Hi all,
I was 15 with a learner's permit for driving. Mom was in the passenger seat coaching me as I drove along. Coming to an intersection I stopped, and she said:"Look both ways, then look again, then as you pull out look both ways again." She explained that sometimes an oncoming car is blocked by part of the car frame, so you look once, then look again, then when pulling out you look yet again.
Emotional reasoning doesn't look both ways. It looks only 1 way. It seeks others to support that 1 way, making it truth to them, though others can see they aren't looking both ways.
Let's see how to understand scripture balancing emotion and logic, which provides a foundation for how to handle a life-decision to be made.
The issue is whether emotion follows truth or does emotion replace careful examination of truth?
Healthy Christian teaching engages both the heart and the mind. As Jesus said, the greatest commandment includes loving God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:30). Biblical discernment doesn't suppress emotion; it seeks to ensure that emotions are shaped by God's truth rather than by persuasive personalities or online content. Emotions are not the enemy. Learning to balance thought and emotion is the key.
But first know that no one can do it for you. There is no other way around it. No one can pray for you to give you that breakthrough where you won't struggle anymore. No vision of Jesus or heaven will change it. The Bible is very clear that we must each renew the mind, leave our old ways and thoughts and come up to His higher ways and thoughts. There is no 1 great and mystical spiritual key that if learned, all things heavenly will be unlocked for you. We are disciples, students, learners, all our lives long. It is work to make emotions captive to what we know in Christ. But it can be done. It is Christianity 101, yet many people are just now beginning to learn how to take imaginations and thoughts captive in obedience to Christ. Obedience means you must make your thoughts agree with Jesus. Obedience means you tell your self what you will feel and what you will think. You do this by supporting the reasoning with common sense, and chapter and verse, founded on the fact you know Him. Not just believe, but know Him.
Let's identify some emotional triggers:
Urgency:"You must believe this now or you'll miss what God is doing."
Fear:"If you question this teaching, you're opposing God."
Anger:Constantly portraying other Christians, churches, or leaders as enemies.
Pride/ego:"Only the truly spiritual understand this secret."
Spiritual island:Encouraging followers to distrust all other pastors, churches, or scholars.
They are right all others are wrong:Making bold claims while rarely explaining themselves or scripture in context.
Personality-centered:The teacher's experiences or revelations become more important than the biblical text.
The above are symptoms of feeling based theology, which is a false faith. Some ministries use fear and manipulation to keep people coming back. Telling people if they leave their church they are opening themselves to the devil. If they miss the next service they are opening the door to the devil. If they don't give to this or that project or tithe each week Satan will get their finances. Much of Christian culture uses fear to keep congregations or viewers in line and coming back, which leads to self-image issues, insecurity about their walk with God, and even sins like I mentioned above.
Balancing emotions with reasoning:The Bereans
In Acts 17:1-12 we have an emotionally charged situation. In verses 1-5 we are told Paul arrives in Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) and shared 3 Saturdays in a row in the synagogue about Jesus. Paul always referred to scripture to teach how Jesus fulfilled the types, shadows and prophecies of the Old Testament and was in fact, the Messiah. We are told many of the Greeks believed, but then unbelieving Jews 'moved with envy' went to the market place, found evil men hanging around, and stirred them into an angry mob.
The Greek word translated 'moved with envy' or 'aroused to jealousy' in other translations, is the Greek word 'zeloo'. In 1st century Greek it is a type of word used for hot, bubbling, boiling water. These unbelieving Jews were an emotional pot of bubbling, boiling water.
More than jealous, more than envious, they were boiling over hot and got men who had nothing better to do stirred up and they assaulted the house of Jason, where the (house) church was based. Friends got Paul and Silas out of town, down the road to Berea, some 44 miles away (71km). There again, Paul went into the synagogue and taught the same things about Jesus. But the Bereans it says; "...searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were true, therefore many of them believed..."
