I am an atheist who sincerely want to become a Christian(or any similiar religion)...

[WVOQ]

I TRULY want to believe in an all-loving God, and that I will see all my loved ones again in Heaven. I can't even imagine the thought of getting married, and loving someone with all my heart, and losing them forever (I was reading the "Life Stages: widow/widowers section" and almost broke down crying). I am an atheist because I see no reason for believing in God's existence, and all rational arguments I have seen in favour of His existence are unsound (and as a philosophy student, believe me I've seen them all). I doubt strictly logical argumentaion will lead me to God, but then what? Despite the fact I am an atheist, I have prayed sincerely with all my heart, for a God to reveal himself to me, but I have never felt anything. This is all the more difficult for me because of my skeptical nature (practically anything short of seeing Jesus waving outside my window would leave me not wholly convinced). I mean people often say they "feel" God, but this is sort of unclear. There are many times when something nice happens to me, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think this counts as God's presence, because I could just as easily say it's some sort of brain process. If I could believe in God I feel I would be happy beyond words, so please, anyone who can help me, I would be forever grateful.

 

[Sketcher]

I'm glad you are praying for God to reveal Himself to you. Now, you should remember that all this is to be on God's terms, not the other way around. I'll help you by praying for you. It really sounds like that's all I can do. If there are specific questions you would like to ask, the Questions By Non-Christians forum is the right place to do that, and hopefully I'll see you in there.

 

[Criada]

Praying for you too.

God will answer your prayers - He always does.
And you won't be able to mistake it for anything else, truly.
Cos He wants you to know Him.
God bless you.

 

[Elijah2]

I TRULY want to believe in an all-loving God,
We were all in the same position as you my dear friend.
and that I will see all my loved ones again in Heaven.
That is a lovely thought, but we need to see if we can help you through this time of doubt.
I can't even imagine the thought of getting married, and loving someone with all my heart, and losing them forever (I was reading the "Life Stages: widow/widowers section" and almost broke down crying).
I am 70 years of age, and only this morning I was thinking what would I do when my wife dies. Now I don't why that came to mind, but yes it isn't a good thought of losing someone who is close to you. Have been married 45 years.
I am an atheist because I see no reason for believing in God's existence, and all rational arguments I have seen in favour of His existence are unsound (and as a philosophy student, believe me I've seen them all).
This is where we differ, because I have had a number of divine God-experiences, and those experiences are the only thing that keeps me going in faith. Everytime I begin to struggle with the world, I turn back to those experiencs, which lifts me back up knowing that our Almighty God, is our Lord Jesus Christ.

I don't need philosopy or any head knowledge discussion whether there is a God or not, because I have experienced HIM. He also saved my life a number of times. He also warned me of danger a number of times.
I doubt strictly logical argumentaion will lead me to God, but then what?
Mate, I spent a long time in the Army, and what I experienced with God, I don't bother arguing, because of my experiences they led me to HIM.
Despite the fact I am an atheist, I have prayed sincerely with all my heart, for a God to reveal himself to me, but I have never felt anything.
You wont feel anything, unless HE smacks you down like HE did to Paul, who was a Christian-killing Jew at the time. And then HE became the Apostle for Christianity. His scales were lifted off his eyes.
This is all the more difficult for me because of my skeptical nature (practically anything short of seeing Jesus waving outside my window would leave me not wholly convinced).
That is so, because you haven't been broken like all the others who thought like you.

I could also share things like that, but it would be too hard to share those experiences with an atheist.
I mean people often say they "feel" God, but this is sort of unclear.
You only feel God, when you know God.
There are many times when something nice happens to me, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think this counts as God's presence, because I could just as easily say it's some sort of brain process.
Sorry mate, that was God talking to your heart, not your brain.
If I could believe in God I feel I would be happy beyond words, so please, anyone who can help me, I would be forever grateful.
Well, what would you like to know about our Almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ?

