Emotional Intelligence: The ABCs of Emotions

Part 5: Dust and Divinity: Our Bodies and Our Emotions

Introduction: You’re reading Part 5 in a blog mini-series on Emotional Intelligence. Read Part 1: Emotions: God’s Idea, Part 2: Why We Feel What We Feel, Part 3: Good News about Good Moods, and Part 4: What Went Wrong? I’ve developed this series from material in my book Soul Physicians.

A Defining Question

In a recent CCEF Ask the Counselor video, biblical counselor David Powlison addressed the question, “Do you believe that there is a biological basis for depression which may endure, despite the fact that heart issues have been successfully addressed through biblical counseling? If so, is there a place for long-term use of medication?”

In his nuanced, loving, balanced response, Dr. Powlison noted that, “this is one of the defining questions of our age.” Listen to David’s full response at Is Depression Purely Biological?

A 1,000-word blog post can never provide the final word on this defining issue. Instead, consider these words simply an introduction to the Bible’s teaching on the complex inner-working of our body/soul, brain/mind connection.

Jars of Clay

In the beginning, God designed us as body-soul beings. “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Even before the fall, we were more than inner person—we were and are embodied beings.

Our bodies are works of art fashioned by our heavenly Father who fearfully and wonderfully handcrafted us (Psalm 139:13-16). We are works of God’s hand; made, shaped, molded, clothed with skin and flesh, and knit together with bones and sinews (Job 10:3-12). We are not to despise our physicality.

After the fall, the Bible teaches that we inhabit fallen bodies in a fallen world (Romans 8:18-25). Paul calls our fallen bodies “jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). As one commentator has mused, we are cracked pots! Paul also describes our bodies as a mortal earthly tent—perishable, weak, flesh and blood (1 Corinthians 15:42-47).

Paul is not saying that the flesh is bad or evil. He is saying that our bodies are weak and natural, prone in our fallen state to disorder and dysfunction.

Some modern Christians seem to take a hyper-spiritual approach to the brain/mind issue. They act as if inner spirituality eliminates all the effects of outer bodily maladies. Some seem to imply that giving any credence to the fallen bodies influence on our emotional state is something of a Trojan Horse that sneaks secular, materialistic thought into Christian spirituality.

Not So the Puritans

The Puritans would have been shocked by such a naïve perspective on the mind-body issue. Puritan pastors and theologians like Robert Burton, William Ames, and Jonathan Edwards recognized that problems such as scrupulosity (what we might call OCD) and melancholy (what we might call depression) might, at least in part, be rooted in the fallen body. They warned that such maladies sometimes could not be cured simply by comforting words or biblical persuasion (see A History of Pastoral Care in America, pp. 60-72).

Edwards described his sense of pastoral helplessness in the face of the melancholy of his uncle, Joseph Hawley. He noted that Hawley was “in a great measure past a capacity of receiving advice, or being reasoned with” (see A History of Pastoral Care in America, p. 73). Eventually, Hawley took his own life one Sabbath morning. Shortly thereafter, Edwards advised clergy against the assumption that spiritual issues alone were at work in melancholy.

Emotions: Bridging Our Inner and Outer Worlds

Emotions truly are a bridge between our inner and outer world. Think of the word “feeling.” Feeling is a tactile word suggesting something that is tangible, physical, touchable, and palpable. “I feel the keyboard as I type. I feel the soft comfortable chair beneath me. I feel my sore back and stiff wrists as they cry out, “Give it a rest!”

We also use this physical word—feeling—to express emotions. “I feel sad. I feel happy. I feel joy. I feel anger.” It’s no surprise that we use this one word in these two ways—physical and emotional. We know what the Israelites understood—our body feels physically what our emotions feel metaphysically (see my Th.M. thesis Hebrew Anthropological Terms as a Foundation for a Biblical Counseling Model of Humanity).

When I’m nervous, my stomach is upset. When I feel deep love, my chest tightens. When I’m anxious, my heart races. When I’m sad, my entire system slows.

We know much more about the brain than the Israelites knew. It is a physical organ of the body and all physical organs in a fallen world in unglorified bodies can malfunction. My heart, liver, and kidneys can all become diseased, sick. So can the physical organ we call the brain.

Embracing our Weakness/Embracing God’s Power

It is important to realize that every emotion involves a complex interaction between body and soul. Therefore, it is dangerous to assume that all emotional struggles can be changed by strictly “spiritual means.”

