confused about salvation

[coconut711]

Hey guys. I dont know if I'm saved. I have many questions and doubts.

Some things/questions are..

I don't feel like a bad person. I know I'm a sinner though. Do I need to feel like an awful wretched hell deserving person to accept Christ? I have a hard time understanding the concept of hell and why we deserve it. I know that God cannot stand sin and that He is Just, but Idk..It confuses me...sometimes I dont feel like I deserve hell but I'm very scared I'll go there!!

Do you have to have the Holy Spirit to convict and draw you to salvation or can you decide to accept Christ at anytime. Do we have to wait on God to convict us?

Do you have to feel guilty or sorrowful for your sins? I dont...

I just need some help. I'm very emotionally distressed due to all of this. I just want peace from Jesus.

 

[NaturallyGone]

Hey guys. I dont know if I'm saved. I have many questions and doubts.

Some things/questions are..

I don't feel like a bad person. I know I'm a sinner though. Do I need to feel like an awful wretched hell deserving person to accept Christ? I have a hard time understanding the concept of hell and why we deserve it. I know that God cannot stand sin and that He is Just, but Idk..It confuses me...sometimes I dont feel like I deserve hell but I'm very scared I'll go there!!

Do you have to have the Holy Spirit to convict and draw you to salvation or can you decide to accept Christ at anytime. Do we have to wait on God to convict us?

Do you have to feel guilty or sorrowful for your sins? I dont...

I just need some help. I'm very emotionally distressed due to all of this. I just want peace from Jesus.

no, you don't have to feel like an awful wretched person to accept Christ. no, you don't actually have to feel guilty or sorrowful for your sins i don't think. i think it's just what you are supposed to do, not what you actually have to do. as for if the Holy Spirit convicts you and draws you to salvation or can you decide to accept Christ at anytime, that is actually a good question. cause at the same time I want to say you can accept whenever you want, i also know that God knows what is gonna happen throughout our life before we are even thought about by our parents. so that's really debatable.

 

[coconut711]

thanks for your input

this is such a serious topic for me. If I'm not saved I will spend eternity in Hell. I want to make sure I get it right ya know

 

[liesje]

Hey Coconut,

As humans our emotions go through cycles, we will not always feel sorrowful or guilty. There are times where we will, and times when we won't. In the times when we don't it's important to just know that we are sinners, saved by God's grace.

 

[coconut711]

Hey Coconut,

As humans our emotions go through cycles, we will not always feel sorrowful or guilty. There are times where we will, and times when we won't. In the times when we don't it's important to just know that we are sinners, saved by God's grace.

I meant in order to get saved do you have to feel sorrowful or guilty - not if you're already saved. I just know that you have to realize you're a sinner in order to get saved, but how far do you have to take that? Can you just admit you're a sinner and not feel like a bad person at all, or do you have to admit youre an awful wretched person first? Do you also have to admit you deserve hell? Idk it's confusing - it's hard for me to admit I deserve hell, but I know I'll go there w/o christ. (btw I also know that I don't deserve heaven either.)

 

[solarwave]

I never tend to feel guilty for my sins, though I understand that I deserve punishment in what ever form God considers right.

Simply because you don't feel guilt doesn't mean you can't be saved. It would seem strange that you have to wait to feel bad before you can know God. More than that I think it takes a genuine seeking after God and turning your heart towards goodness.

 

[coconut711]

Sometimes I feel bad because I tend to want Jesus more for "fire insurance" (escape hell) than I do of forgiveness of sins....if that makes sense....I guess I wish I felt like a bad person so it'd be easier for me to acknowledge I deserve hell and stuff and to know that I really mean it when I admit I'm a sinner.....

 

[RipleyCountyChristian]

Hey guys. I dont know if I'm saved. I have many questions and doubts.

Some things/questions are..

I don't feel like a bad person. I know I'm a sinner though. Do I need to feel like an awful wretched hell deserving person to accept Christ? I have a hard time understanding the concept of hell and why we deserve it. I know that God cannot stand sin and that He is Just, but Idk..It confuses me...sometimes I dont feel like I deserve hell but I'm very scared I'll go there!!

Do you have to have the Holy Spirit to convict and draw you to salvation or can you decide to accept Christ at anytime. Do we have to wait on God to convict us?

Do you have to feel guilty or sorrowful for your sins? I dont...

I just need some help. I'm very emotionally distressed due to all of this. I just want peace from Jesus.

I don't think you have to feel convicted and guilty and bad to be saved...you just need to realize that you have sinned against the Lord...and pray for forgiveness... recognize that Christ died for you...pray for Christ to come into your life and cleanse your heart and soul.

