THE TRENTON BULLETIN

THE TRENTON BULLETIN

Trenton Church of Christ, Trenton, Florida

We live in a culture dominated by feelings. From the intellectual university classrooms to the average kitchen table, the existence of truth is increasingly called into question. Emotions and opinions have become the standard by which many live their lives. Sadly, this relativistic mindset has also gained a firm foothold in the minds of many who are religious. Congregations of charismatics take part in uncontrolled physical behavior because of an inward, emotional belief that they are being controlled by the Holy Spirit (though ironically, the only New Testament examples of frenetic behavior occur in demon-possessed cases: Matthew 17:14-15, Mark 5:2-5, etc.).

In a zealous effort to counter misconceptions about worship, some Christians are quick to declare that worship has nothing to do with how we feel, that our adoration of our Creator strictly stems from our knowledge of His word.

While it is certainly true that we use scripture, not feelings, to determine how we should worship God (or how we have a relationship with Him, for that matter), it would be a gross overstatement to argue that our natural emotions have no place in godly worship. But how is a balance to be struck between these two extremes? As we will consider in this article, the way we address God in worship is certainly based on our knowledge of Him and His revealed will, yet the scriptures are also filled with indications that emotion plays an important role in our worship. Let’s briefly examine prayer and singing, two ways in which we directly address God, and see how our emotions should connect to our worship.

Prayer - The book of Psalms includes some of the most passionate prayers recorded in scripture. Many of them contain the outpourings of godly men embroiled in difficult circumstances or overwhelmed by thankfulness. In Psalm 3, for example, David prays to God out of great distress when he fled from his son, Absalom. David begins by voicing deep concern about his situation, then ends by affirming God’s ability to save him. It is clear that these prayers were offered by an emotional man, yet his emotion proceeded from a knowledgeable mind. David could not have displayed such confidence in God if he hadn’t known what God was capable of doing. David’s relationship with God certainly wasn’t created by his emotions, but his personal knowledge of God gave him a way to express his natural feelings and caused him to seek an even deeper connection to Him through prayer.

To use marriage as an example, the emotion that I show to my wife stems from my knowledge and deep appreciation of who she is. The more I find out about my wife, the more I desire to show her affection. But both emotion and knowledge must be present in our relationship in order to make it a good one. Our marriage would undeniably be in jeopardy if we showed little or no emotion to each other; conversely, if our connection to each other was primarily founded on our emotions, it would be a pretty flimsy relationship indeed!

Prayer in the New Testament is also recognized as an emotional, yet respectful experience based on knowledge. Peter admonished his recipients to “humble” themselves “under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6-7). A textual way to do that is by “casting all your anxieties on Him.” We see from this scripture that it is perfectly valid for prayer to be offered to God from an emotionally-burdened heart (indeed, God wants us to do that), but it is also equally valid to note that prayer is to be given with an attitude of humility, recognizing who God is and what He is capable of doing. Such knowledge then compels us to give him our troubles and concerns.

Singing - In James 5:17, the writer simply states that “if any man is cheerful, let him sing praise.” In context, James is describing several natural human conditions that should produce spiritual reactions. Suffering, and the emotions felt as a result of it, should produce prayer. Sickness should produce a desire to be healed with the help of brethren. Likewise, feelings of cheerfulness should cause us to praise God. James didn’t bother to explain the need for singing to be based upon a proper knowledge of God’s will, perhaps because he’s writing to a Christian audience who would have already understood the principle that they needed to worship correctly. At least some degree of knowledge is implied in the text; if we’re supposed to praise God out of a cheerful heart, then that necessarily implies both the recognition of our situation and some understanding of the Being who has allowed us to prosper.

In Colossians 3:16-17 and its parallel passage in Ephesians 5:19-20, two things are apparent. First, thankfulness is an ingredient of musical worship. Thankfulness does not merely involve intellectual acknowl-edgement of blessings or circumstances; it is also the heartfelt emotion that springs from that understanding. Secondly, knowledge of God is mentioned in connection with our thankfulness. We are enabled to teach each other in song because the word of Christ dwells in us. Both scriptures mention that we’re to do this “in the name of Jesus,” or with His authority, which we cannot know except by His word. Therefore, singing is a combination of our knowledge and emotions working together to produce encouragement, admonishment, and edification.

I Close My Eyes, a hymn composed by Jay Conner, provides a concrete example for what we’re discussing. The song’s chorus says “I close my eyes; I see His majesty; I close my eyes, and feel His love for me.” This is obviously an emotional section. Is it wrong to sing about “feeling” God’s love for us? Carefully examine the rest of the song. The verses reveal that these emotions are described as a natural reaction of a fervent desire to seek God. “Teach me to do Thy will,” “Make me to know Thy way; wherein my path should be” are taken straight from Psalm 143. When examined as a whole, the song is an excellent example of how we feel emotionally drawn to God because of our scripturally-grounded relationship with Him. The person who sings this song, then, not only has a way to express sincere, heart-felt emotion, but to proclaim to all that their relationship to God is firmly anchored in their (ever-growing) knowledge of how to please Him.