For some, spirituality includes embracing physical weakness. In fact, this is the exact message Paul communicates when he calls us “jars of clay.” Why does God allow us to experience physical weakness? “To show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). It’s the same message Paul personally experienced in his own situational suffering (2 Corinthians 1:8-9) and in his own bodily suffering (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

We can act as if we are more spiritual than the Apostle Paul. However, in actuality, pretending that our external suffering and our physical bodies do not impact us emotionally involves an arrogant refusal to depend upon and cling to Christ alone.

Certain emotions, especially anxiety and depression, involve physiological components that sometimes may need to be treated with medication. When we ignore the importance of the body, we misunderstand what it means to trust God. It is wrong to place extra burdens on those who suffer emotionally by suggesting that all they need to do is surrender to God to make their struggles go away. 

On the other hand, it would be equally wrong to suggest that medication is all someone needs. That would be like a pastor entering the cancer ward to talk with a parishioner who was just told that she has cancer. “Well, take your medicine. Do chemo. You’ll be fine. See ya’ later.” No! That pastor would support, comfort, talk with, and pray for his parishioner.

Sickness and suffering are always a battleground between Satan and Christ. So, while medicine may sometimes be indicated for certain people with certain emotional battles, spiritual friendship is always indicated. Physicians of the body (and the brain is an organ of the physical body) prescribe medication. Physicians of the soul (and the mind is an inner capacity and reality of the soul) prescribe grace.

The Rest of the Story

So how’s your EQ—your Emotional Quotient? In our next post, we’ll summarize and apply what we’ve said so far by presenting an EI Test: an Emotional Intelligence Test.

Join the Conversation

I know today’s post is controversial. What’s your take? Where do you stand on the issue of causes and cures for emotional distress? Does the body potentially play a role? Is medicine ever part of God’s ordained treatment?

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Emotional Intelligence, Emotions, Feelings

The Rev. Lemuel Haynes: The Black Puritan

Lemuel Haynes offers a remarkable example of African American ministerial modeling. Born at West Hartford, Connecticut, in 1753, of a white mother and a black father, Haynes lived his entire eighty years in Congregationalist New England. He completed his indenture in time to serve in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

Privately tutored, Haynes became the first African American to be ordained by any religious denomination. Upon ordination, Haynes then served white congregations for more than thirty years.

Among other accomplishments, he achieved notoriety for a sermon entitled Universal Salvation that defended orthodox Christianity against the threat of Universalism. For this work, he happily accepted the title “Black Puritan,” indicating his depth of Reformation theology. Middlebury College awarded him the master’s degree in 1804, another first for an African American.

His Personal Epitaph: A Christ-Centered Purpose

Haynes personal epitaph tells much about how he lived his life and where he placed his focus.

“Here lies the dust of a poor hell-deserving sinner, who ventured into eternity trusting wholly on the merits of Christ for salvation. In the full belief of the great doctrines he preached while on earth, he invites his children and all who read this, to trust their eternal interest on the same foundation” (Epitaph written for himself by Reverend Lemuel Haynes, the “Black Puritan”).

The Rev. Lemuel Haynes pointed not to himself, but to Christ. He understood that, “It’s all about Him!” His trust was solely in Christ and his focus was solely on Christ.

Following Paul’s Model

At age sixty-five, Haynes left his Rutland, Vermont, parish due to political friction that essentially forced him to choose to resign. His farewell sermon of 1818 emphasized, among other topics, his devotion to the work of the ministry and to the people of his congregation. Alluding to the words of the Apostle Paul, Haynes notes that:

“He that provided the motto of our discourse could say on his farewell, I have coveted no man’s silver or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessity.”

It was important to Haynes with his white parishioners that they recognized his Christ-like diligence. Few could legitimately question his work ethic given that he had preached 5,500 sermons, officiated at over 400 funerals, and solemnized more than 100 marriages.

Gospel-Centered Motivation

It was also vital to Rev. Haynes that they understood his godly motivations.

“The flower of my life has been devoted to your service:—while I lament a thousand imperfections which have attended my ministry; yet I am not deceived, it has been my hearty desire to do something for the salvation of your souls.”

Haynes acknowledged and wanted his people to realize that the ultimate Judge of his motivations was Christ.

“I must give an account concerning the motives which influenced me to come among you, and how I have conducted during my thirty years residence in this place: the doctrines I have inculcated: whether I have designedly kept back any thing that might be profitable to you, or have, through fear of man, or any other criminal cause, shunned to declare the whole counsel of God. Also, as to the manner of my preaching, whether I have delivered my discourses in a cold, formal manner, and of my external deportment.”

Join the Conversation

What epitaph do you want written about your life? How are you living today to make that happen?

