Do you think I am properly converted? I am not as happy as I thought I would be when I came to Christ, and I sometimes wonder if I have made a mistake.
Well, God in His great goodness gives us something better to rest upon than our happiness.
What is that?
His own Word in the Scriptures. Remember, He cannot lie. He means what He says and says what He means, and He has spoken for our assurance. Better still, He has written to us: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life." 1 John 5:1313These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13). Do you believe on the Son of God?
Oh, yes! I do! But my feelings change. One day I think I am all right because I am happy, but the next day I think that I am all wrong because my happy feelings are gone.
Look at the verse carefully then. It is not: "This happiness I have given unto you that ye may know," but, "These things have I written... that ye may know." The Word of God has been given to us. It never changes. Happy feelings and joyful experiences come and go, and will continue to come and go while we are here on earth. But the written Word of God remains unaltered. It is put before us in black and white so that we may have absolute assurance.
Then I am to trust in what God says in His written Word, and not depend on my feelings?
Yes! The tide ebbs and flows unceasingly around the shores, but the land remains unmoved. So our condition varies from day to day but the truth of God is still the same. It will abide forever, firmer than the firmest piece of land.
Then, can I know that I have eternal life regardless of whether the tide of my feelings is high or low?
Of course! Everyone who believes on the name of the Son of God is entitled to know that. "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." 1 John 5:2020And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20).