Faith Isn’t a Feeling: How We’ve Confused Experience with Salvation
A young man once told me, “I don’t think I’m truly saved. I never felt what others said they felt.”
That conversation grieved me—not because he doubted, but because he had been taught to base his assurance on emotion, not truth. His story is not isolated. Increasingly, believers are taught—implicitly or explicitly—that assurance must feel a certain way. We are witnessing a quiet but dangerous drift in modern ministry: when experience replaces Scripture as the foundation for spiritual confidence.
The Assurance Crisis
We have created a generation that looks inward instead of upward. When we emphasize emotion over exposition, or stories over Scripture, we subtly shift the ground under our people’s feet. And they feel it.
Many are left wondering:
• Was I sincere enough?
• Did I say the right words?
• Why didn’t I cry, shake, or feel overwhelmed like others?
When those questions define a person’s relationship with God, assurance becomes elusive. Their faith becomes tethered not to the Word of God, but to fleeting feelings.
Misusing Paul’s Testimony
Paul’s conversion on the Damascus Road (Acts 9) was dramatic, personal, and public. But his story was descriptive, not prescriptive. God never told us to base our understanding of salvation on Paul’s experience. In fact, Paul himself did not point others to his story for assurance, but to the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1–4) and to faith in Christ alone (Galatians 2:16).
Yet too often, pastors elevate personal testimonies as if they were templates for salvation. This is unwise. Paul’s story is remarkable, but it is not required. Many are saved quietly, calmly, and confidently—because salvation is a miracle of grace, not emotion.
When Emotion Takes the Pulpit
Charismatic theology has long equated spirituality with sensation. But many conservative pulpits have begun to echo the same sentiment, though in different terms.
We do not speak in tongues or promise healings, but we hint that salvation must include “a moment,” a feeling, a flood of tears, or an unforgettable emotional event. This undermines the gospel’s sufficiency. It also causes confusion.
• When we equate salvation with emotional weight, we harm the quiet heart.
• When we demand tears, we overlook the trusting child.
• When we seek drama, we ignore the still, small voice of truth.
While we rightly separate from charismatic doctrine, we must be careful not to adopt their emotional dependency under another name.
What Scripture Actually Teaches
God did not leave assurance to guesswork. He gave His Word.
“These things have I written unto you… that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)
Consider the biblical evidence of salvation:
Obedience to God’s commands – “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” (1 John 2:3)
Love for fellow believers – “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” (1 John 3:14)
The inner witness of the Spirit – “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16)
Conviction over sin and spiritual hunger – Signs of God’s indwelling presence.
None of these requires a dramatic conversion story. They require a living relationship with Christ grounded in truth.
Correcting the Drift
If we want to re-center our people on the Word, we must take deliberate steps to do so. This starts with us—pastors, teachers, disciplers, and parents.
Pastors and teachers should:
Clarify the gospel: Salvation is by grace through faith—not through tears, feelings, or visible change (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Preach assurance biblically: Teach 1 John, Romans 8, and the Psalms to show how God anchors assurance in His promises.
Model testimonies wisely: Share your own story only in a way that highlights God’s work, not emotional benchmarks.
Give gospel invitations that emphasize trust in Christ, not performance or emotion.
Instead of saying:
“You’ll feel a change right away…”
Say:
“Believe God’s Word. His Spirit will begin a work in you, whether you feel it or not.”
Instead of asking:
“Did you really mean it?”
Ask:
“Do you now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?”
Instead of testifying:
“God told me.”
Say:
“I read in the word of God…”
Assurance grows not by feeling more, but by learning more of Christ.
Why Words Matter
One of the most overlooked ways we reinforce experience-based theology is through the language we permit in testimonies and the phrases we use in the pulpit.
We often hear—and sometimes say—phrases like:
• “God told me…”
• “The Lord spoke to me…”
• “God said I should…”
• “I heard God’s voice say…”
These expressions, though often used sincerely, blur the line between biblical revelation and personal impression. Worse, they unintentionally train our people to believe that God is still giving new, direct revelation outside the Word.
This is not just sloppy language. It is bad theology.
• God’s revelation is not ongoing.
• God’s Word is not evolving.
• God’s voice is not whispering new truth into the ears of modern prophets.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3:16)
“…the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3)
“…that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written.” (1 Corinthians 4:6)
To say “God told me” when referring to a feeling, a leading, or a strong impression is to place your subjective experience on the level of objective Scripture. This is the very foundation of the Charismatic and Word of Faith errors. And if we do not correct our language, we will slowly affirm their theology.
We must teach our people:
• Not to confuse divine guidance with divine revelation.
• Not to elevate internal impressions above biblical commands.
• Not to use the language of prophets when we have the completed canon.
Let us stop saying, “God told me to…” and instead say:
• “As I read the Scriptures, I was convicted…”
• “God used His Word to burden my heart for this decision…”
• “Through counsel and Scripture, I believe God is leading…”
This kind of phrasing preserves the authority of Scripture, encourages biblical discernment, and trains our people to think biblically about guidance rather than mystically.
If we do not correct our language, we give room for:
• Sensational testimonies to be equated with spiritual maturity
• Emotional impressions to be treated as divine orders
• Doctrinal error to enter quietly through poetic speech
We are not people of the wind.
We are people of the Book.
Build on the Rock
Jesus said:
“Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” (Matthew 7:24)
• The Word is the Rock.
• The Gospel is the foundation.
• The Spirit is the witness.
Let us, as ministers, refuse to build our people’s faith on the shifting sands of experience. Let us lift up Christ—not just emotionally, but doctrinally, biblically, and faithfully.
Our people do not need dramatized testimonies.
They need grounded truth.
They do not need emotional highs—they need spiritual roots.
And we, as pastors, must be the ones who show them the difference.
May we give our pulpits back to the Word.
Reflection for the Reader
Is your assurance rooted in God’s Word or in your memory of a moment?
Are you trusting what you felt—or what God has said?
Do you testify in a way that could lead another believer to compare your somewhat made-up narrative in a sensationalized way, causing them to doubt their confidence because you appear to be a better believer than they are?
Prayer
Lord, help me rest in the truth of Your Word, not the strength of my feelings. Let me trust Your promises more than my past. Build my life on the Rock of Christ.