They could have gotten caught up in the emotions of the riot of Thessalonica from which Paul had just come, but they didn't. They chose to study what Paul said, and therefore many of them believed. They compared chapter and verse against the claims of Paul, and therefore believed the truth. Their believing in Jesus was not based on emotion, but logic, reasoning, verifying Paul's teaching with chapter and verse. Therefore, they believed.
Biblical principles for discernment - The Bible consistently encourages believers to think carefully, not just react emotionally.
Acts 17:11:The Bereans listened eagerly and examined the Scriptures daily to verify what they heard.
1 Thessalonians 5:21:"Test everything; hold fast what is good."
1 John 4:1:"Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits."
James 1:19:Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.
Ephesians 4:14–15:Grow in maturity so you are not "tossed to and fro" by every new teaching.
Practical questions to ask
Before accepting or sharing an online teaching, ask:
What passage is this based on? Is the teacher explaining the passage in its context, or just quoting isolated verses?
Could I explain this from the Bible alone? Or am I relying mostly on the speaker's charisma or personal stories?
What emotion is this trying to produce? Fear? Anger? Excitement? Pride? Guilt?
Is the emotion leading me toward Christ or toward impulsive reactions? Does it promote fear, does it make me confused, is it promoted as 'higher knowledge'?
Would mature Christians from different backgrounds recognize this as faithful biblical teaching?
Healthy online habits
Read the whole chapter, not just the quoted verse. Compare several trusted teachers rather than relying on one influencer. Stay connected to a local church where Scripture can be discussed in community. Pray for wisdom before forming conclusions. Wait before sharing emotionally charged posts. Balance is the key. Be aware what is out there but don't give yourself to anything that you don't know that you know to be the truth.
Learn to look both ways at a teaching, at your own self image, at any doubts or fears you may have about your standing in Christ. Read the scripture that focuses on new creation realities - you believe so you have Christ in you, the hope of glory. Rest in that, seek verses that support that fact, that Christ is in you. Rest in that peace. Peace in your spirit is the Father's communication to your spirit that all is well between you and Him. Choose to believe new testament truth. Train your emotions to obey the Word and the Living Word Himself.
New subject next week. Blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
I was 15 with a learner's permit for driving. Mom was in the passenger seat coaching me as I drove along. Coming to an intersection I stopped, and she said:"Look both ways, then look again, then as you pull out look both ways again." She explained that sometimes an oncoming car is blocked by part of the car frame, so you look once, then look again, then when pulling out you look yet again.
Emotional reasoning doesn't look both ways. It looks only 1 way. It seeks others to support that 1 way, making it truth to them, though others can see they aren't looking both ways.
Let's see how to understand scripture balancing emotion and logic, which provides a foundation for how to handle a life-decision to be made.
The issue is whether emotion follows truth or does emotion replace careful examination of truth?
Healthy Christian teaching engages both the heart and the mind. As Jesus said, the greatest commandment includes loving God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:30). Biblical discernment doesn't suppress emotion; it seeks to ensure that emotions are shaped by God's truth rather than by persuasive personalities or online content. Emotions are not the enemy. Learning to balance thought and emotion is the key.
But first know that no one can do it for you. There is no other way around it. No one can pray for you to give you that breakthrough where you won't struggle anymore. No vision of Jesus or heaven will change it. The Bible is very clear that we must each renew the mind, leave our old ways and thoughts and come up to His higher ways and thoughts. There is no 1 great and mystical spiritual key that if learned, all things heavenly will be unlocked for you. We are disciples, students, learners, all our lives long. It is work to make emotions captive to what we know in Christ. But it can be done. It is Christianity 101, yet many people are just now beginning to learn how to take imaginations and thoughts captive in obedience to Christ. Obedience means you must make your thoughts agree with Jesus. Obedience means you tell your self what you will feel and what you will think. You do this by supporting the reasoning with common sense, and chapter and verse, founded on the fact you know Him. Not just believe, but know Him.
Let's identify some emotional triggers:
Urgency:"You must believe this now or you'll miss what God is doing."
Fear:"If you question this teaching, you're opposing God."
Anger:Constantly portraying other Christians, churches, or leaders as enemies.
