What if I just don’t buy it?

[ldonjohn]

chrisRDBA, there are things in the bible that I don't fully understand like the Trinity, but I accept them. For many years I was confused about the meaning of "believe in Jesus" until I earnestly searched the scriptures while looking to God to show me the truth about the matter of "believing." I found my answer while reading the Gospel of John, and I want to explain what the Holy Spirit showed me by summing it up in a few short sentences as follows:
To believe in Jesus means to believe Jesus when he said in John 3:3 "......, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
To beleive in Jesus means to believe Jesus when he said in John 14:6 "... I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
To believe in Jesus means to believe him when just before he died, he said in John 19:30, "it is finished."
To believe in Jesus means to believe him when he said in John 6:37, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

Believe Him and leave that which you do not understand up to God.

Do you believe Him?

Regards,
John

 

[Sharon Hayes]

When you read the Bible, concentrate on the New Testament, and start with the Gospel of John and read this gospel three times before moving on.

That said, there is something you must understand. Jesus tells us God is a spirit, so His word is spiritual which means the Bible is not a book for academic learning. It is spiritual, supernatural, holy and God-given, which is why the carnal mind has trouble grasping it. Pray for understanding and read the gospels.

 

[chrisRDBA]

I appreciate the replies here. After posting this I decided to simply ignore what I don’t believe, and “pretend” to be a real Christian for 90 days and see where it goes. I’m reading the word, praying, going to church, hanging w other Christians, worshiping, and going to a Bible study.

We will see what happens. Thanks for all the encouragement.

 

[TGGIL]

WWJD. What Would Jesus Do?
That is my final answer about life as a Christian which my meaning to saying I am a Christian is to believe in God and God shows us in Human form that we can live a Holy Life, meaning a (glorious, happy, heavenly life) if we just accept God as your created Father of this entire Universe.
The rest after this, though will be difficult to maintain a WWJD attitude because there are too many others who will not follow or accept you and that's called crucification.
Eat pleasantly, Drink friendly, enjoy the fruit you grow.
Keep the peace, listen and don't talk unless a question is asked of you. Expect everything can happen at any given time and walk softy but carefully distancing yourself from known potholes in your path.
Be wise in conversation, never indulge yourself into anything that doesn't get along with others. Just stay away from harm, be gentle and kind, be wise and understanding.
Expect everyone can be an angel but many don't care, don't believe, won't follow you or even know what you mean to say.
So keep your mouth closed, watch with caring eyes and follow a path saying to yourself "What Would Jesus Do?" anytime you need a helping hand on your shoulder.
Trust in the Lord our God with Jesus being our example that living on Earth can be successful but the world will try to Kill you along your way.
Have no Fear, God is always near. Believe in yourself both front and back because your are guarded with God' Armor, but do not be a King or a Master.
Better to serve then to lead those who try hard not to follow. Serving will be your weakness but your strength is the faith you present for God to others.
This may look weak by others when you appear a servant, but you will be leading your path smiling that God has your life in his hands.

Be yourself, look into your mirror, ask God to take your life, meaning to (Kill all the confusion inside you) about this world that you have come to the final conclusion, where wisdom of all this world is to simply give your life up for God. Yes die on your cross for God. Be like Jesus until you can't be him anymore.
Raise yourself up after death and live a life dedicated to Love and God in any order because these two words mean the same.
TGGIL

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Greetings. I’ve been struggling w the whole Christ/ church/ Bible thing for over a decade.

I wish I could believe whatever I read in the Bible, or at least most of it, but I just can’t.…. But here’s the catch — I believe in Christ and the resurrection. Resurrection itself would be supernatural, so I have no problem believing Jesus is the son of God. I believe God created the universe and everything in it. I’ve also seen things happen with no earthly explanation available, and have no problem calling it a miracle.

However, I dont believe in any of these things because the Bible says so. I believe in all of them because there’s enough scientific and/ or historical evidence to prove them. I’ve read a lot of articles and watched countless YouTube videos of really smart guys on these topics that have convinced me.
Unfortunately, there’s no such evidence to prove a guy was in a fishes belly for 3 days then barfed out and survived. Nothing to prove staffs turned into snakes then back to staffs gain. Definitely nothing to prove the contents of Revelations is more of a real prophecy than what Joseph Smith saw in a corn field. Note these are examples off the top of my head, I could probably have dozens more if I wanted to type it all out. I simply don’t believe everything in the Bible just because the Bible says so.

I want to believe all of it. I’ve prayed about this stuff countless times. I’ve dove more into the Bible, talked to pastors, had people pray for me, etc. but nothing seems to convince me. My wife is tired of my up and down nature on this stuff. So am I quite frankly, it’s exhausting.

