Emotions are not irrational. They are inseparably linked with our intellect, or more accurately, our beliefs, values, and assessments. Because of this they are not – as some people think – unimportant, uncontrollable, or undesirable. They are not shallow, unstable, or untruthful. On the contrary, “[e]motions tell us the truth about what we believe and what we value” (143). Most importantly, without emotions formed and fueled by Christian beliefs and values, professing Christians will fail to nurture and sustain a healthy spiritual life. There is no true religion apart from the emotions, for true religion has to do with the state of our heart – which includes thoughts, affections, emotions, attitudes, and motivations.

In his book, Faithful Feelings, Matthew Elliot challenges our perspective on emotions by demonstrating how the theory of emotion that we hold – whether consciously or unconsciously – will influence our interpretation of key biblical texts.

There are two dominant theories on emotion: non-cognitive and cognitive. Until recently, non-cognitive theory has been the dominant perspective. Non-cognitive theory radically contrasts emotion with rational thought. According to non-cognitive theory, emotions function on a lower level than cognition.

In the last twenty years the competing view – the cognitive theory of emotion – has become the prevalent view in psychology. Cognitive theory holds that our emotions and intellect are an integrated system. “[A] cognitive approach makes thought, appraisal and belief central elements in emotion” (31). Emotions arise from our evaluation of objects, events, or situations. They reveal how we perceive the world – as threatening or welcoming, pleasant or painful, etc. (31).

Cognitive theory, while holding that emotion and intellect are integrated, does not imply that all emotions are necessarily reasonable. “Emotions are based on evaluation and not fact. The same facts can lead to different emotions in different people. An emotion can be illogical or unjustifiable because it is based on wrong judgments” (34-35).

Elliot believes that since the new cognitive approach is now the prevalent view in psychology, “the effects of this shift must now be felt in the realm of New Testament studies” (236). He does not insist upon this simply because the theory is new and accepted, but also because it makes greater sense of biblical revelation.

Advantages of a Cognitive View of Emotion

Numerous advantages arise from integrating the emotions with the intellect:

A cognitive theory allows us to integrate reason and emotion. It allows us to see that “the contrast we habitually draw between ‘reason’ and ‘emotion” is a false one, and that error has practical consequences which have always been serious and may soon prove disastrous. For it leads to the conclusion that our emotional life is irrational, and must remain so” (46). There is no such thing as “pure reason” divorced from emotion. It is a perspective that is not only impossible, but positively inhuman!

A cognitive theory allows us to take responsibility for our emotions. After all, they are our emotions: “We are responsible for our emotions because they are based on beliefs and evaluations. They provide us with a picture of our true values” (39).

A cognitive theory allows us to recognize that emotions “are not in themselves virtues. Rather, specific emotions can be virtuous or immoral. For example, anger can be felt in a legitimate or illegitimate way, toward a legitimate or illegitimate object, and for a legitimate or illegitimate reason” (68). Consequently, emotions are not in themselves vices. Hate is a legitimate emotion in the face of radical evil.

Advantages for Spiritual Development

In the past, many Christian preachers, leaders, and writers have not known what to do with biblical passages that command certain emotions. Holding a non-cognitive theory of emotion, they were unsure what to do with biblical commands to call a believer to express and experience emotions. If, as non-cognitive theory holds, emotions are completely distinct from the intellect and therefore completely beyond our control, no basis exists for calling believers to experience and express emotions.

But the scriptures clearly teach that the difference between the wicked and the righteous is rooted in their feelings. The fundamental orientation of a believer toward God is that of love. The believer’s love for God is the basic emotional trait that underlies all his or her behavior. Some teachers, unable to find a basis to command an emotion, have argued that this love is merely cerebral or volitional. But this hesitancy to speak of love as an emotion goes away with non-cognitive theory. It also makes better sense of the many biblical texts.

What is love? It is certainly more than an act of the mind or will. Elliot argues that “love is most generally an attraction towards an object. This attraction is the result of seeing a quality in an object that is good, valuable, or desirable” (135). Because of this, “love is necessarily emotional in that it involves at its heart an attraction that is produced by a cognitive evaluation of the objects as valuable” (135). This positive valuation of God “is similar to the idea of desiring God. Love compels the lover toward an object with an almost irresistible force” (87).

