How Should A New Believer Feel?

Q. I am a brand new believer, and I have a question. My faith is very weak, very small. I have a question for you, is there anything in scripture that says you should feel differently after you’ve accepted salvation? I’m worried because I’m not sure if I’m really saved or not. My mother, the person most responsible for ensuring I am saved, assures me I only need faith “as small as a mustard seed.” But, I still have doubts as to whether I’m really saved because I don’t feel any different. Can you help?

A. The  notion that somehow we’re supposed to feel differently just because we’ve asked for salvation is not Biblical.  Sometimes people who are overwhelmed by the enormity of their sins feel a sense of release from the guilt they’ve been carrying.  But feelings are almost never a reliable indicator of behavior and can often cause us to go astray because feelings are of the flesh, not the Spirit.

In Matt. 7:7-8 Jesus promised that if we ask for salvation we’ll receive it, and that applies to everyone who asks, regardless of the person.   Our job is to believe His promise.  He has given you enough faith to ask for salvation (Ephes. 2:8-9) and has accepted responsibility for keeping you saved (2 Cor. 1:21-22) You need only take Him at His word and trust in Him to do what He has promised. The day will come when you will know beyond any doubt that you are His.