Brian S. Borgman - Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life

Some Christians claim that the way they feel about God is far more important than how they think about God. But others say that feelings are altogether unreliable and unimportant. The truth is that God wants us to avoid both extremes. God wants his people to experience their relationship to him in how they both think and feel. True feelings inform true thoughts, just as true thoughts inform true feelings. In this excellent book Brian Borgman shows that love for God is more than feelings, but never less. Furthermore, he shows that there is a huge difference between emotionalism and God-centered emotion. If you have been looking for a clear, practical, and balanced book on the appropriate role of feelings in the Christian life, look no further.

TULLIAN TCHIVIDJIAN, pastor, New City Church;
author, Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World
by Being Different

Brian Borgman has written a wonderfully Christ-centered and God-glorifying book about how to restore your emotions to Gods image. It paints a biblically accurate picture of, as the Puritan pastors expressed it, holy emotions. It neither dismisses emotions nor worships them. This is an important book, and I highly recommend it.

MARTHA PEACE, biblical counselor; author, The Excellent Wife

What Christian hasnt been confused about the relationship between faith and feelings? In this immensely profitable book, Brian Borgman, a sure-footed guide to this topic, biblically and precisely explains the concept of emotion and how to integrate it into ones walk with the Lord. I know of no other book quite like it. It is scriptural, wise, clear, pastoral, transparent, and compelling. This is a great resource for pastors, counselors, and disciplers. The principles in this work should prove to be of real, lasting value to all believers in Jesus who earnestly yearn to grasp and harness their emotions in the midst of a sensate culture that is quickly careening out of emotional control. We should applaud Pastor Borgmans diligent efforts in bringing us this most helpful volume.

LANCE QUINN, pastor-teacher, The Bible Church of
Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas

Here is a readable but comprehensive study that unites the Christians theology and experience. With the heart of a pastor, Brian Borgman offers an emotional lifeline that will stabilize your heart and support your faith. This book needs to be in your personal library. I will return to it time and againso will you!

JANI ORTLUND, author; His Loving Law, Our Lasting Legacy

Brian Borgman has done a lot of work on this crucial topic, and it really shows. Emotion is one of the least understood topics in our Bible studies and churches, and this is a strong contribution to the discussion. I am thankful to have read Feelings and Faith and know others will also benefit from it. Brians heart for Gods people shines through clearly on these pages.

MATTHEW ELLIOTT, author, Feel: The Power of Listening to
Your Heart; Faithful Feelings: Rethinking Emotion in the
New Testament

Martin 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. Brian 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.

ALEX CHEDIAK, associate professor of engineering
and physics, California Baptist University;
author, With One Voice

Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life

Copyright 2009 by Brian Steven Borgman

Published by Crossway Books
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Jon McGrath

First printing 2009

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AT are the authors translation.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB have been taken from The Holman Christian Standard Bible. Copyright 1999, 2000, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked NIV are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Scripture references marked NKJV are from The New King James Version. Copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-1145-5

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-1146-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Borgman, Brian.
Feelings and faith : cultivating godly emotions in the christian
life / Brain S. Borgman ; foreword by Bruce and Jodi Ware.
p. cm

Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4335-0363-4 (tpd)
1. EmotionsReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title
BV4597.3.B66 2009

233'.5dc22

2008041694

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To Ariel,
my wife and best friend.

Because of you, Ecclesiastes 9:9 is a reality in my life.
I love you.

Lioness of God is the meaning of the name
Ariel, from ancient Hebrew fame.
Ariel, O Ariel they called Jerusalem of old,
The city where kings ruled and prophets foretold.

The name of the center of all Israelite life
Is also the name of my God-given wife.
She truly is a woman who is worthy of her name,
Bold in faith, of the Gospel she knows no shame.

The beauty of nature and grace in her are grand,
Making me breathless and grateful as I take her hand;
But it is the beauty of grace that is the sweetest of all
For the beauty of nature like the glory of the flower will fall.

What can I render to God for the treasured wife of my youth?
To praise Him, to cherish her and wash her in His truth,
To enjoy with her this fleeting life, in both pleasure and pain,
And faithfully serve the One who died and rose again.

Like Zion of old, she is no stranger to troubles and trial,
Yet her gaze is fixed, hands on the plough, even with a smile.
Enduring life and ministry, she has learned to kiss the rod.
She is my sweet Ariel, a true lioness of God.

Contents

A Biblical-theological Foundation for