Where I’m at currently with all of this is I’m going to pretend I’m a real Christian for 90 days and see what happens. I’ll be in church, read the Bible, pray earnestly, worship throughout the day, maybe even hang w some Christians. At the end of that time Ill either be in or out, but I cannot keep beating my head on this wall any longer.

Any other advice on what I can do in that time? Again, I really want to be convinced of it all. Before anyone says “you believe in the important stuff, don’t worry about the rest”— I assure you I’ve been told that at least a dozen times. If I could I would.

Note that I’m no highly educated/ scholarly/ scientific kind of guy. Just a regular guy that cannot believe in a book because the book says I should.

Thanks!

If I were in your shoes, which in a way I am, I'd study Epistemology, Historiography and the Philosophy of History to mediate my expectations about the nature of written history and the actual past. However, doing what you're planning on doing for 90 days doesn't hurt either.

 

[ldonjohn]

ChrisRDBA, there are many things in the Bible that I do not understand, but I accept them are being true because I am convinced that the Bible is the absolute TRUTH. Before I became a true "believer" I attended church & pretended to be a Christian, but actually I was living in darkness & doubt; doubting if God was real or if the bible was true. I wanted to "believe in Jesus,' and tried to make myself believe, but for some reason that never worked out for me. It seemed that no matter how much I told myself that "I believe in Jesus" for some reason I still could not find anything that convinced me what "believing in Jesus" means. I talked to preachers & other Christians, read bible tracts, read books about salvation, etc. There was no internet back then so there was no way for me to communicate on a forum like this.
After several miserable years of living the fake Christian life, and never finding an answer to my doubts I finally gave up on myself, and one night I looked up at the ceiling in my bedroom and said a prayer to the God who I wasn't sure existed. I asked if God would show me how to believe in Jesus.
The next day I did something I had never done outside of church; I found the family bible, dusted it off and opened it to the Gospel of John. Immediately as I began to read from John1:1 I noticed that something was different from the times I had read the same verses in church. This time there was something inside of me that was helping me to understand the words I was reading. It was as though in the past I was reading the bible in darkness, but this time I had some light. The more I read in the Gospel of John the brighter that light became. By the time I got to the 6th chapter of John I was convinced that God is real, that the Bible is TRUTH, and that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. (Yes, I had heard about Jesus dying on the cross many times, but I just did not "get it" until that night while sitting at the kitchen table reading the Gospel of John.)
I can say with certainty that the Holy Spirit convinced me of the truth of God's Word and convinced me that Jesus paid the penalty for my sin problem when He died on the cross, and that he paid that penalty "in full." IOW, the Holy Spirit turned on the light for me and I "got it." Immediately, an enormous sense of relief overwhelmed my troubled soul as all of my "trying" to believe became "I can't stop myself from believing." My life changed that night. I had previously thought than there was no way I could ever know for sure that God was real and/or that I had genuinely believed in Jesus. That night, over 50 years ago, I found a peace that is impossible to explain to anyone who has never experienced that peace for themselves. Today I still have that peace, and yes, there are still a lot of things in the Bible that I do not understand, but I do not fret about it because I DO understand the most important message of God's Word, and that is that Jesus paid my sin debt to God "in full."
I will close this post by giving a summary of what God has shown me over the years about believing in Jesus.
To believe in Jesus means:
To believe Jesus when he told Nicodemus in John 3:3 "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
To believe Jesus when he said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father, but by me."
To believe Jesus when he said in John 19:30, "it is finished"
To believe Jesus when he said in John 6:37, "All the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

I found my answer in God's Word. Praise His name.

Regards,

John

 

[com7fy8]

I appreciate the replies here. After posting this I decided to simply ignore what I don’t believe, and “pretend” to be a real Christian for 90 days and see where it goes. I’m reading the word, praying, going to church, hanging w other Christians, worshiping, and going to a Bible study.

We will see what happens. Thanks for all the encouragement.

I went through a few times trying to get with Jesus, then losing my faith. My main problem was how I could self-righteously look down on other people, for being less moral than me, and I could despise women who were not so beautiful.

So, I was an all-out conceit fanatic!

And I did not even see it. Climbing up some religious totem pole to reach the Jesus at the top is not what works.

I needed to simply trust in Jesus in order for Him to do what He wants with me, and then discover what He would do with me, even at each moment.

And God is quiet . . . never silent; but we humans can be so noisy, with our anger and questioning and . . .

unforgiveness.

And there can be stuff in us that would keep us worrying and hurrying and scurrying, so we don't settle down and be still and know that God is the One to trust, and submit to how He guides us and takes care of us >

"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

 

[CoreyD]

Greetings. I’ve been struggling w the whole Christ/ church/ Bible thing for over a decade.

