Home

Emotions versus Actions

Many present a split between emotions and actions. Thus we may not be able to help feeling a certain way but feelings are okay as long as we do not act on them. Examples would be fear, anger, or desire. These feelings are not thought of as right or wrong, but instead one evaluates one's actions as right or wrong. So acting right becomes more important. Similarly, if one does not feel enough joy, hope, or love, one may put more emphasis on actions, focusing instead on doing what is right.

For example, one may act like love but not love! "If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). 

By doing what is right and leaving the importance of emotion behind we may hope that our feelings will catch up. "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (Philippians 2:13). The risk though is that too much emphasis on acting without feeling may leave one feeling empty inside, or may even lead to more negative emotions like guilt. Or, acting and finding one's worth in one's actions can lead to hypocrisy and self-righteousness, and is the basis of legalism. What is God’s view of the self-righteous? “They say to each other, ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away” (Isaiah 65:5). Instead, God may be looking for a change of heart. For example Jesus told the religious Pharisees "First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean" (Matthew 23:26).