I Feel – Therefore I Believe

Virginia Stem Owens, an English professor, was teaching a class at Texas A&M University, 25 years ago. When Owens asked her students to read the Sermon on the Mount, she was a bit stunned by the written responses of her students.

“I had expected them to have at least a nodding acquaintance with the reading and to express a modicum of piety in their written responses. After all, Texas has always been considered at least marginally part of the Bible Belt.”

The first paper I picked up began, “In my opinion religion is one big hoax.” I was mildly surprised since this came from a student who had never expressed a single iconoclastic notion the entire semester. I glanced at the opening sentence of the next paper: “There is an old saying that ‘you shouldn’t believe everything you read’ and it applies in this case.”[1]

Owens realized that very few students had ever read the Sermon on the Mount before. Not only that, whether her students were familiar with the Bible or not, but the consensus of the class was also that they found the sermon to be quite offensive. 

It was not surprising that most of her students were flabbergasted. Many were shocked by Jesus’ teaching. For instance:

“I did not like the ‘Sermon the Mount.’ It was hard to read and made me feel like I had to be perfect, and no one is.”

“The things asked in this sermon are absurd. To look at a woman is adultery? That is the most extreme, stupid, un-human statement that I have ever heard.”[2]

The student’s feelings obviously stemmed from the way it made them view themselves and how they were conducting their lives. They didn’t realize they were experiencing conviction over their own sinfulness.

St. Augustine said: “We love the truth when it enlightens us, we hate the truth when it convicts us.” These students did not like the conviction they were experiencing and therefore they were hostile toward the words of Jesus.

Think about what was happening. These students lived with the belief that, “If I feel it is right for me that’s all that matters. I’m going to do what is right in my own eyes.” Yet this is the same problem that God’s people experienced in the Old Testament. Once they reached the promised land, they were riddled with horrific acts, conflict, and human misery.

Whenever peace was restored, the Israelites would fall back into the same cyclical pattern. The cycle would be repeated over and over in the book of Judges. The final words in the book of Judges explains why they experienced such hardships. “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (21:25) In other words, they did what they felt was right and not what was right in the sight of God.

In a recent survey about American’s worldviews, George Barna noted that feelings are the new compass. Three out of four adults (74%) say feelings—not Scripture, science, or tradition—determine right from wrong. [3]

That is a tacit admission that we—and neither God nor any other external source—are the sole or primary judge of truth in our lives. Moral pluralism is now mainstream. Nearly six out of 10 people believe conflicting moral views can all be right. Even among those with a biblical worldview, 23% buy into that contradiction.[4]

In the New Testament, Jesus reveals to us what is right and true. But that doesn’t mean that truth is always well received. When Jesus confronted a crowd of Jews, he asks them, “Why are you seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth…” (John 8:40).

Obviously, some of the Jews didn’t like being told the truth, especially when it contradicted their lifestyle. And, it was not just a disagreement they had with Jesus over what each other thought was true. That could have been a situation where people just agreed to disagree. No, they were prepared to kill him for the inconvenient truth he told them. So much for tolerance and inclusion. It was a problem in Jesus’ time and it still is.

Mankind, in their depravity, is in a paradoxical situation. Jesus explains it by referring to Himself as the true Light. He says in John 3:19, “the Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds are evil.” You would think people would welcome the Light that Jesus brings. But apparently, no one likes to be told their life or lifestyle is wrong, especially when they are in love with their darkness. Nor do they like to hear that their actions are evil. Truth can be transformational and should be welcomed news, even if it is uncomfortable. But like Jesus, others have found out that being truthful can be perilous.

John the Baptist spoke the truth and that was the reason he was beheaded. Herod had John arrested and imprisoned because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had taken Herodias from his brother and married her himself. John confronted the two of them publicly and told them this was unlawful in the sight of God. Herodias hated John because he spoke the truth. His confrontation was truthful, but she loved the darkness of her lifestyle. She seethed over this truth and despised him. She had him beheaded at the first opportunity.

When Moses gave the law to the people of Israel, one of the central truths he underscored in Deuteronomy 12:8 was, “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes.” Moses was clear – the idea that everyone should get to define for himself what is right and what is true is a recipe for moral depravity and chaos. It was true then it's true today.

We must remember, without truth, there is no love. God loves us enough to tell us the truth, even if that truth makes us uncomfortable. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, he wasn’t saying there are other options for truth. He didn’t say I am one truth among many. He said, “I am the truth.” That’s why he could say with certainty to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

If you are seeking for truth, don’t rely on your feelings, turn to Jesus. He is the embodiment of truth. Only his truth will set you free.

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[1] Clarke Morledge, Why People Hate the Sermon on the Mount, (Virginia Owens), https://sharedveracity.net/2017/10/10/why-people-hate-the-sermon-on-the-mount-virginia-stem-owens/, October 10, 2017.

[2] Andy Nesli, Why People hate the Sermon on the Mount, https://andynaselli.com/why-people-hate-the-sermon-on-the-mount, November 13, 2012.

[3] George Barna, Survey Reveals Significant Shifts in Faith Allegiance and Growing Confusion about Moral Truth, https://georgebarna.com/2025/05/confusion-about-moral-truth/, May 2, 2025.

[4] Ibid.