Other psychological areas to explore could be the emotional response to trauma and loss. Chapter 3 helps us in the Passions of the Christian life. Psychology can inform us in regards to how prejudice can be influenced by in-group bias, out-group bias, family socialization, and many other social and cognitive factors. God appreciates His children when they respond to Him in this fashion. 10/15/2010 08:10 am ET Updated May 25, 2011 Editor's note: This is Part Three in a series, "God's Emotions: Why the Biblical God is so Very Human." What we can experience empirically as underlying this image is the individuation process, which gives us clear intimations of a greater “Man” than our ego. In the world in which we live today, every person is caught in a myriad of many things, with many avenues of opportunity to control us and spend our time. The Unconscious God (German: Der Unbewußte Gott) is a book by Viktor E. Frankl, the Viennese psychiatrist and founder of Logotherapy.The book was the subject of his dissertation for a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1948. We need to be appreciated. For example, losing your 3-year-old child to leukemia is a much different experience than having your 85-year-old grandma die of cancer. This is why Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ.". A pattern is a series of tissue papers that are cut in certain ways to give dimensions. When this reorganization of the self life is begun, the power that formally had been expended in solving inner conflicts becomes available for constructive purposes. This is why God gave to us mothers, to breast-feed babies, not only for the benefit of the mother's milk that the baby receives, but for that sense of security that the baby gets as it is held in it's mother's arms. God created humans to think, act, and feel and to be in relationship with other humans. When this happens disillusionment may set in at a time when the personality is least able to cope with it. The God of Jesus Christ does not take the place of Aesculapius. This assumes that the "super-ego" is determined by environment (parents, church, other Christians' super-imposed external standards, etc.) The primary object of the science of psychology is human nature and how it is expressed in thoughts, actions, and feelings. Exploring the implications of Christ's presence in all of life. The fourth emotion that all need is that of achievement---not only a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment, but also that which is praiseworthy, so when we achieve a certain goal there comes a certain amount of appreciation for that achievement, and it makes us feel good, so we desire it. The resultant emphasis of these two philosophies shows up in the effects of the depersonalization of society, the break-down of the eternal and traditional elements of faith, and the loss of meaning to present life. Death is inevitable, and when and how death enters into our experience largely determines the emotional impact. He also was created to have dominion over the animals. In a similar fashion, psychology can provide the tools used by God to penetrate more efficiently, and dissolve the defensive shell that people use to insulate themselves from Biblical truths, and from their fellowmen. God both shows us His will through His Spirit, and at the same time gives to us the enablement to carry out His will through the talents that He has entrusted to us. John Piper @JohnPiper. Thank you, Caleb. The conflict in a person stems from how much on believes heredity and environment shape his thinking. God does not measure these abilities. It is interesting to note that the majority of people that occupy hospital beds are there not because of physical illness, but because of emotional, mental and psychological problems. Since man is constantly trying to explore the mind in human behavior, it seems logical to the Christian that his source of knowledge can best come through an understanding of the One who created the mind of mankind, as well as looking at the textbook He has written on the mind and human behavior. Some of the areas of inquiry in psychology and human nature that would reflect this kingdom work lie in the biological, psychological, and social realms. a common means of expressing love and appreciation is shown through preparing and sharing food with family and friends. Only God knows what is normal, and there has been only one normal person that ever appeared on the face of the earth, and that was the Lord Jesus Christ. God created us for relationship with Him. In this analogy, Christ is our pattern, and as Christians we are to cut our life, as it were, after that of the Lord Jesus Christ. They rather create greater tensions harder to cope with, because the origins are hidden and forgotten. For the Christian there should be a day-by-day problem dealing, in confession of sin, eliminating the conflict, and allowing the Holy spirit to resolve the problems by guiding the individual in the truth of God's Word. Thus, the attempt to organize one's life may take on of two forms: 1) by consciously or unconsciously isolating the traits that are causing his conflicts into logic-tight compartments that do not allow for any problem solving or communication. Psychology of God: Do Christians Believe God Has Emotions? This is why Christ stated in John 10:10, "I am come that ye might have life and that ye might have it more abundantly.". The "old nature" interferes with this desire as seen in Ephesians 4:22-24. In other words, in the depths of our mind God becomes an idea, a construct, associated with different parts of our selves and our internal parental figures. The primary object of the science of psychology is human nature and how it is expressed in thoughts, actions, and feelings. That is probably why John experienced in… He was the incarnation of God Himself in human manifestation. Why should we live like the people of the world? Modern psychology has a serious God problem. One of the problems of human experience is what should be done with the unconscious element. The third emotion that needs to be fulfilled is that of Appreciation. Paul was identified with the Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of his life. But by the large, as Christians, we are isolated from the realities of the world. Your email address will not be published. Sin has a grip on all areas of creation and humanity, especially in the way in which we view our own ethnicity as well as how we think about and treat those of a different race. As Christians, we can enter into this exploration with an eye toward discovering the wonder and awe of God’s created order. When this hell is broken, the Spirit of God is able to perform His work in their lives. Learn how your comment data is processed. Every individual has certain responsibilities before God, and God has given every individual the talents and abilities to carry out the responsibilities that he has entrusted to him. Adam and Eve forfeited God’s perfect human creation by giving in to Satan’s temptations. By the principles of God's Word there is renewed vitality through emphasizing the meaning of a person's relationship with God which deepens that experience. The reason the Bible is not specific in the "gray" are is twofold: 1) certain actions are not always right or wrong, but must be considered in a contextual light of times, manners, customs, culture, and; 2) God wishes His children to become spiritually mature and able to make mature judgments based on the principles of His Word, as the person allows the Holy Spirit to guide him into all the truth (John 16:13). Live for today; God will take care of your need for tomorrow, and if you have confessed your sins He's faithful and just to forgive you of your sins, and don�t worry about what's past; live for today. Required fields are marked *. Within the last few decades, when the fields of positive psychology and neuroscience (some have termed this union positive neuroscience) started truly gauging with empirical data people’s SWB (subjective well-being), the findings have reinforced how happy God’s commands can make us if we truly obey them with a full and willing heart. 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