Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.
Our tour of mind in the Godhead— the first of 5 soul features in the Godhead, and its 5 major faculties— now complete, our tour of soul in the Godhead continues today with an orientation to the next soul feature, that of emotion.
The 2nd feature of soul in the Godhead is emotion.
Definition: Emotion is defined as inner feeling or desire (Websters). Encarta defines emotion as a heightened feeling. The American Heritage Dictionary defines emotion as “a strong feeling, as of joy, sorrow, or hate.”
In the Bible, emotion is associated with the soul. In the New Testament, Jesus associates emotion with His soul (Greek, pseuche).
For example: Matthew 26:38
“Then He said to them, My soul (pseuche) is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me (NKJV).”
Greek, N., pseuche (Strong’s #5590), psoo-khay’; “from 5594 breath, i.e. (by impl.) spirit, abstract or concrete; (the animal sentiment principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from 4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other hand from 2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew 5315, nephesh; 7307, rûwach, and 2416, chay): –heart . . . life, mind, soul . . .”
Heart is a term pointing to the richness of the mind-emotion ties.
For example: Proverbs 23:7
“For as he thinketh in his heart (nephesh), so is he ( KJV).” (Vine’s, p.108. © 1985)
Hebrew, N., nephesh (Strong’s #5315, “soul, life, self”) is translated “heart” fifteen times in the KJV. Each time, it connotes the “inner man” (Vine’s, p. 108, © 1985). In the Hebrew Bible, emotion is frequently referred to as “heart. “The heart, in its moral significance in the OT, includes the emotions, the reason and the will” (Vine’s, p.297, © 1985). Further, heart is a term frequently interchangeable with mind (Proverbs 23:7).
For example: Genesis 6:6
“And God was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart (lêb) (NKJV).”
Heart as defined from the Hebrew noun, lêb (Strong’s #3820), is heart or mind and is “very widely used figuratively for the feelings, the will, and even the intellect.” Lêb (3820) is defined as a form of lêbâb (Strong’s 3824) where lêbâb is used as “heart (the most interior organ)”.
In Genesis 6:6, lêb (3820) is used of God.
God experiences and expresses emotion.
For example: Isaiah 63:15b
“. . . Where are Your zeal and Your strength, The yearning of Your heart and Your mercies toward me? Are they restrained?” (NKJV)
For example: Romans 1:18
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (NKJV).”
The primary faculty of emotion in the Godhead is the heart-mind connection producing right feeling.
Faculty: The heart-mind connection
Definition: Feelings found having expression in the Godhead which find their correct expression and proportion in the mind of the Godhead.
Operation: Right Feeling, feeling with value-based selection, expression and proportion.
For example: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave (chose to give) His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV)
In this verse God’s choice is connected to His feeling—His mental faculties to His emotions. His emotions enrich his judgment.
Product: A quality range of emotional experience; expression chiefly characterized and structured by pure goodness.
To be continued . . .
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