The Narrow Path Ministries

I've been asked to preach a sermon series on emotions

I figured I'd start with an overview of emotions attempting to answer questions like:
~ why do we have emotions?
~ Are emotions good, bad, or neutral?
~ How should we respond to our emotions (let them lead, stifle them, in between?)
~ Is it possible to control our emotions? How?

Then, for a few weeks after that, I figured I'd discuss a few particular emotions
~ I'll try to think of a particular biblical story that highlights that emotion
~ I"ll try to point out some good aspects of that emotion
~ I'll try to point out some bad aspects of that emotion

I am posting this to see if anyone has any thoughts on what would be edifying to learn about in regards to human emotions. What questions would you like to wrestle with? What biblical stories do you feel are deeply connected to human emotion? I'm used to tackling questions that are more DIRECTLY addressed in Scripture.

Any thoughts?

~ why do we have emotions?

This is a bit like asking, "Why do we have free will?" and "Why can we invent sophisticated machines (computers, jet planes, etc.) while other mammals never do so?" Both of these as well as emotions are part of what it is to be human. Man was created with emotions, inventiveness, and free will.

~ Are emotions good, bad, or neutral?

I think that intrinsically, emotions are neutral. However, we might classify anger as "bad" since its expression often results in harm to others, both physically and emotionally—where as affection might be classified as "good" since its expression often helps its recipients to live more peacefully, joyously, and effectively. Fear can render one ineffective and unable to carry out normal activities in life. So it would probably be classified as "bad" also.

~ How should we respond to our emotions (let them lead, stifle them, in between?)

In practice, we tend to respond in kind—to respond to anger with anger, affection with affection, and fear with fear.
But, depending on the situation we should often respond differently. "A soft answer turns away wrath." If we respond to fear with love we can often destroy it. "Perfect [complete] love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).

~ Is it possible to control our emotions? How?

Emotions come and go. Thus it is difficult to control them, but not impossible.
When I was a child, teenager, and young man in my twenties, I often had anger problems.
There was a scriptural sentence that helped me. "The anger of man does not work the righteousness of God." (James 1:20 RSV).
Whenever I got angry, I said that sentence to myself. Amazingly, I got to the place that I seldom ever got angry again.

Interesting topic. Not sure if this will be helpful but here is my current thinking. I think the most important thing related to emotions is what is behind the emotion and is it based on right thinking or wrong thinking.

For example take anger. Is it good or bad depends on several things. First if I am angry because I feel someone has wronged me then this is wrong thinking. The wages of sin is death. That means that is what I deserve. So if anyone has wronged me, they have really only stolen from God. That is then up to God to address not me. If I think long enough about forgiveness I come to the conclusion that I don't even really have anything to forgive. Anyone that has wronged me has only given me that which I deserve (or not quite as bad as what I deserve), it often humbles me, God allowed it to happen, it is therefore all for my benefit and part of God's plan. What is to forgive then? I should merely rejoice and be thankful. Much easier said then done. Thinking through emotions on this level however can over time change the emotions themselves. It becomes much easier to be slow to anger if we consider all things a blessing from God whether we presently see them as beneficial or not is our failing.

Other emotions can arise from wrong thinking as well. We are only supposed to hunger and thirst for God. We are supposed to want nothing else. We may be happy that we got something that we wanted. Should we have wanted it in the first place? So even more seemly positive emotions can be due to wrong thinking.

The Beatitudes I think would be the best place to start and we should always test our emotions with those in mind.