Emotions in Heaven

The concept biblically is actually quite simple, at least to me. As people we operate in emotional responses to things that happen around us. These are categorized into two different groups. Primary and secondary emotions, we also have their responses. These emotions operate in the flesh, and can lead to sin. We try to classify some of the fruits of the Spirit as emotions when in a Christians life they are not emotions, but the Holy Spirit acting through us. There is a very distinct difference on the way we act and the way we handle ourselves before we accept Jesus and afterwards. Before we accept Christ we are unrighteous and the bible tells us that we act accordingly. After we receive Christ and are indwelled with the Holy Spirit we are a new creature. The Holy Spirit can work through us and these fruits are not emotional responses but are a part of our life, and will remain active through us as long as we allow the Spirit of God to work through us and not grieve the Spirit and withdraw from God.

Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

As Christians we allow the fruits of the Spirit to be manifest through us and through our lives, and these fruits hold our fleshly emotions and actions in check, as long as we allow them to. Love, this type of love is not the same as we see love in the flesh, but is pure love. A love that commands our actions towards others, the kind of love that would make one man give his life for another. We cannot truly understand true love apart from the spirit of God. This kind of love is reflected through us toward others as Gods love was shown to us through Christ. It will permeate through our actions and in our relationships with others. This is not an emotion but is God working through us. The same as with joy, peace and the others. We have joy not because of an emotional response but because it is through the Holy Spirit that is within us. We have peace through the Holy Spirit, not because that peace is through an emotional response but because it comes through the Spirit.

In heaven those things that control or guide us in the flesh will not be in heaven. They are not to be active in a Child of God, here on Earth, if he or she is walking in the Spirit. We are to have a new mindset, the mind of Christ. And we let the Spirit of God work through us.

Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Romans 1:26-31
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Emotions can lead to actions and actions can lead to sin. Look at the above lists and see what people do not inherit the kingdom of God, according to Paul. Which of these above are not brought forth by an emotional response? We can list the emotions that cause most of these lust, hatred, jealousy, envy, coveting, fear, sadness, pride, and the list can go on. If these people that do these things and are called by their actions, according to Paul, will not inherit the kingdom of God or are considered vile affections. Are we to consider for even a moment that they will be allowed into heaven?

Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Death brings sorrow and sorrow brings crying. Death is the cause of an emotional response, sorrow is the emotion caused by a death (could also be considered sadness, grief or anguish) and the action of crying is the response to the emotion caused by a death.

We can see this in other actions above. While we are in the flesh, almost every action is caused by an emotional response. Murder, adultery, fornication, debate, just to name a few, are brought about by emotional responses. If we walk according to the fruits of the Spirit we would not fall to the lusts of the flesh. As we walk in the Spirit we will not allow our emotions to cause us to fall for the temptations that lead to sin.

Sometimes a child of God confuses emotions with the fruits of the Spirit and conviction by the Holy Spirit. When we sin and repent its not because of an emotional response, but because we are convicted by the Holy Spirit of God. We do feel a sadness because of the sin, but we repent not because of that sadness but because we know what is right and are led by the Spirit to do so according to the word of God. The pull of the flesh is strong in our lives and there will be a constant battle between the flesh and the Spirit. And one of the ways the flesh pulls us is by our emotions, when people make us mad or we see a girl in a bikini, our first response is usually in the flesh. But when we are led by the Spirit we are convicted because of our fleshly response, and we repent.

I feel that joy through the Spirit may be seen as an emotion here on the Earth (through a Christian laughing or smiling all the time, which is not an emotion but a response to that joy through the Spirit), much the same as love or peace may be, it is a fruit of the Spirit that is shown through us as we allow it to be. Although the same way that we allow the fruits of the Spirit to work through us and be seen through a Christian, the same can be said of a person that allows emotions to show through the flesh. It shows the type of person you are and want to be.

This is why I feel we will not be guided by our emotions in heaven and should not be here on Earth, but by the fruits of the Spirit which are of God.