By John Buttrey II

    There is a lot of talk and emphasis today in the “religious world” on the feeling of being saved; call it the feeling of conversion—dare we say, on emotion, rather than on truth? According to some it is the feeling of the heart that will let one know they have been saved, the emotional experience that is the great revealer of conversion. Certainly conversion is an emotional experience, but it must be based in truth. It is critical that people base their assurance of salvation on the truth of scripture and not merely on some emotional experience. Jesus said the truth will set us free (Jn. 8:32) and Paul spoke of the power of the gospel (Rom. 1:16), not the experience! Scripture can help us to properly interpret any emotional experience one might have felt. If the experience is not according to scripture, it is not of truth, but of emotion. When we make emotional experiences the basis and ground of salvation we have the proverbial cart before the horse.

    There are countless testimonies heard on the radio and in “Christian” books on emotional experiences which seek to justify one belief or another. Many plainly set aside the word of God to base the assurance of salvation on some experience. Because of some experience or feeling one person starts a ministry; another writes a song; still another (because of a feeling) believes they are a prophet with a message from God. Chances are you have heard them… “Today God told me to do this…”; “Yesterday the Spirit led me to...”; “I was sitting alone last evening, when the Holy Spirit gave me this message to pass on to you...” “I felt a warm feeling in my heart and I just knew it was Jesus. He saved me at that moment…”

    If we are to believe in such emotional experiences as leading to salvation, do we then assume that the multitude gathered on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 were saved when they were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37)? If so, what need was there for Peter to tell them, “repent and be baptized…” (Acts 2:38)?

Was Saul saved when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus? What an emotional experience! But if he was saved then, what need was there for Ananias to go and baptize him (Acts 22:16)?

How about the house of Cornelius? The Holy Spirit fell on them and they began speaking in tongues. Were they saved at this wonderful experience? If so, why did Peter say, “Who can forbid water for these to be baptized” (Acts 10:47-48)?

Being saved is indeed a wonderful feeling… conversion is an emotional experience… but that experience and emotion must come from obedience to the truth, and not merely a personal experience which one feels saved them. Faith comes from hearing, not feeling.