Title: The Doctrine of Fear: Fear Is an Emotional Sin Inventoried by God, Jere 11:20; 17:10; Rev 2:23; 4 Distractions
Author: Joe
Last saved by: PJD
Company: GDC

99-02-25.JSH-104 / 

©℗ 1999  Joe Griffin	Joshua

The Doctrine of Fear: Fear Is an Emotional Sin Inventoried by God, Jer 11:20; 17:10; Rev 2:23; 4 Distractions

D.	Fear Is a Sin of Emotion Inventoried by God:
1-	The emotional believer does not have the ability to think doctrine or to use problem-solving devices.
2-	The first stage of the adult spiritual life is that of spiritual self-esteem.
3-	This level of maturity involves the grace function of cognitive self-confidence which is the opposite of fear.
4-	The adult believer is able to identify and eliminate fear from his soul since his self-confidence identifies it as an irrational diversion to his clarity of thought.
5-	The Bible identifies the problem of abnormal emotions by means of certain physiological references.
6-	The Hebrew word is kilyah and the Greek word is nefrÒj /nephros / both of which are translated into English as “kidneys.”
7-	But the words really emphasize the fat pads which protect both kidneys and the adrenal glands.
8-	These fat-laden tissues are called retroperitoneal /RE-tro-PER-e-ten E-al/ and are especially plentiful behind and to the outer side of each kidney.
9-	These make up what are called the adipose /AD-ah-POS/ renal capsules, or more simply put, the “fat pads.”
10-	Within this fatty tissue is a fibrous sheet, the renal fascia /FASH-e-ah/, that encloses each kidney and its corresponding adrenal gland.
11-	The adrenal glands secrete many hormones one of which is adrenaline, or epinephrine, the emotional hormone of fright, flight, or fight.

12-	Secretion of adrenaline causes four things to occur in the human body:
1)	Increases the pulse rate
2)	Increases cardiac blood output
3)	Increases blood supply to the muscles
4)	Increases glucose
13-	Since the Greek and Hebrew words, translated “kidneys,” also include the fat pads and adrenal glands, we come to realize that it is used to convey an individual’s emotional response to outside adversity.
14-	How we deal with outside adversity is reflected by our emotions, either positively or negatively.
15-	If the individual is negative to doctrine then his emotional impulse is to react to the adversity.
16-	The result of extreme uncontrolled emotionalism can be illustrated by a physiological condition called pheochromocytoma /fee-ah-KRO-mah-sy-TOW-mah/: a tumor caused by the production of adrenaline without brain control.
17-	This condition causes several side effects including anxiety, worry, nausea, and heart palpitations which destroy one’s health.
18-	In essence, the cosmic believer emotes himself to death.  Rather then responding to doctrine in the soul, he reacts to outside adversities which in turn create stress in the soul.
19-	Used properly, emotion responds to thought in the soul.  When there is no thought it can only incite a reaction.
20-	Emotion left to its own devices cannot initiate thought or even replace thought.  When it is asked to do so it can only produce sins from the emotional complex.

21-	Arrogance under the motivation of self-centeredness is reflected in emotional sins such as fear, anxiety, expediency, or duplicity.
22-	Hatred under the motivation of antagonism is reflected by emotional sins such as anger, revenge motivation, violence, or criminal activity.
23-	Several passages amplify the problem associated with emotional sins:
Jeremiah 11:20 -	O Lord of the Armies, Who judges righteously, Who tries [ bachan: examines ] the kidneys [ kilyah: emotions ] and the heart [ leb: stream of consciousness ] …
17:10 -	“I the Lord search [ chaqar /ka-KAR/: investigate ] the stream of consciousness and I examine [ bachan ] the emotions [ kilyah ] …
24-	The Greek word nefrÒj /nephros / is used in the New Testament for emotions in:
Revelation 2:23b -	“I am He Who constantly inventories [ NAS: “searches”: ™raun£w / eraunao /: investigate or inventory ] the emotions [ nefrÒj / nephros / ] and the stream of consciousness [ kard…a /kardia / ], and I will impose punishment to each one of you according to your production from the Cosmic System.
25-	Believers who cannot control their emotions usually become enmeshed in several problems which stymie their spiritual growth and digress into carnality and reversionism:
1)	Distraction from Orthodox Doctrine:
Romans 16:17 -	Now I urge you, brethren, be alert for those who are causing dissensions and apostasies contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and turn away from them.

v 18 -	For such believers do not obey our Lord Jesus Christ, but they obey their own emotions, serving themselves; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the naive.
2)	Hindrance of Spiritual Growth:
2 Corinthians 6:11 -	O you Corinthians, our mouth has been open face to face with you [ live Bible class ]; our hearts have been enlarged [ resultant spiritual growth ].
v 12 -	Therefore, you have not been hindered by us [ Paul, Apollos, and Timothy ]; you have been hindered by your own emotions.
3)	Blasphemy of Idolatry:
Philippians 3:18 -		Many carnal believers keep walking concerning whom I have communicated to you may times and now continue communicating even though weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ,
v 19 -	whose destiny is destruction, whose god is their emotion, whose fame is by means of dishonor, who keep on thinking about earthly things [ misplaced priorities ].
4)	Inability to Think under Pressure:
Job 16:13 -	“His arrows surround me [ outside adversity from an adversary ].  Without mercy he splits my kidneys open [ panic under pressure through emotional revolt of the soul ].
26-	Uncontrolled emotions lead the believer into a wide variety of mental, verbal, and overt sins: bitterness, vindictiveness, jealousy, implacability, guilt, and self-pity; malice, slander, vituperation, maligning, judging, duplicity, and deceit; revenge tactics, violence, vengeance, battery, and even murder.