I have had moments like that too..where i have worried about whether or not I am saved...even though I know i have prayed for forgiveness and repented before....but that is just the devil trying to deceive you..the name Satan means adversary...deceiver. But what I do is I remember that Christ died for me Christ loves me...and I have come to him....I am his and He is mine. I pray a lot when I feel like that. Spending time in prayer with the Lord is such a powerful thing.

On the concept of hell...God doesn't send us there...we send ourselves there..Christ's death on the cross was for everybody...if you don't choose to accept that...that saddens the Lord...and you are of sin and sin cannot be in the presence of the Lord...

Hope I was of help

 

[coconut711]

I don't think you have to feel convicted and guilty and bad to be saved...you just need to realize that you have sinned against the Lord...and pray for forgiveness... recognize that Christ died for you...pray for Christ to come into your life and cleanse your heart and soul.

I have had moments like that too..where i have worried about whether or not I am saved...even though I know i have prayed for forgiveness and repented before....but that is just the devil trying to deceive you..the name Satan means adversary...deceiver. But what I do is I remember that Christ died for me Christ loves me...and I have come to him....I am his and He is mine. I pray a lot when I feel like that. Spending time in prayer with the Lord is such a powerful thing.

On the concept of hell...God doesn't send us there...we send ourselves there..Christ's death on the cross was for everybody...if you don't choose to accept that...that saddens the Lord...and you are of sin and sin cannot be in the presence of the Lord...

Hope I was of help

thanks for the answer.

im not trying to question God, but when I think of burning in fire for forever it just seems kinda harsh. I dont really get it.

and some people say by doubting and praying to God all the time means I'm not trusting in him but in myself? idk

im sick of being scared

 

[iwannarock]

thanks for the answer.

im not trying to question God, but when I think of burning in fire for forever it just seems kinda harsh. I dont really get it.

and some people say by doubting and praying to God all the time means I'm not trusting in him but in myself? idk

im sick of being scared

Never be afraid to ask questions about anything, especially about religion. If people never asked questions we'd all still be worshipping zeus or the sun.

Just remember that every question has many angles to approaching it, and approach it with pure objectivity. Never enter a predicament wih a single mindset.

And to help answer some of your questions, I don't think God wants us to expect him to solve all of our problems without us having to do anything. But that is just my interperatation, and others may see it differently, I may even be completeley wrong.

And I also had and still do have a problem with the "Burning for Eternity" thing. geting burned fo 2 seconds isnt fun, and i couldnt imagine eternity of that. I mean, it's not like you can send a guy to say "Hey, theres a invisible entitity controlling your lives but doesn't do anything at all to prov e he exists, so if u dont worship him, you'll burn forever." that logic seems a bit flawed. A sentence for murder of like 50 years of burning or 80 years for not believing or something sems a bit more reasonable.

Once again, just my interpretation, and I must point out I have never even read the Bible. I'm not exactly the perfect example of a loyal Christian. I never get past the first 3 pages.

I'm just trying to approach this logically, but there might be other people here who have more "informative" opinions on the matter.

 

[lovernotafighter]

Don't worry, you don't have to wait for anything to believe in Jesus, and if you do, you are already saved!

Although, I'm pretty sure God does want us to feel sorry for our sins, and definitely not to persist in them.

If you wouldn't mine me asking why don't you feel sorry?

 

[HarborOrange]

Well, as many people have said on this thread, feeling guilt over your sinfulness is a good thing. It will inevitably cause you to turn from them... Or, at least, that's the idea.

Yeshua tells us over and over again to repent. Therefore, we should turn from our sin. Of course, there's nothing you can do to be saved, it's all by faith in the Messiah and his sacrifice for us. However, turning from your sinful ways is a way of showing your faith, if that makes sense. You can't have a strong relationship with Yeshua if you allow yourself to be inundated with sin. Cleansing yourself of your sin is basically a result of your faith in the Savior.

So, certainly feel bad for your sin, but know that Yeshua has washed them away, and just try your best to not commit those sins again, even though it is impossible for us as humans to be perfect.

 

[coconut711]

Don't worry, you don't have to wait for anything to believe in Jesus, and if you do, you are already saved!

Although, I'm pretty sure God does want us to feel sorry for our sins, and definitely not to persist in them.

If you wouldn't mine me asking why don't you feel sorry?

Idk why I don't feel sorry - I just don't....idk...maybe it's pride??

 

[coconut711]

I think this shows you don't understand what you are talking about. Few if any people what you are attacking.



There is nothing wrong with questioning or doubting. The greatest theologians doubted. You can't fully understand if you don't question what you believe to some extent.

