Well that meeting was tonight. They talked about what the Book of Mormon was, and how it was the most correct book on earth, the prophet Joseph Smith, and the story of how the Book of Mormon came to be. And I asked them one simple question, "How do you know it's true?" Seems simple enough of a question right? Well it opened up a huge can of worms called, "feelings". From that point on, they talked about their, "feelings" and how they prayed, asked god to confirm the Book of Mormon was true, and god gave them good "feelings". Both boys then proceeded to tell me how they feel god speaks to them and how they think he talks to them in a way that makes them feel good. And, if they "feel" good that is a good sign they are in the right direction, and if they "feel" bad, they are in the wrong direction. This went on for the remainder of the night.
But as Morris Albert's song, Feelings suggests...they are nothing more but - feelings. Assurance is based on the authority of God's word. When you meet God's conditions, as revealed in His word, you can be assured that you are a child of God. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His word.
But as Morris Albert's song, Feelings suggests...they are nothing more but - feelings. Assurance is based on the authority of God's word. When you meet God's conditions, as revealed in His word, you can be assured that you are a child of God. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His word.
This train diagram illustrates the relationship between fact (God and His Word), Faith (our trust in God's Word), and feelings (the results of our experiences to God's Word). Fact is the engine that pulls everything else. God's word does not change, it's powered by itself. It runs by itself without the aid of the other cars or caboose. God's word is sustained all by itself and doesn't need anyone else to keep it going. Faith, is pulled by God's word. Though a person's faith may change, God's word does not. Our faith is pulled by the self-sustaining objective truth revealed in God's Word...Christ Jesus. Feelings are the result of our faith based on fact. It is the fruit of what is produced. But feelings change, and are not objective truth, nor would I even consider them subjective truth. Feelings change and are different from person to person. Sometimes I feel like reading God's word. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I feel like I'm a good Christian, and sometimes I feel like a complete pagan. The fact is...I am a Christian based on how God describes a Christian in the Bible.
You may be thinking though, "How do you know the Bible is true?" or "How do you know the Book of Mormon is true...or not true?" There are several tests we can give the engine of the train to see if it really is fact. Unfortunately we have to do that in the next blog post. Stay tuned for my next blog post on testing objective truth.
You may be thinking though, "How do you know the Bible is true?" or "How do you know the Book of Mormon is true...or not true?" There are several tests we can give the engine of the train to see if it really is fact. Unfortunately we have to do that in the next blog post. Stay tuned for my next blog post on testing objective truth.
