We are new creations in Christ Jesus.
But what happens when we don’t feel very new? What if we still feel like sinners or that God’s far away?
The answer is simple: our feelings aren’t always rooted in reality.
You’re allowed to feel however you feel, but when understanding God and what He’s done for us, we don’t trust our feelings — they can lead us astray like any other part of our sinful self.
Instead, we trust God’s Word in Holy Scripture.
Jesus promises in John 5:24: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
God’s Word makes us alive and new, regardless of how we feel about it.
When you don’t feel like a Christian, don’t look to your feelings — look to Scripture.
John 3:16 reminds us that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.”
Romans 8:16 tells us “the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
The Holy Spirit reminds us we belong to Christ through His Word.
Salvation doesn’t depend on us. It’s not earned by our works or efforts, but through Christ’s forgiveness.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Your salvation is sure not because of how you feel or what you’ve done, but because of what Jesus has done.
If you’ve been baptized, heard God’s Word preached, or received communion, then Christ has applied His salvation to you.
When struggling with feelings that you don’t belong or that Christ isn’t for you, remember: we all experience this.
In those times, trust not in feelings or thoughts, but in what Christ has said and done in His Word.
Contributor Chris Brademeyer is Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Oakes, ND.
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