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Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life

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Christians are confused about emotions. Some are convinced that we cannot help the way we feel. Others avoid emotions as dangerous gateways to excess, or simply view them as mere by-products of obedience. In "Feelings and Faith" Brian Borgman seeks to lift the fog of confusion and help the Christian understand God's perspective on the emotions.

In Part 1 Borgman lays the theological foundations for understanding the emotions, arguing: (1) that God is an intensely emotional being; (2) that Jesus Christ, as the God-man, is an example to us of a perfect emotional life; (3) that the Word of God is written to stir us emotionally; (4) that the work of Christ involves redeeming the whole man, which includes conforming us emotionally into the image of Jesus Christ himself.

Part 2 examines sanctification and the emotions. Borgman argues convincingly that God commands us to have and display certain emotions while putting to death ungodly emotions. This is bound to challenge the prevailing view that it is impossible to control our emotions. Borgman argues, however, that since the emotions are intimately tied to our beliefs, values, and judgments, renewing one's mind is essential to emotional change.

In Part 3 Borgman describes how to put to death ungodly emotions. He includes individual chapters on (1) sinful anger, (2) unforgiveness and bitterness, (3) fear, anxiety, and worry, and (4) depression. These chapters display unusual insight rooted in Borgman's many years of pastoral ministry. If you want to grow in your own sanctification and help others, these chapters are a goldmine. Finally, Part 4 details many practical ways that the Christian can cultivate godly emotions in their life.

Brian Borgman has given a great and timely gift to the body of Christ. This book is practical theology at its best, offering real hope to those who "feel" helpless to change their emotional lives. It avoids focusing solely on feelings themselves, and shows how the allegiances of our hearts affect our emotions. Every Christian will profit from this book. Pastors will be better equipped to counsel, and lay people will learn how to fight for joy by killing unbelief. If you are confused about the role of emotions or just want to grow in your faith, "Feelings and Faith" is sure to challenge, instruct, and inspire.

Brian Borgman has produced an invaluable integrative contribution melding these two themes. This volume is well written and well structured. It is theologically sound and substantive, rich in insights, personal and harvested, is practical to the bone, yet delightfully free of any infection of the pervasive psycho-babble that afflicts so many books that focus on feelings. Borgman explodes the common notion that emotions are beyond the reach of address and amendment, but shows that with proper theological grounding our feeling can be brought into proper balance and alignment with Christian standards. This book ought to be in every church and pastor's library.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones taught us that if we see truth clearly, we must feel it. Authentic faith in the supreme, indomitable goodness of God in sending Jesus Christ as our substitute and redeemer necessarily transforms our feelings. The Holy Spirit awakens earnest love for others from a pure heart (I Peter 1:22), joyful acceptance of loss (Heb. 10:34), and cheerful generosity (II Cor. 9:7). Pastor Brian Borgman's Feelings and Faith stands in the great tradition of Desiring God by John Piper and Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Borgman clearly sets forth the foundational role of truth, unpacks a robust theology of Christian experience, and provides examples of how to mortify sinful emotions and cultivate godly ones. I highly recommend this book.

We find ourselves in a culture that seems dominated by emotions. Most advertising is geared toward motivating emotions. We are often told to "follow our heart," which roughly means we should do what feels right to us. Unfortunately, there is little difference between the world and the church in this way. Many people choose churches based on how the service makes them feel. Christians often make decisions attributing their feelings to God with little or no thought given to applying God's already revealed Word to their lives. It's as though emotions are above being right or wrong. In Feelings and Faith Brian Borgman explains that emotions can have moral significance and he attempts to show how we can be filled with emotions that glorify God.

After a brief introduction explaining and defining emotions, Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life begins with the understanding that since we are made in God's image, we must look to the character of God as our guide for our character, including our emotions. Borgman takes the view that God does have emotions (contra the "divine impassibility" view that has been held by many theologians). He consequently explores God's emotions as revealed throughout the Bible and shows how the make-up of our emotions went astray due to the fall.

