Question
When I was a teen, sometime ago, I recall being taught in Sunday school that a commitment to Jesus and God should not be based on emotion but rather logical review for it was easy for false preachers to sway one’s heart when his mind should be making the decision. I’m in a debate at work over this and at a lose to find a Bible scripture that fits this. Was someone giving me bad advice so many years ago?
Answer
We must always seek to have our emotions informed by the objective truth of God’s word rather than allowing our emotions to mislead us into accepting things that are not according to truth. There is a great danger that, instead of looking outside of ourselves for truth, we will make our feelings the standard for what we believe. The Scriptures provide us with many warnings concerning this. Prov. 16:25, 28:25-26, Jer. 10:23, John 16:1-4, Rom. 10:1-4, Gal. 1:13-17.
Just think if we allowed our emotions to be our primary guide in determining our physical well being. We might conclude we either feel good or bad based on our feelings rather than objective examinations by a trained physician. We would not want to be deceived in this way.
Although we should not let our emotions be our primary guide in religion, we should allow the truth to emotionally affect us in a good way. After people found out they needed to repent and be baptized (immersed in water), they rejoiced after they obey the gospel and were forgiven of their sins. Acts 2:36-42, 8:26-40, 16:25-34.
Sadly, many today “feel” they are saved, even though they have not followed the clear teaching of the Bible that they should, believe, repent and be baptized in order to be forgiven of their sins. We must look to the word of God that had been left for us to read, understand and obey from the heart. Eph. 3:1-17, Rom. 10:17, 6:17-18, Mark 16:15-16.
Salvation is too serious of a matter for us to be guided primarily by our emotions. Let us rejoice after we know we have followed what is written in the Word.
By Gary Hunt
