There's a Christian podcast on YouTube named *[A Stronger Faith](https://www.youtube.com/@AStrongerFaith/)* which also has a [website](https://www.astrongerfaith.org/) . The podcast focuses on interviewing Christians about their spiritual experiences, conversion experiences, their testimonies, and so on. The host is [Stacy McCants](https://www.astrongerfaith.org/about) . My question is motivated by Stacy's [short video](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5Ctpqezp0Nk?feature=share) on John 17:3: > You can experience God, so whatever doubts you might have in your mind of "am I just believing something that I've been taught because just in case there really is a hell I don't wanna go there" or have an encounter and experience him. You experienced God. **People kind of get on our comments sometimes and talk about "don't be trying to go for the emotional experiences." I think God wants us to experience him. I think a lie of the enemy is that we should not seek experiences with God**. That it should just be from an intellectual "just get the book, believe what the book says" perspective. And I can't read what Jesus said in John 17:3 and then say he doesn't want us experiencing him. He says "this is eternal life, that they know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Not that they know *about* you, and *about* Jesus. He says that they *know you*, and know his son. You cannot know somebody without experiencing them. Stacy affirms that some Christians reject the idea of seeking experiences with God because they view such experiences as mere emotional pursuits. Emotions, in that view, are often understood as neurochemical highs, products of the flesh, and therefore something to be avoided, being contrary to the things of the Spirit. But this seems to assume, arguably incorrectly, that all emotions arise from the flesh, as if no emotions could come from the Spirit. It denies the possibility of genuinely *spiritual* emotions or affections. Yet Galatians 5:22 says: *“But **the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace**, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”* The first three fruits listed, **love, joy, and peace**, arguably involve emotions. So, do Christians hold a more nuanced view of the nature of emotions? Do they believe that all emotions are of the flesh, or do they recognize the existence of spiritual emotions or affections? More broadly, do Christians acknowledge different categories of emotion or experience, such as physical experiences and spiritual ones? If God can produce authentic spiritual affections or emotions, would it then follow that pursuing them is a good and worthwhile thing?

Galatians 5:17 says, *"For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh."* This seems to suggest a deliberate opposition between the two. My question is: Was this opposition between the Spirit and the flesh part of God's original design from the beginning (before the Fall), or did it come about as a result of sin? In other words, did God will for this tension to exist under His authority, or is it a result of rebellion against that authority? I’m looking for answers from perspectives that explain how this dynamic fits into Christian theology — particularly with reference to Scripture and doctrinal traditions.