Note: This series for Black History Month is excerpted from Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care. To learn more and to read a sample chapter visit Beyond the Suffering.

The Best of the Best Around the Christian Net: This Week’s Top 5

Linking you to the top 5 Christian blog posts of the week—posts that provide robust, rich, and relevant insights for living.

First African American Poet

John Piper at Desiring God does a nice job with a brief introduction to Phillis Wheately as First Published Black Poet in America. Learn more about the heroes of Black Church history with Beyond the Suffering.

Super Bowl Evangelism

Christianity Today takes issue with how churches increasingly look more like Super Bowl commercials than…well…like churches. Read all about it in Super Bowl Evangelism.

God’s Counteroffensive

More a quote than a blog, Of First Importance is still well worth visiting. Today’s quote is one you don’t want to miss or forget. Read it at God’s Full and Final Counteroffensive.

Want to Write?

Do you want to be a writer? Then love sentences. You’ll find that cogent advice at Kevin DeYoung’s Do You Think I Could Be a Writer?

Church Growth

Ed Stetzer is in the midst of a blog mini-series on the church. Post six on Evangelism and Discipleship is well worth reading.

Join the Conversation

Which post impacted you the most? Why? What blog posts have you enjoyed this week that you want to share with others?

Tags: Christianity Today, Ed Stetzer, John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, The Best of the Best

Jay Cutler: I’ve Got Your Back

First Things First

Why would someone who typically blogs about biblical counseling and Christian living spend an entire blog post writing about Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears? Because God has hard-wired into my DNA two attributes: empathy and a sense of fairness/justice. Those are two traits that make me who I am as a biblical counselor. I feel bad for how Jay Cutler is being maligned. I think it is unfair. So let’s talk about it.

Full Disclosure: I’m a huge Bears fan. I admit to having been frustrated by Cutler’s inconsistencies and by his apparent demeanor on and off the field when things are going poorly for him. Still, I think what has been said about him is patently unfair.

The Story

If you’re not a sports fan, then perhaps you have not heard about the fall-out from the Bears/Packers playoff football game. Jay Cutler, the Bears’ starting QB, could not play most of the second half. He injured his knee, since diagnosed as a Grade II MCL tear which typically takes three-to-four weeks to heal.

Many of his fellow NFL players instantly took to Twitter and to sports talk programs to castigate Cutler as a quitter, a wimp, a loser, a horrible teammate. Chicago sports “fans” burned his # 6 jersey. Journalists questioned whether he’s a leader and expressed dismay that he did not appear to be supporting his teammates after his injury.

The Rest of the Story

How can outsiders, even football players who are not teammates, make a judgment on Cutler from a distance? Two of Cutler’s toughest teammates, Brian Urlacher and Olin Kreutz immediately came to Cutler’s defense saying he is tough as nails and that he was legitimately hurt.

His coach, Lovie Smith, and his General Manager, Jerry Angelo, both subsequently came to his defense. Smith said:

“Jay didn’t take himself out of the game so if you want to attack somebody, you should be attacking me as the head football coach, and our medical staff. We’re the ones. He wanted to go back in. He was injured and went back in in the second half so I see it the complete opposite of how it’s being portrayed right now.”

Angelo was even more forceful.

“’If you think Jay Cutler isn’t tough, something’s wrong with your vision of what toughness is,”’ Angelo said. “’I can’t even believe I’m sitting here talking about Cutler’s toughness. If you asked me about Jay Cutler, I’ll talk about his toughness first and then his arm strength.”

Some critics claimed that Cutler was disinterested in the game and unhelpful to his back-up, Caleb Hanie, after his injury. Yet, here’s what Hanie had to say.

“To hear that criticism of him, that he doesn’t care about the game when he’s out of the game is very aggravating when you know … I can tell you first-hand that he was very encouraging to me and helped me out tremendously during the game.”

That’s just one quote. Hanie went on and on in support of Cutler’s encouragement and help.

Everyone associated with the team is denying that he is a quitter, a wimp, a loser, or a bad teammate. I’m going to believe them.

One reporter, Jim Trotter, claimed that when he informed Cutler of how other players where criticizing him, that Cutler had to fight back tears. Others who were there denied that. Either way, some have used it as further ammunition: “See, he is a crybaby.” As if tears and toughness could not co-exist. I’ve ministered to a number of professional sports players. They’re human like the rest of us. They’re tough; and they cry.

So…let’s not question a man’s manhood or take shots at his livelihood.

