My situation has reminded me of feelings that contribute to the spiritual well-being of the Christian:
Feelings of Guilt. Paul said that the Gentiles participated in sin without feeling any shame or remorse for doing so (Eph 4:17-19). They were past feeling (KJV) or calloused (NASV). They had given themselves over to the pursuits of their senses, to self-gratification in sexual impurity and greediness, and their conscience felt no pain. Paul said that the Ephesians did not learn Christ in this way (4:20). They had learned that Christ did not accept this kind of behavior and their informed conscience would prevent them from participating in it or that would sting them with guilt if they did so to bring them to repentance, confession of wrong and the forgiveness of their sins. How is our heart? Tender or hardened? We must never become numb to sin or we will be given over to it because we have deadened what could have brought us back to God (see also 2 Thess 3:14).
Feelings of Jealousy. How do we feel when those we have taught turn away from Christ? Do we feel what Christ feels? Are we jealous? Paul said of the Corinthians, “I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ” (2 Cor 11:2 ESV). He was troubled by the false teachers among them that he believed would deceive them. He thought they would bear with this beautifully and be led away from the purity of their devotion to Christ (11:3-4). Are we in tune with Christ’s feelings? Do we feel the jealousy He feels when our brethren turn from Christ to doctrinal error or to the world (Js 4:4-5) or are we emotionally unaffected?
Feelings of Sympathy. When Paul listed his “foolish” boasts, beyond the external things that brought him pain such as beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, sleeplessness, hunger and thirst, and cold and exposure, he added the inward pain that he felt because of his spiritual concern for his brethren (2 Cor 11:28-29). He wrote, “Who is weak and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin and I do not inwardly burn? (NIV) Sympathy simply means to have the same feelings as another, to be able to identify with them and respond with compassion. How do we respond inwardly when we see our brothers and sisters who are weak in their faith and vulnerable to the devil? How are we affected emotionally when a brother or sister has been overtaken by sin? Do we feel anything so that we respond to help or are we numb enough to walk by on the other side of the road?
Feelings of Joy. Do we take the time to consider the faithfulness of our brothers and sisters and how they have helped us and others? If we have done so, then we have felt the same way that Paul felt when he considered the saints at Philippi. Paul thanked God for them with joy and said that it was only right for him to feel this way about them because he had them in his heart (Phil 1:7). When the apostle heard that the young Thessalonian Christians stood firm in the Lord, despite the intense persecution triggered by the devil, he said, “For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account” (1 Thess 3:8-9). Truly, can we thank God enough for all the joy that faithful Christians have brought us in the past and are still bringing us today? Are we spiritually sensitive to this cause for joy? Or do we take such brethren for granted and so feel nothing, depriving ourselves of feelings that can do more than brighten our day, but can cheer us so that we do not faint on the way to our goal of heaven.
So how are we doing with our spiritual feelings? Are we feeling what we should be feeling or do we need to take to heart these lessons from Jesus, our spiritual neurologist?
