Am I still a "Christian"?

[112358]

Don't think for a moment that I don't consider every side of this issue. In fact, part of why I feel so bad is I wonder if maybe I have angered God so much by my sin and that is why I don't feel Him. Most Christians tell me that this is a lie from hell. However, believe me, I have done everything you said that a Christian does. However, due to mental and emotional issues, including addictions, I struggle with some of the same sins daily (some for almost 20 years). So, I have tried repenting but as far as not habitually sinning, no.

Here is my biggest dilemma: Everyone has a different opinion and/or interpretation of the bible. I ask a question, I get an answer from many people. Each one unique in its own way. I am told that my interpretation is wrong and to read the bible or get disciplined. However, when I read the bible, I get an understanding of it that I feel is right. Then I check it with someone else. I'm BOUND to have someone disagree with what I got out of it. Someone can tell me that I am wrong because the Holy Spirit told them so. Or that they are just so very sure. However, I cannot speak with the original writers to confirm if YOU are right are wrong. So, in the end, it's ALL HUMANS who are giving me the answer. I NEVER can know who to trust. So, I have come to learn that if I have the right intentions to learn the truth, that God will give that to me. And no matter WHAT, someone is going to disagree with me.

It is difficult to have this discussion without quoting A LOT of scripture, but because at issue are not just the various "interpretations" of scripture we encounter, but (if I understand correctly) the validity of scripture itself, I will attempt to proceed at this point without using scripture as the basis of my commentary.

This is why I said in my original response that your first goal, the MOST important thing you must determine for yourself is confirmation of the inspiration and authority of the Bible. Is it in fact the very words of God? How can that be proven as an incontrovertible fact? I suggest that there are mountains of evidence, historical records, immutable laws of nature (which are a likeness themselves of immutable spiritual laws), for example that lead a rationally thinking person to the conclusion that the Bible is the word of God. Then, when one discovers all the ways that the Bible proves itself time and again, they can approach it with the appropriate frame of reference, which is that it is the source of all truth, all authority, the complete revelation of God's will to mankind. Without it there is no such thing as love, authority, justice, morality, goodness (or evil for that matter). Hence my previous comment that without the inspired Word, literally "anything goes".

Only when one is able to start from this point of reference can one begin to deal with the various "interpretations" described above. If it is God's Word, then only one interpretation matters in the end, and that is GOD'S interpretation. Would the Creator not equip his creation with the ability to align with His divine will? Of course He would. His plan for doing so was set before He breathed His creation into existence. First, He spoke directly His will to mankind through the patriarchs. Second, He did so through Moses and the prophets. Third, He did so through Jesus Christ and His apostles, whom He equipped with the Spirit to deliver His will (the Word) "once and for all".

God has always established His truths (both natural and spiritual) by miraculous means. Thereafter those truths are governed by the laws with which they are associated. In the natural world, for example, He created all living things. Thereafter their existence is governed by His law that "like begets like", or in other words, "all living things reproduce after their own kind". This is why you don't sow tomato seeds expecting to reap corn. This is fact that cannot be refuted.

At risk of rambling I'll pause here and reiterate: You MUST determine whether or not you accept the Bible as the inspired, authoritative, Word of God. There is simply no point in proceeding further from there.

 

[Tony Hyman]

The last couple of years has been the journey to find purpose and meaning in life, and more importantly, my identity. Yes, I may have been sick of being a Christian. More accurately, I was sick of playing a part I thought I needed to play when there was no play to begin with. I am tired of going through the motions in life. Instead, I’m allowing myself to be human and not feel like the scum of the earth no matter how bad of a day I am having.

My “religious beliefs” have evolved over the past few years. I’m the most liberal I’ve ever been. I still believe in Jesus and that He is the only way to the Father. However, I believe there are many ways to Jesus. I’m ditching the fear that I’m somehow a “bad” Christian (or worse, a heretic) for having some of the beliefs that I have. Many times, I feel like I should be afraid because I (currently) have an incorrect belief about a specific topic. I have started to doubt and question some things that I have been so indoctrinated to believe since I grew up in the church. It is a scary feeling to have a crisis of faith. For some reason, something deep down inside my soul just needs to be OKAY. Sometimes, I feel that God is saying that he loves me no matter what I believe. This doesn’t mean saying I am not a Christian. This means that I am a person who is saved by Jesus’ work on the cross and that is what saves me, not my current set of beliefs and/or doubts. I am just so tired of being boxed in my Christian dogma. I think the church limits God and possibilities so much. I feel that my mind is so deep and so far beyond what is taught at the church—like light years ahead— that it bores me to tears. I’m not saying this to be rude or to look down on others that aren’t where I am.

Some people may even question my salvation over the thoughts, ideas, and assumptions I have about God, his character, and the afterlife. I must NO longer allow myself to be condemned or criticized for the set of doctrines I now subscribe to. What I believe is based on the limited experience and knowledge I have at 34 years old. I’m so much more open-minded about things and I feel more alive for it. My worldview is not static (except for the belief in God himself). If I come across knowledge that challenges my current set of beliefs, I will analyze it and make an informed decision instead of just blindly believing what I am told. Having the right set of beliefs, doctrines, dogma and attending the right denomination do not “save” you.

Things I believe 100%:

There is a God— the source, the light, —He is a person and is love.
The SOURCE/LIGHT came to earth in a human body as Jesus/Yeshua. He lived the life Adam should have lived. He showed love throughout all pain, rejection, shame to show it is superior to everything else. He died for our sins (save us from ourselves) and rose again to give us hope of eternal life after death. This is the gospel.
We are to live like Jesus to the best of our ability. We are to love God with all of our hearts, minds, soul, and strength and our neighbors as ourselves.
Things I am 90% sure of:

The Bible we have today–in large part, or in whole, is the scripture. There may be errors in it (which don’t change the overall message). There may be books missing. There may be books that could still be written. I am NOT convinced that there can be no new scripture (many Christians may call this heresy but I don’t care).
There is no place of eternal torment for humans. There is no mention in the old testament of this an “eternal” hell. I believe the biggest lie of Satan himself is that humans could ever go to a place like this. The new testament’s references of hell are taken out of context or even translated incorrectly.
People who have never heard of Jesus can still be “saved”. Meaning, He did the work on the cross. The bible alludes to those who live according to their conscience and knowledge that there is a God are judged by what they actually know. Many NDEs indicate that people (some even atheists) can cry out to Jesus after clinical death and he “saves” them. This could mean there is one more chance before the actual “judgment”. (Just a theory)
Things I am 75% sure of:

Before we are born, we already exist as a spirit. We choose to come to earth so that we can test our faith and learn lessons. I believe our brains limit our ability to perceive everything in the spiritual realm so that it does not distract us from the goals God has for us on Earth. Eben Alexander speaks to this in his NDE.
Things I am willing to be open-minded about:

In addition to being a spirit before we were born, I believe it may be possible that we have been here before and reincarnate as many times as we need to achieve whatever spiritual goals we may have (or that God has for us). The Bible alludes to this regarding Elijah “returning” as John the Baptist.
In the end, everyone is “saved”. No soul is lost. We may go through “hells” to learn from mistakes, but every discipline has a restorative value to it.
This list of beliefs will be added to and amended many times throughout my lifetime(s).

