Now How We Feel

In a conversation with a man who needed to obey the gospel but refused, he explained that he was sure he had been forgiven of his sins and was saved. When asked why he was so sure and on what basis he made that assessment, he said, "I just feel so good inside. I know that God has saved me." When the idea that our feeling was a false measure he became rather agitated and refused to discuss it anymore.

One reason we can know that our feelings do not tell us whether we are saved or not is because pardon takes place in the mind of God; not our mind. Regardless of how we feel, that does not determine our salvation. As Joseph realized (Gen. 39:9), all sin is against God. Peter told Ananias and Sapphirra, they lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3)."Who can forgive sins, but God alone," (Luke 5:21). God forgives sin when man meets His conditions of forgiveness. It is not how we feel about it. It is what God says about it. Feelings are deceptive anyway. We must know and obey the conditions God has revealed to us in the gospel if we be saved.