 

[jazzypooh]

I TRULY want to believe in an all-loving God, and that I will see all my loved ones again in Heaven. I can't even imagine the thought of getting married, and loving someone with all my heart, and losing them forever (I was reading the "Life Stages: widow/widowers section" and almost broke down crying). I am an atheist because I see no reason for believing in God's existence, and all rational arguments I have seen in favour of His existence are unsound (and as a philosophy student, believe me I've seen them all). I doubt strictly logical argumentaion will lead me to God, but then what? Despite the fact I am an atheist, I have prayed sincerely with all my heart, for a God to reveal himself to me, but I have never felt anything. This is all the more difficult for me because of my skeptical nature (practically anything short of seeing Jesus waving outside my window would leave me not wholly convinced). I mean people often say they "feel" God, but this is sort of unclear. There are many times when something nice happens to me, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think this counts as God's presence, because I could just as easily say it's some sort of brain process. If I could believe in God I feel I would be happy beyond words, so please, anyone who can help me, I would be forever grateful.

Praise the Lord!!!

i can tell from your post that you already have faith! the Bible says each of us are born with a measure of faith. and it was the measure of faith that you possess that has brought you this far!

at one point in my life i was right where you were and probably all of us were. but i was trying to "reason" God in my head to try and find out whether or not He existed. you have to believe Him with your heart, not with your head. we believe by faith, and you already have a measure of faith.

This is where we differ, because I have had a number of divine God-experiences, and those experiences are the only thing that keeps me going in faith. Everytime I begin to struggle with the world, I turn back to those experiencs, which lifts me back up knowing that our Almighty God, is our Lord Jesus Christ.

I don't need philosopy or any head knowledge discussion whether there is a God or not, because I have experienced HIM. He also saved my life a number of times. He also warned me of danger a number of times.

amen. at some point God has to reveal Himself to us or make Himself real to us, but we have to be open to Him. the Bible says He knocks on the door of our hearts, and we have to let Him in... He's not gonna bust the door down! we have to be willing to be open to Him. that is when He reveals Himself to us. and we have to seek Him. we have to go after Him until we find Him. if you stop looking for God with your head, and begin to look for Him with all of your heart, i promise you will find Him.

that is what i did... and i found Him. i had to put away everything i thought i knew about God, everything that my biology teacher taught me about God... i had to forget all of that. i had to let go of my doubts. when i let go all of my doubts, and just opened myself up to God then that's when He did it.

i even remember one time saying out loud to God "God if You're real than show me that You're real!" and He did it. i'm not gonna describe it but i will say that He proved Himself. and He will also prove Himself to you if you open your heart to Him. that's why He knocks. see God is a gentlemen! He's not aggressive like we think He is! we think that if God is real then He'll forcefully prove His existence to us, but that's not true! we have to open our hearts to Him. we have to approach Him with a humble spirit. God can never show HImself to you as long as you approach Him incorrectly. you have to humble yourself before God, and open yourself to Him. that is when He reveals Himself to you.

i would encourage you to keep praying to Jesus. read your Bible. (i know you have one! everybody does... even atheists... lol). and go to a local church and ask questions about the faith. if you want you can post question here. but as long as you're looking for a debate you'll never find God. God is not found through debate. you don't find Him through debates and arguments of whether or not He exists. you find Him when you open your heart to Him and allow Him to come in. then He reveals Himself to you. the Bible says that God resists the proud. so as long as we have pride in us and refuse to humble ourselves then God will continue to resist us, and He'll never reveal Himself to us. so i encourage you to have a humble spirit towards God and open your heart to Him and He will show Himself to you.

if you like you can pm me. and read my testimony on my page. it may bless you. sometimes when you hear about what God did for someone, then it helps you to believe that He can be real in your life as well. a person's testimony builds up your own faith in God. i will be praying for you.

 

[jazzypooh]

also, you may wanna check this guy out. His name is Lee Strobel. He used to be an atheist as well. here's his website:

http://www.leestrobel.com/

check out his book "The Case for A Creator" and he may have some other useful material that can help you as well. he has a free monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to. i believe he has free clips where he does teaching about God from a scientific point of view... so you might be able to understand his lingo... lol. and he does a lot of interviews with atheists who have converted to Christianity. i think they may help you out a lot.

also, there's a couple of other guys i wanna tell you about... i can't think of their names off the top of my head. but i think the name of their show is called "Christianity 101". it comes on on TBN. you can visit TBN's website to see the times and everything, and while you're there why don't you check out some of the programming on TBN?

www.tbn.org

PS i also want to tell you that Jesus is the only way to the Father in heaven. because the title of your thread says something about you'll join any similar religion. but no other religion provides you with a complete and perfect Atonement for your sins. this is very important, because all of us have sinned against God, so all of us need God's forgiveness. so God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins... making Him the only perfect and complete Atonement (or sacrifice) for our sins against God. believe me, i've studied a lot of these major religions of the world (by force... lol), but in my study i found out that only in Christianity do you see an Atonement for man's sins that is perfect and complete. that is extremely important.