“In Judaism emotion was a good thing; they were to feel their faith. It was good to have zeal over the law, to celebrate God, to love one’s neighbor, to repent in sorrow, and to worship with the heart” (115). We are to love God with all our heart – our inner self which is the integration of desire, emotion, motivations, and attitudes. Jesus taught that the “righteous can be identified by looking at the condition of their hearts” (131). Spiritual transformation is the transformation of the whole person. A transformation of values, beliefs, and assessments will naturally lead to a new emotional outlook.

One way teachers have denied that love is an emotion is to identify a unique kind of unconditional love that is beyond emotion. This “agape” love is viewed as God’s kind of love – completely an act of the will performed unconditionally, for no reason.

But this answer has two problems: First, it wreaks havoc on our view of God: “Can we say that God’s love is love as we know it if it contains no element of emotion?” (106)

Secondly, it establishes the highest form of love as emotionless and “reasonless.” Since it is unconditional, it acts for no real reason. But this is not how the Bible speaks of love. The love believers have – for God and for others – is rooted in reasons. We love God because God is the most desirable object. We love others for reasons that are different from the world. It is the reasons that are different – not the love:

Love for even the vilest of people is possible because of the truths expressed in the New Testament. Love is felt because they are made in the image of God, God values them, and in reality each of us is guilty. Knowing that God loved us ‘while we were still sinners’ gives us reason to love the worst sinners around us. Solomon, an important cognitive theorist, writes that a universal love requires a ‘radical overhaul’ of our values. The New Testament agrees. A radical transformation of the believer’s values will lead to genuine love for neighbor. (162)

Love is not without its reasons! There is no need to postulate a uniquely “Christian” emotion. “The nature of Christian emotion themselves are not different than the emotions of the world, but rather it is why they are felt and for what they are felt that sets them apart” (259).

Can We Control Emotion?

When it comes to commanding people to stop having destructive emotions, it is clear we generally believe that this is a valid command. We encourage people controlled by rage to learn how to limit and control their anger. The same is true for healthy emotions. “In as much as we can learn not to have damaging anger, we can also learn to have love” (142).

However, this change cannot be forced on demand. “[O]ne cannot change the emotion by dwelling on the emotion itself, but one can change the emotion by dwelling on and changing the beliefs and evaluations that lie behind it” (143).

A cognitive theory allows for the possibility of changing our emotions – not through sheer will, but by changing our beliefs and evaluations:

Emotions cannot be forced or had on demand. It is impossible to close your eyes, grit your teeth and say ‘I will now have joy’ and as a result feel joyful. However, it may be possible to sit down and think about all the good things that you have in your life while experiencing negative emotion and change some of your negative emotions to positive ones. You cannot change the emotion by dwelling on the emotion itself, but you can change the emotion by dwelling on and changing the beliefs and evaluations that he behind it. (38)

Thus, we can strengthen emotions or drain them of their fuel, for our beliefs and values shape our emotions:

Emotions tell us the truth about what we believe and what we value. When the New Testament commands emotion it is exhorting the believer to have the values and beliefs out of which godly emotions flow. If you are not joyful in trials, the biblical command is an exhortation to bring to mind the truths that will produce joy even in trying circumstances, as is clear in the passages that command this. If love of an enemy is commanded, it is linked with the cognitive understanding that will produce this love. If hatred of a brother is prohibited, it is a command for the person to examine themselves and change the beliefs that have produced the hatred. (143)

Elliot concludes his book in this way:

You should now have a good idea of why this work is entitled Faithful Feelings. Emotions are a faithful reflection of what we believe and value. The Bible does not treat them as forces to be controlled or channeled toward the right things, but as an integral part of who we are as people created in God’s image. Christian emotions should be the most intense, the most vibrant, and the most pervasive things we feel as they are based on the most important things in life: our relationship to God and his great love for us; our eternal future; and the work of Christ. (264)

Quotes excerpted from Faithful Feelings: Rethinking Emotion in the New Testament by Matthew A. Elliot
© Richard J. Vincent, 2007