How many seconds do you have to follow Jesus to be saved?

[Bob8102]

The reason I ask is I have the following problem: I, repeatedly, try to sincerely turn my life over to Christ. It usually culminates with a heart-felt cry, "Take me!" ("Take me" is what a friend of mine told me he said the moment he surrendered to Christ.) But then, I keep "looking up at Jesus" for only a second or two. Then, it seems as if i turn away, look back down, and let Self take the throne of my heart and life.

It is kind of like being at the bottom of a ladder, where Jesus is on top, above the ladder, waiting to pull you up. But a consortium of the world, the flesh and the devil is at the bottom, and has got you by your waist and is constantly holding you in place at the bottom. If you look up at the top of the ladder, at Jesus, then try to climb up toward Him, that Consortium grapples you and pulls you back down. Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part. But I'll look up at Him, and try to trust Him, and keep my gaze on Him for about a second. Then I give in to the force holding me at the bottom.

Sometimes I keep up a concentrated effort to gaze at Jesus for longer than a second: like maybe I go two or three seconds. But then I stop resisting the downward pull immediately.

I remind myself of a guy I met, whom I refer to as ""Josh-in-the-woods." Josh told me that he has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which I also have been diagnosed with and see a psychiatrist and take meds for. Josh said that for a period of time in his life, he would give his life to Christ, then, immediately, the next second, decide, "I'm OK with Jesus. Now I'm going to do what I want." After this got repeated some number of times, he got to the point where he would spend eight hours a day, every day, walking through the woods and saying "Son of David, have mercy on me!" over and over again. Finally, he went to a Christian psychiatrist and started taking meds and since has gotten work, gotten married and has a child. That business of him walking through the woods eight hours a day is pretty similar to what I do, and have been doing, on and off, for years.

I question my sincerity and the validity of my supposed "salvation" because of this. If I, in my heart of hearts, have it set to where I PLAN to follow Jesus for only a few seconds, then back out, then that is an insincere approach to Jesus and may make me unsaveable.

BTW, when I googled the question, the first link that came up was to a video called, "The Ten Second Rule." I watched the video, and, no, it was not saying you have to follow Jesus for ten seconds to be saved. It was about a book called "The Ten Second Rule," which is about Christian living. The second video that came up right after that one was a serious sermon about commitment to Jesus.

 

[d taylor]

It is not following Jesus that gives Eternal Life, it is believing in Jesus for God's free gift of Eternal Life.

Believing takes a moment of time, just how ever long it takes for a person to understand that eternal life is received by believing in The Messiah.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

 

[Petros2015]

Well, if someone was going to lead you to heaven, how many seconds should you follow him?

 

[NomNomPizza]

The reason I ask is I have the following problem: I, repeatedly, try to sincerely turn my life over to Christ. It usually culminates with a heart-felt cry, "Take me!" ("Take me" is what a friend of mine told me he said the moment he surrendered to Christ.) But then, I keep "looking up at Jesus" for only a second or two. Then, it seems as if i turn away, look back down, and let Self take the throne of my heart and life.

It is kind of like being at the bottom of a ladder, where Jesus is on top, above the ladder, waiting to pull you up. But a consortium of the world, the flesh and the devil is at the bottom, and has got you by your waist and is constantly holding you in place at the bottom. If you look up at the top of the ladder, at Jesus, then try to climb up toward Him, that Consortium grapples you and pulls you back down. Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part. But I'll look up at Him, and try to trust Him, and keep my gaze on Him for about a second. Then I give in to the force holding me at the bottom.

Sometimes I keep up a concentrated effort to gaze at Jesus for longer than a second: like maybe I go two or three seconds. But then I stop resisting the downward pull immediately.

I remind myself of a guy I met, whom I refer to as ""Josh-in-the-woods." Josh told me that he has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which I also have been diagnosed with and see a psychiatrist and take meds for. Josh said that for a period of time in his life, he would give his life to Christ, then, immediately, the next second, decide, "I'm OK with Jesus. Now I'm going to do what I want." After this got repeated some number of times, he got to the point where he would spend eight hours a day, every day, walking through the woods and saying "Son of David, have mercy on me!" over and over again. Finally, he went to a Christian psychiatrist and started taking meds and since has gotten work, gotten married and has a child. That business of him walking through the woods eight hours a day is pretty similar to what I do, and have been doing, on and off, for years.

