Articles
The Difference Between Faith and Feelings
When we talk about having faith in Jesus and trusting the Lord we are talking about a reality which is unaffected by our feelings. Yet, daily our feelings tell us something contrary to the hope we have in Christ. And so we must be vigilant with our emotions. Your emotions matter. You do not and should not always be happy. But your feelings are not the assurance of things hoped for nor the conviction of things unseen (see Hebrews 11:1). Your feelings are not your faith. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones helps us to walk this important line of being grounded in our faith while not diminishing nor centering our emotions. Specifically, feelings should be engaged. He says, "Feelings are meant to be engaged, and when the gospel comes to us it does involve the whole man ... it moves his mind ... his heart ... his will" (Spiritual Depression, 111). But how ought we engage our feelings that they might be rightly placed within the story of our faith?
How to Disagree
In Romans 14 Paul is not writing about primary issues. He’s writing about secondary ideas with which many of us often disagree. He’s talking about matters of conscience. Specifically, he’s talking about food. He says, “One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him” (Romans 14:2-3). Some believe they can eat anything. They see no spiritual prohibition against eating meat. Others believe dietary restrictions are still in force. And what Paul is saying is that regardless of what you believe, in fact, the specifics don't really matter at all, there's a motivation that grows in our hearts to not welcome each other, but instead, despise and judge.
The Resurrection is Reasonable
Over two billion people identify as Christians. It's about one-third of the global population. This is striking because in AD 350––after emperor Constantine recognized Christianity as the prevailing religion of the Greco-Roman world––about thirty million people followed Jesus. Which is also striking because just three centuries earlier there were only about 600 Christians (see Acts 1:15, 1 Corinthians 15:6). How do we make sense of this reality? How do we understand this explosive and expansive growth? In a word, resurrection.
Life Is Hard, But God Is Greater
Life is hard. No matter who we are, we all experience difficulty. To be sure, the degree of life’s severity differs from person to person. As I write this, many around the world are experiencing heartbreaking realities.
Commitment Killed a Part of Me
We had only known each other six months. But on the shore of Lake Michigan, I asked Laura to marry me and she said “yes.” Without a hitch, the popular passion of engagement hit me immediately. We called everyone and relived each moment with all of our friends and family from start to finish. However, something else hit me almost as quickly. As much as I was absolutely taken by this woman, within a few days I felt my feelings sink. That’s right, on the other side of proposing I was feeling my feelings change.
Before my wife and I put our children to sleep, we sing a song and pray. Recently, they started picking up our routine. My daughter sings along. My son mumbles noises shaped like the melody. They slightly bow their heads and say amen. I’m fully aware they are mostly unaware of the details and depth of the Christian faith woven through the song and prayer. But they are picking up on something.