I wish I could believe whatever I read in the Bible, or at least most of it, but I just can’t.…. But here’s the catch — I believe in Christ and the resurrection. Resurrection itself would be supernatural, so I have no problem believing Jesus is the son of God. I believe God created the universe and everything in it. I’ve also seen things happen with no earthly explanation available, and have no problem calling it a miracle.

However, I dont believe in any of these things because the Bible says so. I believe in all of them because there’s enough scientific and/ or historical evidence to prove them. I’ve read a lot of articles and watched countless YouTube videos of really smart guys on these topics that have convinced me.
Unfortunately, there’s no such evidence to prove a guy was in a fishes belly for 3 days then barfed out and survived. Nothing to prove staffs turned into snakes then back to staffs gain. Definitely nothing to prove the contents of Revelations is more of a real prophecy than what Joseph Smith saw in a corn field. Note these are examples off the top of my head, I could probably have dozens more if I wanted to type it all out. I simply don’t believe everything in the Bible just because the Bible says so.

I want to believe all of it. I’ve prayed about this stuff countless times. I’ve dove more into the Bible, talked to pastors, had people pray for me, etc. but nothing seems to convince me. My wife is tired of my up and down nature on this stuff. So am I quite frankly, it’s exhausting.

Where I’m at currently with all of this is I’m going to pretend I’m a real Christian for 90 days and see what happens. I’ll be in church, read the Bible, pray earnestly, worship throughout the day, maybe even hang w some Christians. At the end of that time Ill either be in or out, but I cannot keep beating my head on this wall any longer.

Any other advice on what I can do in that time? Again, I really want to be convinced of it all. Before anyone says “you believe in the important stuff, don’t worry about the rest”— I assure you I’ve been told that at least a dozen times. If I could I would.

Note that I’m no highly educated/ scholarly/ scientific kind of guy. Just a regular guy that cannot believe in a book because the book says I should.

Thanks!

I like your attitude of making sure you have convincing evidence, and proving to yourself what is true. Romans 12:2
Just believing because... isn't what is recommended, and neither is forcing yourself to believe. 1 John 4:1
Once one is totally convinced, they can persuade others, because it will be clear to others that your faith is not wishy washy, Philipians 4:5; 1 Timothy 4:15

I have found these words to be true:
Deuteronomy 32:47 - These instructions are not empty words - they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy....”

I have seen that the Bible contains practical wisdom, that if the whole world were to choose to live by its advice, 90% of the world's problems would be solved.
The police force would be significantly reduced (they might only be needed in to regulate traffic). Government spending would be greatly reduced.
The military would only be needed to render aid during natural disasters. Government spending reduced even more.
Health would improve as heart attacks and stroke is significantly reduced, because negative stress is at a minimum, and lung cancer and other cancers, from using tobacco, and other harmful substances are eliminated.
There are no drunk drivers. No road rage. No wife beaters. No cuss outs... and this list gets very long.
Unwanted teenaged pregnancy is at zero. Abortions at at zero. Child sexual abuse is gone. Human trafficking is eliminated. ect. ect.

Wait. Hold on. That doesn't leave Satan anything. Nor the fallen flesh.
So let's retract. There will still be room for people to give in to temptations, and their sinful inclinations, so let's say, that if everyone lived by Bible principles, there will be a significant reduction in all the afore mentioned things, which is proof that the Bible is no empty word, and is not man-made.
It is as David expressed it... The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! - Psalm 111:10, and Solomon described it... For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity, Proverbs 2:6, 7

The words of 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 prove true, for this, and Other reasons.

What Joshua said, is also true... "you know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the LORD your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed." Joshua 23:14
Every prophecy uttered in the Bible has come true exactly as prophesied.
We have reason then to trust that the Bible has divine authorship, and is not the word of men.
We can also trust that future promises can be relied upon, and there is no need to fear the expectations coming upon this system, nor those man believes will occur - like the 'Big Crunch', ect.
Fulfilled prophecy, is one of the greatest evidences, the Bible can be completely trusted, even when some things may seem hard to believe.

I believe in Christ and the resurrection. Resurrection itself would be supernatural, so I have no problem believing Jesus is the son of God. I believe God created the universe and everything in it. I’ve also seen things happen with no earthly explanation available, and have no problem calling it a miracle.

There is enough scientific evidence to convince one that there is a creator of the universe, our earth, and the things in them, which is what the Bible says. in more than one place. Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 146:6; Acts 4:24; Acts 14:15; Revelation 5:13

The abundant fruit and other beneficial forms of matter, give clear evidence that God knew we were coming. It was no accident, or chance occurrence.
The abundant water is there, because we need it.