God isn't an angry God who at the slightest sign of doubt will throw you in a firey pit. God loves you and wants the best for you. Try your best to do what is right, follow God. It seems to me that it is the attitude of your heart that matters the most. The point of knowing God isn't to fear hell but to be released from fear because there is a God who layed down His life for His friends.

thanks I liked your answer. I have to remind myself that God is loving too and he doesnt want to send me to hell...I just dont want to be one of the people who get up to heaven when I die and hear God say " I never knew you "

 

[coconut711]

Well, as many people have said on this thread, feeling guilt over your sinfulness is a good thing. It will inevitably cause you to turn from them... Or, at least, that's the idea.

Yeshua tells us over and over again to repent. Therefore, we should turn from our sin. Of course, there's nothing you can do to be saved, it's all by faith in the Messiah and his sacrifice for us. However, turning from your sinful ways is a way of showing your faith, if that makes sense. You can't have a strong relationship with Yeshua if you allow yourself to be inundated with sin. Cleansing yourself of your sin is basically a result of your faith in the Savior.

So, certainly feel bad for your sin, but know that Yeshua has washed them away, and just try your best to not commit those sins again, even though it is impossible for us as humans to be perfect.

this is a weird...maybe dumb question...but how do I make myself feel bad for my sin?

 

[LifebyChrist]

this is a weird...maybe dumb question...but how do I make myself feel bad for my sin?

Isaiah 6:9 "He said, "Go and tell this people: "'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."

You really do need God but it can be hard to discern and realize this but here are some noticable details

Your thread is called "confused about salvation"

1 Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people."

Confuse is a synonym of disorder.

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

In your first post you have said,

"I'm very emotionally distressed due to all of this. I just want peace from Jesus."

You see, you do need Jesus, because you are scared and confused and you are emotionally distressed and you want peace.

As for trying to make yourself feel bad or guilty, you are already doing this and you had a sad face on your post. I am sorry.

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Romans 10:13 "for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,"

Jesus loves you very much, I do not know what your sins are but they are causing you alot of worry and emotional distress and Jesus can set you free from this.

His love endures forever and he is a very compassionate and merciful God

Nehemiah 9:31 "But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God."

Jesus loves you! He loves you this + Much

 

[solarwave]

thanks I liked your answer. I have to remind myself that God is loving too and he doesnt want to send me to hell...I just dont want to be one of the people who get up to heaven when I die and hear God say " I never knew you "

Well when I feared hell I eventually thought to myself that if I go to hell even when I have tried to follow God I obviously must have an evil heart and this is just punishment. For me to go to hell I must hate God and hate goodness at least in some sense. Love myself more than God or goodness.

Honestly I don't think that is true of me and Gods grace and love more than makes up for my lacking.

I don't know if that helps, but I would say if you are trying to do your best, trying to do what is right and following God you have nothing to fear.

So perhaps something important is that God wants you to go to heaven, not hell. He isn't there to catch you out with vague concepts of what you have to do to be saved, and there to laugh at you when you miss the goal posts slightly. That in the end it is Love Himself that wins, not a judgemental angry god.

Sorry for the big speech

Mind me asking if you are not ashamed of your sin because you don't care if you sin and do what is wrong, because you just don't feel guilty or that you have done anything that bad, or because you know your sin has been forgiven?

 

[coconut711]

Well when I feared hell I eventually thought to myself that if I go to hell even when I have tried to follow God I obviously must have an evil heart and this is just punishment. For me to go to hell I must hate God and hate goodness at least in some sense. Love myself more than God or goodness.

Honestly I don't think that is true of me and Gods grace and love more than makes up for my lacking.

I don't know if that helps, but I would say if you are trying to do your best, trying to do what is right and following God you have nothing to fear.

So perhaps something important is that God wants you to go to heaven, not hell. He isn't there to catch you out with vague concepts of what you have to do to be saved, and there to laugh at you when you miss the goal posts slightly. That in the end it is Love Himself that wins, not a judgemental angry god.

Sorry for the big speech

Mind me asking if you are not ashamed of your sin because you don't care if you sin and do what is wrong, because you just don't feel guilty or that you have done anything that bad, or because you know your sin has been forgiven?

Idk Im not sure if I'm saved so I'm not sure if I'm forgiven, but I just don't feel bad or ashamed of my sin

 

[Forsakenfaith]

It is said "Seek the Lord with all your heart and you will find him".
God's not counting your sins. If you declare out loud to anyone that you are a christian and believe Jesus is your savior then you are going to be recongized for that proclamation.pray and try to meditate on your relationship with god. Read the bible daily, and you will find everything you are looking for.

 

[ThePilgrim101]

Threads like this always make me so sad...