David Morris

In response: religious affections

I think I need more context for your question, Ben. A lot depends on what you mean by earthly loves and what parameters you set and what your cycle of love means. But it did get me thinking more, so even if I depart from what you had in mind this was good for me to think through. So here you go.

Now there’s a question of the ages. Just what role does emotion, sensation, or pleasure play in the life of the Christian? Take a quick gander at church history, and you’ll see an entire gamut ranging from strict asceticism (reject all your affections) to inflamed “liberty” (let loose all your affections). So what balance can I hope to add to a century-old question? Just a few things I know to be true.

1. Man is a fallen creature. (Gen. 3) Since God declared His entire creation “very good” (Gen. 1:31) and since God doesn’t make mistakes or imperfections, I think we can safely assume that Adam’s pre-fall state included perfect emotions, desires, and loves. But after the fall all that changed. (as a side note, can you imagine the shock that coursed through Adam the first time he experienced fear, or discouragement, or bewilderment?)
2. Sanctification is meant to be entire. God’s great plan of sanctification is just as total as man’s depravity, if I may put it that way. He means it to extend to every facet of life, thought, and emotion (Eph. 4:24, Col. 3—notice the emphasis on emotion in verses 12-15). God’s plan is to restore His image in us.
3. My desires are deceitful and dangerous. Take a look at the horrible monstrosity the Bible calls lust, or refers to as desire, or typifies as flesh. Those members are to be dead (Col. 3:10). Those desires lull, lure, and bait me, and then breed and birth sin, whose end is death (James 1:14-15). We are commanded to make no allowance for the flesh in regard to its desires (Rom. 13:14). These desires are deceitful and corruptive(Eph. 4:22).

With those few ideas in mind, yes there’s a way our earthly affections can be wedded to the heavenly. It’s called sanctification. But I think it’s crucial to remember that our natural desires are liars. They promise what they cannot fulfill and cause all out war with the Spirit. (a little stronger of a term than just “competition.” :-) And my concern is that my affections do fine when they are directed at studying, or playing racquetball, or blogging, but all too often they are unmoved at the mention of God’s love and unstirred at the thought that Christ will soon return. Now that is some unsanctified earthly affection. That is earthly, sensual, devilish.
When we delight ourselves in our God He will give us the affections our heart should have. In that way I think all our earthy affections should grow from, complete, enhance, and be grounded by the heavenly. But I’m not sure the inverse can be true. I am just way to prone to be earthy, to love the world and surrender to the desires of my flesh and eyes. Those affections should always be decried. They are destructive, and I think the best way to enhance them is to kill them (mortification), and then let God make them new and afresh as He always intended (sanctification).
Sanctified affections are definitely to be exercised to their fullest. Love God passionately, enjoy your vocation, learn to be sensitive to great drama and literature. And let those experiences and loves teach you something about heavenly reality. But beware! Your natural inclination is to abuse your affections, to follow their siren song away from reality to the death of sinful action, to serve them instead of being served by them.

Summary: God gave us affections for a reason. The Fall of man perverted and twisted that reason and the goodness of the affections, and sanctification is the only way to have pure affections while we’re here on earth.