So let us not divorce our worship from our natural emotional response in our desire to be doctrinally sound! Paying homage to our Lord was never intended to be practiced as a mechanical exercise, no more than it is to be an uncontrolled gushing session. Let’s take careful note of the ways that the Bible discusses worship and give Jehovah praise with our minds and our hearts.

Roman soldiers brought the condemned out of the city to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, “Place of a Skull.” A scene of carnage and smell of death welcomed all who came to this knoll outside Jerusalem. Death lingered long here as a place of execution. The curious and the religious gathered around to watch the execution of three men upon wooden instruments of Roman justice. Flickering in the eyes of the crowd two thieves were nailed to their crosses and between the two another was nailed. These men were suffering the justice of Caesar’s law upon those accused and found guilty. The crowd gathered to watch men die.

A mob of people sat and watched three men agonize in painful cries of misery and suffering. The two robbers reviled the one in the middle “who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). The religious zealots saw a criminal; the people saw the Son of God. Jesus of Nazareth, "a Man attested by God … by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him … delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, [was] taken by lawless hands … crucified, and put to death” (Acts 2:22-23). He died alone.

Roman soldiers took the sandals, girdle, outer robe, head-dress and garments of Jesus and cast lots among themselves for possession. The coat of Jesus was included in the casting of lots. It was without seam (as would be found in the tunic of a high priest; Josephus, Ant. iii.7.4) and was bundled away with the soldier who won the lot. They laughed, argued and gambled away the last earthly possessions of God’s Son while Jesus died alone.

The Jewish leaders came to watch Jesus die. Only a few moments earlier they had cried out to Pilate, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" (John 19:15). Standing in the stench of Golgotha the chief priests, rulers, scribes and elders of the Jews looked with hatred upon Jesus. They mocked him with reviling words and insults while Jesus died alone.

Crowds of people passed by railing on Jesus and wagging their heads at him in derision. The voices sounded loud and rang in the ears of God’s Son as he suffered a slow death. People murmured among themselves talking of what they saw and laughing and jeering and Jesus died alone.

Among those gathered were a great multitude of disciples mourning and lamenting what they witnessed (Luke 23:27). “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25). John the apostle was there (John 19:26). But Jesus died alone.

Jesus died to bear “our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). He died alone in that scene of chaos on Golgotha because only He could bear that cross (Matthew 20:28). As Jesus died alone at Golgotha He was not left alone at Calvary. “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” (John 16:32). In His death Jesus has not left us alone (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Our promise in life is that we do not have to die alone.

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Being self-centered makes it difficult for us to feel godly sorrow, and so we find it difficult to repent of our sins in any lasting way. By definition, godly sorrow is a remorse that grieves what our sins have cost God, and if our thoughts have to do mostly with our own gains and losses, then whatever mourning we do will be worldly, not godly. To turn away from sin decisively, we have to concentrate on things higher than ourselves.

Godly sorrow is a stronger force than worldly sorrow. In 2 Corinthians 7:11, Paul describes how it had affected the church at Corinth: "See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done" (NIV). A sorrow powerful enough to produce these things is much more than a mood. It is a deep-down disturbance that recognizes what is really wrong with sin, and this recognition continues to govern one's conduct long after the painful effects of the sin have been ameliorated (1 Corinthians 15:9,10).

The quality of one's character is indicated by what disturbs that person. As long as their own situations are comfortable, most people are not disturbed by anything at all. Some people, however, have a higher character than that. While their own situations may still be comfortable, these people are disturbed by the evil that is "out there" in the world, and they make the world a better place by crusading against social injustice and so forth. But beyond that, an even higher character is possessed by those who are disturbed most of all by the evil of their own sins. And what they are disturbed about is just the fact of having sinned against God, whether the sin has caused them any other pain or not! These folks are the unselfish, God-centered people who, once they realize they've erred, will grieve the wrongfulness of their sin, not its painfulness. The self-pitying sorrow of the world leads to death, but godly sorrow leads to - God Himself!

The Second Book of Kings and the sixth chapter tells us of an interesting event. Elisha, the prophet of God, was given knowledge of the planned activities of the Syrian King to destroy Israel. Elisha warned Israel, which angered the Syrian King, who then sought to kill Elisha. The servant of Elisha awoke one morning, looked out and saw the Syrian army surrounding the city. He became very frightened. But Elisha was not afraid because he could see the Lord's protection.

Then, in verse 17, Elisha prayed that the Lord would open the eyes of the servant that he, too, would see what Elisha saw. In this prayer, Elisha was not referring to physical sight. The servant had that, for he could see the army, but he had no spiritual sight to see the Lord's protection.

Now there are many people who have perfect vision in the natural eyes, but they are blind spiritually, just as this young servant of Elisha. Only the Lord can give men spiritual eyes to see their lost and ruined condition. Only the Lord can show men the holy wrath of God against their sin. Only the Lord can reveal the glory of a beaten, scourged, and crucified Christ. Only the Lord can give men a revelation of the exalted, risen, Christ, ruling the universe and providing for, protecting, and caring for His redeemed. Without this revelation, no man will come to Christ in saving faith.

Have your eyes been opened to see the glorious person and work of the blessed Son of God? The young servant of Elisha could not see the mountains full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha until the Lord opened his eyes. Neither can the sinner see the glory of Christ until the Lord opens his blind eyes.