Struggling with faith

[SPB1987]

If you could recommend any book in the Bible to someone struggling with faith, which would it be? Ideally I would prefer a New Testament book.

 

[Faulty]

If I could only recommend one, it would be the book of Romans.

 

[Publius]

If you could recommend any book in the Bible to someone struggling with faith, which would it be? Ideally I would prefer a New Testament book.

Romans, then 1 John.

 

[bling]

I think you might do better seeing the Bible lived out in a truely Christ like person's life and not just words on a page. Where are you in your spiritual life?

 

[food4thought]

Honestly, just one book wouldn't really be ideal... I would highly recommend two books in the NT to start:

1st, the Gospel of John (4th book in the NT) : presents the life and teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; reveals Him as the eternal Son of God made flesh, with a strong emphasis on Jesus modeling God's love for us.

Then, Paul's epistle to the Romans (6th book of the NT): the most clear and complete understanding of what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ means to mankind in light of His providing us a new way of relating to God; contrasts this new way of relating with the prior state of all mankind as well as the Jewish people.

Hope this helps;

Mike

 

[talitha]

do you mean - struggling with faith, meaning struggling with believing that Jesus is son of God, son of man, the Messiah, the only way to eternal life in the presence of the Father?

For that I would way John.

or do you mean - struggling with faith, meaning struggling with hope that something good will happen, such as a healing or an extraordinary financial provision?

For that I might say Acts.

but I also agree with bling..

 

[berachah]

Hebrews 11

 

[firstpetertwonine]

Hello, peace be with you.

I would wholeheartedly agree with those who've suggested the Gospel of John. It was the first book of the Bible I ever read. It is the only one specifically intended to target non-Christians as its audience (John 20:30-31). Whatever faith struggle you're dealing with, I bet it has some words that can comfort and help.

Hope you find what you need...

 

[SPB1987]

do you mean - struggling with faith, meaning struggling with believing that Jesus is son of God, son of man, the Messiah, the only way to eternal life in the presence of the Father?
For that I would way John.

This. I struggle believing in Jesus and I even struggle believing in God.

 

[SPB1987]

I think you might do better seeing the Bible lived out in a truely Christ like person's life and not just words on a page. Where are you in your spiritual life?

Honestly, I have not progressed at all since I last corresponded with you on here. I am kind of in a dead spot right now I guess. I really do not progress but I do not regress either.

 

[Puptart]

If you could recommend any book in the Bible to someone struggling with faith, which would it be? Ideally I would prefer a New Testament book.

I've read your post in the Marriage forum about struggling in your relationship, and I would put forward that your struggles with God may be related to your struggles with your relationship and/or other things in real life.

In my experience (and I've been through oh so many struggles with faith), struggles with faith are almost always on the heels of struggles in real life.

I'm sorry I don't have an inspirational Bible verse for you.. frankly I put that sort of thing on the same level as empty platitudes. I'm not interested in throwing Bible verses at you.. I'm interested in giving you practical real-world advice.

Your wife is a Christian.. pull closer to her in her faith. Go to church with her, as I know you mentioned you currently do not. Make the time for it. Make the time to have a spiritual life with your wife, and I think you will find your struggles with God may improve, as well as problems with your marriage.

 

[SolomonVII]

I have never seen a snake manipulate a woman with seductive words, or a donkey talk. I have never seen the waters of a sea part in the middle and form dry land for selective passage.. I have never seen the dead come back to life or even the most faithful among us move a mountain through that faith.
I don't even know how it would be physically possible for a man to be swallowed whole into the body of a sea monster and live there for three days.

The counter-intuitive extraordinary events have never much been part of my life. except perhaps for a dream or event here or there that suggest that the world is more than what it appears to be.

So when I struggle, I don't focus on the parts of any particular Biblical passage that is counter-intuitive and beyond anything that I have ever experienced in this world. I instead focus on the particular story as if it were the good literature that all informed critics agree that it is, and search for the deeper meanings behind the passages, search for the voice of a higher source of knowledge and wisdom, so to speak.
If by the end of the study, the world contains more possibilities than I could have ever imagined at the beginning, then I would mark that kind of biblical study as successful for me.
Jesus did not come to save those who already had everything and were at the top of their world, and everything to life for. They already have their reward.
He instead came to the poor and the downtrodden, those without many good prospects, and with nothing much to hope for in the future. He came for the people whose vision was limited by some very trying circumstances, the lame and the sick and the disposessed and the prisoner, who had no reason to believe in their future.

