John Eldredge writes in The Journey of Desire, "The greatest enemy of holiness is not passion; it is apathy." What's behind his comment is the belief that complacency has permeated even those in the Church. In other words, postmodernism has encouraged even believers to become less passionate about the things we used to care immensely about.
We hang pictures in our churches of what we think Jesus looked like. The pictures depict Jesus with docile lambs or children. After all, he's the giver of peace, right? After our own indoctrination, Jesus becomes the peaceloving pacifist always against controversy. We have an allusion of God in the Old Testament being the God of justice and wrath. In the New Testament, God becomes for us the "God of grace and peace." Deep down inside, we think of Jesus lacking any emotion. We glance over the temple narratives where Jesus threw the moneychangers out.
The fact is God showed just as much grace and peace in the Old Testament as He does in the New Testament. God shows as much justice in the New Testament as He did in the Old Testament. God created mankind in His image (Gen. 1:26). He created us with emotions. Psalm 69:9 reads, "It is zeal for your house that has consumed me." In the New Testament, we read, "The Lord is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentence." (2 Pet. 3:9)
Obviously, God in the flesh (Jesus Christ) was and is concerned about what God the Father was and is concerned about - the souls of mankind, the way man lives, and restoring things to the way they should be.
Surely, he expects the same from us!
“Bible reading as struggle”
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Jesus without emotion is kind of interesting? If we read and study we find lots of emotion including anger. We also find the love emotion. He was emotional when he saved the Roman's ear and when hes spoke to Judas. Is God with emotion? I don't think so! How mad was he ove the golden calf? He kept the Jew in the desert for how many Years? At the same time He showed great compassion! As Christians I sometimes think that we think we should only express the happy, love, side of emotions. The idea I think encourages apathy. For at least 3 years Jesus showed no apathy and for how many thousands of years prior to that niether did God!
Thanks for the post anon. I would agree with most of what you said. God/Jesus showed an immense amount of emotion.
Are you sure about Christians only displaying the "happy, love" side of emotion? If that's the case, who will speak for the unborn child, the lack of prayer in school, etc.?
Your point is well taken. However, most don't take a side in any manner other than talk. It is better that they only speak of these things with one another. Those who agree, not one who would need convincing or with whom one might conflict. I can happily agree with you but I may not be so happy when confronted school athiest leaning administrators. So I avoid conflict.
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