What started all this was to question my belief in a God that would torment souls for all eternity just for not getting it right in a limited timespan on Earth with a limited brain (sometimes affected by mental/emotional/physical disorders). To God and how infinitely smart he is compared to us— our brains are less than a goldfish. And we could be trusted to make all the right decisions to NOT end up in a place of eternal torment? “I just can’t believe—in your hell anymore!” -Bride, “Best I expect to do” It just makes no logical sense and speaks horribly to the character of God. Christians today speak of how merciful and graceful God is at never giving up on us. But somehow when we die, we deserve the worse punishment possible if we were not convinced to worship Him or else? Sorry, not my religion.

Over the past few years, I have been intrigued by near-death experiences. Reading people’s stories have given me hope, peace, and serenity when I have been in some very low pits of depression and anxiety. Some of the things people saw contradicted what I have been taught in the church. Sometimes even at heretical levels. Concepts such as everyone eventually is saved (I want to believe this but it doesn’t seem to be supported in the bible), there is no Satan (I still think there is one and/or demons), reincarnation (I MIGHT be willing to believe a VERSION of that), we are all a part of God (this is actually biblical if you think of it), we have spiritual guides (angels anyone?), all religions lead to God (if those who haven’t heard of Jesus are judged by their conscious, I guess a version of this COULD be true)… etc. So many ideas and concepts that I have learned have totally rocked my world. OF COURSE, I think to myself, “What if they are lying? What is Satan is lying to them and deceiving them to deceive us?” So —BELIEVE ME, YOU— I take some of this stuff with a grain of salt. Some of it makes total sense, some of it confuses me, some of it I know is a wrong interpretation of what was seen. However, what it HAS done is made me SO MUCH MORE open-minded as a person. I no longer feel “tied-down” to the confines and limitations of “mere-Christian” religious ideas and concepts. Because what if the LIE is that we HAVE to be so closed-minded? What if SATAN wants us to be boxed-in in our faith? Look at how many denominations there are? Clearly, none of them have it all right! Not to mention—how many RELIGIONS there are. I just don’t think God is going to forsake a majority of earth’s population JUST BECAUSE they were born into the wrong religion. Again, I still believe Jesus had to come and die for everyone regardless of what they believe. I don’t know if everyone will make it…but I know more people will be in heaven than most Christians think there will be!

When you start seeing that life is more than just a place where you HOPE that you get saved so you can have eternal life—- and believe that we are here for spiritual development (regardless of whether you believe in reincarnation or not)—LIFE starts to make a whole lot more sense! We are here to make mistakes, learn spiritual lessons, understand love…etc. A lightbulb goes off. It’s like we are in a training grounds.

My question to you is this: Am I still “Christian” enough for you? Are you still my brother or sister?

I personally feel that none of us can call ourselves "'Christian' enough" as Christ himself says
"16 Now a man came up yo Jesus and asked ' Teacher what good thing must I do to get eternal life.?'17. 'Why do you ask me about what is good?'Jesus replied. 'There is only One who is good.If you want to enter life,obey the commandments."(Mt.19:16-17N.I.V.) And of course the other one which I am sure we have all heard so many times "22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.There is no difference.23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God24.and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."Rom.3:22-24)
As I see it that is the only standard set by God whether we accept it or not.The choice is ours ,just as Adam and Eve made a choice in Gen 3;11 "And he said , 'Who told you that you were naked?Have you eaten from the tree which I commanded you not to eat."Clearly God allowed them the choice to move from being "good" in Gen 1:31 to falling "short of the Glory"(Rom.3:23) in sin.

I firmly believe that you are no different to any of us,the fact that you are reasoning and using your God given gift to search shows me that you are hungry to learn more.I dont know whether you have really studied the scriptures,but I would suggest seriously looking into Biblical Systematic Theology and also maybe also Systematic Theology and look into concepts like "reincarnation" or even" atheism" and all the other "isms" and then make a choice as Adam and Eve made.Even do a certificate or degree(many free ones offered just, Google around online)
I don't know what denomination you belong to but you ought not to be bogged down with "dogma" .There so much to learn about the Nature of God and Christ it is impossible to get board or stagnant .No I think you are quite normal so pick up your rifle and other goodies and get back into battle soldier!

 

[Kenny'sID]

. Besides, I am saved anyway.

Then I evidently misunderstood the title of the post. are you no longer asking if you are still a christian?

 

[FireDragon76]

This is a very passive-aggressive set of remarks.

If I see someone about to drink a poisoned cup of water, is it bullying to urge them to stop? Even if the person really wants to drink the water, and is persuaded that it is perfectly fine, and is being encouraged by others to drink it, if I know it is poisoned, I am obliged, I think, to do all I can to dissuade that person from drinking. But doing so is not bullying, it is acting in proper concern for the other person.



You can bet those same "open-minded" churches are very close-minded and intolerant - just as you appear to be - to a more conservative and Bible-centered approach to the Christian faith. Really, it is the height of hypocrisy when liberal "Christians" virtue-signal by way of claiming to be more "open-minded." What they mean is that they are more open-minded toward things the conservative Christian is not. But, on balance, the liberal "Christian" is no more open-minded than the conservative Christian. There are plenty of things toward which the liberal Christian has a very closed mind.

I don't define my faith in opposition to conservative evangelicalism. I am however in a church that is theologically liberal, meaning that we read the Bible and our own tradition in a critical manner, and we respect the bound conscience of our brothers and sisters to come to different conclusions on matters that are secondary to the Gospel.

 

[ELV]

The last couple of years has been the journey to find purpose and meaning in life, and more importantly, my identity. Yes, I may have been sick of being a Christian. More accurately, I was sick of playing a part I thought I needed to play when there was no play to begin with. I am tired of going through the motions in life. Instead, I’m allowing myself to be human and not feel like the scum of the earth no matter how bad of a day I am having.

