04/28/2026
FAITH, NOT FEELINGS!
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not accounting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” – 2 Cor. 5:19 That’s it, plain and simple: There is peace between God and sinful man because God Himself sacrificed His own Son for the sins of us all. Believe what God tells you and His salvation is yours!
But you may say, “I don’t feel saved!” Don’t be misled. None of us knows he is saved by his feelings. Justification – the declaration that we are righteous and freed from the punishment of sin – took place in the mind of God when He sacrificed Jesus Christ as payment for our sins. The truth that God “was in Christ” making peace between Himself and men by not counting their sins against them is brought to our hearts through “the message of reconciliation” – His Gospel.
The Word of salvation is not that we love God, or feel His love for us, but the once-and-for-all established fact that He loved us and gave Himself for us in the person of Christ crucified, whether we feel it or not!
This declaration took place in the mind of God, not in man’s nervous system! When a man is brought to trust Christ through His Word, the Christian knows he is saved because the Bible says so, not because his feelings tell him. Human feelings and emotions are unstable; they vary from day to day according to what we eat or drink, how well we sleep, the trials of life, etc. Satan is all too happy to have us trust our feelings rather than the Word of God!
No matter what anybody tells you, don’t place your trust in your feelings of closeness to God. All Christians throughout the ages have had their emotional ups and downs; Read the Psalms, the book of Job. Read Paul’s epistles in the New Testament. If the assurance of salvation were based on feelings it would be as changeable as the weather. Since the sinner’s salvation is based on the Word of God alone, it is as unchangeable and certain as God Himself.
Our salvation is not about the excitement we feel, but the enlightenment of faith in God’s message of forgiveness in Christ. Therefore, the Christian’s goal should always be to “grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ” and to be “built up in His Truth,” as Paul encourages Christians in his letter to the Ephesians (chapter 4).
Our little group of Christians is dedicated to this “growth” through the study of God’s Word. If you do not have a “church home” or if you have noticed that your church no longer holds to all the teachings of the Bible, you are most welcome to come and grow with us!
Zion Lutheran Outreach - A church group affiliated with the Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC)
Dates: The first and third Saturdays of each month
Time: 9:00 AM Bible Study, 10:00 AM Worship Service
Place: Hickory Mountain Chapel, 201 Hadley Mill Road, Pittsboro, NC 27312
For more information: Send us a Facebook message or email at [email protected].
We can also get you in touch with one of our pastors if you prefer to call or text!
Find us on Facebook: Zion Lutheran Outreach - North Carolina
Find us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/-NC
(Article written by Pastor Vance Fossum)