The Larger Story: It Goes Way Beyond Football

If this were just about football, that would be bad enough. But it’s not just in the macho world of football that we judge and condemn one another. We see it everywhere. We see it in middle school where a pack of teenage boys or girls gang up on a peer and spread rumors and malicious insults fueled by the selfish need to build their own standing in the pack.

Even worse, we see it in the church. What leader has not been savaged by church critics who think they understand every motive of the leader’s heart and deem themselves the leader’s judge, jury, and executioner?

It’s not only in the local church, but also in the larger church. Critics who have nothing more to do with their time than to quote a person out of context, try to bludgeon a good person’s reputation with false accusations or guilt-by-false-association.

The Blindside

It really is time that we quit living like a bunch of seventh-graders. It really is time that we got our facts straight and our attitudes straight. That we lived the way Jesus commanded us to live: loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Doing unto others as we would want others to do unto us.

And, it’s time that, like Kreutz, Urlacher, Hanie, Smith, and Angelo did for Cutler, we have each other’s backs. When someone is being verbally assaulted and judged, let’s not just stand there. Let’s stand up for them. Cutler, whom people claim is not tough, spent more time on his back due to sacks than any other quarterback in the NFL. Yet he picked himself up time after time. Let’s not be like a porous offensive line and let one another get sacked. Let’s guard each other’s blindside from malicious attack.

Jay Cutler, I feel for you, man. Win or lose, you don’t deserve this. Hang in there. Don’t’ define yourself by how others define you. Only God knows your heart.

Join the Conversation

Whose back does God want you to protect from a blindside attack?

Tags: Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears, Jay Cutler, Lovie Smith, The Blindside

The Top Ten Trends in Biblical Counseling

Note: The Gospel Coalition originally posted the following article I wrote on The Top Ten Trends in Biblical Counseling.

As I speak around the country on biblical counseling, I typically hear two very different responses. Sometimes I’m asked, “When you say ‘biblical counseling,’ you don’t mean ___________ do you?” Various people fill in that blank with different labels—negative to them. What a shame that placing the word “biblical” in front of “counseling” causes some in the church to recoil in fear.

But there’s good news—the tide is turning. I consistently hear comments like, “God has used biblical counseling to change my life.” And, “Our church’s biblical counseling ministry is impacting our entire congregation and our community for God’s glory.”

It’s exciting to reflect on what God is doing as He empowers leaders to equip His people to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:11-16). With that reality as the backdrop, here are the top ten positive trends that I see in biblical counseling today—shared in reverse order, of course, to heighten the anticipation.

10. A Collegial Spirit

Increasingly, members of biblical counseling organizations are choosing to work together and to learn from each other. The 2010 launch of the Biblical Counseling Coalition (BCC) is just one example. The vision of Pastor James MacDonald and Pastor Steve Viars, the BCC exists to strengthen churches, para-church organizations, and educational institutions by promoting excellence and unity in biblical counseling as a means to accomplish compassionate outreach and effective discipleship. BCC President Steve Viars, explains this collegial vision:

“The BCC is about relationships and resources. Relationships because we believe that together we can accomplish more. Resources because we want to help everyone interested in practicing biblical counseling in their churches to have the best tools and training possible.”

To read the rest of the post, visit The Gospel Coalition site for The Top Ten Trends in Biblical Counseling.

To read the entire post in a PDF format, visit the RPM Ministries site at The Top Ten Trends in Biblical Counseling.

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Biblical Counseling Coalition, Gospel Coalition, James MacDonald

“Here I Stand!”: Martin Luther’s Story, Part 4—Clothed by Christ

Note: This week’s posts share a dramatic reading that I present in character as Martin Luther telling his story of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. To read Part 1, click on Unable to Satisfy God. To read Part 2, click on A Spiritual Pauper. To read Part 3, click Clothed by Faith. Click on the following link for a 200-page presentation of Martin Luther’s Pastoral Counseling. To download a free copy of the entire manuscript click on Martin Luther: Here I Stand!

Recap: When we last heard from Martin Luther, he was proclaiming: “By faith alone in Christ alone God declared me righteous and acceptable. Now I had peace with God.”

B. Standing before God with Christ’s Righteousness and Courage

With the zeal of a missionary, I dedicated the rest of my life to telling others the good news of salvation by grace through faith. For now I knew that I stood before God with Christ’s righteousness and with Christ’s courage. It was such courage and zeal that led me to post my theological convictions, my 95 Theses, on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany on October 31, 1517.

1. Courageous Faith to Proclaim Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Scripture Alone, in Christ Alone

It’s vital that you understand my motivation. I was responsible for the spiritual welfare of my flock. Message after message, sermon after sermon, lesson after lesson, I taught God’s sheep that salvation was by faith alone in Christ alone through grace alone based upon Scripture alone.

