I've repeatedly said that love is not merely an emotion. Scripture commands love, and emotions can't be commanded. Emotions are a response. So love is primarily a choice ... a choice to be invested in someone or something else. So ... love is not an emotion? No ... but ... yes. And I think I can show it from Scripture.
On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:21). Notice which comes first -- treasure. And what is that? Well, it's the things you value. In fact, it's the things you value most highly. Then, there's the heart. Clearly we're not talking about that organ that pumps blood. What is it? David was a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22). Jeremiah says the human heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9). God knows our heart (Psa 44:21). In Genesis it says about Man "that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen 6:5). Jesus warned that "out of the heart come evil thoughts ..." God's Word can "judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12). So "heart" includes thoughts and intentions. Solomon wrote "it is the wellspring of life" (Prov 4:23). So the heart is our central being, our core -- our feelings and thoughts and intentions.
Putting it together, then, where that which is most valued is, there your feelings, thoughts, intentions -- your whole person -- will be also. Or, if you value something highly, you will feel it. It will affect your core being -- your mind, your will, your emotions. The point, then, is to have the right ... values. Love (1 Cor 13:4-8) is something we do, where we value the loved one more than we value ourselves. It will certainly result in feelings. Scripture says so. But the feelings aren't the definition. They're the byproduct.
5 comments:
Good point. Love is clearly booth/and. This seems like one of the instances where the English word love is a hindrance to understanding. Whereas the use of the appropriate Greek word probably made it more clear to the original audience, the English term is so broad that it can be misleading to some degree.
It really only makes sense that the feelings would follow from the actions.
“… [L]ove is not merely an emotion. Scripture commands love, and emotions can't be commanded. Emotions are a response…. But the feelings aren't the definition. They're the byproduct.” [emphasis added]
While agreeing with your entire post today--and your focus on our actions leading to our feelings (rather than vice versa)--I am left to wonder about the purpose of the feelings we develop after investing time and effort in others. If our feelings ought not to dictate our actions of love but will indeed follow (i.e. serving not as the “engine” but as the “caboose”), what is their purpose, from God’s perspective? Are they simply confirmation or some form of reward? When I consider that humans are not robots (i.e. “love machines”) and need affirmation and positive reinforcement, I see that God designed those feelings to re-enforce our commitment to those things and people we value. It’s the best form of a “virtuous circle”--the more we do it, the more we like it; the more we like it, the more we do it. When that cycle is within God’s will--i.e. valuing what He values--it gives our lives meaning and satisfaction. God has considered our “whole person,” as you say.
The caveat in my comment above is that those objects of our love--i.e. the people or things we value and in which we are investing our actions--must be part of God’s will, of course. If not, and those feelings develop in response, as they inevitably will, there will be much trouble for us. Being immersed in God’s Word constantly and reading and learning of His will for us, is crucial for directing that “whole person”--“feelings, thoughts, intentions”--towards loving God and others as He wishes.
The purpose is indeed an important consideration. Good point. Some people argue that it's more noble to do what's right without regard for any reward, but God offers rewards to those who serve Him. Nehemiah wrote, "The joy of YHWH is your strength" (Neh 8:10). Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). God built us and includes our emotions as a significant factor.
Post a Comment