God's Emotions--And What They Mean For UsSample

Experiencing the Emotions of God

Does God have emotions? Some theologians say no. They declare that an all-powerful, supreme God must be “impassible,” that He doesn’t have passions, as we do. And if He does, He doesn’t exhibit them openly, as we do. After a lifetime of learning about God, I reject that proposition based on a wealth of scriptural evidence.

Passionate and Compassionate

Of course, God does not have human emotions. He isn’t subject to fickle feelings and whimsical moods, nor is He influenced unduly by the condition of the worlds He has created. God does not sit in heaven worrying over our earthly condition, wringing His hands with sweaty palms. I don’t believe there is ever a conversation within the Godhead where something is said along the lines of, “Oh My, what are We going to do?”

Yet, in Scripture, we see that God “takes delight.” He experiences gladness and joy. He is lavishly and lovingly generous. His protective instinct is often aroused, and He goes to battle on behalf of those in need. He comforts. He is sympathetic and relatable, tolerant and patient. 

The Bible shows us how God expresses His emotions. Zephaniah even portrays Him as a singing God. Just look at the numerous words of emotion in Zephaniah 3:17:

The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

As human beings made in God’s image, we have been created as emotional beings because that is the way He is. Due to our fallen state, we are also badly tainted with sin and rebellion and evil motives; yet, in our original design, we are modeled like our Creator. He expresses Himself in many ways, and He wants us to follow Him closely as we love and serve Him. He is not a distant, detached, aloof, and unfeeling God; indeed, He is passionate and compassionate.

That Your Joy May Be Full

Jesus told His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11 NKJV). Remember that Jesus and the Father God are one; here, He is speaking as God, telling the disciples that His own joy is increasing as He is explaining the kingdom to them, and that He wants their joy to increase as well. He wants joy to be a shared emotion for all of His disciples, including present-day you and me.

See how He longs for us to share His joy:

So [the Prodigal Son] got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.” (Luke 15:20–23 NIV)

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

To my way of thinking, neither of these Scriptures portrays a cerebral, emotionless deity. No, these and other Scriptures give us a full-color picture of the God who is moved by emotions such as yearning, love, and compassion to act. He loved the people He has created so much that He sent His only Son to save them from a well-deserved sentence of death. He loves each of us so much that He takes the initiative to save us even when we spurn Him repeatedly. God’s heart beats with such a profound depth of feelings that on a celestial EEG, it will never flatline. 

Ultimately, all of God’s actions and all of His emotions are rooted in one sweeping emotion—love. He expresses His love in so many personalized ways that we can spend our lifetimes trying to comprehend it. However, all of our efforts to grasp the length and breadth and height and depth of His love fall short, don’t they? That is why we need to keep praying this prayer from Ephesians 3:

That Christ may dwell in [our] hearts through faith; that [we], being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that [we] may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17–19 NKJV)

Feeling Loved

Of course, it’s one thing to be informed about God’s love for us, but entirely another to fully believe it for yourself. Even if you can get (with His help) to the point that you really believe it, it goes to another dimension when you can experience feeling loved with sanctified emotions. I encourage you to seek this experience and to ask Him to heal and renew your emotions so that you can have more than a fleeting taste of His love.

Over time, we can gain a “heart revelation” concerning our head knowledge about God. This represents growth and maturity in our faith. The Word of God tells us we are loved, both individually and corporately, and we can “pray into” the Word by reading and rereading Scripture so that it becomes grafted into our hearts and minds. 

As we ask for a spirit of wisdom and revelation to blow upon the written Word that has been stored up within us, the Father gives us tastes of love every day. We experience for ourselves that He Himself is the Source of love and that He truly loves us better than any other, although He often uses other individuals to demonstrate His commitment to us.

Have you encountered, experienced, and absorbed the love of God for yourself? Have you seriously considered how much He rejoices over you—that He has passionate joy over knowing you have accepted His gift of salvation? Have you had an experiential revelation concerning your knowledge about His love? Do you know firsthand how fully accepted you are by the Beloved? If not, stop right now and ask the Holy Spirit to confirm to your heart what your head has come to believe. As He begins a new work in your mind and heart, you will be thrilled with all the blessings He has waiting for you to enjoy!

PRAYER OF A PASSIONATE HEART

Father, in Jesus’s great name, I am so thankful that, through the work of His cross, I can come into a living and vibrant relationship with You, my loving heavenly Father. What a delight and privilege it is to participate in daily communication with the God of the universe, and how amazing it is to feel Your love! What a revelation it is to know that You are the God who shares Your exhilarating emotions with me as one of Jesus’s followers. All praise to You, the living, loving Lord! Amen.