 

[Dondi]

My friend,

My suggestion is to walk in the manner as prescribed by Jesus in His teachings. I believe God will honor obedience even while you doubt His existence. It is a matter of testing God to see if these things are true. If you just try living the priciples of the Christian life, I believe you will find things will happen that will bless your life to the extent that you will come to believe in God's power and thus gain faith. The core of Jesus' teachings are summed up in Matthew 22:36-40:

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Now I realize that you would have difficultly following the first part: Love God, etc. But I suggest that you humor this by imagining that there is a God who will honor. I know that would be kind of strange to you, almost like imagining Santa Claus. But if you are going to find any basis in God, I believe it will start there. Not in any "miracle" or physical evidence which you seem to seek. Miracles were never the point in evidencing God anyway. Not saying doing this will "save" you, but nevertheless, if you try to abide in the principle of God's world, I believe that you will see it impact your life in such a positive manner that you will discover it's truth.
You might want to start with the Sermon of the Mount, which has much of the practical teachings of Jesus that I mentioned. Consider it as an experiment in a change of lifestyle. If nothing else, it might lead you to become a better person toward others.

 

[rejectreality]

Well, you say you're looking for God? That's convenient, because He's looking for you too. I'd say that you already have faith, as even though you claim to be an atheist, you're looking for God. I use faith, because logical, rational proof, in the philosophical sense, doesn't exist in support of any god. I am praying for you, and truly believe that God will reveal Himself to you. If you seek God, He will seek you.

I'll go out on a limb here, and suggest that you've found God. After all, you did come to a Christian forum. But finding and understanding are two separate things. Again, I'll be praying for you.

God bless

 

[WVOQ]

jazzypooh: Thank you very much, I am going to check out those sites for sure.

Elijah2: ""There are many times when something nice happens to me, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think this counts as God's presence, because I could just as easily say it's some sort of brain process."
Sorry mate, that was God talking to your heart, not your brain."

I often get mixed answers about this one. Some people say there will be no confusion if it's God, and others say those strong emotions are God "in disguise". But yes, I suspect revelation would be stronger than rational proof in convincing someone about God's Nature.

All the rest: Than you all very much for your kind words and prayers. All the responses so far have been great.

Much love and appreciation to all of you.

 

[jazzypooh]

I often get mixed answers about this one. Some people say there will be no confusion if it's God, and others say those strong emotions are God "in disguise". But yes, I suspect revelation would be stronger than rational proof in convincing someone about God's Nature.

i think the reason people say this and the reason it is confusing you is because God often does not reveal Himself to people in the same way. like the way He revealed Himself to me might not be the same way He reveals Himself to you. He may be revealing Himself to you now through this forum and that in itself is a unique experience with God. how many people you know met God on the internet?

God often speaks to our hearts in different ways. but His Word is the main way that He reveals Himself, so it is best that you start there. the Bible is the Word of God. so the best way to find out about God is by reading what He said about Himself! by reading His Words! that makes a lot of sense right?

i don't belief there's any such thing as "rational proof" of God's existence. because God is a Spirit and that's not rational to our minds. so His nature alone is not rational, because it goes beyond the human intellect. and because He is Spirit we cannot understand Him with our natural minds. we can acquire information about Him in our minds, but we can never truly know Him with the mind. that's why i told you that you have to open your heart to Him. Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts, not the door of our minds because He doesn't fit there. the space is too small for Him in our minds. how can a finite mind comprehend an infinite God? He has to come in through the heart, and that experience with Him will make you forget everything you thought you knew in your mind. that is surely what happened to me.

i'm still praying for you.

 

[heymikey80]

This is not a place for debate, and I'm not in this to debate you. You asked a question, I'll answer. I don't normally debate atheists because debate's the wrong context. But I'll tell you the view I've come to -- from your statements the only difference between you & me so far is that I'm a believer.