Our status resulting from the fall naturally leads to who we are in Christ. Borgman progresses to show the necessity of God's authoritative truth for our complete sanctification. He contends that certain truths are essential to our transformation (he refers to them as "oxygen truths" as we cannot grow spiritually without them): the character of God, justification, and future glory. Also considered is how spiritual experiences should relate to our emotions and how the Bible can help us cultivate godly emotions.

The third section of the book gets rather practical by seeking the mortification of ungodly emotions. Borgman explores sinful anger, unforgiveness, fear and worry, and depression by carefully considering what the Bible says and providing a game plan to mortify the emotions.

The remainder of the chapters are focused specifically on cultivating godly emotions. Borgman spends quality time looking at the pattern Jesus set noting that "It belongs to the truth of our Lord's humanity that he was subject to all sinless emotions." (B.B. Warfield) He reflects on the necessary connection between biblical thinking and godly emotions and proceeds to discuss emotions as they relate to worship, preaching, relationships, Bible study and prayer, and meditation. The book concludes with an appendix returning to the question of divine impassibility. He contends that our view of God is diminished if we understand Scripture's emotional descriptions of God as mere metaphors.

I know of only one other book that deals generally with thinking biblically about emotions. Yet, it is a subject to which Christians today desperately need to give more thought. So I am thankful to Brian Borgman not only for addressing this important subject, but for doing so in a way that is clear, biblically instructive, and immensely practical. Feelings and Faith reminds us that God wants to redeem our entire being- heart, soul, mind and strength that He has expressed the keys to the sanctification throughout the Bible.

Borgman avoids the dangers of exalting emotions too highly or denigrating them to having no place in the Christian life. Indeed, we ought to feel and we ought to feel rightly. Particular chapters struck me more than others, due to my own struggles and experiences, and readers will likely vary on which points they found most challenging. As a general treatise on the topic, Feelings and Faith is the sort of book I expect to return to throughout my life in an effort to cultivate godly emotions.

The thesis of Jonathan Edwards' landmark work, Religious Affections is clear: "True religion, in great part, consists in holy affections." This reality was embraced by the Reformers and the English Puritans. Our forefathers not only stressed the importance of theology; they stressed the necessity of holy affections, to borrow Edwards phrase.

Tragically, however a shift has taken place in the evangelical world. Emotionalism is sweeping through the church and in some circles a mystical approach to the Christian life is becoming readily accepted. This preoccupation with the mystical at best minimizes theology and at worst, mocks the very notion of theological truth.

And some at the other end of the spectrum have embraced a dry form of rationalism - one where intellectual pursuit marginalizes any thing that resembles true God-centered emotion.

Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life by Brian Borgman bridges the gap between both kinds of erroneous thinking described above. The book contains four parts:

Part One - A Biblical Theological Foundation for Understanding Our Emotions

Part Two - Biblical Sanctification and Our Emotions

Part Three - Mortifying Ungodly Emotions

Part Four - Cultivating Godly Emotions

Borgman's work is Bible saturated and in touch with daily life. He promotes a Christ-saturated theological framework that results in holy affections to the glory of God. He writes like a Puritan with contemporary illustrations that draw readers in. Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, and John Bunyan would be proud of their student that they tutored from afar!

Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life should be read and re-read by Christians who are serious about cultivating a doctrinally rich framework that leads to communion with God.

We are doing a book study on this in my church. It has been very helpful for me. Mortifying my ungodly emotions and serving God with a cheerful obedience has become essential in my walk with the Lord. Thank you Brian Borgman.

Brian Borgman has done a great service for the Church of Jesus Christ with FEELINGS
AND FAITH .If this book may be compared to a house- Pastor Borgman carefully lays a
sturdy theological foundation , then masterfully builds a useful and beautiful and
practical structure that will give joy and comfort for years to come.
Drawing upon reliable guides (such as Warfield, Edwards and Thomas Boston) Borgman
judiciously steers a wise course thru the minefields which await anyone who addresses
this explosive subject.
Borgman shows that he is both a sound theologian and a sensitive pastor, as he tackles
some of the stickiest subjects , but always with grace and practicality.
The Christian counselor, the pastor and the layman in the pew will all reap great benefit
from this book.