However, my sheep were procuring indulgences as I once had. They believed in purgatory—a place of temporary punishment where sinners paid for their sins. They also believed that indulgences shortened their time in purgatory.

The Church granted them indulgences for religious works such as participation in a Crusade, visiting certain shrines, praying in sanctuaries where relics of saints were kept, paying for the celebration of the Mass, or simply for the payment of money to the Church. In fact, in my day indulgences became nothing more than the Church bingo of the sixteenth century! Conned by the Church, foolish people gave all they had to purchase God’s forgiveness. Imagine that! They believed, as I had, that they could buy their way out of punishment into God’s favor.

Many of my flock journeyed to the Dominican Friar, John Tetzel, to purchase their freedom from guilt. I despised Tetzel as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Instead of preaching the gospel, he pranced about singing his little ditty: “As soon as the money clinks in the chest, a soul flees up to heavenly rest.”

He was teaching people to trust in works alone, in self alone, based upon superstition alone for their salvation. Their very souls were at stake. Indulgences were nothing but knavery and fraud. Christ alone, through faith alone, by grace alone, based upon Scripture alone had to be preached.

Believing this, I prepared my 95 Theses, or theological facts. For example, in Thesis 62, I declared: “The true treasure of the Church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.” On the Eve of All Saints Day, I nailed my 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg thereby proclaiming that I was prepared to debate anyone, monk, priest, Pope, or Emperor, who dared to proclaim that salvation came by works.

Barely two weeks after being posted, these theses had circulated all over Germany. A Reformation had begun.

2. Courageous Faith to Stand Alone

The next four years of my life both tested and confirmed my faith. Christ empowered me to display a courageous faith to stand alone. When the Pope threatened to excommunicate me and the Emperor threatened to execute me, even my friends and supporters urged me to back down. Once my best friend, Spalantin, warned me harshly. I responded to him:

Find someone else to scare! Spalantin, I have no better friend, but even you have no right to ask me, even out of regard for my safety, to stop preaching God’s truth from God’s Word.

After four years, I was called to stand trial for my faith. On the 16th of April, 1521, I entered the city of Worms, Germany in a two-wheeled cart accompanied by a few companions. Here at the Diet, or Church council, of Worms, I was called to give an account of my faith.

I came to debate. They insisted that I recant.

With the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire presiding, with representatives of the Pope present, I was asked, “Martin Luther, do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?” To which I replied:

Since your Majesty, and your Lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scriptures and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of Popes and Councils, for they have contradicted each other. I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scriptures, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.

In response, the Emperor declared, “I mobilize everything against you, Luther. My kingdoms and dominions, my friends, my body, my blood, and my soul.”

My life in jeopardy, many inquired how I could stand. All I could say then, all I say now is: “Here I stand because of Christ.” That’s what faith is. As I once described:

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times. Hence a man is ready and glad, without compulsion, to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything in love and praise to God, who has shown him this grace.

Conclusion: Luther’s Lasting Legacy—Trust in Christ/Stand for Christ

Four-hundred-ninety-three years after I nailed my 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, I challenge you to live the legacy of the Reformation. You live that legacy when you tire of your own righteousness and trust in Christ’s righteousness alone.

In one of my earliest letters, I wrote to my dear friend George Spenlein who was an Augustinian friar in the monastery at Wittenburg. My challenge to him then is my challenge to you now.

Now, I should like to know whether your soul, tired of its own righteousness, is learning to be revived by and to trust in the righteousness of Christ. For in our age the temptation to presumption besets many, especially those who try with all their might to be just and good without knowing the righteousness of God, which is most bountiful and freely given in Christ. They try to do good of themselves in order that they might stand before God clothed in their own virtues and merits. But this is impossible.

Tire of your own righteousness and trust in Christ’s righteousness.

You also live my legacy, Christ’s legacy, the Reformation legacy, when you stand firm, your conscience held captive to the Word of God. Live according to faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone, based upon Scripture alone. Believe no one, no leader, no preacher, no teacher who teaches any gospel other than the one proclaimed in this Word—salvation by grace through faith in Christ.

Stand for all that this Word teaches. Stand alone if need be. For when you have faith in Christ, you are never alone. You always stand in the welcoming, accepting, loving, holy, strong, and all-powerful arms of God. Stand firm in Christ. Stand firm for Christ.

Here I stand!

Join the Conversation

How are you standing firm in Christ and standing firm for Christ?

Tags: Luther, Martin Luther, Reformation, Reformation Sunday