Originally posted by Aaron:
Helen, you don't know what has been going on in my life or the sorrows that my wife and I have seen. Just this week Laura's mother had a large tumor removed and another mass has been found in her lung.
I'm sorry for that, Aaron. It is hard to go through. I was by my father's bed when he died and several weeks ago my oldest son had a tumor removed from his neck. He is only 29. I thank God it was benign. But you are right, and maybe that is part of the point of a lot of this -- we don't know what each other goes through, and so it behooves us to walk carefully and talk carefully, with compassion, understanding and love. We all, at one time or another, can be overwhelmed with sorrows. Jesus Himself was a man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief.
Were there tears? Of course there were tears, hers and mine. It was only natural. How did we comfort one another? With sappy sentimentality? No, with the "old, old story of Jesus and His love." But we are not so emotional to think that because we couldn't help how we feel, that worldly sorrow and tears work anything but death.
Here is where I disagree with you most strongly on this issue, Scott. Here is one reason: chemical studies have shown that tears of happiness, for instance, have a different chemical content than tears of grief or sorrow. Tears which cleanse the eyes are also of a different chemical content. It appears that tears are an excellent way of the body dumping some of the excess chemicals very quickly that can lead to emotional breaks. They are a wonderful and God-designed stress and pain reliever and the only time I would even approach the idea that they were wrong is when someone goes from tears to tantrum. I will also say that the manipulative tears of some women are definitely on the far side as well.
But what you term sloppy sentimentality is part of being human and connecting with one another. Tears are also a form of communication. The only one a little baby has, for instance, when all is not right with his or her world -- and they are totally helpless to do anything about it other than cry out for help.
In fact, when we are in trouble, aren't we supposed to cry out for help to God? What's the difference, then, between that baby crying to us for help and us crying to God for help? Is one wrong and the other right?
It doesn't mean that we don't comfort one another in the love of Christ and with reassurances of HIS love and care. One does not negate or eliminate the other response. Crying at times is not only not a sin, it is downright healthy for you. "Cry and you will feel better" is an old wives' tale with truth in it. Those tears don't just dump chemicals to restore the balance you need internally, but they communicate externally to others regarding the depth of your pain or bewilderment or whatever else is going on.
Tears are not a sin. Far, far from it.
You said Jesus had borne our sorrows on the cross. I do not read that anywhere. Could you please point out to me where the Bible says that?
I know He bore our sins, but that we still sin...
In the meantime, you will find in Romans 9:2 that Paul has great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart, and had joy because of the sorrow of the Corinthians for him (2 Cor 7:7). In fact, we find a few verses later that God was the cause of their sorrow, as it led to repentance. In verse 10 Paul marks the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. We need to know that both kinds exist.
Jesus never sinned, and yet what we see in Matthew 26:38, that on the eve before his crucifixion, He says He is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
Aaron, please be careful with your judgments. Not everything that is 'natural' is wrong. Our bodies are designed exquisitely and I praise God for that -- or I, for one, would not even be alive today. Not everything that is physical is evil, even if it is part of a fallen creation. The point is that it WAS created, and created by God Himself.
I praise God that my babies cried to let me know something was wrong. I have a tendency to get so distracted by projects I can forget a little one might need tending. Or I might not know, simply, that something has changed for them and their world is out of whack at the moment.
I wish Chris has been able to cry when he became victim to sudden onset viral pneumonia at three. I only heard a 'funny sound' over the intercom about an hour after I had put him down. That funny sound was him trying to aspirate his own vomit. He was unconscious, his heartbeat over 200, and his temperature 103 and climbing. We rushed him to emergency immediately. He never even cried when they did a spinal tap; and oh, how I wish he had been healthy enough at that point to cry from the pain of it. But he wasn't.
I have never confused natural with good and righteous, although you seem to have taken what I have said to mean that. But what is natural is, as I mentioned, exquisitely designed to survive the ravages of a fallen world. And I praise God for that.
And no, I cannot stop bringing personal experiences into my discussions. It keeps the discussions from being purely theoretical. One of the problems I have with some of my science writers whom I edit for is a tendency on their part to go with pure theory unsubstantiated by data or experience! Theology tends to have the same problems. People can go into some pretty far distant realms with theology and forget that life itself is denying some of what they are claiming. God gave us life. We cannot afford to ignore what God has put into creation to help us understand Him. Jesus used pictures from a fallen world constantly to demonstrate spiritual truths. Our lives also help us understand spiritual truths. And the life I know best is my own. God has worked with me through a number of experiences and if these experiences are of help to anyone in understanding anything about how God works, then it is worth it to share them.
That doesn't mean that what comes naturally is 'good and righteous.' It does mean that God is using it, though, to raise us up, and thus we need to pay attention.
Then, as a parting shot at me, you wrote:
"Sola Scriptura?" Not on your part. "Scripture and feelings." That's your orthodoxy.
Aaron, feelings are not good leaders, but they can be pretty decent judges a good part of the time. Feelings of guilt are very indicative that you have done something wrong, eh? Jesus promised us feelings of peace and joy. Feelings have their place. It is only when what you might be feeling is contrary to Scripture that we need to be awfully careful with our feelings. You yourself mentioned a God of compassion. He has feelings, too...
But I do go with Scripture as the final judge and authority. Just to let you know.
You said you would respond with Scripture later and not just your feelings. That's fine. You have exhibited quite a few feelings in this last post!