And he told them that they were the blessed ones!

To the extent that they believed him, there world's really opened up for them. Once they understood that the purpose of their creation was to be free, their whole worlds opened up.

The world is opening up for us still, on account of that message.
Even if there is not much magical involved, no snakes talking, no seas parting, what has been happening to the world ever since is actually pretty incredible, if you think about it and what the world was like before.

 

[golgotha61]

This. I struggle believing in Jesus and I even struggle believing in God.

Do you mean believing in the historicity of Christ?

 

[bling]

Honestly, I have not progressed at all since I last corresponded with you on here. I am kind of in a dead spot right now I guess. I really do not progress but I do not regress either.

Look up a local Alpha course at the closes Church, you should meet some interesting helpful people to talk with and get a free meal:
http://alphausa.org/Groups/1000065342/Alt_Home_page.aspx

 

[SPB1987]

Do you mean believing in the historicity of Christ?

I believe he existed....no doubt in my mind. There is no way I can rationalize in my head the position that some take that he never existed at all. I have trouble believing who he said he was...I struggle with faith in general.

 

[golgotha61]

I believe he existed....no doubt in my mind. There is no way I can rationalize in my head the position that some take that he never existed at all. I have trouble believing who he said he was...I struggle with faith in general.

In Matt. 3:17, God revealed that Jesus was His Son.
In Matt. 17:5, God makes the statement again.
Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ as did the Samaritan woman.
In John 9:35-37 Christ asked the blind man is he believed in the Son of God and when the blind man asked who the Son of God was, Christ said you have seen Him and you are talking to Him.


In Matt. 26: 63-66, Christ again acknowledged He was the Son of God.



Jesus also allowed various people to make such claims for Him on other occasions: Matthew 14:33; John 11:27; 1:29,34,49; 6:69.


As you can see, it was God the Father, Peter, the Samaritan woman, and various others that made the observation and confession that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus acknowledged who He was, but only after the confessor had made the statement. The closest He came to making an out and out statement that He was the Christ was in Matt. 26: 63-66, but even then He allowed the seeker the opportunity to reveal that his heart was open to the revelation. Jesus still fell short of saying “I am the Christ”.


As far as I can ascertain, Jesus never came out and said “I am the Christ”. He never took the position of claiming with His words by shouting in the streets that the Kingdom of God had arrived and He was the Christ. It was His deeds, miracles, and authority laden teachings that convinced those around Him that He was the Christ. It was the miracles and it was their purpose to demonstrate His authority over sin, death, the curse, Satan, the demons, and the religious leaders of His day.



In John 8:58, Christ said” before Abraham was born, I am”. He used this statement to authenticate His eternality.



Jesus did claim that He came to save mankind from sin. He also claimed that men can only have access to God and eternal life through Him. He claimed to have all authority in heaven and earth. Jesus claimed that the Father had given all judgment to Him. The authority to make these claims was validated by His life and of course the final validation of these claims was His resurrection.



Is it somewhere in these things I have mentioned that give you pause or is there something else?

 

[TheyCallMeDave]

If you could recommend any book in the Bible to someone struggling with faith, which would it be? Ideally I would prefer a New Testament book.

NT book : Romans

OT book : Ecclesiastes

Christian website : www.impactapologetics.com for the booklet called : The 12 Points which proves Christianity is true.

Criticisms of the Christian Faith the Critics make (answered in depth) : http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/answers.html

 

[SPB1987]

NT book : Romans

OT book : Ecclesiastes

Christian website : www.impactapologetics.com for the booklet called : The 12 Points which proves Christianity is true.

Criticisms of the Christian Faith the Critics make (answered in depth) : Answers for Atheists and Agnostics

Thanks. Checking out the God and Science site now.

 

[Forge3]

I think you might do better seeing the Bible lived out in a truely Christ like person's life and not just words on a page. Where are you in your spiritual life?

The Bible is more than just words on a page. They are like a window or doorway through which God may communicate His love, wisdom and power to His followers. Yet as it is written "Faith is dead without works" so to may wisdom be dead without application and gifts without sharing. So to observe and be edified by virtue and to put one's learning and faith into practice is an essential addition to meditating on Scripture yes.