.
Emotions are a part of God's nature. He feels emotions.
Emotions, at their core, are good. They are to be understood and embraced.
Emotions are a part of the Image of God. They reflect God our Creator.
Emotions were a part of God's design for humans. You were created to feel emotions.
A God who feels is a God that is personal, relational, and relatable. He personally connects with us on an emotional level. He shares His emotions with us. And, He understands how we feel more any human will ever understand.
I hope this brings great comfort and understanding in your pursuit of emotional health.
There Are Better Days Ahead.
Much Love,
Wesley Towne, Founder + Speaker