Excerpted From
Jesus the Great Philosopher
By Jonathan Pennington
The Christian community is often described in ways that reflect a philosophical commitment to educating our emotions. The fruit of the Spirit is manifested through our relationships with others. Scriptural texts focusing on corporate life frequently exhort believers to move away from destructive impulses and instead cultivate virtuous emotional responses.
Romans 12 provides a clear example of this principle. While discussing the various spiritual gifts God provides for building up the church, Paul encourages believers to exercise these gifts in emotion-sensitive ways: giving with a generous heart, leading with diligent care, and showing mercy toward others cheerfully (Rom. 12:8). This highlights the vital importance of emotional intelligence in Christian leadership.
This discussion leads Paul to his central theme, following the example of Jesus: love. In his high-level description of church life, Paul identifies several emotional traits and actions motivated by specific internal dispositions, emphasizing that the health of the community depends on the quality of our emotional engagement with one another.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” —Rom. 12:9–16
We should not overlook a final set of corporate emotions that Christians are exhorted to cultivate—rejoicing, singing and giving thanks. Repeatedly Christians are told to rejoice, to be thankful and to express this, and to engage in singing (Ps. 9:11; 149:1; Eph. 5:18–21; Col. 3:16). This is an especially important instruction to consider as part of the Christian whole-life philosophy.
Here’s the question: Why would Christians be instructed to sing songs of praise and to consciously express thanksgiving to God, even in the midst of trials, difficulties and uncertainties? The answer: Because the Christian philosophy understands the complex relationship between our minds, bodies, actions and emotions. In line with the thoughtful Aristotelian tradition on emotions, the Old and New Testaments teach people to act in certain ways, knowing that cognitive and volitional choices not only reflect our emotions but also affect and educate them. As we engage in certain practices, both individually and corporately, they shape and form us. The liturgies and habits of the church educate our emotions in certain ways, giving articulation to and expression of certain emotional states, carrying us along with them even while our emotions may be more or less disordered and inadequately trained. We are commended to do things that include and are motivated by particular emotions, because there is a place for duty on the way to virtue. We educate our emotions through action, eventually finding the wholeness of body and soul.
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Excerpted from Jesus the Great Philosopher by Jonathan T. Pennington, ©2020. Used by permission of Baker Publishing BakerPublishingGroup.com.