My “religious beliefs” have evolved over the past few years. I’m the most liberal I’ve ever been. I still believe in Jesus and that He is the only way to the Father. However, I believe there are many ways to Jesus. I’m ditching the fear that I’m somehow a “bad” Christian (or worse, a heretic) for having some of the beliefs that I have. Many times, I feel like I should be afraid because I (currently) have an incorrect belief about a specific topic. I have started to doubt and question some things that I have been so indoctrinated to believe since I grew up in the church. It is a scary feeling to have a crisis of faith. For some reason, something deep down inside my soul just needs to be OKAY. Sometimes, I feel that God is saying that he loves me no matter what I believe. This doesn’t mean saying I am not a Christian. This means that I am a person who is saved by Jesus’ work on the cross and that is what saves me, not my current set of beliefs and/or doubts. I am just so tired of being boxed in my Christian dogma. I think the church limits God and possibilities so much. I feel that my mind is so deep and so far beyond what is taught at the church—like light years ahead— that it bores me to tears. I’m not saying this to be rude or to look down on others that aren’t where I am.

Some people may even question my salvation over the thoughts, ideas, and assumptions I have about God, his character, and the afterlife. I must NO longer allow myself to be condemned or criticized for the set of doctrines I now subscribe to. What I believe is based on the limited experience and knowledge I have at 34 years old. I’m so much more open-minded about things and I feel more alive for it. My worldview is not static (except for the belief in God himself). If I come across knowledge that challenges my current set of beliefs, I will analyze it and make an informed decision instead of just blindly believing what I am told. Having the right set of beliefs, doctrines, dogma and attending the right denomination do not “save” you.

Things I believe 100%:

There is a God— the source, the light, —He is a person and is love.
The SOURCE/LIGHT came to earth in a human body as Jesus/Yeshua. He lived the life Adam should have lived. He showed love throughout all pain, rejection, shame to show it is superior to everything else. He died for our sins (save us from ourselves) and rose again to give us hope of eternal life after death. This is the gospel.
We are to live like Jesus to the best of our ability. We are to love God with all of our hearts, minds, soul, and strength and our neighbors as ourselves.
Things I am 90% sure of:

The Bible we have today–in large part, or in whole, is the scripture. There may be errors in it (which don’t change the overall message). There may be books missing. There may be books that could still be written. I am NOT convinced that there can be no new scripture (many Christians may call this heresy but I don’t care).
There is no place of eternal torment for humans. There is no mention in the old testament of this an “eternal” hell. I believe the biggest lie of Satan himself is that humans could ever go to a place like this. The new testament’s references of hell are taken out of context or even translated incorrectly.
People who have never heard of Jesus can still be “saved”. Meaning, He did the work on the cross. The bible alludes to those who live according to their conscience and knowledge that there is a God are judged by what they actually know. Many NDEs indicate that people (some even atheists) can cry out to Jesus after clinical death and he “saves” them. This could mean there is one more chance before the actual “judgment”. (Just a theory)
Things I am 75% sure of:

Before we are born, we already exist as a spirit. We choose to come to earth so that we can test our faith and learn lessons. I believe our brains limit our ability to perceive everything in the spiritual realm so that it does not distract us from the goals God has for us on Earth. Eben Alexander speaks to this in his NDE.
Things I am willing to be open-minded about:

In addition to being a spirit before we were born, I believe it may be possible that we have been here before and reincarnate as many times as we need to achieve whatever spiritual goals we may have (or that God has for us). The Bible alludes to this regarding Elijah “returning” as John the Baptist.
In the end, everyone is “saved”. No soul is lost. We may go through “hells” to learn from mistakes, but every discipline has a restorative value to it.
This list of beliefs will be added to and amended many times throughout my lifetime(s).

What started all this was to question my belief in a God that would torment souls for all eternity just for not getting it right in a limited timespan on Earth with a limited brain (sometimes affected by mental/emotional/physical disorders). To God and how infinitely smart he is compared to us— our brains are less than a goldfish. And we could be trusted to make all the right decisions to NOT end up in a place of eternal torment? “I just can’t believe—in your hell anymore!” -Bride, “Best I expect to do” It just makes no logical sense and speaks horribly to the character of God. Christians today speak of how merciful and graceful God is at never giving up on us. But somehow when we die, we deserve the worse punishment possible if we were not convinced to worship Him or else? Sorry, not my religion.

Over the past few years, I have been intrigued by near-death experiences. Reading people’s stories have given me hope, peace, and serenity when I have been in some very low pits of depression and anxiety. Some of the things people saw contradicted what I have been taught in the church. Sometimes even at heretical levels. Concepts such as everyone eventually is saved (I want to believe this but it doesn’t seem to be supported in the bible), there is no Satan (I still think there is one and/or demons), reincarnation (I MIGHT be willing to believe a VERSION of that), we are all a part of God (this is actually biblical if you think of it), we have spiritual guides (angels anyone?), all religions lead to God (if those who haven’t heard of Jesus are judged by their conscious, I guess a version of this COULD be true)… etc. So many ideas and concepts that I have learned have totally rocked my world. OF COURSE, I think to myself, “What if they are lying? What is Satan is lying to them and deceiving them to deceive us?” So —BELIEVE ME, YOU— I take some of this stuff with a grain of salt. Some of it makes total sense, some of it confuses me, some of it I know is a wrong interpretation of what was seen. However, what it HAS done is made me SO MUCH MORE open-minded as a person. I no longer feel “tied-down” to the confines and limitations of “mere-Christian” religious ideas and concepts. Because what if the LIE is that we HAVE to be so closed-minded? What if SATAN wants us to be boxed-in in our faith? Look at how many denominations there are? Clearly, none of them have it all right! Not to mention—how many RELIGIONS there are. I just don’t think God is going to forsake a majority of earth’s population JUST BECAUSE they were born into the wrong religion. Again, I still believe Jesus had to come and die for everyone regardless of what they believe. I don’t know if everyone will make it…but I know more people will be in heaven than most Christians think there will be!

When you start seeing that life is more than just a place where you HOPE that you get saved so you can have eternal life—- and believe that we are here for spiritual development (regardless of whether you believe in reincarnation or not)—LIFE starts to make a whole lot more sense! We are here to make mistakes, learn spiritual lessons, understand love…etc. A lightbulb goes off. It’s like we are in a training grounds.

My question to you is this: Am I still “Christian” enough for you? Are you still my brother or sister?

 

[NW82]

The last couple of years has been the journey to find purpose and meaning in life, and more importantly, my identity. Yes, I may have been sick of being a Christian. More accurately, I was sick of playing a part I thought I needed to play when there was no play to begin with. I am tired of going through the motions in life. Instead, I’m allowing myself to be human and not feel like the scum of the earth no matter how bad of a day I am having.

