Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Matthew Paulson's Confusion Concerning Whether God Truly Has Emotions

Concerning the meaning of “image” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, Matthew Paulson noted that

 

Many theologians have concluded that humans are image-bearers in several respects. Man was given a superior intellectual structure with emotions that are similar God. (p. 91)

 

However, Paulson elsewhere wrote that

 

Some Mormons have serious problems with the Westminster Confession of Faith from 1646, used by Presbyterians. This creed teaches that there is one God manifest in three persons, all of “one substance, without body, parts, or passions.” Of course, the Bible does describe the emotions of God’s wrath and his sorrow, i.e. “Jesus wept.” Moody Bible Institute graduate Philip R. Johnson explains that these “passions” are described in the Bible are to be recognized to be “ . . . as metaphorical, we must also confess that there is something they do not mean. They do not mean that God is literally subject to mood swings or melancholy, spasms of passion or temper tantrums. And in order to make this very clear, Scripture often stresses the constancy of God’s love, the infiniteness of his mercies, the certainty of His promises, the unchangeableness of His mind, and the lack of any fluctuation in His perfections. ‘With [God there] is no variableness, neither shadow of turning’ (James 1:17). This absolute immutability is one of God’s transcendent characteristics, we must resist the tendency to bring it in line with our finite human understanding.” (Ibid., 159-60)

 

Further Reading:

 

"Jesus Wept": Obvious and Needs no Interpretation to Understand?