Some people claim to rely solely on their feelings for assurance of personal salvation. They may say, “I know that I am saved because I feel that I am.” They will often ignore very plain passages in the Bible about salvation because of a “feeling” that they have. Some are heard to say, as they pat their chest, “I would not give up this feeling that I have in my heart for all of the Bibles in the world.” Are our feelings the correct way to determine if we are saved or not?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/deli.jpg\")
Suppose we were to ask the attendant at a delicatessen for a pound of sliced ham. What would we do if the person got some meat and said, “This feels like a pound, four dollars please”? We would probably ask the person to weigh the meat.<\/p>\n
Further, many people have felt fine just prior to the time that they died. Thus, feelings are not always reliable as to our physical health. There are many examples in secular matters that could be given which would show clearly that feelings are not always reliable.<\/p>\n
Consider the Old Testament example of Jacob. He was deceived by his sons into thinking that his son, Joseph, was dead, but his feelings were wrong (Genesis 37).<\/p>\n
We must be careful about our feelings in religious matters also as they can be incorrect.\u00a0Proverbs 14:12\u00a0says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.<\/em>” Again, Solomon said, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool<\/em>” (Proverbs 28:26). Saul is another example here when he was persecuting Christians. He thought he was doing right (Acts 26:9), and he could have said, “I know how I feel!” However, clearly, he was wrong.<\/p>\n How can we know if we are saved or not? We can turn to the Bible and see if we have done what it says. Feelings change, but the Bible is a safe, steady standard. John wrote in\u00a0I John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.<\/em>” One of the things that John had written is found in\u00a0I John 2:17\u00a0which says, “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.<\/em>” We can know that we are saved when we have done what the Bible says. Let us not be guilty of using our feelings as a standard instead of the Word of God.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Mike Johnson via\u00a0simplebiblestudies.com Some people claim to rely solely on their feelings for assurance of personal salvation. They may say, “I know that I am saved because I feel that I am.” They will often ignore very plain passages in the Bible about salvation because of a “feeling” that they have. Some are heard…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[506,546,47],"class_list":["post-28235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-emotions","tag-feelings","tag-salvation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60630,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-feel-saved\/","url_meta":{"origin":28235,"position":0},"title":"Do You Feel Saved?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Wayne Greeson Are you saved? How do you know you are saved? \"I know I am saved because I feel it in my heart,\" many often say. But are the feelings of your heart the proper standard to determine your salvation? We do not use this standard in other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36039,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-dont-i-feel-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":28235,"position":1},"title":"Why don’t I feel God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I'm 15 and I have accepted Christ. You see I always say I'm sorry for my sins. But my friend told me that when he repented he could feel God in him like all of him was being hugged like a warm feeling. I don't understand. Why haven't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26564,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/evidence-of-pardon-how-can-i-know-i-am-saved\/","url_meta":{"origin":28235,"position":2},"title":"Evidence of Pardon: How Can I Know I Am Saved?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 23, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kenneth E. Thomas Christianity is a system of faith, but it is not a leap of faith. Our faith in God is founded firmly upon the evidence of His existence found in His creation. \u201cThe heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork\u201d (Psalm 19:1).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84634,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-dont-i-feel-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":28235,"position":3},"title":"Why don’t I feel faith?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I have a question that I really have not been able to find answers to, and I do not dare to talk to anyone about it. Several years ago, I started going to a church because I was really convinced that God was sending me to do it.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43285,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-dont-know-if-my-feelings-were-genuine-when-i-received-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":28235,"position":4},"title":"I don’t know if my feelings were genuine when I received Christ","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: You may not know me, but I have seen what you wrote and you seem wise. I ask that you give me a genuine answer. Here goes pouring out my heart's doubts: I am not sure that I have received Christ. I don't know if my feeling was genuine\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26207,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/ive-accepted-jesus-so-many-times-how-can-i-be-sure-that-christ-lives-in-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":28235,"position":5},"title":"I’ve accepted Jesus so many times! How can I be sure that Christ lives in me?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do I\u00a0surely know that Christ lives in me? Because every time that I'm at my church and they ask who wants to receive Christ, I always feel something in my heart. But I've accepted Jesus so many times! 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