My “religious beliefs” have evolved over the past few years. I’m the most liberal I’ve ever been. I still believe in Jesus and that He is the only way to the Father. However, I believe there are many ways to Jesus. I’m ditching the fear that I’m somehow a “bad” Christian (or worse, a heretic) for having some of the beliefs that I have. Many times, I feel like I should be afraid because I (currently) have an incorrect belief about a specific topic. I have started to doubt and question some things that I have been so indoctrinated to believe since I grew up in the church. It is a scary feeling to have a crisis of faith. For some reason, something deep down inside my soul just needs to be OKAY. Sometimes, I feel that God is saying that he loves me no matter what I believe. This doesn’t mean saying I am not a Christian. This means that I am a person who is saved by Jesus’ work on the cross and that is what saves me, not my current set of beliefs and/or doubts. I am just so tired of being boxed in my Christian dogma. I think the church limits God and possibilities so much. I feel that my mind is so deep and so far beyond what is taught at the church—like light years ahead— that it bores me to tears. I’m not saying this to be rude or to look down on others that aren’t where I am.

Some people may even question my salvation over the thoughts, ideas, and assumptions I have about God, his character, and the afterlife. I must NO longer allow myself to be condemned or criticized for the set of doctrines I now subscribe to. What I believe is based on the limited experience and knowledge I have at 34 years old. I’m so much more open-minded about things and I feel more alive for it. My worldview is not static (except for the belief in God himself). If I come across knowledge that challenges my current set of beliefs, I will analyze it and make an informed decision instead of just blindly believing what I am told. Having the right set of beliefs, doctrines, dogma and attending the right denomination do not “save” you.

Things I believe 100%:

There is a God— the source, the light, —He is a person and is love.
The SOURCE/LIGHT came to earth in a human body as Jesus/Yeshua. He lived the life Adam should have lived. He showed love throughout all pain, rejection, shame to show it is superior to everything else. He died for our sins (save us from ourselves) and rose again to give us hope of eternal life after death. This is the gospel.
We are to live like Jesus to the best of our ability. We are to love God with all of our hearts, minds, soul, and strength and our neighbors as ourselves.
Things I am 90% sure of:

The Bible we have today–in large part, or in whole, is the scripture. There may be errors in it (which don’t change the overall message). There may be books missing. There may be books that could still be written. I am NOT convinced that there can be no new scripture (many Christians may call this heresy but I don’t care).
There is no place of eternal torment for humans. There is no mention in the old testament of this an “eternal” hell. I believe the biggest lie of Satan himself is that humans could ever go to a place like this. The new testament’s references of hell are taken out of context or even translated incorrectly.
People who have never heard of Jesus can still be “saved”. Meaning, He did the work on the cross. The bible alludes to those who live according to their conscience and knowledge that there is a God are judged by what they actually know. Many NDEs indicate that people (some even atheists) can cry out to Jesus after clinical death and he “saves” them. This could mean there is one more chance before the actual “judgment”. (Just a theory)
Things I am 75% sure of:

Before we are born, we already exist as a spirit. We choose to come to earth so that we can test our faith and learn lessons. I believe our brains limit our ability to perceive everything in the spiritual realm so that it does not distract us from the goals God has for us on Earth. Eben Alexander speaks to this in his NDE.
Things I am willing to be open-minded about:

In addition to being a spirit before we were born, I believe it may be possible that we have been here before and reincarnate as many times as we need to achieve whatever spiritual goals we may have (or that God has for us). The Bible alludes to this regarding Elijah “returning” as John the Baptist.
In the end, everyone is “saved”. No soul is lost. We may go through “hells” to learn from mistakes, but every discipline has a restorative value to it.
This list of beliefs will be added to and amended many times throughout my lifetime(s).

What started all this was to question my belief in a God that would torment souls for all eternity just for not getting it right in a limited timespan on Earth with a limited brain (sometimes affected by mental/emotional/physical disorders). To God and how infinitely smart he is compared to us— our brains are less than a goldfish. And we could be trusted to make all the right decisions to NOT end up in a place of eternal torment? “I just can’t believe—in your hell anymore!” -Bride, “Best I expect to do” It just makes no logical sense and speaks horribly to the character of God. Christians today speak of how merciful and graceful God is at never giving up on us. But somehow when we die, we deserve the worse punishment possible if we were not convinced to worship Him or else? Sorry, not my religion.

Over the past few years, I have been intrigued by near-death experiences. Reading people’s stories have given me hope, peace, and serenity when I have been in some very low pits of depression and anxiety. Some of the things people saw contradicted what I have been taught in the church. Sometimes even at heretical levels. Concepts such as everyone eventually is saved (I want to believe this but it doesn’t seem to be supported in the bible), there is no Satan (I still think there is one and/or demons), reincarnation (I MIGHT be willing to believe a VERSION of that), we are all a part of God (this is actually biblical if you think of it), we have spiritual guides (angels anyone?), all religions lead to God (if those who haven’t heard of Jesus are judged by their conscious, I guess a version of this COULD be true)… etc. So many ideas and concepts that I have learned have totally rocked my world. OF COURSE, I think to myself, “What if they are lying? What is Satan is lying to them and deceiving them to deceive us?” So —BELIEVE ME, YOU— I take some of this stuff with a grain of salt. Some of it makes total sense, some of it confuses me, some of it I know is a wrong interpretation of what was seen. However, what it HAS done is made me SO MUCH MORE open-minded as a person. I no longer feel “tied-down” to the confines and limitations of “mere-Christian” religious ideas and concepts. Because what if the LIE is that we HAVE to be so closed-minded? What if SATAN wants us to be boxed-in in our faith? Look at how many denominations there are? Clearly, none of them have it all right! Not to mention—how many RELIGIONS there are. I just don’t think God is going to forsake a majority of earth’s population JUST BECAUSE they were born into the wrong religion. Again, I still believe Jesus had to come and die for everyone regardless of what they believe. I don’t know if everyone will make it…but I know more people will be in heaven than most Christians think there will be!

When you start seeing that life is more than just a place where you HOPE that you get saved so you can have eternal life—- and believe that we are here for spiritual development (regardless of whether you believe in reincarnation or not)—LIFE starts to make a whole lot more sense! We are here to make mistakes, learn spiritual lessons, understand love…etc. A lightbulb goes off. It’s like we are in a training grounds.

My question to you is this: Am I still “Christian” enough for you? Are you still my brother or sister?

In relation your statement, "However, I believe there are many ways to Jesus", I am assuming you are referring to universalism; if that's so I would direct you to the words of Christ Himself in John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, ""I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."".

