I lived my life as an Agnostic, exploring other faiths. I have found myself wanting to commit to Christianity and am starting to believe in the story of Jesus Christ. I had tried in the past, but something is different this time around. For the first time ever, I completed one of the Gospels. I ‘ve never read one of the books in full before, so I know that I am making an effort now to try and learn. I still have occasional doubts and would appreciate any help on how to really solidify my faith?
Hi newlyconverted101 & welcome to CF!
In hopes of helping you solidify your faith, following is an explanation of our need for salvation and God's plan of salvation.
Mankind’s Need of Salvation
What do I need to be saved from?
The wrath of God. (Romans 2:5-6)
Why do I need to be saved?
Your sin has cut you off from God. (Isaiah 59:2) To sin, means to “miss the mark.” The Bible declares, “all have sinned; all fall short of God’s standard.” (Romans 3:23)
What is God’s standard?
To perfectly keep His Law, the Ten Commandments,
for your entire life. Keep all of the Law and God will let you enter Heaven. Have you ever:
- used God’s name as a curse word? _____Yes _____No
- stolen anything? _____ Yes _____No
- told a lie? _____Yes _____No
This is just three of the ten. Answer yes to any? Uh-huh! You are guilty of breaking God’s Law. You have sinned. The “wages (penalty) of sin is (physical & spiritual) death.” (Romans 6:23)
If you die, without being saved, you will be eternally separated from God and your loved ones. After death, life does go on, either in Heaven (with God) or in Hell (away from God), depending on your acceptance or rejection of God’s plan of salvation.
God’s Plan of Salvation
The Futility of Human Effort
The Bible teaches that no amount of human goodness, human works, human morality or religious activity can get anyone into Heaven. Being a good person, belonging to a religious family, being baptized, going to church, none of these can save anyone. Everyone still falls short of God’s perfect standard. (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 4:1-5, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5-7)
The Only Way
Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) me.” (John 14:6)
What must I do to be saved?
1) Realize that you’re are a sinner. (Romans 3:23, 5:12; 1 John 1:10)
2) Change your mind about Jesus (repent).
- Jesus said: “…unless you repent (have a change of mind that results in a change of action), you will all perish and be lost eternally. (Luke 13:5)
- …now God charges all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)
3) Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried and rose from the dead.
- We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in the same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger (wrath) against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His Life for us. (Romans 3:22, 25)
- For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
4) Go to God in prayer, confessing Jesus as Lord and your need for forgiveness of your sins. Give your life to Jesus, making Him the Lord of your life.
- For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:10)
- For anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.(Romans 10:13)
What should I pray?
Following is an example:
Dear God,
I know I am a sinner. I have broken your Law and deserve to pay the penalty for my sins, which is eternal separation from you. God, I need your forgiveness. I believe that your Son, Jesus the Christ, is Lord of all, that He shed His precious blood as payment for my sins and that, on the third day, You raised Him from the dead. I am willing to turn from sin. Jesus, please come into my heart, to be the Lord and Savior of my life. Live your life through me. In Jesus Christ name, Amen.
If you sincerely prayed this prayer, you are now saved and the newest member of God’s family. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! (John 1:12-13)
Your acceptance or rejection of Jesus is the most important decision you will make in this life. It is a matter of eternal life and eternal death.
I accepted God’s plan of salvation, what next?
Here is a good place to start:
http://www.bible-truth.org/NewConvertpage.html
But also... I am here to ask for advice on how to stop sinning. My sinning relates mostly to lust and gluttony. I have certain addictions to light drugs that I am finding very hard to have control over... these being cannabis and alcohol. I also have experimented with psychedelics in the past but no longer use them. Ironically they had a very profound effect on my life, in a positive way, and are actually what led me to Christianity.
Anyone who has not followed God's plan of salvation cannot stop sinning. They are a slave to sin (Romans 6:6, 20). For a greater explanation of this, click here~~~>
www.gotquestions.org/slave-to-sin.html .
So first, one needs to be saved before they even have a chance to stop sinning. Then, here is an explanation of how to go about doing it~~~>
www.gotquestions.org/stop-sinning.html .
