Salvation By Faith, Not Feelings
In the same way, we are not saved by our own good works. Our feelings or emotions don’t save us. Once you place your faith in Christ, you are saved by faith whether you “feel” saved or not. This is why it is important to learn to put complete confidence in God, not in what you feel. The more you trust God, the less stock you will put in your feelings!
Think back to our ship illustration. When you were lost in the sea of sin, it “felt” like you were about to go under. You weren’t going to make it, and the end was near. But despite what you felt, Jesus Christ, the “captain” of your salvation, pulled you up to safety. Despite your feelings, God saved you. And despite what you feel, He will lead you by faith from this day forward. So if you wake up one day and don’t “feel” saved, don’t put stock in it. Trust God! The Bible warns:
“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”
(Proverbs 2**8:26, ESV)
Your Daily Journey of Faith
Let’s consider another illustration taken from an article by Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, which breaks down the daily process of putting our faith in God. The train comprises three cars—the locomotive (engine car), the middle car (coal car), and the caboose.
In your Christian life, FACTS are the locomotive that power the train. For example, it is a fact that God promised:
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
(Romans 10:9, NLT)
Now that you are a child of God and a joint-heir in His Kingdom, it is also a fact that,
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
(Romans 8:16–17, NKJV)
The Lord has securely fastened you to the locomotive of His promises (facts), which are carefully penned in His Word, the Bible. Bear in mind the locomotive controls which track the train travels on and that it arrives safely at its destination. This is a good picture of how God’s Word guides your daily living. The psalmist wrote,
“By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.”
(Psalm 119:105, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)
The Holy Spirit also assists you in your journey. Jesus said,
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
(John 14:26, NKJV)
Jesus also promised,
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
(John 16:13, NKJV)
As you move forward in your new life of faith, you are not alone. Your heavenly Father has placed you safely in Jesus’ hands. He will guide you through His Word (facts), teaching and strengthening you by the Holy Spirit until we reach heaven’s shores!
Now, back to the train. The middle car (coal car) represents FAITH. Faith is how we place confidence in God’s promises. We believe it is true when we say we have faith in something. Hence, we place our trust and confidence in it. When your faith is placed in God’s promises, it is like shoveling coal into the engine (locomotive). Faith fuels the engine! The Bible teaches that the Christian life is lived by faith in the promises of God.
“For we live by believing and not by seeing.”
(2 Corinthians 5:7, NLT)
It also says,
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
(Hebrews 11:6, NLT)
It’s important to note that in our walk with Christ, we don’t place faith in faith. Nor do we place faith in ourselves to live the Christian life. We must place our faith in God and His eternal promises.
To complete our train illustration, we come to the caboose, which symbolizes FEELINGS. The fact of God’s promises pulls your faith, and your faith pulls your feelings. A train can run with or without a caboose but goes nowhere without an engine. Just as a train moves only if you shovel coal into the engine, your Christian life will move forward only as you believe and act on God’s Word. It will hinder your progress if you trust your feelings instead of trusting God to keep His promises. Psalm 119:105 puts it well:
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
(Psalm 119:105, NLT)
It’s not your hunches, intuition, or feelings!
So as a new believer, you must not base the FACT of your salvation on the roller coaster of various emotions. Good, positive feelings are nice to have, but feelings do not prove whether you’re saved. Neither do they prove whether or not God loves or is leading you? There may be times when you “feel” God is close to you, and other times when you “feel” He’s not. But remember that He has promised to always be with you and never leave you, regardless of your feelings (Hebrews 13:5).
As we close this chapter, let’s try one or more of the following exercises.
• Read 2 Timothy 3:16–17. According to these passages, where do the facts in the Bible come from, and how will they help you in your new walk of faith?
• Read and consider Acts 1:7–8, John 16:13 and Romans 8:1–17. From this understanding, how can the Holy Spirit help you to fire up the engine/locomotive of God’s Word?
• Consider Romans 8 again and read Hebrews 11. How do these scriptures relate? How do they help you to understand the “Fact-Faith-Feelings” principle in your daily walk with the Lord?