I'm am glad you believe that God created the universe and everything in it.
I would be glad to hear why you believe that, since you don't just believe.
I'll also like to ask, why you don't think that it's possible for God to keep a man in a fish's belly for three days, if you believe in miracles.
Why do you think something could not happen when man's understanding is so limited, and he does not know everything?

For example, you perhaps, by now, have heard about the man that was swallowed by a fish, and survived. If for half of a minute, why not three days?
We do not know what kind of fish swallowed Jonah - its size, ect. Nor do we know how God would have intervened. So, what reason do we have for not believing, and thinking that it could not happen?
What reason do you have?

 

[Lost4words]

Greetings. I’ve been struggling w the whole Christ/ church/ Bible thing for over a decade.

I wish I could believe whatever I read in the Bible, or at least most of it, but I just can’t.…. But here’s the catch — I believe in Christ and the resurrection. Resurrection itself would be supernatural, so I have no problem believing Jesus is the son of God. I believe God created the universe and everything in it. I’ve also seen things happen with no earthly explanation available, and have no problem calling it a miracle.

However, I dont believe in any of these things because the Bible says so. I believe in all of them because there’s enough scientific and/ or historical evidence to prove them. I’ve read a lot of articles and watched countless YouTube videos of really smart guys on these topics that have convinced me.
Unfortunately, there’s no such evidence to prove a guy was in a fishes belly for 3 days then barfed out and survived. Nothing to prove staffs turned into snakes then back to staffs gain. Definitely nothing to prove the contents of Revelations is more of a real prophecy than what Joseph Smith saw in a corn field. Note these are examples off the top of my head, I could probably have dozens more if I wanted to type it all out. I simply don’t believe everything in the Bible just because the Bible says so.

I want to believe all of it. I’ve prayed about this stuff countless times. I’ve dove more into the Bible, talked to pastors, had people pray for me, etc. but nothing seems to convince me. My wife is tired of my up and down nature on this stuff. So am I quite frankly, it’s exhausting.

Where I’m at currently with all of this is I’m going to pretend I’m a real Christian for 90 days and see what happens. I’ll be in church, read the Bible, pray earnestly, worship throughout the day, maybe even hang w some Christians. At the end of that time Ill either be in or out, but I cannot keep beating my head on this wall any longer.

Any other advice on what I can do in that time? Again, I really want to be convinced of it all. Before anyone says “you believe in the important stuff, don’t worry about the rest”— I assure you I’ve been told that at least a dozen times. If I could I would.

Note that I’m no highly educated/ scholarly/ scientific kind of guy. Just a regular guy that cannot believe in a book because the book says I should.

Thanks!

The Bible as we know it was not around until much later in Christianity.

Faith is what is important. True belief in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Bible has and is massively misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Just keep praying about your concerns. God will guide you. Try not to focus on the details in the Bible. Focus on the words of Jesus. Learn by Him. Let Him be your guide.

God bless you my friend

 

[CoreyD]

The Bible as we know it was not around until much later in Christianity.

That's true, but the Bible was always around as it was known from the ancient nation of Israel, in the form of the Torah, Psalms, and the Prophets.
It's the Bible Jesus and his apostles used.

It was only the earliest followers of Jesus, that had his words, which they wrote for people living after them. That's the purpose of God having his words written down. Without it, we are lost, and left to the wolfs in sheep covering.

Later, the early disciples used the letters of the apostles, and disciples of the Christian congregation.
Still later, the early church used all those combined, and later - today, we used all put together.
Without the Bible there would be no Christianity, since Christ fulfilled all that was written in the then known Bible - the Law, Prophet, and Psalms.
Matthew 26:54-56; Luke 24:44

Faith is what is important. True belief in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

How could one learn about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, without the Bible?
They could not, because they would be listening to - not the nation of Israel, who had clear proof of Moses' leadership, and the pillar of cloud, and fire, but people who said whatever they believe... as is the case today.
Proverbs 28:9; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

The Bible has and is massively misunderstood and misinterpreted.

You can say that again.
Some don't even think you need to use it. Which is a big misunderstanding.

Just keep praying about your concerns. God will guide you.

That's good advice. I certainly agree with that.

Try not to focus on the details in the Bible. Focus on the words of Jesus. Learn by Him. Let Him be your guide.

Looking to Jesus and following his example, and teachings is certainly a good thing to do. Philippians 2:5

However, how does one focus on the words of Jesus and at the same time not focus on the details of the Bible, when Jesus said this:
Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17

Were the Beroeans not commended because they "searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Acts 17:10, 11

This is why we need the scripture. So that we do not just have people to listen to.
This often leads to being misled, as so many millions are.