Let Your Emotions Inform Your Theology

If someone were to call you "emotional," would you consider it to be a compliment or an insult? For many, it would be the latter. However, if we use the term in the strict definition of the word (relating to the emotions; having or expressing strong feelings), we are all emotional.

Or, we should be, including in our theology.

Emotions are part of our imago dei (being made in the image of God), which means, of course, that God is also emotional (has emotions; expresses strong feelings). A quick glance through the gospels will reveal that Jesus was (and is) not an ice cube of a person, devoid of all feelings. He felt strongly.

Unfortunately, even though this is true, when it comes to our theology and our study of Scripture, we often push emotions aside. This hinders the way we understand and relate to God, and can lead to an unhappy and unfulfilling relationship with him.

In a theology book I read today, one of the authors made the point that emotions are "conveyors of information that theologians, like any careful thinkers, ought to pay attention to."

I wish more followers of Jesus took this to heart.

This summer our church community is going through a series on the rest, and last Sunday we looked at the topic of "Rest from Religious Performance." We began by talking about our image of God and noted how studies show that when we have an image of a God who is demanding, rarely pleased with us, threatens us with punishment, it is actually bad for our mental well-being. Church attenders with this kind of understanding of God are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and more likely to give up on faith.

Jesus said a good tree cannot bear bad fruit. So if we see this kind of bad fruit coming from a supposedly good image of God, perhaps it’s not a good image of God.

With this in mind, let us return to our emotions.

PAUSE and REFLECT: Put your emotions back on the table, and use them as a source of information for and about your theology. They are not the only source, and not even the first source to which we should turn, but our emotional feelings must inform and endorse our understanding of God and our interpretation of Scripture.

Take a look at your image of God. Who is he? What is he like? Is he kind and loving? Is he demanding and hard to please? No matter what you've been taught, or what you know "in your head," the way you feel about God will do far more to reveal your actual image of him.

So the better question is, "How does God make you feel?" Ponder this for moment. Close your eyes for 30 seconds and explore your feelings about God. Do you feel safe? Loved? Accepted? Anxious? Frightened? Are you sensing anger from him, or anger toward him?

What do these emotions reveal about your image of God?

The next question is, "Do you see this image in the person of Jesus?" Jesus perfectly reveals the Father. If your image of God makes you feel one way, but your image of Jesus makes you feel another way, something is amiss, because they are one in the same.

How might God be inviting you today into a deeper understanding of him and better relationship with him through your emotional intuition? This is the good fruit that Jesus offers you today.

"But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
    the woman who sticks with God.
They’re like trees replanted in Eden,
    putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
    never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
    bearing good fruit every season.

~ Jeremiah 17:7-8

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Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash

Photo by Brock Wegner on Unsplash