 

[Kenny'sID]

This is a very passive-aggressive set of remarks.

Absolutely, and you may not know the extent of it.

If I see someone about to drink a poisoned cup of water, is it bullying to urge them to stop?

Of course not. Thing is, some drink that water, have made it ok in their mind, and found a church that helps to justify it. So yes as it was said, there are churches that are more liberal and open-minded and don't insist being a Christian means, in truth, being a Christian.

Me, if wanted to live in an unreal world that allowed me to do as I want, I figure the least I could do is not drag others down with me by pushing my notions on them, teaching them how to live 100% against the bible and to make it all ok in their minds too.

 

[PetraFan007]

Then I evidently misunderstood the title of the post. are you no longer asking if you are still a christian?

I put it in quotes...meaning, can I still consider myself a Christian and/or do others still consider me a Christian? I know for 100% fact I'm a Christian. I just have a unique perspective on life compared to most Christians.

 

[FireDragon76]

Absolutely, and you may not know the extent of it.



Of course not. Thing is, some drink that water, have made it ok in their mind, and found a church that helps to justify it. So yes as it was said, there are churches that are more liberal and open-minded and don't insist being a Christian means, in truth, being a Christian.

Me, if wanted to live in an unreal world that allowed me to do as I want, I figure the least I could do is not drag others down with me by pushing my notions on them, teaching them how to live 100% against the bible and to make it all ok in their minds too.

No intellectual humility to admit that you just have your interpretation of the Scriptures, the same as everybody else?

The fruit of the Reformation was the right of every Christian to read the Bible for themselves and come to their own conclusions about what they should believe.

I put it in quotes...meaning, can I still consider myself a Christian and/or do others still consider me a Christian? I know for 100% fact I'm a Christian. I just have a unique perspective on life compared to most Christians.

There's nothing wrong with being an individual and thinking for yourself.

Yes, I consider you a Christian. There is nothing wrong with having a unique perspective on life.

 

[NW82]

No intellectual humility to admit that you just have your interpretation of the Scriptures, the same as everybody else?

The fruit of the Reformation was the right of every Christian to read the Bible for themselves and come to their own conclusions about what they should believe.

Incorrect. The cause, and therefore the result, of the Protestant Reformation was not to "read the Bible for themselves and come to their own conclusions about what they should believe". Martin Luther took exception with the Catholic teaching of his day, some of which still remain, e.g. simony, indulgences, excessive papal wealth, and clerical violations of church and biblical rules of behavior; none of these are biblical. We cannot put the Word of God into a box so it fits what we want it believe. Biblical truth is simply that, truth, whether we like it or not. Take the selling of indulgences for example. The most controversial practice during the Reformation period was the selling of indulgences by the Catholic Church. Indulgences were papal pardons for the reduction of the time a soul spent in purgatory. The money raised by the sale of indulgences was used to fund the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as authorized by Pope Leo X in the early 1500’s. Purgatory itself isn't biblical, but rather a construct of Roman Catholic, dogma. While indulgences were a key focus of reformers during this time, many other questionable practices preceded it. For many years, clerical immorality such as the neglect of celibacy, drunkenness,and gambling, led people to question the moral authority of the church. Other questionable administrative practices included simony, nepotism, and pluralism. All of these practices had the cumulative effect of diminishing the respect for and authority of the Catholic Church. We who are Christians can only accept the truth that God has provided, whether it fits the way we want to live or not. In summary the fruit of the protestant reformation was a questioning of the Catholic teachings and an attempt return to biblical truth rather than that of non-biblical dogma.

 

[112358]

No intellectual humility to admit that you just have your interpretation of the Scriptures, the same as everybody else?

The fruit of the Reformation was the right of every Christian to read the Bible for themselves and come to their own conclusions about what they should believe.



There's nothing wrong with being an individual and thinking for yourself.

Yes, I consider you a Christian. There is nothing wrong with having a unique perspective on life.

Unless that perspective conflicts with divine perspective, namely the Word of God.

 

[BradB]

The last couple of years has been the journey to find purpose and meaning in life, and more importantly, my identity. Yes, I may have been sick of being a Christian. More accurately, I was sick of playing a part I thought I needed to play when there was no play to begin with. I am tired of going through the motions in life. Instead, I’m allowing myself to be human and not feel like the scum of the earth no matter how bad of a day I am having.

My “religious beliefs” have evolved over the past few years. I’m the most liberal I’ve ever been. I still believe in Jesus and that He is the only way to the Father. However, I believe there are many ways to Jesus. I’m ditching the fear that I’m somehow a “bad” Christian (or worse, a heretic) for having some of the beliefs that I have. Many times, I feel like I should be afraid because I (currently) have an incorrect belief about a specific topic. I have started to doubt and question some things that I have been so indoctrinated to believe since I grew up in the church. It is a scary feeling to have a crisis of faith. For some reason, something deep down inside my soul just needs to be OKAY. Sometimes, I feel that God is saying that he loves me no matter what I believe. This doesn’t mean saying I am not a Christian. This means that I am a person who is saved by Jesus’ work on the cross and that is what saves me, not my current set of beliefs and/or doubts. I am just so tired of being boxed in my Christian dogma. I think the church limits God and possibilities so much. I feel that my mind is so deep and so far beyond what is taught at the church—like light years ahead— that it bores me to tears. I’m not saying this to be rude or to look down on others that aren’t where I am.

Some people may even question my salvation over the thoughts, ideas, and assumptions I have about God, his character, and the afterlife. I must NO longer allow myself to be condemned or criticized for the set of doctrines I now subscribe to. What I believe is based on the limited experience and knowledge I have at 34 years old. I’m so much more open-minded about things and I feel more alive for it. My worldview is not static (except for the belief in God himself). If I come across knowledge that challenges my current set of beliefs, I will analyze it and make an informed decision instead of just blindly believing what I am told. Having the right set of beliefs, doctrines, dogma and attending the right denomination do not “save” you.

