Faith Not Feelings.

I was once told, “Well, sir, I do believe every word you say. In fact, I believe every word in the Bible, but I don’t feel I’m saved, and I’m not going to say I’m saved until I’m sure I am saved.”

I replied, “I have been saved for nearly five years, and never yet felt saved. If you continue to wait until you feel saved, you will never be saved at all. The Bible doesn’t say anything about feeling saved.”

“But, sir, the Scriptures say we ‘must be born again.’ Surely I must feel a great change come over me. Are you saying that I could be saved and still continue as I am, miserable and afraid to meet God?”

“No, I don’t mean to say any such thing, for the moment you are saved there will be change enough, for you will be changed from being a ‘child of Satan’ to a ‘child of God.’ But Satan is deceiving you by getting you to look for a feeling, and all the while you are shutting your ears to the Word of God, which brings true change. ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith’ (Ephesians 2:8); and ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God’ (Romans 10:17). You see, if you could feel nice and happy just now, you would think you were saved because you felt it. Tomorrow you might not feel happy, so you would then think you were not saved. This would be making a saviour of your feelings. One day you would have a saviour, and the next you would have none. Instead of knowing that you have passed from death unto life by believing the testimony which God has given of His Son (John 5:24), you are waiting to feel a change, and remaining in misery.

“Look here, my friend. Suppose that your spouse is away on business, and you stay at home with your children. The food runs out, and you have no money. The children are hungry, and you are miserable because of the state of things. You want a change, but your misery does not bring the change. No thoughts of yours fill the children’s hungry stomachs, and put glad smiles where there are looks of sorrow.

“Just then, you get a letter in the mail. You look at it—you know the writing—it’s from your spouse. You quickly open it, and inside you find a money order. What effect does it have on you? Do you sit down and dwell on your misery, waiting for a change, thinking there never was such a poor creature in the world as you? Of course not! You put on your coat, go to the bank to cash the money order, go to the store, and come back loaded with all you need, to the great joy of the children.

“What a change! How has it come about? Why, just through the letter. You read it and believed it. Your sorrow was gone and your heart was light even before you cashed the money order—the letter did it all. Why, now, will you not listen to God’s letter, and be saved? You are a sinner, but God’s letter says, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ (1 Timothy 1:15). And Jesus says Himself, ‘He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment], but is passed from death unto life’ (John 5:24).

“Moreover, the letter says, ‘These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God, that ye may know [not feel, but know] that ye have eternal life’ (1 John 5:13). You see, you did not feel the money. It was at the bank. But the letter said it was there for you, and you believed it and were made happy. You were happy because you knew it was yours; the money was not yours because you felt happy. Well, you did not feel Christ die for your sins. Neither did I, but I know it. The same letter which tells me He died for me, tells me that because I believe on Him, I’m saved. I believe God’s blessed letter, and I feel very happy because I know I am saved.”

Reader, are you putting feelings in the place of faith?

Perhaps you, too, say you believe the Bible, but don’t feel saved. Don’t be occupied any longer with feelings! Look away from yourself to Jesus. God has set Him on the throne in heaven, proof that the work is finished to His satisfaction. If God is satisfied with the sacrificial death of Jesus, why should you not be?

Salvation is “to him that worketh not, but believeth” (Romans 4:5). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36). Before you lay down this paper, believe God’s letter which He in divine love has sent you, declaring what has been done by Jesus Christ for sinners. The moment you take God at His Word, you are saved. It is not feelings, but faith. “By grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).