Emotionalism vs. Salvation

Emotion vs. Salvation

“I cried a lot.” I have had many students say this to me as an indication that God has saved them. Although I do believe God can bring people to tears over their sin, Christians must be careful not to use emotion as the indication of salvation or even that a service was good. The thing that Christians must be careful not to do is begin to worship the emotional high we get from a worship service, but rather the Creator. Losing sight of God as the center of salvation and our worship can bring about false worship and false salvation.

Christians must ground themselves in what the Gospel teaches. True salvation may or may not bring about emotion. However, true salvation will bring about transformation (Romans 12:1-2). Churches put so much emphasis on baptism that they lose sight of discipleship. Baptism numbers can be high, but the question the church must ask itself is, “Are these that are being baptized producing fruit?” In other words these new Christians should be sharing their story with others. They should be inviting people to church. They should be actively involved in their local church. A transformed soul of Jesus, whether they have cried or not, will produce fruit. Mathew 7:15-20 tells us this much, “You will recognize them by their fruit.” Emotionalism may produce temporary results, but true salvation will create a burning desire in the Christians heart that cannot be quenched by persecution or mockery.