Emotions

Emotion is defined as a conscious mental reaction subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body. It is also defined as a state of feeling or the affective aspect of consciousness. Emotions are a part of your soul.

Emotion appears when there is some hindrance to soothe and complete execution or satisfaction of one’s instincts and this stimulates the nervous system and feelings. Emotions are a stimuli for action, and therefore, must be regarded as a form of human energy. Emotional stress, for example, causes people to act on impulse. The emotion of fear, also a sin, causes flight. The emotion of disgust causes repulsion. The emotion of anger causes violence.

Instincts are reflex behaviors based on emotion rather than on thought. Emotions are affects or feeling functions. If how you feel becomes the criterion for your life, you will never be able to execute God’s plan as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Emotions is a system of response and feeling. Emotion does not contain thought, the ability to reason, any common sense, any vocabulary as a tool for mental function, or doctrinal content. Emotion is related to human power and influence, but never to divine power and influence.

Emotion and the Christian Way of Life

There is no spiritual activity in emotion. It is a normal or abnormal physiological or psychological activity, but how you feel has nothing to do with your spiritual status. How you feel has nothing to do with any factor in the spiritual life. If you take your emotions and ecstatic experiences and try to include them into God’s plan, you have entered into a form of blasphemy. Under some conditions, the use of doctrine in recall or application often causes an emotional response. You are using your thinking to recall, apply, and believe a doctrine, and your emotions respond.

But when you become involved in that evil which makes emotion the criterion for the spiritual life, you are grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit. You are not utilizing the power of God. There is no divine power in emotion. The power is in thought, and that thought must be Bible doctrine or divine wisdom. Elation and ecstatics are not related to the filling of the Spirit, they are the expression of emotion.

Certain kinds of emotions are sins such as anger, rage, fear, and anxiety. Hate is an irrational emotion and is a sin. Hatred, resentment, dejection, and defeat are emotional activities. You cannot apply emotion or its results (anger, fear, worry, hatred, anxiety, murder) to the problems of life and come up with solutions. All you have by applying these emotional sins to the problems of life is nothing, or worse, the manufacture of greater problems, such as murder.

Ecstasy is an emotional mood often associated with spirituality. But you can be either ecstatic or depressed, but still be spiritual. The filling of the Spirit is entirely separate from your emotions and must be separated from them in your thinking. From ecstasy there is also a tranquil sense of power which is often associated or identified with the spiritual life, but it is not. Ecstasy represents maximum wish fulfillment, but it is not related in any way to the spiritual life.

Depression and heightened concern regarding personal problems is an emotional expression where the believer is out of fellowship. Emotion has no spiritual connotation. Tension is the function of emotion in both restlessness and dissatisfaction. Anxiety is heightened or disrupted tension, an emotional state minus any doctrine. Fear and panic are emotional. Panic is not merely a high degree of fear, but fear based on prolonged tension. Insecurity from ignorance of doctrine is emotional, not spiritual. Depersonalization is the emotion or feeling of unreality which so many believers seem to have today.

Emotion is physiological, not spiritual. Emotion is related to human power under certain conditions, or human failure under certain conditions, but it is never a part of the spiritual life. Emotion is to be enjoyed, understood and evaluated, but this is impossible without the absolute criterion for the Christian way of life - The Word of God, Bible doctrine. Emotion is not the criterion in the Christian way of life. Emotionalism is a substitute for ignorance of the Word of God. Use objectivity based on Bible doctrine to determine whether you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Emotion has a place in your life. Emotion is the appreciator of the soul. Song of Solomon 1:7; John 12:27; 2 Peter 2:8; Luke 12:19.

““Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock, Where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself Beside the flocks of your companions?”“ (Song of Solomon 1:7, NASB)

““Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” (John 12:27, NASB)

“(for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),” (2 Peter 2:8, NASB)

“‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘“ (Luke 12:19, NASB)

When you are born-again, this information is communicated to your soul. You may or may not have emotion. Your emotion has nothing to do with the spiritual reality of your salvation. Emotionalism is only soulish human activity, unless controlled by the Holy Spirit.

When emotions respond to the Bible doctrine in the right lobe of the soul, the believer appreciates God. Where there is no Bible doctrine, there is no appreciation of God. Emotion is a response to something in the thought pattern of the soul and is a result of what you think. When you think Bible doctrine, you appreciate things on the basis of Bible doctrine. Psalms 26:2-3.

"Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth." (Psalms 26:2-3, NASB)

Capacity for life gives confidence and boldness. Therefore, when the believer functions daily under the grace apparatus for perception, resulting in maximum doctrine in the right lobe of the soul, they possesses emotional response and maximum capacity for responding to God’s love. Psalms 139:13.

"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb." (Psalms 139:13, NASB)

When you have maximum doctrine in the soul, God possesses your emotional responses and by possessing your emotional responses, He gives you in grace the most fantastic capacity for life. When emotion is not in its proper place, it has an effect on the physical body, like psychosomatic illness. When you refuse doctrine, you create a vacuum in your soul that draws in religion and emotionalism. You become more and more involved in these emotions to the point where you make emotion your criterion for the spiritual life. You then become one miserable person. See category on Spirituality.

Some make emotion a false criterion of spirituality. Everyone has emotions. Emotions are to enjoy things in life, such as people, a beautiful scene, a concert, or a football game. However, emotion has no place as a criterion or norm or standard for the Christian life. The criterion for the Christian way of life is the Word of God. When you have Bible doctrine, you can even appreciate the details of life because they become points of doctrine.

Good and Bad Emotion

Emotion is a responder to the content of the soul. Emotion was never designed by God to replace the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit as our teacher. Emotion is neither the criterion for the spiritual life or the reality of the spiritual life. You are never spiritual because you are emotional. Emotion never solves any problems of life.

The believer must distinguish between the normal function of emotion as a good responder to the values of life and the sinful function of emotion as a reaction to life. As a responder, emotion enhances appreciation for what is noble and honorable in life. Emotional reaction produces sin, dead works, evil, and emotional revolt of the soul.

Good and bad emotion are polar opposites. Good emotion is a positive response to life’s situations while being filled with God the Holy Spirit. Bad emotion is the negative reaction to life’s situations while out of fellowship (carnal) and under the control of the old sin nature.

Good Emotion

Good emotion is response to the filling of the Holy Spirit in the spiritual life where the believer listens to, believes, and applies Bible doctrine resident in the right lobe of their soul. Divine power is used to deal with life’s problems and situations through thinking and applying Bible doctrine. God’s solutions do not require emotion. Good emotion responds to thinking and the values, norms, and standards of the conscience of the soul. When you are out of fellowship, you abandon the values, norms, and standards that you developed when you were in fellowship. Good emotion responds to thinking of the spiritual life including self-evaluation and the application of Bible doctrine. Good emotion is a response to something in the thought pattern of the soul, a result of what you think.

“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;” (1 Peter 3:8, NASB)

Good emotions means an appreciation of the finer things or enjoyable things of life on the basis of who and what God is and His grace provision. Doctrine is the criterion for emotions, but emotion is not the criterion for the Christian life. You are not saved because you feel saved. You are not spiritual because you feel spiritual! Phil. 4:8-9.

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9, NASB)

The norm or standard for the Christian life is Bible doctrine, never how you feel. Emotions have absolutely nothing to do with the spiritual life or the intake and application of Bible doctrine. How you feel does not determine whether or not you are saved nor whether or not you are spiritual. Your spiritual status depends upon what the Bible says, therefore good emotions are based on understanding doctrine taught and believing that doctrine thus allowing the Holy Spirit to transfer it to the right lobe of the soul. The believer can also have an emotional response when they see what God can do in grace as they apply Bible doctrine to the situations in life.

Good emotion also comes from response to the laws of divine establishment such as patriotism, virtue in government, virtue in marriage, family values, and personal values. This is true for the believer as well as the unbeliever. Personal virtues such as honor, integrity, and nobility of character are sources of good emotion for the believer related to doctrine and for the unbeliever related to the laws of divine establishment.

The biblical documentation for “joy” combines Bible doctrine application with good emotional response. When you use Bible doctrine from the right lobe of your soul to solve life’s problems,

you may weep in the night, but in the morning you will have happiness. Neh. 8:10; Psalms 30:5.

“Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”“ (Nehemiah 8:10, NASB)

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5, NASB)

Joy is the function of sharing the happiness of God at a point of maximum doctrine in the soul, so that the emotions have something good to appreciate. The Greek verb χαίρω (chairo) means to rejoice and is thinking God’s happiness in contrast to emotion often confused as human happiness. The Greek noun χαρά (chara) is translated “joy” and is the quintessence of combining the mechanics of the spiritual life with a system of thinking, which elicits the response of good emotion. Col. 1:10-11; 1 Thess. 1:6; Phil. 4:4; Phil. 1:23-25.