I TRULY want to believe in an all-loving God, and that I will see all my loved ones again in Heaven. I can't even imagine the thought of getting married, and loving someone with all my heart, and losing them forever (I was reading the "Life Stages: widow/widowers section" and almost broke down crying).

If you go about pursuing this fond hope in the afterlife,"if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth -- only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair." But "If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end."

I've been there. I had to walk away from that. Because that's not what Christianity is about, and in fact you'd be surprised at how often eternal life is the reason for people departing from Christianity.

I am an atheist because I see no reason for believing in God's existence, and all rational arguments I have seen in favour of His existence are unsound (and as a philosophy student, believe me I've seen them all). I doubt strictly logical argumentaion will lead me to God, but then what?

I expect you do hear yourself speaking. All rational arguments are unsound, yet you doubt strictly logical arguments will lead you to God. God may intend both.

Remember philosophy: rational arguments are proofs within a context: they begin with known facts, they progress through a language construct invented by Aristotle over 2000 years ago. Lack of proof is not denial, either. There is a limit to rational thought -- it's just a limit that causes us to quit talking.

Without any sound, rational argument against God there's no reason for being an atheist. Feelings aren't persuasive either way. People didn't feel the existence of the Americas in 1200. And feelings didn't change their existence.

Science and philosophy scope their knowledge as well as present it. They don't lead into all truth as a result. Science doesn't predict the next random outcome. Science doesn't explain the one practicing science. Science doesn't explain the Good. Life. Love. Creation. Philosophy explains -- nothing except its own questions. For me, I found philosophy was no more than the frame around the tapestry of human life. But no examining the frame will tell you the truth woven in the tapestry. To me, what Camus said about science is just as well directed at philosophy -- now including his own. "What need had I of so many efforts? The soft lines of these hills and the hand of evening on this troubled heart teach me much more." Unfortunately, philosophy actually leaves the frame that much more empty. It's so embedded in itsself you start questioning why the frame should exist.

Despite the fact I am an atheist, I have prayed sincerely with all my heart, for a God to reveal himself to me, but I have never felt anything. This is all the more difficult for me because of my skeptical nature (practically anything short of seeing Jesus waving outside my window would leave me not wholly convinced). I mean people often say they "feel" God, but this is sort of unclear. There are many times when something nice happens to me, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think this counts as God's presence, because I could just as easily say it's some sort of brain process. If I could believe in God I feel I would be happy beyond words, so please, anyone who can help me, I would be forever grateful.

The lack of physical data tells us more about the God we believe, than about the lack of God. We would even agree with you. From the Christian standpoint, why would a believer in a God Who is outside the universe, above & beyond all it can handle, there's no reason to demand that God be observable from our context inside the universe.

We're not that significant.

So it's not that we disagree with the point. It's more often that we agree with the point and it's not conclusive.

 

[TheGuide]

I TRULY want to believe in an all-loving God, and that I will see all my loved ones again in Heaven. I can't even imagine the thought of getting married, and loving someone with all my heart, and losing them forever (I was reading the "Life Stages: widow/widowers section" and almost broke down crying). I am an atheist because I see no reason for believing in God's existence, and all rational arguments I have seen in favour of His existence are unsound (and as a philosophy student, believe me I've seen them all). I doubt strictly logical argumentaion will lead me to God, but then what? Despite the fact I am an atheist, I have prayed sincerely with all my heart, for a God to reveal himself to me, but I have never felt anything. This is all the more difficult for me because of my skeptical nature (practically anything short of seeing Jesus waving outside my window would leave me not wholly convinced). I mean people often say they "feel" God, but this is sort of unclear. There are many times when something nice happens to me, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think this counts as God's presence, because I could just as easily say it's some sort of brain process. If I could believe in God I feel I would be happy beyond words, so please, anyone who can help me, I would be forever grateful.

