Emotional Sight Walkers
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor. 5:7.) To walk by faith is to walk according to the will of God as it is revealed in His word. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom. 10:17.) Those who walk by faith obey the commandments of God without question and believe the promises contingent upon obedience to those commandments. When God speaks, it is enough! Faith asks, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Sight asks, "Lord, why do you want me to do it?" Faith obeys while sight raises an objection or seeks a way out.
We may think that we are walking by faith when actually we are not. God's ways and our ways just happened to coincide for a time. Then when something arises which forces a choice between God's way and our way, the desire to do as we please dominates and we spurn the Lord's way. It certainly cannot be said that we are walking by faith if in every crucial test where a conflict arises we question the wisdom of God and stubbornly do as we please. Where is faith in such a course?
Those who subscribe to an extreme emotional religion walk by sight instead of by faith. Of course, a Christian is not a cold unfeeling machine but neither is he one who is ruled by his emotions. Why do some refuse to walk by faith? To emotional religionists, walking by faith is just not startling enough. They desire something mystical and sensational. The word of God as the standard and guide for life is simply too plain to hold their attention. Thus the Holy Spirit must not operate through the word of God (as the Bible teaches), but he must operate in some direct, unknown, mysterious, "better-felt-than-told" capacity. Religious people who are thus guided are "sight walkers." They are ruled by their own emotions and whims and, sadly enough, soon lead themselves to believe that they have risen above the level of being guided by God's Word. The emotionalists will refuse to accept the Bible as a standard for religious discussion. They wouldn't "trade their feelings for a million Bibles." Furthermore, they seem to feel that they are above human reason and argument. Logic and consistency mean nothing to them. It becomes almost impossible to reach them with truth, because their emotions are too overwhelming to be offset by argument. As well try to check the wind by argument as to overthrow erroneous convictions based on overpowering emotions. Emotional "sight walkers" have mistakenly enthroned their feelings instead of God. Their feelings occupy the place which was meant for God to have.
With emotions enthroned, any impulse can be interpreted to be the voice of God. A thrill or ripple of excitement may be believed to be a divine call. Thus the emotionalist assumes no responsibility for sin. When confronted with a choice between participation in an evil act and fleeing from the evil, the "sight walker" accepts the impulse to sin as a revelation of the approval of God, and he indulges. When confronted with the Biblical evidence of his sinful act, he excuses himself by stating that he knows God wouldn't guide him to do something wrong. The "sight walker" launches himself out, says "God guide me," and places all responsibility for his actions on God.
The "sight walker" does untold harm when he exercises his evangelistic fervor. Usually he instructs the sinner to kneel by a mourner's bench or its equivalent and "pray through" to God. How different he is from the inspired Peter who told sinners, ". . . . Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for . the remission of sins . . . ." (Acts 2:38.) But the sinner being taught by the "sight walker" is taught to look for a feeling of some sort to take possession of him. When this happens, and he feels peaceful (or perhaps otherwise), supposedly he has broken through the barrier which God has erected and God has saved him. Most people, if emotional at all, can get some sort of feeling. It could be anything, but it's usually interpreted to be the entering of the Spirit and the assurance of salvation. It has been compared to seeing something white in a cemetery at night; no one knows what it is but everyone thinks it's a ghost.
Let us contrast the above procedure with a Bible example of conversion. The Philippian jailor believed "and was baptized, he and all his, straightway." (Acts 16:33.) Then he rejoiced. (Acts 16:34.) According to the statement of Jesus, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved . . . ." (Mark 16:16), the jailor was saved when his faith prompted him to be baptized. His emotional experience, joy, was a result of his obedience and knowledge of salvation, not a proof of salvation. Faith obeys and is content to accept God at his word. Some feel that they manifest faith when they call upon God to send a sign (feeling) as proof of their salvation. But they walk by sight. Faith obeys the commandments of God and accepts the promise of salvation by grace without question.
The one who walks by faith does not say, "I am a believer but . . . ." Faith says, "I am a believer therefore . . . ." Faith accepts the word of God who cannot lie; sight raises an objection and demands more than the word of truth