“so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously” (Colossians 1:10-11, NASB)

“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,” (1 Thessalonians 1:6, NASB)

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NASB)

“But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,” (Philippians 1:23-25, NASB)

Joy is perfect happiness which produces good emotion as an appreciator of that happiness. We are to be imitators of the Lord. We are not to imitate personality characteristics. When you get into role model arrogance, you have bad emotion. Circumstances are not the issue in sharing the perfect happiness of God. Maximum doctrine circulating in the stream of consciousness elicits the ultimate in good emotion from a developed capacity for the spiritual life. Psalms 16:5-7.

"The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night." (Psalms 16:5-7, NASB)

We are to we have an appreciation of God and to be controlled by our renovated thinking. Not to be dominated by our emotions. Good emotions are not the criteria for the spiritual life. When emotion is made the criterion, we get into false doctrine which appeals to the emotions. When you take emotion from being the appreciator of things in life and try to make it a norm or standard for the Christian way of life, you are in trouble and could become a trouble maker.

A carnal believer cannot have a legitimate emotion related to the spiritual life. When you are out of fellowship, your emotion is not the issue. The issue is naming your sins to God the Father and being restored to fellowship with God. The spiritual life runs on the divine power of the Holy Spirit, never on how you feel. Even good emotion will not get you back into fellowship.

Bad Emotion

Bad emotion is defined as reaction emotion, which makes how you feel the criterion for the spiritual life instead of Bible doctrine perceived, believed, and circulating in your soul. Bad emotion is emotion out of control in a state of reaction toward the teaching of the Word.

Bad emotion is divorced from reality so that the believer sees the problem but never sees the solution. Bad emotion is pseudo compassion, pseudo love, crusader arrogance, Christian activism, and similar things. Bad emotion is the allegation that emotional activity such as remorse or regret have something to do with being saved or being forgiven for sin.

Bad emotion is often pathological arrogance. Bad emotion is the function of evil obsession, unrealistic expectation, role model arrogance, the feet of clay syndrome, iconoclastic arrogance followed by evil obsession related to legalism, power lust, and allegations of sinless perfection.

The emotional complex of sins is bad emotion and has a number of categories – hysteria, hatred, irrationality, guilt, repression, and hybrid guilt. The hysteria category includes fear, worry, anxiety, consternation, and panic. The revenge category includes malice, the lust to inflict injury or suffering on others, revenge motivation, violence, murder, gossip, slander, maligning, judging, and vilification of others. The hatred category includes anger, hatred, bitterness, jealousy, loathing, animosity, and implacability.

The irrational category includes tantrums, vulnerability to imagined insults or snubs, self-pity, whining, sniveling, denial, projection, and neurosis. The guilt category includes remorse for real or imagined sins, morbid self-reproach, emotional feelings of culpability, self-righteous arrogance, arrogant preoccupation with one’s feelings and impulses, guilt resulting from the manipulation of legalism, and arrogant preoccupation with the correctness of one’s behavior.

The repression category is defined as the denial of the reality of the problem because it is too painful or too unpleasant to face. Repression avoids facing the issue. A part of this is denial, which results in the projection or transfer of one’s flaws, sins, or failures to someone else.

The hybrid guilt category is one of the most dangerous categories. In this category, feelings of guilt which cause perpetual anxiety may be alleviated by a contrived defense mechanism of blaming others for your own sins. You find someone else and assign them the problem. Therefore, you avoid the reality of the law of volitional responsibility. The only one to whom we are responsible when we sin is God the Father.

As a part of the laws of volitional responsibility and cultural concepts developed from it, apologies are often made to people. But this is not a part of the spiritual life because this can be done by the unbeliever and anything the unbeliever can do is not part of the spiritual life. Apologizing to others and getting their forgiveness is not confession of sin and not a part of the spiritual life.

Mental attitude sins from the old sin nature hinder capacity for love and life destroy the function of the right lobe of the soul. Prov. 23:15.

"My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad;" (Proverbs 23:15, NASB)

Bad emotions are described in 2 Corinthians 6:11-12 and Romans 16:17-18.

“Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide (I, Paul am giving you Bible doctrine from a full human spirit). You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained (limited) in your own affections (emotions).” (2 Corinthians 6:11-12, NASB)

“Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” (Romans 16:17-18, NASB)

Biblical Words for Emotion

Human anatomy in the languages of the ancient world often doubled for functions of the soul because they did not have a psychological vocabulary or a vocabulary for the soul. Some of the words used for emotions in the Bible are listed below.

Appetite or Stomach. Prov. 13:25; Prov. 26:22; Rom. 16:17-18; Phil. 3:19

“The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need.” (Proverbs 13:25, NASB)

“The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.” (Proverbs 26:22, NASB)

“whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:19, NASB)

Deeply Stirred. Gen. 43:30; 1 Kings 3:26.

“Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there.” (Genesis 43:30, NASB)

“Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!”“ (1 Kings 3:26, NASB)

Affection. Phil. 1:8.

“For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:8, NASB)

Heart. The word “heart” is not used in the Bible for the human organ that pumps blood through the body’s cardiovascular system. It is used generally for the right lobe of the soul where epignosis Bible doctrine is stored and is the staging area for application to the spiritual life. The heart has no emotional connotation by itself. However, the doctrinal content in the heart or right lobe of the soul can be appreciated emotionally. Jer. 4:19; Jer. 31:20; Lam. 1:20; Lam. 2:11; Philemon 1:12; Philemon 1:20.

“My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.” (Jeremiah 4:19, NASB)

““Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him,” declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 31:20, NASB)

““See, O LORD, for I am in distress; My spirit is greatly troubled; My heart is overturned within me, For I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword slays; In the house it is like death.” (Lamentations 1:20, NASB)

“My eyes fail because of tears, My spirit is greatly troubled; My heart is poured out on the earth Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, When little ones and infants faint In the streets of the city.” (Lamentations 2:11, NASB)

“I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart,” (Philemon 1:12, NASB)

“Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.” (Philemon 1:20, NASB)

Mind. The use of the word “mind” in the Bible refers to the left lobe of the soul. This is the location of all non-spiritual knowledge that we learn. For the believer, this is where spiritually understood Bible doctrine (gnosis – knowledge) is transferred from the human spirit by God the Holy Spirit. Gnosis is Bible doctrine not yet believed and is not applicable to the spiritual life. The believer must exercise faith belief in that doctrine whereby the Holy Spirit transfers it to the right lobe of the soul (the heart) as epignosis or full knowledge. Psalms 7:9; Psalms 26:2; Jer. 12:2; Jer. 17:10; Jer. 20:12.

“O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.” (Psalms 7:9, NASB)

“Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.” (Psalms 26:2, NASB)

“You have planted them, they have also taken root; They grow, they have even produced fruit. You are near to their lips But far from their mind.” (Jeremiah 12:2, NASB)

““I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10, NASB)

“Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, Who see the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You I have set forth my cause.” (Jeremiah 20:12, NASB)

Inward Parts. When the believer has maximum doctrine in the right lobe of the soul, they possess an emotional response with maximum capacity for responding to God’s love. As a result, God possesses your emotional responses and gives you in grace the most fantastic capacity for life. Psalms 139:13.

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalms 139:13, NASB)

Inmost being. Prov. 23:16.

“And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right.” (Proverbs 23:16, NASB)

God’s Testing of Our Emotions

Emotions are tested by God. The doctrinal content of the right lobe determines both appreciation and capacity for God’s grace. A mature believer’s capacity for life gives confidence and boldness. Psalms 7:9; Psalms 26:2; Jer. 11:20; Jer. 17:10; Jer. 20:12; Rev. 2:23.

“O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.” (Psalms 7:9, NASB)

“Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.” (Psalms 26:2, NASB)

“But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously, Who tries the feelings and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You have I committed my cause.” (Jeremiah 11:20, NASB)

““I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10, NASB)

“Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, Who see the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You I have set forth my cause.” (Jeremiah 20:12, NASB)

In every one of these verses, we have anthropopathisms (attributing human functions or attributes to deity). God does not test your emotional responses to the Bible doctrine in your soul at some specific time, but His omniscience knew billions of years ago in eternity past the status and content of your soul’s right lobe at any given time. God doesn’t have to test you to know what is going on!

You cannot hide anything from God. He read your thoughts billions of years ago in eternity past. You will never be able to hide anything from God. You can’t fool God! The condition of your soul was known at all times – now and before time began in eternity past. Therefore, testing here means God analyzes your capacity for life in order to challenge you to gain more capacity for life.

