In another thread the question was raised as to whether God rejoices over the perishing of those who die outside of Christ. This logically calls into question divine emotivity, i.e. divine emotion. Does God experience emotions relative to human scale? If so, does God's emotions effect his actions, similar to how emotions effect human actions? Is emotive language simply anthropomorphic? In other words is emotive language in the bible used to convey God's mind or opinion on something? If God does experience emotion, is it unbridled emotion? One poster suggested that when the wicked perish, "it is a GLORIOUS reality to be CELEBRATED!!!" (direct quote).
First and foremost, to ascribe to God motives and emotions without carefully studying the scriptures is dangerous and foolish. We are describing the infinite, most holy, all-wise, omnipotent, omniscient God. There is a reason why the Law detailed the ceremony and rules that governed entering into the holy of holies. It is true that once the temple veil was torn asunder it signified that entrance into the holy of holies was accomplished by Christ's death, and that all who trust in him have access to the Father through the Son. But does that mean we should have a cavalier and disrespectful attitude when we approach the Father in prayer or when we enter the assembly on the Lord's Day for worship?
There is a principle established in scripture:
Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"
The principle is that God is unlike man. Isaiah writes:
Isaiah 55:8, 9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."
Secondly, if God is unlike man, and if his ways and thoughts are unlike ours, how could we possibly understand anything about him if he does not condescend to us in some fashion? Think about this for a moment. The all-knowing and most wise God, has chosen to reveal things about himself to his creation. His creation is not all-knowing, and is not wise at all (considering the first human man was willing to throw away eternal fellowship with God for his own lust). So, God chose prophets to reveal his will to a people he called into a special relationship with himself. In these last days he has revealed himself to his creation through his Son (Hebrews 1:1-4).
What should our attitude be towards God, seeing as how he is so unlike us, yet he has chosen to reveal some of himself to his creation? Certainly nouns like respect, awe, contrite, and humble come to mind. We should take James' advice to heart when it comes to prioritizing our response to God:
James 1:19, 20 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Even a righteous man like Job knew his place:
Job 40:4-5 Then Job answered the LORD and said, “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
Should we not humble ourselves in the sight of God before we presume to write or speak about who he is and what he thinks? If a righteous man like Job knew when to keep quiet, might we not learn from his example?
Thirdly, how does this apply to God's emotion towards those who perish in their sins? Based on how the bible presents God, there is not a one dimensional answer that will please everyone. God is not high-fiving the other members of the godhead whenever a sinner dies. The godhead is not a raucous body. But neither is God not content within himself when his glory is made manifest through the condemnation of evil-doers. The complex nature of our God is seen through the lens of the Son of God.
2 Peter 3:8, 9 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
A seeming dichotomy between these two passages, but one and the same God. On the one hand God expresses patience and forbearance towards humanity, giving them time to come to Christ. On the other hand he is justified and without regret when he judges the guilty. The gospels present the same complex God.
Mark 9:42-48 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED."
Matthew 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."
So, how do we respond similarly? What should be our emotive response to the death of the person who dies outside of Christ? We are less complex creatures than God in scale, but not in scope. There is grief over the death of a loved one who dies outside of Christ, whereas there is joy a midst the reality of death when a loved one dies in Christ. Whereas our human emotion can effect our judgment, God has no such frailty.
This is not an exhaustive essay on the topic of divine emotivity. Time does not allow for that. What I hope to accomplish is to give us all pause when we attempt to describe God's motives and represent his feelings on a given topic; especially when we try to paint our theological opponents with a wide brush.
First and foremost, to ascribe to God motives and emotions without carefully studying the scriptures is dangerous and foolish. We are describing the infinite, most holy, all-wise, omnipotent, omniscient God. There is a reason why the Law detailed the ceremony and rules that governed entering into the holy of holies. It is true that once the temple veil was torn asunder it signified that entrance into the holy of holies was accomplished by Christ's death, and that all who trust in him have access to the Father through the Son. But does that mean we should have a cavalier and disrespectful attitude when we approach the Father in prayer or when we enter the assembly on the Lord's Day for worship?
There is a principle established in scripture:
Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"
The principle is that God is unlike man. Isaiah writes:
Isaiah 55:8, 9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."
Secondly, if God is unlike man, and if his ways and thoughts are unlike ours, how could we possibly understand anything about him if he does not condescend to us in some fashion? Think about this for a moment. The all-knowing and most wise God, has chosen to reveal things about himself to his creation. His creation is not all-knowing, and is not wise at all (considering the first human man was willing to throw away eternal fellowship with God for his own lust). So, God chose prophets to reveal his will to a people he called into a special relationship with himself. In these last days he has revealed himself to his creation through his Son (Hebrews 1:1-4).
What should our attitude be towards God, seeing as how he is so unlike us, yet he has chosen to reveal some of himself to his creation? Certainly nouns like respect, awe, contrite, and humble come to mind. We should take James' advice to heart when it comes to prioritizing our response to God:
James 1:19, 20 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Even a righteous man like Job knew his place:
Job 40:4-5 Then Job answered the LORD and said, “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
Should we not humble ourselves in the sight of God before we presume to write or speak about who he is and what he thinks? If a righteous man like Job knew when to keep quiet, might we not learn from his example?
Thirdly, how does this apply to God's emotion towards those who perish in their sins? Based on how the bible presents God, there is not a one dimensional answer that will please everyone. God is not high-fiving the other members of the godhead whenever a sinner dies. The godhead is not a raucous body. But neither is God not content within himself when his glory is made manifest through the condemnation of evil-doers. The complex nature of our God is seen through the lens of the Son of God.
2 Peter 3:8, 9 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
A seeming dichotomy between these two passages, but one and the same God. On the one hand God expresses patience and forbearance towards humanity, giving them time to come to Christ. On the other hand he is justified and without regret when he judges the guilty. The gospels present the same complex God.
Mark 9:42-48 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED."
Matthew 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."
So, how do we respond similarly? What should be our emotive response to the death of the person who dies outside of Christ? We are less complex creatures than God in scale, but not in scope. There is grief over the death of a loved one who dies outside of Christ, whereas there is joy a midst the reality of death when a loved one dies in Christ. Whereas our human emotion can effect our judgment, God has no such frailty.
This is not an exhaustive essay on the topic of divine emotivity. Time does not allow for that. What I hope to accomplish is to give us all pause when we attempt to describe God's motives and represent his feelings on a given topic; especially when we try to paint our theological opponents with a wide brush.
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