I question my sincerity and the validity of my supposed "salvation" because of this. If I, in my heart of hearts, have it set to where I PLAN to follow Jesus for only a few seconds, then back out, then that is an insincere approach to Jesus and may make me unsaveable.

BTW, when I googled the question, the first link that came up was to a video called, "The Ten Second Rule." I watched the video, and, no, it was not saying you have to follow Jesus for ten seconds to be saved. It was about a book called "The Ten Second Rule," which is about Christian living. The second video that came up right after that one was a serious sermon about commitment to Jesus.

You get saved when you believe in the gospel 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 does not matter if you're nun or you crucify Christians like Saul did before he became apostle Paul what matters if you accept him or not.
It's free gift not of works Ephesians 2:8-9
and ye even after that you will not do all things you should like Saint Paul did even tho he was chief of the apostles

 

[GreekOrthodox]

Then thief on the cross said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Jesus replied to him, "Amen I say to you today you will be with me in Paradise."

 

[dqhall]

The reason I ask is I have the following problem: I, repeatedly, try to sincerely turn my life over to Christ. It usually culminates with a heart-felt cry, "Take me!" ("Take me" is what a friend of mine told me he said the moment he surrendered to Christ.) But then, I keep "looking up at Jesus" for only a second or two. Then, it seems as if i turn away, look back down, and let Self take the throne of my heart and life.

It is kind of like being at the bottom of a ladder, where Jesus is on top, above the ladder, waiting to pull you up. But a consortium of the world, the flesh and the devil is at the bottom, and has got you by your waist and is constantly holding you in place at the bottom. If you look up at the top of the ladder, at Jesus, then try to climb up toward Him, that Consortium grapples you and pulls you back down. Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part. But I'll look up at Him, and try to trust Him, and keep my gaze on Him for about a second. Then I give in to the force holding me at the bottom.

Sometimes I keep up a concentrated effort to gaze at Jesus for longer than a second: like maybe I go two or three seconds. But then I stop resisting the downward pull immediately.

I remind myself of a guy I met, whom I refer to as ""Josh-in-the-woods." Josh told me that he has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which I also have been diagnosed with and see a psychiatrist and take meds for. Josh said that for a period of time in his life, he would give his life to Christ, then, immediately, the next second, decide, "I'm OK with Jesus. Now I'm going to do what I want." After this got repeated some number of times, he got to the point where he would spend eight hours a day, every day, walking through the woods and saying "Son of David, have mercy on me!" over and over again. Finally, he went to a Christian psychiatrist and started taking meds and since has gotten work, gotten married and has a child. That business of him walking through the woods eight hours a day is pretty similar to what I do, and have been doing, on and off, for years.

I question my sincerity and the validity of my supposed "salvation" because of this. If I, in my heart of hearts, have it set to where I PLAN to follow Jesus for only a few seconds, then back out, then that is an insincere approach to Jesus and may make me unsaveable.

BTW, when I googled the question, the first link that came up was to a video called, "The Ten Second Rule." I watched the video, and, no, it was not saying you have to follow Jesus for ten seconds to be saved. It was about a book called "The Ten Second Rule," which is about Christian living. The second video that came up right after that one was a serious sermon about commitment to Jesus.

There is a Chinese fortune cookie proverb I remember, “He who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth starves.”

A race was won by an athlete who spent much time training. it is not all genetics.

I used to read the Bible over and over. That led to other readings. I could not expect to find Jesus while walking around, even though I walked a mile or two most days. I worry I might need an artificial knee like my older neighbors. A scholar may become expert through reading quality publications and hearing experts lecture.

This Bible verse popped into my head:
Luke 9:62 “Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’”
God did not do the plowing for him. God needs workers.

 

[Bob8102]

Well, if someone was going to lead you to heaven, how many seconds should you follow him?

One should follow him permanently. But, OTOH, if one has a nature which is selfish and instinctively drives one away from God, inherited from Adam and Eve, then one might not consistently follow Jesus.

 

[Bob8102]

There is a Chinese fortune cookie proverb I remember, “He who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth starves.”

A race was won by an athlete who spent much time training. it is not all genetics.

I used to read the Bible over and over. That led to other readings. I could not expect to find Jesus while walking around, even though I walked a mile or two most days. I worry I might need an artificial knee like my older neighbors. A scholar may become expert through reading quality publications and hearing experts lecture.

This Bible verse popped into my head:
Luke 9:62 “Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’”
God did not do the plowing for him. God needs workers.