Read the gospel of John. Try to read a chapter a day, and when you have finished the entire gospel, then read it again. Before you begin, ask God to fell your heart with understanding each time before you begin. Then read. Also, stop calling yourself an atheist. As long as your faith is in being such you will not hear God on your heart:

"...Without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6


The Guide

 

[longboneslinger]

Read the gospel of John. Try to read a chapter a day, and when you have finished the entire gospel, then read it again. Before you begin, ask God to fell your heart with understanding each time before you begin. Then read. Also, stop calling yourself an atheist. As long as your faith is in being such you will not hear God on your heart:

"...Without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6


The Guide

I second the recommendation for Lee Strobel. Right after I accepted Christ my long suffering wife bought one of his books, "A case for Christ". She knew me and that I was trying to find the path. She also knew that I was, and still am, a lot like you. I need proof. I have a hunger to understand things and doubt the existence of such things without it. I believed in Christ but was filled with human doubts like we all are. The book helped a lot. I know that God helped her to find that book because it just what I needed at that point and He also know I love to read so a book was perfect.
The case for Christ is written by a then atheist who was also a highly decorated legal reporter for a major newspaper (I cant remember which one) who's wife accepted Christ and he went on a fact-finding mission to disprove Christianity and wound up a believer. It touches on archeology, medical and psychological experts among others that puts forth a incredibly strong case for the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ. Give it a read and try "A case for faith' by Strobel. Awesome reading.
I also second the book of John. It's where I started. Just remember the most important words in history - Luke 22:41 "Not my will but Your will be done.' He could have 'passed the cup' of His crucification but instead, out of love for us and God, He didn't. Love like that deserves our own love and respect in return. "He who looks shall find." God gives us the clues. This forum may be another clue. He loves you and wants you to be with Him in heaven.
God bless you and all you love. I will pray that you find what we have found.
BoNe

 

[soulsearching1]

I TRULY want to believe in an all-loving God, and that I will see all my loved ones again in Heaven. I can't even imagine the thought of getting married, and loving someone with all my heart, and losing them forever (I was reading the "Life Stages: widow/widowers section" and almost broke down crying). I am an atheist because I see no reason for believing in God's existence, and all rational arguments I have seen in favour of His existence are unsound (and as a philosophy student, believe me I've seen them all). I doubt strictly logical argumentaion will lead me to God, but then what? Despite the fact I am an atheist, I have prayed sincerely with all my heart, for a God to reveal himself to me, but I have never felt anything. This is all the more difficult for me because of my skeptical nature (practically anything short of seeing Jesus waving outside my window would leave me not wholly convinced). I mean people often say they "feel" God, but this is sort of unclear. There are many times when something nice happens to me, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think this counts as God's presence, because I could just as easily say it's some sort of brain process. If I could believe in God I feel I would be happy beyond words, so please, anyone who can help me, I would be forever grateful.

Just some thoughts from a fairly new Christian myself - God didn't smack me quite in the face - but He did make it very clear through a few certain experiences that made me look back and see where His hand had been in other places of my life that I never even thought about. I don't "feel" God some of the time, and it's been almost a year - that's pretty normal. So don't think that it's all going to make sense all at once. Being realistic, some days I have serious doubt, and some days I don't "feel" like a Christian at all. But, deep down I know I can never go back to where I was before (basically, agnostic at best, though not quite an atheist). That's the reality - it's not a clean, easy 1-2-3 thing. But the "overwhelming emotion" that you're feeling IS God touching you, even though it's slight. You just have to learn how to separate those moments from "human" emotions, which are fickle.

For the whole "rationality" issue, for what it's worth, I'm very well-read, have taken lots of philosophy and theory, am in the liberal camp politically and put a large amount of faith in science, reason, etc. However, science/reason and faith/God are not mutually exclusive. It's hard to explain, but you get to the point where you just "know" that it's true, not just in your head, but in your heart. And that process is different for everyone, I think. Go read Lee Strobel's Case For Christ and Case for Faith. Case for a Creator is good, though a bit bogged down with "science-y" stuff so I sometimes doubt the research and therefore the credibility - not sure if he explored the topics as thoroughly as he should have. Also, read C.S Lewis's Mere Christianity - that made a HUGE world of sense to me.

 

[Mistoffelees]

Well the Christians say something like "Everyone can believe in God" or I think some verse says that too so anyway, just try and belive that if there is a God He'll make it obvious to you eventually that He exists if you keep hanging around this board or praying or stuff like that.

 

[Ic3]

These are truly amazing replies!

As I was reading this thread, I clicked on a random FM Static song (Mind you, I just heard about FM Static, I don't know any of their songs). As I continued to read this thread, the song "Something to Believe In" by FM Static, the random song that I was listening to, came to life.

