Understanding passions and desires through a biblical lens …

What drives you?

Beneath every decision, every dream, and every struggle lies a complex interplay of passions and desires. These forces shape your motivations and reveal your heart’s true inclinations. The Bible speaks profoundly about passions and desires, but do we fully understand them? Are they the source of our greatest joys or the root of our deepest struggles? Let’s explore what scripture reveals about these powerful aspects of who we are.

WHAT ARE PASSIONS AND DESIRES?
The Bible uses these terms frequently, but they are often misunderstood. To grasp their significance, we must first define them in their biblical context.

Passions – The Greek word pathē (πάθη), often translated as “passions,” refers to strong feelings or emotions that drive behavior. These can range from zeal for righteousness to overwhelming impulses toward sin. Passion is intense and immediate, often fueling actions in the moment.

Positive example: In Philippians 1:23-24, Paul describes his passionate longing to be with Christ, which he considers “far better,” yet he remains committed to serving the church for their benefit. This exemplifies a godly passion balanced by a sense of purpose and responsibility.
Negative example: In Galatians 5:24, Paul speaks of crucifying “the passions and desires of their sinful nature.” This highlights how passions, when unchecked, can be a force for sinful behavior and must be put to death in Christ.

Desires – The Greek term epithymia (ἐπιθυμία), translated as “desire” or “lust,” describes the deep longings or cravings of the heart. Unlike the immediacy of passions, desires reflect more enduring motivations that shape our priorities.

Positive example: Psalm 73:25 captures a holy desire: “Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.”
Negative example: James 1:14-15 explains how sinful desires, when nurtured, lead to sin and ultimately death.

While passions and desires are distinct, they are deeply intertwined. Passions often arise from desires. For instance, a passion for justice may stem from a deep desire to see God’s righteousness upheld.

WHERE DO PASSIONS AND DESIRES ORIGINATE?
Passions and desires are not inherently sinful. They are part of being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Our longing for relationship reflects God’s relational nature, and our passion for purpose mirrors His creative drive. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reveals that God “has planted eternity in the human heart,” giving us an innate desire to seek Him.

John Calvin recognized the profound nature of our desires when he wrote, “The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.’ Even our God-given desires, when misaligned, can become distorted into something destructive.

Corrupted by sin.
The fall introduced a tragic distortion. In Genesis 3, we see Eve’s desire for the forbidden fruit — what she believed would make her wise — leading to disobedience. This pattern continues today: sinful desires and passions prioritize self over God. Jeremiah 17:9 declares, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.\,. Who really knows how bad it is?”

Augustine insightfully observed, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” This restlessness reflects our longing for God, often misdirected toward lesser things.

Redeemed by the Spirit.
Through salvation and our being reconciled to Him, God begins the work of redeeming our passions and desires. Ezekiel 36:26 promises a new heart and a new spirit, enabling us to align our motivations with His will. Philippians 2:13 assures us, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him.”

PASSIONS AND DESIRES IN ACTION
The Bible presents passions and desires as both opportunities and dangers. Let’s explore their dual nature.

The Potential for Good
Passions as holy zeal: Jesus exhibited righteous passion when He cleansed the temple and stated, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” (Matthew 21:13). This was not impulsive anger but a holy passion for God’s glory.

Desires as God’s work in us: Psalm 42:1 expresses the longing of a soul in pursuit of God: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” Such desires lead to life-giving worship and purpose.

The Danger of Distortion
Passions Run amok: James 4:1-2 warns that quarrels arise from passions at war within us. Unchecked passion often leads to conflict and sin.
Desires turned to idols: Romans 1:24 speaks of God giving people over to sinful desires when they exchanged the truth of God for a lie.

A CALL TO CRUCIFY SINFULL PASSIONS AND DESIRES
Galatians 5:24 declares, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” The Christian life involves an ongoing process of rejecting sinful inclinations and pursuing godly ones.

Practical Applications for Aligning Passions and Desires with God:
1. Examine Your Passions and Desires. Reflect on what motivates your actions and decisions. Are your passions rooted in godly purposes or in self-centered ambitions? Psalm 139:23-24 offers a prayerful approach: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
2. Submit Your Passions to God. Passions are not inherently bad, but they must be under God’s control. Like Jesus’ holy passion in the temple, our passions should align with God’s purposes and timing.
3. Cultivate Godly desires. Develop deeper longings for God through intentional practices like prayer, meditation on Scripture, and worship. Philippians 4:8b encourages us to “… Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
4. Guard against misaligned passions. Sin distorts even good desires, turning them into idols. Hebrews 3:13 warns, “You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.”
5. Rely on the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the Holy Spirit’s work in us, transforming our passions and desires into reflections of God’s character (Galatians 5:22-23). Seek His power daily to resist sinful inclinations.

Passions and desires are not incidental to who you are; they are core to your identity. Created by God, corrupted by sin, and redeemed by Christ, they are powerful tools for His glory when surrendered to Him. Augustine’s words remain a timeless reminder: “Our heart is restless until it rests in You.” Ask yourself today: Are your passions and desires driving you toward God or away from Him? When aligned with His Spirit, they become a means of worship and a source of abundant life.

Scotty