Since capacity for life is based on the amount of Bible doctrine in the right lobe of your soul, testing you has to do with whether you will respond to the test with application of epignosis doctrine in the power of the Holy Spirit or whether you will react emotionally and rely on your own capabilities. You may have a good or bad emotional response from that test. God tests you to your inner most being. God tests how you react, how you respond, and how you think under pressure.

Your soul’s frame of reference elicits a bonafide response in your thinking and in your emotions. Jeremiah’s response to his testing was his use of Bible doctrine in his soul. He also had an emotional response - double blessing, double appreciation.

Emotions Can Be Destroyed

The emotions can be destroyed by the old sin nature bombarding them with mental attitude sins. The emotions were never designed to respond to mental attitude sins. This motivates the emotions to revolt against the right lobe of the soul, so you have revolution in the soul. Job 16:13; Psalms 73:21; Lam. 3:13.

““His arrows surround me. Without mercy He splits my kidneys open; He pours out my gall on the ground.” (Job 16:13, NASB)

“When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within,” (Psalms 73:21, NASB)

“He made the arrows of His quiver To enter into my inward parts.” (Lamentations 3:13, NASB)

The result is instability, wide emotional swings, revolution, and chaos. Chaos is temporary or permanent psychosis. Emotional revolt explains apostasy and why a believer can go apostate. It can also explain why the carnal believer can get into sublimation, has lack of capacity for life, lack of capacity for love, and degeneracy.

Emotion Reacts to Tragedy

In tragedy or catastrophe, your emotions must respond to Bible doctrine in the right lobe of your soul while in fellowship for any tranquility of soul. When emotions react so that they rebel against Bible doctrine in the right lobe, anguish of soul occurs.

In Jeremiah 4:19-20, Jeremiah’s emotions were in control and his soul was in pain regarding the fifth cycle of discipline destruction of Judah from God’s divine discipline on the nation. His soul was in anguish and his heart was pounding in his chest. He had genuine pain. “I cannot be silent” means he had no tranquility of soul on the happiness spectrum. “O my soul” was his reaction to the fifth cycle of discipline. Lam. 1:20

“My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war. Disaster on disaster is proclaimed, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant.” (Jeremiah 4:19-20, NASB)

The heart responds to the emotions which are in control. When emotion dominates, the heart is troubled and in grievous rebellion. The emotions are reacting with tears and misery. Lam. 2:11.

Emotion is the Appreciator of the Soul

Emotion is an appreciator of love, but emotion as a leader destroys capacity for life. Joseph had always loved his brother in his heart, but it was not until Benjamin came on the scene that he was reminded how much he loved his younger brother. Sometimes you are not aware of the love in your soul until something triggers it and elicits a response in the emotion. Gen. 43:30.

“Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there.” (Genesis 43:30, NASB)

Emotional response makes one very aware of the existence of love in their soul. Of course, your emotions are not designed to respond all day. If they did, they would be destroyed. You have things to do. But you still have love for someone in your soul all the time. When triggered, the emotions respond and make you aware of that love. However, emotions do not contain love. Remember that the emotions have no doctrinal content. The emotions are simply responders.

“Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’“ The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” Then the king said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”“ (1 Kings 3:23-27, NASB)

In 1 Kings 3:23-27, the same emotional response to soul love is shown as in Genesis 43:30 and involves Solomon and two mothers. Both women claimed the child, but only one woman could be the real mother. When Solomon stated his intention to cut the child in two to evenly divide the child between both women, the real mother asked that the baby be spared and given to the other woman. Based on this, Solomon had allowed the real mother’s love to be confirmed. Other examples can be found in Philippians 1:8 and 1 John 3:16-17.

“For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:8, NASB)

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:16-17, NASB)

In Proverbs 23:15-17, there is an illustration of the relationship between thinking and normal emotion. Emotion is related to unconditional mental attitude love as stimulating capacity in this area. David is teaching his son Solomon.

“My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.” (Proverbs 23:15-17, NASB)

The communion table is designed to remember and appreciate our Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross. If you love Him, your emotions respond in memory to all He is and all He has done for you. The pertinent doctrines are in your right lobe. The cup and the bread give your emotion an opportunity to respond to the One unseen whom you love, and yet still maintain poise and stability in assembled worship.