That verse about the plow has always deeply bothered me. It seems that, after putting my hand to the plow, I not only look back. but I walk back away from the plow altogether, and say, "I'm not going to do ANY plowing." Then, I realize I'm going to hell, and I consider walking back to the plow. It's a repeating cycle.

 

[com7fy8]

Then, it seems as if i turn away, look back down, and let Self take the throne of my heart and life.

So, you understand that we need to not allow self to take the throne of our heart and our life. So, trust God to change us so we first trust and obey Him. And discover how He does this.

"we who first trusted in Christ" > in Ephesians 1:12. This is what our Apostle Paul says. God brings someone to trust in Jesus. And then we discover all which Jesus does with us > including >

"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)

It takes time to learn from Jesus, and to grow in Christ and His way of loving.

And if you give yourself to Jesus, or are looking into this . . . you might spend more than a few seconds reading and feeding on God's word, and listening to ones who are good examples of this. God's word shows us how God succeeds; so it is wise not to feed only or mainly on how we have failed > because if what we have done does not work, this can indeed be because what we have tried is what does not work!!

Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part.

Well, Jesus is in Heaven, yes, but He does not just pull us up, but He changes us within ourselves > God in us changes us so we are trusting Christ the way God means for us to trust and obey Jesus.

"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

He works in us "to will", our Apostle Paul does say. And God succeeds when He is working. He changes us so we are in His peace and how His peace rules our wills in our hearts > this is part of our basic Christian calling "in one body" >

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)

 

[com7fy8]

Then, I realize I'm going to hell, and I consider walking back to the plow. It's a repeating cycle.

Hell is a reality. But fear of hell is not enough, I would say.

 

[JLB777]

The reason I ask is I have the following problem: I, repeatedly, try to sincerely turn my life over to Christ. It usually culminates with a heart-felt cry, "Take me!" ("Take me" is what a friend of mine told me he said the moment he surrendered to Christ.) But then, I keep "looking up at Jesus" for only a second or two. Then, it seems as if i turn away, look back down, and let Self take the throne of my heart and life.

It is kind of like being at the bottom of a ladder, where Jesus is on top, above the ladder, waiting to pull you up. But a consortium of the world, the flesh and the devil is at the bottom, and has got you by your waist and is constantly holding you in place at the bottom. If you look up at the top of the ladder, at Jesus, then try to climb up toward Him, that Consortium grapples you and pulls you back down. Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part. But I'll look up at Him, and try to trust Him, and keep my gaze on Him for about a second. Then I give in to the force holding me at the bottom.

Sometimes I keep up a concentrated effort to gaze at Jesus for longer than a second: like maybe I go two or three seconds. But then I stop resisting the downward pull immediately.

I remind myself of a guy I met, whom I refer to as ""Josh-in-the-woods." Josh told me that he has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which I also have been diagnosed with and see a psychiatrist and take meds for. Josh said that for a period of time in his life, he would give his life to Christ, then, immediately, the next second, decide, "I'm OK with Jesus. Now I'm going to do what I want." After this got repeated some number of times, he got to the point where he would spend eight hours a day, every day, walking through the woods and saying "Son of David, have mercy on me!" over and over again. Finally, he went to a Christian psychiatrist and started taking meds and since has gotten work, gotten married and has a child. That business of him walking through the woods eight hours a day is pretty similar to what I do, and have been doing, on and off, for years.

I question my sincerity and the validity of my supposed "salvation" because of this. If I, in my heart of hearts, have it set to where I PLAN to follow Jesus for only a few seconds, then back out, then that is an insincere approach to Jesus and may make me unsaveable.

BTW, when I googled the question, the first link that came up was to a video called, "The Ten Second Rule." I watched the video, and, no, it was not saying you have to follow Jesus for ten seconds to be saved. It was about a book called "The Ten Second Rule," which is about Christian living. The second video that came up right after that one was a serious sermon about commitment to Jesus.

The baptism with the Holy Spirit is the power to live the Christian life.



Please seek Him for this.




God bless you.




JLB

 

[Bobber]

The reason I ask is I have the following problem: I, repeatedly, try to sincerely turn my life over to Christ. It usually culminates with a heart-felt cry, "Take me!" ("Take me" is what a friend of mine told me he said the moment he surrendered to Christ.)

Maybe the Lord is saying to you to take him too. The Bible says we're to put on the whole armour of God, we do that. Eph 6 (the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God...and other things.....)

But then, I keep "looking up at Jesus" for only a second or two. Then, it seems as if i turn away, look back down, and let Self take the throne of my heart and life.