Things I believe 100%:

There is a God— the source, the light, —He is a person and is love.
The SOURCE/LIGHT came to earth in a human body as Jesus/Yeshua. He lived the life Adam should have lived. He showed love throughout all pain, rejection, shame to show it is superior to everything else. He died for our sins (save us from ourselves) and rose again to give us hope of eternal life after death. This is the gospel.
We are to live like Jesus to the best of our ability. We are to love God with all of our hearts, minds, soul, and strength and our neighbors as ourselves.
Things I am 90% sure of:

The Bible we have today–in large part, or in whole, is the scripture. There may be errors in it (which don’t change the overall message). There may be books missing. There may be books that could still be written. I am NOT convinced that there can be no new scripture (many Christians may call this heresy but I don’t care).
There is no place of eternal torment for humans. There is no mention in the old testament of this an “eternal” hell. I believe the biggest lie of Satan himself is that humans could ever go to a place like this. The new testament’s references of hell are taken out of context or even translated incorrectly.
People who have never heard of Jesus can still be “saved”. Meaning, He did the work on the cross. The bible alludes to those who live according to their conscience and knowledge that there is a God are judged by what they actually know. Many NDEs indicate that people (some even atheists) can cry out to Jesus after clinical death and he “saves” them. This could mean there is one more chance before the actual “judgment”. (Just a theory)
Things I am 75% sure of:

Before we are born, we already exist as a spirit. We choose to come to earth so that we can test our faith and learn lessons. I believe our brains limit our ability to perceive everything in the spiritual realm so that it does not distract us from the goals God has for us on Earth. Eben Alexander speaks to this in his NDE.
Things I am willing to be open-minded about:

In addition to being a spirit before we were born, I believe it may be possible that we have been here before and reincarnate as many times as we need to achieve whatever spiritual goals we may have (or that God has for us). The Bible alludes to this regarding Elijah “returning” as John the Baptist.
In the end, everyone is “saved”. No soul is lost. We may go through “hells” to learn from mistakes, but every discipline has a restorative value to it.
This list of beliefs will be added to and amended many times throughout my lifetime(s).

What started all this was to question my belief in a God that would torment souls for all eternity just for not getting it right in a limited timespan on Earth with a limited brain (sometimes affected by mental/emotional/physical disorders). To God and how infinitely smart he is compared to us— our brains are less than a goldfish. And we could be trusted to make all the right decisions to NOT end up in a place of eternal torment? “I just can’t believe—in your hell anymore!” -Bride, “Best I expect to do” It just makes no logical sense and speaks horribly to the character of God. Christians today speak of how merciful and graceful God is at never giving up on us. But somehow when we die, we deserve the worse punishment possible if we were not convinced to worship Him or else? Sorry, not my religion.

Over the past few years, I have been intrigued by near-death experiences. Reading people’s stories have given me hope, peace, and serenity when I have been in some very low pits of depression and anxiety. Some of the things people saw contradicted what I have been taught in the church. Sometimes even at heretical levels. Concepts such as everyone eventually is saved (I want to believe this but it doesn’t seem to be supported in the bible), there is no Satan (I still think there is one and/or demons), reincarnation (I MIGHT be willing to believe a VERSION of that), we are all a part of God (this is actually biblical if you think of it), we have spiritual guides (angels anyone?), all religions lead to God (if those who haven’t heard of Jesus are judged by their conscious, I guess a version of this COULD be true)… etc. So many ideas and concepts that I have learned have totally rocked my world. OF COURSE, I think to myself, “What if they are lying? What is Satan is lying to them and deceiving them to deceive us?” So —BELIEVE ME, YOU— I take some of this stuff with a grain of salt. Some of it makes total sense, some of it confuses me, some of it I know is a wrong interpretation of what was seen. However, what it HAS done is made me SO MUCH MORE open-minded as a person. I no longer feel “tied-down” to the confines and limitations of “mere-Christian” religious ideas and concepts. Because what if the LIE is that we HAVE to be so closed-minded? What if SATAN wants us to be boxed-in in our faith? Look at how many denominations there are? Clearly, none of them have it all right! Not to mention—how many RELIGIONS there are. I just don’t think God is going to forsake a majority of earth’s population JUST BECAUSE they were born into the wrong religion. Again, I still believe Jesus had to come and die for everyone regardless of what they believe. I don’t know if everyone will make it…but I know more people will be in heaven than most Christians think there will be!

When you start seeing that life is more than just a place where you HOPE that you get saved so you can have eternal life—- and believe that we are here for spiritual development (regardless of whether you believe in reincarnation or not)—LIFE starts to make a whole lot more sense! We are here to make mistakes, learn spiritual lessons, understand love…etc. A lightbulb goes off. It’s like we are in a training grounds.

My question to you is this: Am I still “Christian” enough for you? Are you still my brother or sister?

Hello Petrafan,
That's a great band btw. I don't want to be guilty of just giving you a "sound bite" answer here. What you have described is something that would probably be best discussed face to face with a good trusted pastor or strong spiritually sound Christian friend. You asked if you are a Christian. I noticed in your beliefs you stated what you believe Jesus did. (He died for our sins save us from ourselves and rose again to give us hope of eternal life after death.) However I am sure that you know salvation isn't just believing that is what He did, but rather applying what He did personally to you. Meaning did you personally receive what Jesus did on the cross for you? Romans 10:9-10 tells us that it is confessing Him to be "your" Lord and personally believing God resurrected Him bodily from the dead. If you have done this personally then you are a Christian no matter what. Nothing shall be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. That even includes you separating yourself. God's word tells us we are kept by the power of God...not the power of you or me. Thank God for that!!!

I have to admit that some of the worst and most despicable things I have done in my life happened AFTER I made my confession to let Jesus be Lord of my life. As a young man I backslid on God and became a drunk, drug addict, thief. But Jesus left the 99 and came after this wayward lamb. In 1 Cor. 5 we read about a Christian man that was in an adulterous affair with his step mother and even bragging about it to his church buddies. Paul told them to turn him over to Satan that his flesh may be destroyed but he would still be saved. We have a protection that God puts on our lives that can be removed if we fail to hear His call to come back into His fellowship. During my time of being turned over to Satan I nearly died in several car accidents, I lost a child to SIDS, I went through a divorce, I lost visitation of my other two children, and I went to jail. But in 1990 God brought me back from my backsliding in the parking lot of a bar. A Christian named Alex told me the story of the prodigal son and my hard heart melted. My whole life changed after that. That is what happened with the man in the Corinthian church. 2nd Cor. tells us he repented and go back right with God. I became a street preacher and a missionary and have been having the time of my life living for Him. I am remarried now and God has truly blessed me beyond anything I deserve. It's not about trying to live like Jesus did. It's about "getting" to live like Jesus did. He does it through you. If your trying to do it, it will become tedious and grueling. The first thing you need to understand is that God said He would never leave you or forsake you, and He meant every word of it. Secondly is that as a Christian you are not under grueling laws. You are free indeed. He will create the works in you. Blessings my friend.

Here's a YouTube message I did on the subject.

And here's one of me having a blast serving God!

