What if I don't feel saved?

I have heard many questions/concerns around one's assurance of personal salvation. Many Christians fear that they have lost their salvation or perhaps they were never saved in the first place when troubling circumstances confront them. This is a reality in the Christian realm and the Bible speaks directly towards these negative feelings/notions. So how can one know with confidence that they are saved eternally and that they are eternally secure in Christ regardless of feelings, emotions, negative events/circumstances that may arise?

The Bible is clear that salvation is a one-time transaction. It occurs the moment anyone personally believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4, Eph. 1:12-14). The Gospel (good news) is that Jesus Christ died for all your sins (past, present, future sins) and He rose victoriously from the grave, achieving God the Father's requirement for salvation/Heaven; when you believe (trust) the Gospel for your salvation, you are accepting Jesus as your personal Savior. Accepting Jesus as your Savior is accepting your eternal life in that moment (John 3:15-18, 6:47, Rom. 6:23, 1 Pet. 1:3-5, 1 John 1:1-4, 5:9-13, 20) Notice I underlined the personal pronouns to demonstrate your salvation is unique to your faith. God knows your heart when/if you really believed on His Son Jesus Christ for salvation (Acts 15:7-9)

So, you can see that being "saved" has nothing to do with feelings, emotions, or life circumstances (good or bad). Salvation is an act of faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ which places the believer "in" Jesus Christ; and once you are "in" Jesus, you will never be oust (John 6:37-39, 10:28-30, Eph. 1, Phil. 3:9, Heb. 13:5, 1 John 5:9-13).

The problem that arises with Christians is they attribute feelings of discouragement, defeat, anxiety, and depression with loss of salvation or never being saved in the first place. These feelings cause an individual to be emotionally distraught. The Apostle Peter addresses the key to having assurance in your Christian faith:

"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ,  to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to  glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this,  giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.   Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.  Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance" (2 Pet. 1:1-15)

The passage above is lengthy but as you study it intently you will find Peter telling us that we are to add godly traits to our Christian faith in order to prevent negative emotions/thoughts that may trigger feelings of losing your salvation or never feeling you were saved in the first place. In short, if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you, and you will feel His presence in your life (James 4:8). The other key to defeating negative thoughts/emotions of lost salvation/never saved are to daily remind yourself of your salvation in Jesus Christ. John the Apostle heavily emphasizes this truth that we are to remind ourselves of the Gospel of our salvation (1 John 1:1-4, 2:20-29; see all of 1 John).

Remember, salvation is never lost once accepted because Jesus is the Savior and God accomplishes salvation in us through the Holy Spirit (Luke 2:11, Rom. 5:10, Eph. 4:30, 2 John 1:2), but negative feelings can disguise themselves as feelings of loss of salvation because your joy has been robbed; King David in the Old Testament experienced this loss of joy in his salvation (Psa. 51:12). The Devil is always seeking to make you feel neglected and/or rejected (John 10:10). "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

God wants all to be saved, understanding and acquiring the knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4).