Well good news. Stop turning away and stop looking back down. Keep looking up and keep looking upon God's word and his promises. Remember the angels told Lot's wife....Don't look back! Gen 19:17 Would she be told to do something she couldn't do? Nope. That would be unjust and God isn't unjust.

Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part.

Sorry but that's not true the way you're saying it. Scripture says clearly we're to labour to enter into that REST. Heb 4:11 Sounds like a contradiction of terms yet it isn't. For us to labour to enter into his rest means we do spiritual things not natural things that won't bear any fruit in bringing us peace with God. We do spiritual things WE DO THEM.....feeding our spirits with God's word, praise and worship to get into his manifested presence. We cast down every wrong imagination which exalts itself against the word of God 2 Cor 10:5 and any way you want to look at it that requires EFFORT on OUR part. Sorry but it seems you expect everything to fall on your like ripe cherries off of a tree but it doesn't work that way.

 

[JLB777]

It is not following Jesus that gives Eternal Life, it is believing in Jesus for God's free gift of Eternal Life.

Believing takes a moment of time, just how ever long it takes for a person to understand that eternal life is received by believing in The Messiah.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Believe means obey in the original.



He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 3:36 NASB



And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, Hebrews 5:9






JLB

 

[Freth]

Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part. But I'll look up at Him, and try to trust Him, and keep my gaze on Him for about a second. Then I give in to the force holding me at the bottom.

Jesus helps you climb the ladder, but it's up to you to get rid of the baggage that's been weighing you down. Paul states in Romans 6 that our old life needs to be left behind (the baggage, the sin, the world) and that a new life of righteousness should replace it. Release the baggage. Turn away from the worldly things that are holding you back. You recognize it's Satan pulling you down, so get rid of Satan's grasp on your life.

In my own life, I was addicted to so many things.

• Entertainment (TV, movies, gaming)
• Coffee and tea (stimulants)
• Beer and spirits (depressants)
• Sugar and chocolate (stimulants; sugar led to a type-2 diabetes diagnosis)
• Fornication (inappropriate content and what results from it)
• Over-eating
• Meat addiction (I was hooked on hamburgers; I went vegetarian)

There are so many things Satan uses and we all suffer from them to varying degrees. I removed them all. I couldn't do it myself, it required Jesus' help, but I had to make the decision that I was going to fight these things and turn away from them. Some I struggled with for some time, others I quit cold-turkey. I prayed every time I stumbled, repented and redoubled my efforts. I overcame them all, thank the Lord.

Drop that baggage. I just quoted this in another thread:

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
​

Mammon is used as an example. Mammon is wealth regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship and devotion.

God bless!

 

[d taylor]

Believe means obey in the original.



He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 3:36 NASB



And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, Hebrews 5:9






JLB

What a person is commanded to obey, is to believe in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life.

The obey is not a act of obedience by a person to keep laws, repentance, trying to live a sinless life, join a church, be baptized these do not give eternal life.

 

[Sabertooth]

@Bob8102, you just must surrender [i.e. belong] to Jesus. He is able to work with our inconsistencies.

Once you have done that, get into a New Believers' class at a nearby church.

If you don't know where to look, here are some good prospects,

• Vineyard,
• Assembly of God,
• Foursquare Church

(Given links are locators.)

 

[Bob8102]

Bobber wrote:
" ' Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part.'
Sorry but that's not true the way you're saying it. Scripture says clearly we're to labour to enter into that REST. Heb 4:11 Sounds like a contradiction of terms yet it isn't. For us to labour to enter into his rest means we do spiritual things not natural things that won't bear any fruit in bringing us peace with God. We do spiritual things WE DO THEM.....feeding our spirits with God's word, praise and worship to get into his manifested presence. We cast down every wrong imagination which exalts itself against the word of God 2 Cor 10:5 and any way you want to look at it that requires EFFORT on OUR part. Sorry but it seems you expect everything to fall on your like ripe cherries off of a tree but it doesn't work that way."

And Jesus said, "strive to enter by the narrow gate. For many will try to enter but not be able."

"Strive" means effort. Yet at the same time, Romans says "To him who works not but believes on Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness." It's the old faith-vs-works thing. I understand that is not a contradiction; a life of faith will generally evidence itself by good works. I once read, 'Good works is not the path to salvation, but the result of salvation.' Which led me to ask, "What is the path to salvation?" As far as i can tell, that means "looking at Jesus," and trusting Him and the Holy Spirit to empower you to do what He wants. So far, it seems I only consciously do this for seconds at a time. I may inherently do it for longer, but I am only consciously aware of doing it, striving to do it, for patches of time that last seconds.