Ritual keeps emotions from getting out of hand. It provides control and order in assembly. The Scots do the same in their singing of Auld Lang Syne and toasting the cup. So as believer-priests assembled together for communion, this is a very tender moment for all of us.

Emotion Stimulates Happiness

Emotion stimulates happiness. Happiness is in the right lobe of the soul. The emotions respond and you becomes aware of what is in your right lobe. The frame of reference in the right lobe provides information for the memory center which stimulates response in the emotions. Therefore, the emotions become a stimulus to happiness. They are not happiness, but they make you aware that you are happy. Prov. 23:15-16; Philemon 1:7; Philemon 1:20.

“My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right.” (Proverbs 23:15-16, NASB)

“For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” (Philemon 1:7, NASB)

“Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.” (Philemon 1:20, NASB)

Your conscience contains your norms and standards. The conscience turns on the emotions stimulating the function of the priesthood. Your priesthood is stimulated to function when your emotion is stimulated by your norms and standards. Emotional response to your conscience causes you to have esprit de corps. Esprit de corps is emotional response or stimulation to your norms and standards.

The viewpoint in the right lobe provides stimulus or response from the emotions, as when you hear someone else speak divine viewpoint. You should stimulated when you hear something on TV that represents divine viewpoint. This stimulates response to your own viewpoint from Bible doctrine.

Emotions and Spirituality in the Church Age

Christ is absent from the earth during the Church Age, therefore the filling of the Holy Spirit produces the character and glory of Christ without emotion being an integral part of spirituality. Gal. 5:22-23; Gal. 4:19; Rom. 5:5.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23, NASB)

“My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you—” (Galatians 4:19, NASB)

“and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5, NASB)

Emotion is never designed to produce character, but to respond to character. That’s why emotion cannot be a part of spirituality. Appreciation of Jesus Christ comes through perception of doctrine rather than emotional function. This does not eliminate emotion, but puts emotion in its proper place.

Emotional function cannot produce integrity. It cannot apply doctrine. Emotion is not a part of the filling of the Holy Spirit. In the Church Age, emotion is a responder to many things in the right lobe, including doctrine, the laws of divine establishment, love, and patriotism, but emotional response is never the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Just as grace glues the essence of God together, so emotion as a responder is distilled grace. Emotion as an aggressor is concentrated legalism. You can be depressed for physiological reasons and still be filled with the Spirit. How you feel has nothing to do with your spiritual status. Emotion and ecstatics have no spiritual content in the dispensation of the Church Age. Therefore, how you feel is never the measure of your spiritual life. Emotional activity or ecstatics never indicates the level of spiritual activity or spiritual advance.

Emotion is designed to respond to doctrine in the right lobe, but is not characteristic of the filling of the Holy Spirit. Ecstatics belongs to the human race. The filling of the Spirit belongs to the believer. The emotions can respond or react to the filling of the Spirit, but emotions cannot be the filling of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the filling of the Holy Spirit is perception of Bible doctrine, advance to spiritual maturity, and production from your ambassadorship, but never the manufacture of ecstatics.

Spirituality and Emotions in The Millennium

During the Millennium, Jesus Christ will be physically present on earth and will have changed the earth to be a perfect environment. The Angelic Conflict will be suspended with Satan and his demons removed from the earth. Only in the Millennium when Christ is present on the earth and ruling the world do emotions or ecstatics characterize the filling of the Holy Spirit. While there is no spiritual content to emotion in the Church Age, there will definitely be spiritual content to emotion in the Millennium.

In the Millennium, the filling of the Holy Spirit will be designed to appreciate the reigning Christ rather than to produce the character of Christ. Therefore, ecstatics will then be a legitimate spiritual emotion. Believers in the Millennium will be universally indwelt with the Holy Spirit as in the Church Age. Ezekiel 36:27; Ezekiel 37:14.

““I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” (Ezekiel 36:27, NASB)

““I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.’““ (Ezekiel 37:14, NASB)

Believers in the Millennium are also commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 29:19; Isaiah 32:15; Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 39:29; Zech. 12:10.

“The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 29:19, NASB)

“Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest.” (Isaiah 32:15, NASB)

“‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants;” (Isaiah 44:3, NASB)

““I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 39:29, NASB)

““I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10, NASB)

The filling of the Holy Spirit in the Millennium will be characterized by ecstatics and emotional appreciation. Emotion will still be an appreciator, not a character builder. Joel 2:28-29.

““It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29, NASB)