Today, a friend wrote to me with this question:
Should our faith be based on logic or emotion? I heard that a survey conducted found out that most people believe because they were emotionally tied to their faith. I don't believe that there should be a balance. There can only be one motivation at time. For instance, an non-believer goes to a evangelistic rally and hears the good news. He/she can be touched and therefore respond. In another person, he or she responds because they find that the Christian viewpoint makes awhole lot of sense. Which is the better way to go? I don't thinkthere can be a mix because emotions are always conflicting with ourlogic.
Dave:
Perhaps I'd put it this way... Faith is not faith without objective content (facts, truth, logic) and it is also less than true saving faith without emotion. By that I don't mean that only people who gets sweaty palms and shaking knees are real Christians! Physical sensations are optional.
I'm talking about spiritual 'emotions' like the love and fear for God, gratitude, transformed way of seeing and cherishing Christ as our Treasure. Because we are still fallen creatures, very often our heart emotions do not correspond to the 'logic'/truth that we understand. For example, we know that sinners would perish without Christ but how often do we weep and shudder at that reality?Therefore, as Christians, it is essential that we should continuallykindle in our hearts emotions that correspond to truth.
Here is something I posted in another list which would be most helpful:Facts! Faith! Feelings!http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hedonese/message/245
Just in case, you can't access it let me describe what in my opinion is the usual way faith works. Let's say, we invite Johny to an evangelistic meeting.
His conversion experience may involve the preaching and presentation of the gospel, where he understands that he has sinned against God, guilty and deserving punishment, that Christ in his love has come and died on the cross so that all whobelieves in Him will receive forgiveness of sins and a transformedlife.First he would understand these facts cognitively.Second, his mind evaluates and agrees with them as trustworthy.Last but not least, there must be a personal-heart experience wherehe rests on Christ for his salvation.Even the devil has the first two, without the third. But you can'thave the third without anything from one or two. Also, note that thisconversion is only possible with the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, true conversion does not necessarily mean that the person must develop an air-tight logical system of verifying these facts before he can believe. In fact, more often than not people see thespiritual condition they are in and realise the need for God'shelp... only then, their faith goes on a quest for understanding.
Also, sometimes, admittedly rare, supernatural cases happen... like a girl I met last week, her life flashes before her eyes like a visionwhen she was in church as an avowed agnostic. I don't think her decision was wrong or 'illogical' though. But the basis of her faith cannot be on the vision alone, but in Christ of the gospel. That's when the intellect plays a part in receiving and prizing facts abt Him.To know God, you have to know about God. It is not enough to know about God without knowing Him personally. Therefore the dilemma between logic and emotion doesn't exist. You can't have one without the other, if it's true faith.
Should our faith be based on logic or emotion? I heard that a survey conducted found out that most people believe because they were emotionally tied to their faith. I don't believe that there should be a balance. There can only be one motivation at time. For instance, an non-believer goes to a evangelistic rally and hears the good news. He/she can be touched and therefore respond. In another person, he or she responds because they find that the Christian viewpoint makes awhole lot of sense. Which is the better way to go? I don't thinkthere can be a mix because emotions are always conflicting with ourlogic.
Dave:
Perhaps I'd put it this way... Faith is not faith without objective content (facts, truth, logic) and it is also less than true saving faith without emotion. By that I don't mean that only people who gets sweaty palms and shaking knees are real Christians! Physical sensations are optional.
I'm talking about spiritual 'emotions' like the love and fear for God, gratitude, transformed way of seeing and cherishing Christ as our Treasure. Because we are still fallen creatures, very often our heart emotions do not correspond to the 'logic'/truth that we understand. For example, we know that sinners would perish without Christ but how often do we weep and shudder at that reality?Therefore, as Christians, it is essential that we should continuallykindle in our hearts emotions that correspond to truth.
Here is something I posted in another list which would be most helpful:Facts! Faith! Feelings!http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hedonese/message/245
Just in case, you can't access it let me describe what in my opinion is the usual way faith works. Let's say, we invite Johny to an evangelistic meeting.
His conversion experience may involve the preaching and presentation of the gospel, where he understands that he has sinned against God, guilty and deserving punishment, that Christ in his love has come and died on the cross so that all whobelieves in Him will receive forgiveness of sins and a transformedlife.First he would understand these facts cognitively.Second, his mind evaluates and agrees with them as trustworthy.Last but not least, there must be a personal-heart experience wherehe rests on Christ for his salvation.Even the devil has the first two, without the third. But you can'thave the third without anything from one or two. Also, note that thisconversion is only possible with the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, true conversion does not necessarily mean that the person must develop an air-tight logical system of verifying these facts before he can believe. In fact, more often than not people see thespiritual condition they are in and realise the need for God'shelp... only then, their faith goes on a quest for understanding.
Also, sometimes, admittedly rare, supernatural cases happen... like a girl I met last week, her life flashes before her eyes like a visionwhen she was in church as an avowed agnostic. I don't think her decision was wrong or 'illogical' though. But the basis of her faith cannot be on the vision alone, but in Christ of the gospel. That's when the intellect plays a part in receiving and prizing facts abt Him.To know God, you have to know about God. It is not enough to know about God without knowing Him personally. Therefore the dilemma between logic and emotion doesn't exist. You can't have one without the other, if it's true faith.
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