The question of whether God has emotions and can be emotionally responsive to humans centers on the debate of divine passibility versus impassibility. Passibility means God can be affected by external actions, experiencing pleasure or pain caused by others, or changing his own emotions internally. Impassibility, on the other hand, asserts that God cannot be acted upon or experience emotional changes. Biblical evidence often depicts God as experiencing emotions in response to human actions, such as pleasure, displeasure, grief, and compassion. For example, Proverbs, Psalms, and other scriptures show God as being pleased or displeased with human behavior and deeply compassionate, akin to a parent’s love for their child.

Theologically, “qualified passibility” suggests that God voluntarily allows Himself to be emotionally responsive to the world without compromising His divine nature or the distinction between Creator and creature. This means that while God experiences emotions, these are not passive reactions but are volitional and evaluative responses to human actions. Overall, the Bible portrays God as having passible emotions, but theological interpretations vary, with some emphasizing divine immutability and God’s unchanging nature while acknowledging scriptural depictions of emotional responsiveness. The biblical portrayal of God’s passible emotions, or the idea that God experiences emotions, can be understood through the concept of anthropopathic imagery, where human emotions are attributed to God in Scripture. Three main arguments for viewing these depictions as merely accommodative are:

  • Accommodative Language Rationale: All scriptural language is seen as human and accommodative to our understanding.
  • Impassibility Rationale: This view holds that God is impassible (incapable of suffering or feeling pain), so descriptions of God having emotions are not literal.
  • Anatomical Imagery Rationale: The use of human-like anatomical language (e.g., eyes, heart) in reference to God is seen as idiomatic and not literal.

The text critiques these rationales, suggesting they inadequately dismiss the plain meaning of biblical texts that describe God’s emotions. The idea of God’s emotions is seen as analogical—holding both similarity and dissimilarity to human emotions. Scripture itself provides guidance on interpreting divine emotions, showing that God’s emotional expressions, while similar to human emotions, are qualitatively different (e.g., God’s jealousy is always righteous, His anger just, and His compassion boundless). The conclusion is that understanding God as passible (capable of emotions) is biblically warranted, albeit in a qualified, analogical sense. A Qualified Model of Divine Passibility posits that God voluntarily opens Himself to emotional experiences in relation to the world. This model asserts that:

  1. Voluntary Passibility: God freely chose to create the world and engage in relationships with creatures, making Him emotionally responsive to human actions. His emotions—such as love, joy, grief, and anger—are deeply passible but not merely emotional; they are also volitional and evaluative.
  2. Creator-Creature Distinction: While God is emotionally affected by the world, this does not compromise His sovereignty or transcendence. God’s passibility is voluntary, meaning He remains ontologically free and sovereign, capable of withdrawing from emotional engagement if He chooses.
  3. Analogical Emotions: God’s emotions are not identical to human emotions. They are perfectly appropriate and flawless, shaped by His perfect evaluation of situations. Unlike human emotions, God’s emotions are always righteous, just, and without fault.
  4. Divine Suffering: God experiences suffering not out of weakness but from a place of immense power and compassion, sharing in human suffering to ultimately overcome it. This voluntary suffering demonstrates God’s profound love and commitment to justice.
  5. Love and Justice: God’s love is active, powerful, and intrinsically linked to His justice. His passible emotions highlight His deep engagement with creation while maintaining His omnipotence and omniscience.

This model navigates between the extremes of viewing God as either completely impassible or essentially passible, emphasizing that God’s emotional engagement with the world is voluntary, profound, and ultimately aimed at overcoming evil and bringing about eternal joy.