Emotions in Church Worship

Understanding Emotions SUBJECTIVE—subject to change. People react differently to stimuli because they have conditioned themselves in different ways. Not always the same with everybody, nor the same with the same person. With so much variety in emotional make-up, whose level of emotion should be the standard? Since emotions are subjective they cannot be used to gauge true worship to God.

Many want emotions without truth. Lost love for truth. 1 Tim 4:1-2, 2 Tim 4:2-5 2 Th 2:9-12 Wrong definition of emotion in worship, 1 Cor 4:6 Don’t know enough truth to know that truth has its own emotional elements.

Emotions God Wants Neh 8:1-18, emotions from understanding truth. Psalm 1:1-2 Psalm 40:8 Psalm 37:4 Psalm 94:12-19 Psalm 119 Acts 2:37 God wants emotions that are the result of a faith based on understanding and loving the truth. He does not want a faith based on stirred emotions.

Sundry Thoughts An honest search for truth in God’s word will involve emotions. If one goes to God’s word looking for emotional arousal as evidence of spiritual strength, he risks distorting truth to satisfy emotional longings. Emotions in our faith can only be as valid as the truth that stirs them. We cannot reason beyond the truth simply because our emotions are leading us in that way. Emotions experienced without truth create a faith based on emotions. Sober mindedness is lost when emotions are allowed to run free.

Sundry Thoughts Don’t go to the Bible to seek emotional thrill. Go to it to learn what God wants you to know. Our emotions will be touched by what he tells us combined with our desire to believe and obey his word. The atheist may know the same information, but not be touched by emotions, since he has no intention of submitting to those truths.