 

[jmldn2]

The last couple of years has been the journey to find purpose and meaning in life, and more importantly, my identity. Yes, I may have been sick of being a Christian. More accurately, I was sick of playing a part I thought I needed to play when there was no play to begin with. I am tired of going through the motions in life. Instead, I’m allowing myself to be human and not feel like the scum of the earth no matter how bad of a day I am having.


My question to you is this: Am I still “Christian” enough for you? Are you still my brother or sister?

My answer to you is that you are saved. Salvation is accepting Christ as our personal savior and confessing with our mouth that He is. The rest of the work of salvation is done through and by God. So I consider your my Christian brother.

The rest of your post I do not agree with. The Words of God explain the plan of salvation as well as our growing the grace and knowledge of God Almighty. That growing IMHO will take the rest of our lives.

I do not believe that ever human will be saved because there are those who will reject the salvation plan of the Lord. That is not God's fault. It is His hope that all will come to a saving knowledge of Him, repent and accept His plan/gift of eternal life with Him.

I do not believe in reincarnation. And there are other parts of your post I do not agree with.

But the real question I think is what do you believe. Are you Christian enough for God? Do you believe in your own salvation, which was provided by the Almighty?

It matters not what we think but what is going on between you and God.

Peace and love

 

[Hearingheart]

Just wanted to say I very much appreciated your post and your honesty.
My understanding is that Jesus has made a way for us to turn back to God and enter into His presence. We now have the Spirit of God to guide us in truth.
All shorts of flavors and colors within the religion of Christianity.
May you become more attuned to what the Spirit of God is saying to you. Blessings!

 

[Kenny'sID]

There's nothing wrong with being an individual and thinking for yourself.

Pretty broad statement to a attach a "nothing wrong with it". Do you mean it's OK to see something that is against Gods rules as ok, and just tell ourselves we are thinking for ourselves, or understand Gods clear word in a different way in order to justify how we see it?

No intellectual humility to admit that you just have your interpretation of the Scriptures, the same as everybody else?

Thing about interpreting what is generally clear commands form God, is some use that as an excuse to twist the bible into it being what they want to be and just say they interpret it differently.

The fruit of the Reformation was the right of every Christian to read the Bible for themselves and come to their own conclusions about what they should believe.

Unless you're trying to tell us that is to say, any conclusion we come up with, would be the truth because we are allowed to make up our own minds?

It's basically saying, for instance, we are allowed to interpret all rules of God as unnecessary to follow if we like, but it's certainly not saying our interpretations are going to automatically be right because we "call" them interpretations as you seem to be trying to believe. Gods word is clear, and I don't think he even considers the term denial as indicated there, as anything more than refusal to do right, and a silly game we play to allow ourselves, so we can do what we like and pretend it's OK.

 

[patrick jane]

@PetraFan007

The last couple of years has been the journey to find purpose and meaning in life, and more importantly, my identity. Yes, I may have been sick of being a Christian. More accurately, I was sick of playing a part I thought I needed to play when there was no play to begin with. I am tired of going through the motions in life. Instead, I’m allowing myself to be human and not feel like the scum of the earth no matter how bad of a day I am having.

My “religious beliefs” have evolved over the past few years. I’m the most liberal I’ve ever been. I still believe in Jesus and that He is the only way to the Father. However, I believe there are many ways to Jesus. I’m ditching the fear that I’m somehow a “bad” Christian (or worse, a heretic) for having some of the beliefs that I have. Many times, I feel like I should be afraid because I (currently) have an incorrect belief about a specific topic. I have started to doubt and question some things that I have been so indoctrinated to believe since I grew up in the church. It is a scary feeling to have a crisis of faith. For some reason, something deep down inside my soul just needs to be OKAY. Sometimes, I feel that God is saying that he loves me no matter what I believe. This doesn’t mean saying I am not a Christian. This means that I am a person who is saved by Jesus’ work on the cross and that is what saves me, not my current set of beliefs and/or doubts. I am just so tired of being boxed in my Christian dogma. I think the church limits God and possibilities so much. I feel that my mind is so deep and so far beyond what is taught at the church—like light years ahead— that it bores me to tears. I’m not saying this to be rude or to look down on others that aren’t where I am.

Some people may even question my salvation over the thoughts, ideas, and assumptions I have about God, his character, and the afterlife. I must NO longer allow myself to be condemned or criticized for the set of doctrines I now subscribe to. What I believe is based on the limited experience and knowledge I have at 34 years old. I’m so much more open-minded about things and I feel more alive for it. My worldview is not static (except for the belief in God himself). If I come across knowledge that challenges my current set of beliefs, I will analyze it and make an informed decision instead of just blindly believing what I am told. Having the right set of beliefs, doctrines, dogma and attending the right denomination do not “save” you.

Things I believe 100%:

There is a God— the source, the light, —He is a person and is love.
The SOURCE/LIGHT came to earth in a human body as Jesus/Yeshua. He lived the life Adam should have lived. He showed love throughout all pain, rejection, shame to show it is superior to everything else. He died for our sins (save us from ourselves) and rose again to give us hope of eternal life after death. This is the gospel.
We are to live like Jesus to the best of our ability. We are to love God with all of our hearts, minds, soul, and strength and our neighbors as ourselves.
Things I am 90% sure of:

The Bible we have today–in large part, or in whole, is the scripture. There may be errors in it (which don’t change the overall message). There may be books missing. There may be books that could still be written. I am NOT convinced that there can be no new scripture (many Christians may call this heresy but I don’t care).
There is no place of eternal torment for humans. There is no mention in the old testament of this an “eternal” hell. I believe the biggest lie of Satan himself is that humans could ever go to a place like this. The new testament’s references of hell are taken out of context or even translated incorrectly.
People who have never heard of Jesus can still be “saved”. Meaning, He did the work on the cross. The bible alludes to those who live according to their conscience and knowledge that there is a God are judged by what they actually know. Many NDEs indicate that people (some even atheists) can cry out to Jesus after clinical death and he “saves” them. This could mean there is one more chance before the actual “judgment”. (Just a theory)
Things I am 75% sure of:

Before we are born, we already exist as a spirit. We choose to come to earth so that we can test our faith and learn lessons. I believe our brains limit our ability to perceive everything in the spiritual realm so that it does not distract us from the goals God has for us on Earth. Eben Alexander speaks to this in his NDE.
Things I am willing to be open-minded about:

In addition to being a spirit before we were born, I believe it may be possible that we have been here before and reincarnate as many times as we need to achieve whatever spiritual goals we may have (or that God has for us). The Bible alludes to this regarding Elijah “returning” as John the Baptist.
In the end, everyone is “saved”. No soul is lost. We may go through “hells” to learn from mistakes, but every discipline has a restorative value to it.
This list of beliefs will be added to and amended many times throughout my lifetime(s).

