EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

“Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath” – Psalm 78:38b 

Although the term is not found in the Bible, Scriptures allude to the notion of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: “But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath” (Psa.78:38). God is emotionally intelligent. His emotions are positive, holy, noble and appropriate. Since we are created His Image, as we mature in Christ, our emotions should, in great measure, share His divine qualities by the help of the Holy Spirit. As a form of knowledge, emotional Intelligence is the ability to KNOW our feelings, managing and expressing them appropriately; and to skilfully recognise or gauge how others feel and modify our own behaviour depending on the situation at hand in order to relate better with them.

God created human beings with the ability to experience diverse emotions – universal human experiences that transcend culture, age, gender, and social status. The three broad classes of emotions are: Holy, Human, and Fleshly. God expresses Holy Emotions such as Compassion (v.38; Mt.9:36), Joy (Zeph. 3:17), Jealousy (Exo. 20:5b) and Holy Indignation (Deut. 32:16; Mt.21:12). Holy emotions should accompany the believer’s life in the Spirit, evidenced in praise and positivity (Eph. 5:19; Phil.4:8). Human emotions are based on human nature and situations. They include: anxiety, excitement, surprise, ecstasy, grief, disgust, fear, pain, confusion, sadness, stress, anguish, and vulnerability (Jh.11:33,35). Even when negative, human emotions are not toxic. For the Believer, these should be temporary, not habitual.

Fleshly emotions are toxic, poisonous and destructive, namely: untamed anger, malice, envy, selfish ambition, carnality, bitterness, lusts, and hatred. They are closely tied with the works of the flesh and with evil deeds (Gal.5:19-21). Their outcome is spiritual death (Rom.8:6,13). These emotions were not part of humankind at creation (Gen.1:31a). They constitute what Paul calls the ‘old man’ that must be put off and crucified (Rom.6:6; Eph.4:22). Some human emotions, when not properly managed, degenerate into toxic and destructive fleshly emotions.

Biblical Emotional Intelligence is the capacity to perceive, interpret, regulate, and express one's emotions (Pro.25:28; 2 Cor.13:5; Phi.4:4,8), and respond to the emotions of others sensibly and empathetically. This involves recognizing and managing emotions, in oneself and in others, while aligning attitudes and actions with biblical wisdom (Mk.12:31; Lk.10: 29-34; 2 Cor.1:4; Eph.4:32; Heb.3:13; 1 Pet.3: 7-8). It is crucial for personal well-being, healthy, empathic interactions, effective leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution.

The Bible provides trustworthy and practical wisdom on understanding and managing our emotions and responding to those of others. The Life of Jesus exemplifies the moral purity of emotions. He was sinless (2Cor.5:21). Yet, He expressed varied emotions: marveled (Mt.8:10); rejoiced (Lk.10:21); wept (Jh.11:35). Believers can learn how to apply God’s instructions on the righteous management and expression of emotions towards a just cause (Jh.2: 12-17; Jam.1:20), and avoid destructive emotions such as covetousness, lust, and selfish ambition.