I quickly searched the lyrics, and it's amazing that it pertains to this thread exactly! How amazing.

Listen to the song: http://youtube.com/watch?v=rR6sG38k7j4

Here are the lyrics: http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/fmstatic/somethingtobelievein.html

A particular section of the song stood out for me. I felt as though I needed to share it with you.

And if you don't know what i'm talking about
it's probably better cause i'm working out
don't wanna spend my lifetime figuring out
that i coulda just said one prayer

And if you know what i'm talking about
then together were both working it out
don't wanna spend my lifetime figuring out
i missed the point now it's over

I don't know if this means anything to you, but I just had a conviction in my heart to post this here.

James 4:8 - "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded"

 

[Sketcher]

Elijah2: ""There are many times when something nice happens to me, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think this counts as God's presence, because I could just as easily say it's some sort of brain process."
Sorry mate, that was God talking to your heart, not your brain."

I often get mixed answers about this one. Some people say there will be no confusion if it's God, and others say those strong emotions are God "in disguise". But yes, I suspect revelation would be stronger than rational proof in convincing someone about God's Nature.

That's a tricky question because God does speak clearly, but people muddy the waters. Much of the "no confusion if it's God" business mainly applies to Christians; they already know God in some capacity. He calls us by name as a shepherd does his sheep. However, it is entirely possible that God would speak clearly to an unbeliever, pushing said unbeliever to faith in Him.

 

[forgotten33]

"Seek christ with all your heart only then will you truely find him."

 

[artgaldayna]

First, if you are uncertain about your faith, please do not be repelled by the size of this post.

Despite the fact I am an atheist, I have prayed sincerely with all my heart, for a God to reveal himself to me, but I have never felt anything.

This does not mean a thing
[bible]James 1:6-7[/bible]
Matthew 12:39, Matthew 16:4, and Luke 11:29 (All the words of Jesus in the Bible) say that asking for a sign (to prove God’s existence) is just that: a lack of faith. If God did this, He would be robbing you of your chance to be saved by your faith in Him.
Your search should not turn to which ‘religion’ sounds the best – but rather a search upon yourself. Here is what I mean.. you are drawn to love and how God loves everyone and can save someone and give them eternal life. However, I am not so sure if you understand the necessity of this rather than just the desire for love and Heaven.

I TRULY want to believe in an all-loving God, and that I will see all my loved ones again in Heaven.

God is all-loving – God is love, but – there is something that He HATES – and rightfully hates. He despises sin. He despises evil. He and sin repel like water and oil – he hates sin so much, that He won’t let any sin or any sinful thing into Heaven.
This is what I meant when I said to search upon yourself. I’ll ask some questions that define the search we all need to have to understand our necessity of God.

Do you think you are a good person?
Have you ever told a lie?
Have you ever stolen something? (it doesn’t matter the value)
Have you ever used God’s name in vain?
Have you ever lusted after a woman?

If you have done these things, you are a lying, thieving, blaspheming, adulterer at heart. These are only four of the Ten Commandments – God’s standard.
All have sinned. We all fall short of deserving Heaven by the good things we do. (Romans 3:23) God is a just God. He will punish sin. He is so just, that He will even punish common sins – like lust and lying. Sin is such a bad thing that we overlook, but it leads to death – it leads to eternal death once we die. We all have a debt to sin. [bible]Romans 5:8[/Bible] --but God so loves the world, that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish – but have everlasting life. I have to explain just how amazing this gift is. What Jesus did, was He payed our fine. He payed off our sin with His life. That – THAT is the love of God –the grace of God. Because of Christ our sins can be taken away!! Our debt can be paid. Turning away from your sin is what you need to do. It is more than accepting Jesus as true – it is confessing your sin, and turning from your sin.
That is what everyone needs to realize in Christianity – that receiving Christ is necessary for eternal life – to save us from that HIDEOUS sin – to save us from the punishment in Hell that we as imperfect people deserve.

 

[rocklife]

I encourage you in reading the New Testament thoroughly, every day. Listening on walkmen tapes is also great encouragement too. then reading the whole Bible (one thing at a time though). And then be a doer, do what your conscience confirms is right, and get away from sins, God can help.