Pride/ego:"Only the truly spiritual understand this secret."
Spiritual island:Encouraging followers to distrust all other pastors, churches, or scholars.
They are right all others are wrong:Making bold claims while rarely explaining themselves or scripture in context.
Personality-centered:The teacher's experiences or revelations become more important than the biblical text.
The above are symptoms of feeling based theology, which is a false faith. Some ministries use fear and manipulation to keep people coming back. Telling people if they leave their church they are opening themselves to the devil. If they miss the next service they are opening the door to the devil. If they don't give to this or that project or tithe each week Satan will get their finances. Much of Christian culture uses fear to keep congregations or viewers in line and coming back, which leads to self-image issues, insecurity about their walk with God, and even sins like I mentioned above.
Balancing emotions with reasoning:The Bereans
In Acts 17:1-12 we have an emotionally charged situation. In verses 1-5 we are told Paul arrives in Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) and shared 3 Saturdays in a row in the synagogue about Jesus. Paul always referred to scripture to teach how Jesus fulfilled the types, shadows and prophecies of the Old Testament and was in fact, the Messiah. We are told many of the Greeks believed, but then unbelieving Jews 'moved with envy' went to the market place, found evil men hanging around, and stirred them into an angry mob.
The Greek word translated 'moved with envy' or 'aroused to jealousy' in other translations, is the Greek word 'zeloo'. In 1st century Greek it is a type of word used for hot, bubbling, boiling water. These unbelieving Jews were an emotional pot of bubbling, boiling water.
More than jealous, more than envious, they were boiling over hot and got men who had nothing better to do stirred up and they assaulted the house of Jason, where the (house) church was based. Friends got Paul and Silas out of town, down the road to Berea, some 44 miles away (71km). There again, Paul went into the synagogue and taught the same things about Jesus. But the Bereans it says; "...searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were true, therefore many of them believed..."
They could have gotten caught up in the emotions of the riot of Thessalonica from which Paul had just come, but they didn't. They chose to study what Paul said, and therefore many of them believed. They compared chapter and verse against the claims of Paul, and therefore believed the truth. Their believing in Jesus was not based on emotion, but logic, reasoning, verifying Paul's teaching with chapter and verse. Therefore, they believed.
Biblical principles for discernment - The Bible consistently encourages believers to think carefully, not just react emotionally.
Acts 17:11:The Bereans listened eagerly and examined the Scriptures daily to verify what they heard.
1 Thessalonians 5:21:"Test everything; hold fast what is good."
1 John 4:1:"Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits."
James 1:19:Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.
Ephesians 4:14–15:Grow in maturity so you are not "tossed to and fro" by every new teaching.
Practical questions to ask
Before accepting or sharing an online teaching, ask:
What passage is this based on? Is the teacher explaining the passage in its context, or just quoting isolated verses?
Could I explain this from the Bible alone? Or am I relying mostly on the speaker's charisma or personal stories?
What emotion is this trying to produce? Fear? Anger? Excitement? Pride? Guilt?
Is the emotion leading me toward Christ or toward impulsive reactions? Does it promote fear, does it make me confused, is it promoted as 'higher knowledge'?
Would mature Christians from different backgrounds recognize this as faithful biblical teaching?
Healthy online habits
Read the whole chapter, not just the quoted verse. Compare several trusted teachers rather than relying on one influencer. Stay connected to a local church where Scripture can be discussed in community. Pray for wisdom before forming conclusions. Wait before sharing emotionally charged posts. Balance is the key. Be aware what is out there but don't give yourself to anything that you don't know that you know to be the truth.
Learn to look both ways at a teaching, at your own self image, at any doubts or fears you may have about your standing in Christ. Read the scripture that focuses on new creation realities - you believe so you have Christ in you, the hope of glory. Rest in that, seek verses that support that fact, that Christ is in you. Rest in that peace. Peace in your spirit is the Father's communication to your spirit that all is well between you and Him. Choose to believe new testament truth. Train your emotions to obey the Word and the Living Word Himself.
New subject next week. Blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
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