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Emotional Responses vs Biblical Accuracy in Christian Discernment

Christian discernment, in its biblical understanding, involves a process of distinguishing truth from error and aligning one's understanding and actions with God's will. This process is not primarily driven by emotional responses but by an accurate apprehension of biblical revelation [2]. While emotions, or "affections" as they are sometimes called in older translations, are a part of human experience, Christian teaching emphasizes their proper ordering and submission to divine truth [1].

The Bible speaks of "affections" as feelings or emotions, noting both "vile affections" (Romans 1:26) and "inordinate affection" (Colossians 3:5), while also exhorting believers to "set their affections on things above" (Colossians 3:2) [1]. This distinction between natural and spiritual affections suggests that not all emotional responses are equally reliable guides for discernment [1]. For instance, the renewed heart is characterized by being "fixed on God" (Psalm 57:7), "joyful in God" (1 Samuel 2:1), and "awed by the word of God" (Psalm 119:161) [3]. These are spiritual affections that arise from a heart prepared to seek God and filled with His law [3].

Biblical accuracy serves as the foundational standard for Christian discernment. God's self-revelation, committed to writing in the Scriptures, is considered the revelation itself, not merely a record of it, ensuring its accurate preservation and propagation of truth [2]. Therefore, discernment relies heavily on understanding and applying this written revelation. The Apostle Paul, for example, quotes Psalm 40:6-8 as the words of Christ, offering Himself as a better sacrifice, indicating the authoritative use of Scripture in understanding divine purposes [5].

Emotional responses, while powerful, can be misleading if not grounded in biblical truth. The "darkened understanding" of those alienated from the "life of God" highlights how spiritual perception can be hindered [7]. Conversely, spiritual perceptiveness, described as "spiritual sight, spiritual hearing, spiritual feeling, spiritual taste," is seen as guarding love from becoming "ill-judged enthusiasm" [10]. This implies that genuine spiritual emotions are informed and shaped by knowledge and sound judgment [10].

The Christian life is understood to be based on the "experience and personal knowledge of God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ" [8]. This experience, however, is not detached from understanding; rather, it involves knowing Christ's love, which is described as "too great to understand fully" yet still something to be experienced [8]. The believer's life is made complete when filled with "all the fullness of life and power by the presence of Christ within," leading to conformity to His image [8]. This process involves both intellectual apprehension and spiritual experience, with the former guiding the latter.

Even in moments of strong emotion, such as the Psalmist's expression of faith amidst danger (Psalm 27:13), the underlying confidence is rooted in an expectation of God's deliverance [6]. The human nature of Christ, including His capacity for weeping, hungering, thirsting, and weariness, demonstrates that emotions are part of the human experience, yet His sinlessness distinguishes His emotional responses from those that are "vile" or "inordinate" [4, 1]. Christ's sympathy with humanity in temptation, "sin only excepted," means He understands human struggles without being compromised by sin [9].

