Introduction: Does God have emotions? The Old Testament
often refers to how God is feeling. Do God’s emotions affect
His judgment? I know people whose judgment is primarily
based on emotions, rather than logic, and I consider them to
have inferior decision making skills. At the same time I am
often blessed when people treat me with a positive emotion
rather than the way logic would dictate. Genesis tells us
that we are made in God’s image. If that includes emotions,
and I think it does, how similar are our emotions to God’s
emotions? Let’s jump into our study of the Bible and find
out!

I. A Parent’s Love

A. Read Psalms 103:13. I trust that you, like me, had
a great father. If so, could you trust that your
father would love you and care about you? (When I
face a problem, knowing that God cares about me as
my father cared about me is calming.)

1. Are you a parent? One of the best things about
having children is that they teach us much
about our relationship with God. What about
God has being a parent taught you?

B. Context is important. Read Psalms 103:8-10. Are
these obedient people? (This describes how God
reacts to us when we are doing the wrong thing.)

C. Read Psalms 103:11-13. Our sin is the strain on our
relationship with God. How thoroughly does God
promise to solve our sin problem? (He removes our
sins an eternal distance.)

1. Both Psalms 103:13 and Psalms 103:11 say the
loving attitude of God is for those who “fear
Him.” How do you understand this reservation?
(Thinking about our lesson two weeks ago, I
think it means those who want to please God.)

D. Read Psalms 103:14. When you were thinking about
how to react to the misbehavior of your children,
did you take their age into account? (This shows
that God considers mitigating circumstances. Those
cause us to be more compassionate.)

E. Read Isaiah 49:14-16. Can God forget you? Is He
unaware of the problems that trouble you? (God says
that He is more faithful than a nursing mother!)

1. How do you understand God saying that He has
“engraved” you on the palms of His hands?
(Several commentators say He has your name
tattooed on His hands.)

a. What does that symbolize? (He is
constantly reminded of you.)

2. What are our “walls” that God constantly
considers? (A wall protects a city. God is
constantly aware of your vulnerability.)

II. God’s Emotions Versus Our Emotions

A. Read Hosea 11:8-9. God specifically says that His
emotions are unlike ours. How do these verses
suggest that is true? (God’s compassion for us
moderates His “burning anger.”)

1. What do humans do that God does not do? (He
does not lose control. He does not let His
negative emotions overcome His positive
emotions towards us.)

B. Read Deuteronomy 4:23-26. God says that He has a
contract with His people. What does that contract
say they cannot do? What actions on their part
cause God to be jealous, a consuming fire, and a
destroyer? (Making idols.)

1. No one I know makes idols. Is that still a
problem? Why does it make God jealous?

C. Read Exodus 32:4. What about this statement would
make you jealous if you were God? (They attribute
their success over Egypt to something they made.)

D. Read Exodus 20:17. People who have difficulty with
coveting, claim that cars, houses, or possessions
of others are idols. Would God be jealous of a car
or a house?

1. The terrible fires in Los Angeles, California
have revealed a sinful side of humanity.
People are reported as saying because the
homes that burned are very expensive, the
destruction is fine. Is there an explanation
for that attitude other than covetousness?

2. What, unlike cars or homes, can we do today
that reflects the evil of Exodus 32:4? (Taking
credit for what God has done. Attributing to
our own efforts our success in life. Relying
in times of trouble on something we have made
(like our money).)

a. Is there a link between this attitude and
fine cars and homes? (If a person says
they deserve fine things because of
personal effort, rather than thanking God
for His blessings, that is an idol worship
problem.)

E. Read Matthew 12:24 and Matthew 12:31-32. Is the
unforgivable sin like idol worship? (Yes. It gives
credit to demons for the work of the Holy Spirit.)

1. Why would God be upset by this? (Do you like
other people taking credit for what you do?
God loves us and helps us. Why would we give
credit to ourselves or demons?)

2. You go to the hospital, you take medicine, you
get well, and you give credit to the doctors
and the medicine. Is that wrong? (Neither
doctors nor medicines heal. They simply
facilitate the body healing itself – a power
that comes from God.)

a. Does God object to us giving joint credit?
(God partners with humans to do good.)

F. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-6. Is God love?

1. If you answered, “Yes,” as we must, could God
display any of these emotions? (We have
discussed that God at times is jealous and
angry.)

a. Is that okay – that God has these
emotions? (All of the situations we have
discussed involve God being jealous or
angry based on His love for us. The texts
in 1 Corinthians are all examples of not
loving.)

2. This morning I read in the Wall Street Journal
about the definition of a stupid decision. It
said that people enjoying various levels of
success can make stupid decisions. It defined
a stupid decision as one that harms others
with no obvious benefit to the person making
the stupid decision. Do the negative emotions
described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 benefit the
person displaying them?

a. If God displays a negative emotion, does
that benefit Him? (That is the difference
between God and humans. Our negative
emotions, in most cases, do not help us.
God’s negative emotions are to ultimately
benefit humanity.)

III. Jesus’ Emotions

A. Read Matthew 9:35. Jesus is evangelizing the
people. He is sharing the gospel. Why would He need
to heal “every” disease and “every” affliction?
(Read Matthew 9:36. The answer is in the next
verse. Jesus had compassion for them.)

B. Read John 5:2-9. These verses reveal that many
seriously ill people were present, but Jesus healed
only one. Why? What about compassion on the others?

C. Read Acts 3:1-2. How many times do you think Jesus
entered the temple and passed by this fellow? (The
text says he was there “daily.”)

D. Read Acts 3:3-7. Why did Jesus never heal this
fellow but His disciples did? (We know Jesus has
compassion on us all because He died so that
everyone could be saved. The only reasonable
conclusion is that Jesus had other reasons to heal
some and not others.)

1. Should that change our views on Jesus’
emotions? (His emotions are tempered by other
considerations, just like a wise parent.)

2. I just learned that California spent 24
billion dollars over the last five years on
combating the homeless problem. The number of
homeless went up. What should that teach us
about compassion? (Like Jesus, we need to
consider how best to show love. One
commentator who has spent considerable time
talking to the homeless says the problem
exists mainly due to drug and alcohol fueled
mental illness. He says these kinds of
homeless should be given the choice between
jail and rehabilitation so they will be
cured.)

E. Friend, God loves you like a good parent. His
emotions are guided by His wisdom. Will you ask the
Holy Spirit to bring your emotions more in line
with God’s emotions?

IV. Next week: The Wrath of Divine Love.

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.