What started all this was to question my belief in a God that would torment souls for all eternity just for not getting it right in a limited timespan on Earth with a limited brain (sometimes affected by mental/emotional/physical disorders). To God and how infinitely smart he is compared to us— our brains are less than a goldfish. And we could be trusted to make all the right decisions to NOT end up in a place of eternal torment? “I just can’t believe—in your hell anymore!” -Bride, “Best I expect to do” It just makes no logical sense and speaks horribly to the character of God. Christians today speak of how merciful and graceful God is at never giving up on us. But somehow when we die, we deserve the worse punishment possible if we were not convinced to worship Him or else? Sorry, not my religion.

Over the past few years, I have been intrigued by near-death experiences. Reading people’s stories have given me hope, peace, and serenity when I have been in some very low pits of depression and anxiety. Some of the things people saw contradicted what I have been taught in the church. Sometimes even at heretical levels. Concepts such as everyone eventually is saved (I want to believe this but it doesn’t seem to be supported in the bible), there is no Satan (I still think there is one and/or demons), reincarnation (I MIGHT be willing to believe a VERSION of that), we are all a part of God (this is actually biblical if you think of it), we have spiritual guides (angels anyone?), all religions lead to God (if those who haven’t heard of Jesus are judged by their conscious, I guess a version of this COULD be true)… etc. So many ideas and concepts that I have learned have totally rocked my world. OF COURSE, I think to myself, “What if they are lying? What is Satan is lying to them and deceiving them to deceive us?” So —BELIEVE ME, YOU— I take some of this stuff with a grain of salt. Some of it makes total sense, some of it confuses me, some of it I know is a wrong interpretation of what was seen. However, what it HAS done is made me SO MUCH MORE open-minded as a person. I no longer feel “tied-down” to the confines and limitations of “mere-Christian” religious ideas and concepts. Because what if the LIE is that we HAVE to be so closed-minded? What if SATAN wants us to be boxed-in in our faith? Look at how many denominations there are? Clearly, none of them have it all right! Not to mention—how many RELIGIONS there are. I just don’t think God is going to forsake a majority of earth’s population JUST BECAUSE they were born into the wrong religion. Again, I still believe Jesus had to come and die for everyone regardless of what they believe. I don’t know if everyone will make it…but I know more people will be in heaven than most Christians think there will be!

When you start seeing that life is more than just a place where you HOPE that you get saved so you can have eternal life—- and believe that we are here for spiritual development (regardless of whether you believe in reincarnation or not)—LIFE starts to make a whole lot more sense! We are here to make mistakes, learn spiritual lessons, understand love…etc. A lightbulb goes off. It’s like we are in a training grounds.

My question to you is this: Am I still “Christian” enough for you? Are you still my brother or sister?

Prayers for you, you are a brother or sister In Christ if you ever believed that Jesus Christ was sent to die for our sins. be crucified, buried and rise the third day according to Old Testament scriptures. If you believe that now, or ever believed that, you are saved and sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise. God is not slack concerning His promises.
The Good News (gospel of salvation)
The gospel of our salvation is in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is the gospel of our salvation. It is in my signature.

Ephesians 1:8-13 KJV -
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,


Ephesians 1:6-7 KJV -
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

2 Peter 3:9 KJV - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Repentance means a change of heart and mind to accept the free gift of salvation from our Father in heaven.

Don't be afraid of what the Bible actually says. God's Word is there for our benefit. It is there to prosper us and not to harm us.

2 Timothy 2:7-13 KJV -
Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

 

[patrick jane]

@PetraFan007 - The book of Ephesians, also by Paul, is written specifically to us. Gentiles. We ARE one body now whether Jew or Gentile as 1 Corinthians 12:13-14 KJV -BOC - Body Of Christ tells us. Yet, Paul is speaking to us in all of Ephesians. I recommend to everyone to read Paul's 13 epistles - Romans through Philemon and study the book, study to shew yourself approved, rightly dividing the word of truth.

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that e,ye, being rooted and grounded in love

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

 

[Radagast]

... I am just so tired of being boxed in my Christian dogma. I think the church limits God and possibilities so much. I feel that my mind is so deep and so far beyond what is taught at the church—like light years ahead— that it bores me to tears. ... Am I still a "Christian"?

I don't know. Are you? Do you accept the Nicene Creed?

 

[Cheylynn]

Don't think for a moment that I don't consider every side of this issue. In fact, part of why I feel so bad is I wonder if maybe I have angered God so much by my sin and that is why I don't feel Him. Most Christians tell me that this is a lie from hell. However, believe me, I have done everything you said that a Christian does. However, due to mental and emotional issues, including addictions, I struggle with some of the same sins daily (some for almost 20 years). So, I have tried repenting but as far as not habitually sinning, no.

Here is my biggest dilemma: Everyone has a different opinion and/or interpretation of the bible. I ask a question, I get an answer from many people. Each one unique in its own way. I am told that my interpretation is wrong and to read the bible or get disciplined. However, when I read the bible, I get an understanding of it that I feel is right. Then I check it with someone else. I'm BOUND to have someone disagree with what I got out of it. Someone can tell me that I am wrong because the Holy Spirit told them so. Or that they are just so very sure. However, I cannot speak with the original writers to confirm if YOU are right are wrong. So, in the end, it's ALL HUMANS who are giving me the answer. I NEVER can know who to trust. So, I have come to learn that if I have the right intentions to learn the truth, that God will give that to me. And no matter WHAT, someone is going to disagree with me.

Ok now I'm hearing your heart! I will hopefully encourage you in that as long as you truly, honestly want to know the truth...what is what etc. commit your quest to the God of the bible as best as you know Him now where you are at today. Seek him, knock and don't give up knocking I will guarantee He will reveal to you what it is you ask. I know this by my own experience. All the struggles, addictions etc. that you deal with now, in His revelation to you (through reading His word- yes it is a must!) he will show you to the freedom he has provided for you. Don't give up!

 

[FireDragon76]

Pretty broad statement to a attach a "nothing wrong with it". Do you mean it's OK to see something that is against Gods rules as ok, and just tell ourselves we are thinking for ourselves, or understand Gods clear word in a different way in order to justify how we see it?

People of goodwill use reason and evidence, not presumed authority or fear, to persuade others of their viewpoint.

Gods word is clear, and I don't think he even considers the term denial as indicated there, as anything more than refusal to do right, and a silly game we play to allow ourselves, so we can do what we like and pretend it's OK.

This is just hollow fundamentalist rhetoric to slander those who do not agree with your narrow, fear-driven religion.