A life of faith generally evidences itself by good works. But an OCD person is close to constantly in fear of not being saved, and this paralyzes them. Try reading "Strivings Within - The OCD Christian" by Mitsy VanCleeve. She nails it on the head, and says that John Bunyan, author of "Pilgrim's Progress," had the same disorder. She recommends that Christians with OCD read "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners," also by Bunyan. An OCD Christian's life, instead of exhibiting good works, may well exhibit "Josh-in-the-woods" behavior. As Mitsy puts it (to paraphrase), if one thinks they are in danger of being eternally separated from God because they are not really saved, how is one supposed to just proceed and live one's life? Such a person becomes dysfunctional, concentrating on the salvation problem full time.

An OCD person can wonder, "Am I doubting my salvation because I have OCD, or because I am not really saved?"

 

[Maria Billingsley]

The reason I ask is I have the following problem: I, repeatedly, try to sincerely turn my life over to Christ. It usually culminates with a heart-felt cry, "Take me!" ("Take me" is what a friend of mine told me he said the moment he surrendered to Christ.) But then, I keep "looking up at Jesus" for only a second or two. Then, it seems as if i turn away, look back down, and let Self take the throne of my heart and life.

It is kind of like being at the bottom of a ladder, where Jesus is on top, above the ladder, waiting to pull you up. But a consortium of the world, the flesh and the devil is at the bottom, and has got you by your waist and is constantly holding you in place at the bottom. If you look up at the top of the ladder, at Jesus, then try to climb up toward Him, that Consortium grapples you and pulls you back down. Now, I understand you cannot "climb the ladder" to Jesus. All you do is trust Him and He pulls you up, without any effort on your part. But I'll look up at Him, and try to trust Him, and keep my gaze on Him for about a second. Then I give in to the force holding me at the bottom.

Sometimes I keep up a concentrated effort to gaze at Jesus for longer than a second: like maybe I go two or three seconds. But then I stop resisting the downward pull immediately.

I remind myself of a guy I met, whom I refer to as ""Josh-in-the-woods." Josh told me that he has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which I also have been diagnosed with and see a psychiatrist and take meds for. Josh said that for a period of time in his life, he would give his life to Christ, then, immediately, the next second, decide, "I'm OK with Jesus. Now I'm going to do what I want." After this got repeated some number of times, he got to the point where he would spend eight hours a day, every day, walking through the woods and saying "Son of David, have mercy on me!" over and over again. Finally, he went to a Christian psychiatrist and started taking meds and since has gotten work, gotten married and has a child. That business of him walking through the woods eight hours a day is pretty similar to what I do, and have been doing, on and off, for years.

I question my sincerity and the validity of my supposed "salvation" because of this. If I, in my heart of hearts, have it set to where I PLAN to follow Jesus for only a few seconds, then back out, then that is an insincere approach to Jesus and may make me unsaveable.

BTW, when I googled the question, the first link that came up was to a video called, "The Ten Second Rule." I watched the video, and, no, it was not saying you have to follow Jesus for ten seconds to be saved. It was about a book called "The Ten Second Rule," which is about Christian living. The second video that came up right after that one was a serious sermon about commitment to Jesus.

Following Jesus Christ of Nazareth is like breathing. It is a way of life. The only way to be regenerated is to recieve His Holy Spirit. Be blessed.

 

[dqhall]

That verse about the plow has always deeply bothered me. It seems that, after putting my hand to the plow, I not only look back. but I walk back away from the plow altogether, and say, "I'm not going to do ANY plowing." Then, I realize I'm going to hell, and I consider walking back to the plow. It's a repeating cycle.

I remember reading a book by a baseball all-star and team manager named Leo Durocher. He said, “The harder we worked, the luckier we got.” He lived to be 86.

Sluggish people may encounter more problems by refusing all work.

 

[Sabertooth]

@Bob8102, you just must surrender [i.e. belong] to Jesus. He is able to work with our inconsistencies.

Once you have done that, get into a New Believers' class at a nearby church.

If you don't know where to look, here are some good prospects,

• Vineyard,
• Assembly of God,
• Foursquare Church

Along with being managed by a doctor, the churches that I mentioned in my previous post are good about dealing with mental illnesses, like OCD.

(Given links are locators.)