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Affection — Feeling or emotion. Mention is made of "vile affections" (Rom. 1:26) and "inordinate affection" (Col. 3:5). Christians are exhorted to set their affections on things above (Col. 3:2). There is a distinction between natural and spiritual or gracious affections (Ezek. 33:32).”
  2. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Revelation — An uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has been pleased in various ways and at different times (Heb. 1:1) to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing. (See WORD OF [532]GOD.) The Scriptures are not merely the "record" of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form, in order to the accurate presevation and propagation of the truth. Revelation and inspiration differ. Rev”
  3. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Heart, Character of the Renewed — Prepared to seek God -- 2Ch 19:3; Ezr 7:10; Ps 10:17. Fixed on God -- Ps 57:7; 112:7. Joyful in God -- 1Sa 2:1; Zec 10:7. Perfect with God -- 1Ki 8:61; Ps 101:2. Upright -- Ps 97:11; 125:4. Clean -- Ps 73:1. Pure -- Ps 24:4; Mt 5:8. Tender -- 1Sa 24:5; 2Ki 22:19. Single and sincere -- Ac 2:46; Heb 10:22. Honest and good -- Lu 8:15. Broken, contrite -- Ps 34:18; 51:17. Obedient -- Ps 119:112; Ro 6:17. Filled with the law of God -- Ps 40:8; 119:11. Awed by the word of God -- Ps 119:161. Filled with the fear of God -- Jer 32:40. Meditat”
  4. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Human Nature of Christ, The — Was necessary to his mediatorial office -- 1Ti 2:5; Heb 2:17; Ga 4:4,5; 1Co 15:21; Ro 6:15,19. Is proved by his Conception in the Virgin's womb. -- Mt 1:18; Lu 1:31. Birth. -- Mt 1:16,25; 2:2; Lu 2:7,11. Partaking of flesh and blood. -- Joh 1:14; Heb 2:14. Having a human soul. -- Mt 26:38; Lu 23:46; Ac 2:31. Circumcision. -- Lu 2:21. Increase in wisdom and stature. -- Lu 2:52. Weeping. -- Lu 19:41; Joh 11:35. Hungering. -- Mt 4:2; 21:18. Thirsting. -- Joh 4:7; 19:28. Sleeping. -- Mt 8:24; Mr 4:38. Being subject to weariness. -- Joh 4:6. ”
  5. Psalms (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Psalms 40 (introduction): In this Psalm a celebration of God's deliverance is followed by a profession of devotion to His service. Then follows a prayer for relief from imminent dangers, involving the overthrow of enemies and the rejoicing of sympathizing friends. In Heb 10:5, &c., Paul quotes Psa 40:6-8 as the words of Christ, offering Himself as a better sacrifice. Some suppose Paul thus accommodated David's words to express Christ's sentiments. But the value of his quotation would be thus destroyed, as it would have no force in his argument, unless regarded by h”
  6. Psalms (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Psalms 27:13: The strong emotion is indicated by the incomplete sentence, for which the English Version supplies a proper clause; or, omitting that, and rendering, "yet I believed," &c., the contrast of his faith and his danger is expressed. to see--is to experience (Psa 22:17).”
  7. Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 4:18: More literally, "Being darkened in their understanding," that is, their intelligence, or perceptions (compare Eph 5:8; Act 26:18; Th1 5:4-5). alienated--This and "darkened," imply that before the fall they (in the person of their first father) had been partakers of life and light: and that they had revolted from the primitive revelation (compare Eph 2:12). life of God--that life whereby God lives in His own people: as He was the life and light in Adam before the irruption of death and darkness into human nature; and as He is the life in the rege”
  8. Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 3:19: 3:19 May you experience (literally know) the love of Christ: The whole Christian life is based on the experience and personal knowledge of God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ (see Rom 12:1). • it is too great to understand fully: Christ’s love is much greater than ordinary human love (see Rom 5:6-8). • The believer’s life is made complete when it is filled with all the fullness of life and power by the presence of Christ within (see Eph 1:23; Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). The believer then is conformed to his image and reflects God (see Eph 4:14, 24; 5:1-2; Rom 8:29; 2”
  9. Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 4:15: For--the motive to "holding our profession" (Heb 4:14), namely the sympathy and help we may expect from our High Priest. Though "great" (Heb 4:14), He is not above caring for us; nay, as being in all points one with us as to manhood, sin only excepted, He sympathizes with us in every temptation. Though exalted to the highest heavens, He has changed His place, not His nature and office in relation to us, His condition, but not His affection. Compare Mat 26:38, "watch with me": showing His desire in the days of His flesh for the sympathy of those whom H”
  10. Philippians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Philippians 1:9: The subject of his prayer for them (Phi 1:4). your love--to Christ, producing love not only to Paul, Christ's minister, as it did, but also to one another, which it did not altogether as much as it ought (Phi 2:2; Phi 4:2). knowledge--of doctrinal and practical truth. judgment--rather, "perception"; "perceptive sense." Spiritual perceptiveness: spiritual sight, spiritual hearing, spiritual feeling, spiritual taste. Christianity is a vigorous plant, not the hotbed growth of enthusiasm. "Knowledge" and "perception" guard love from being ill-jud”
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