Faith

maybe you can tell us what your understanding of the gospel and salvation is, and that would help clarify which points need to be addressed.

PetLuv said:

I have recently started attending church again.
I made a friend there and he is trying to help me understand the concept of faith/saving and salvation, but I don't think I understand it.

I wish I knew what I was not grasping so I could better ask and therefore understand, but I can't.
It is not just clicking for me like I have heard of it happening for some people; so I thought maybe you guys could help me comprehend better. Maybe?

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Hi there

I'm glad you've made a friend at your church, that's great.

Differing traditions have slightly different understandings of salvation, so like lafillechérie has said, it would be good to know which background you come from.

I'm happy to answer any questions you've got, but will save something more detailed until I know what exactly is the position you're struggling with.

In short though, salvation is something which encompasses the transition from being in a state of sin, through forgiveness and deliverance from guilt, to being brought to being in a new life in and with Christ.

There is nothing we can do to make God feel that we deserve such a blessing, so this is achieved completely by God's grace (God's love and favour, freely given to an undeserving people) through our faith in Him. We trust that God will keep His promises. Our faith alone that God is good doesn't save us, but it does provide the means by which God's grace is poured onto us.

lafillecherie said:

maybe you can tell us what your understanding of the gospel and salvation is, and that would help clarify which points need to be addressed.

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What she said.

Some more clarification would definitely help. The fact that you're asking questions and seeking answers is definitely admirable.

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Can relate.

All I can say is that answered prayer provided me with all of the proof I needed, and actually, it's what the Bible teaches:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. -Mat 7:7,8

'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' -Jer 33:3

So if deep down you have a desire to reach out and find God, by all means, try.

PetLuv said:

I think what gets me the most is the idea of not having direct contact or evidence of God, yet trusting in this lack of proof as though I could in some way show that He is there.

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Let me ask you this: do you believe in Julius Caesar despite not having direct contact? And as for evidence, there is greater manuscript evidence for the New Testament than there is for Caesar's "Gallic Wars," and the gospels were written as accounts of the life of Christ. While I'm not a full on evidentialist, I think those who say flatly "there's no evidence" haven't really studied the matter in depth. What makes Christ different than other deities is he was an actual historical figure, and hence he existed within the span of history, and hence we need to deal with what is recorded of him, and the claims he made. In that regard, there is plenty of proof.

PetLuv said:

I am supposed to trust in God, when I have no way of knowing that He is really able to support me, or my problems, or even really there for me.

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So have many people in times of trouble. For some people, such as Joseph in Egypt, it takes several years before they realize what's going to happen. For many others, they never see the support or problem solution they never see. Any one who throws Jeremiah 29:11 at you has absolutely no idea what that verse is saying, and I would ask them how they would explain that verse to people like Tyndale or Bonhoeffer.

However, what you can put trust in is that if you turn to Christ and repent of your sins, and trust in him as your sacrificial lamb who atoned for your sins before the Father, you will find that he is able to save you the uttermost. You will know that, whatever may befall you in life, he is still interceding for you before the Father, and that as your life is hidden in Christ, so too shall you be revealed with Christ before the Father at the day of resurrection.

PetLuv said:

I'm not really sure what is hard for me. I am not really an emotional person so maybe some of these things within the feeling concepts of religion are just too foreign for me to grasp.

I dont think this will sound right, but trying to edit it down to a nicer version is proving very difficult for me right now.
I think what gets me the most is the idea of not having direct contact or evidence of God, yet trusting in this lack of proof as though I could in some way show that He is there. I am supposed to trust in God, when I have no way of knowing that He is really able to support me, or my problems, or even really there for me.
I don't understand that. I feel like that is not the only hangup I have, but it is the only one I can process well enough to put into that garbled mess of words. Sorry for asking before I really knew the question.

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No need to apologise.

You couldn't be asking at a more appropriate time in the year, for the churches who follow a set list of readings, the weeks immediately after Easter give us the readings in the Bible of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. In these are when the disciples express doubts over Jesus, Thomas famously says how he won't believe unless he puts his fingers in the wounds, although the other disciples seem to express uncertainty too as they shut themselves away (John 20:19-31).

Your questions are ones that many Christians have asked before, myself included. I can relate to how you feel. I would say that you can have direct contact with God; prayer works in different ways for different people, although retreating to talk to God on your own is always good alongside any other form of prayer (i.e. for me, playing music/singing). I'd find the way that works for you to experience God. Though having contact with God, like to the disciples who doubted, God shows himself. The evidence will be sufficient for you. This doesn't mean that there won't be things you'll struggle with, but you will know that God is there, working as he has throughout history; The Jews doubted their relationship with God having been exiled by the Babylonians, in Isaiah 43 God comes to the people and says 'Do not fear, I am with you, peace be with you', to the disciples in John 20, God comes in and says 'Do not fear, I am with you, peace be with you'. In your own situation God can and will do the same. Often it's when we least expect it, this is John Wesley's story of feeling God's presence.

I don't want to put words in your mouth, but as your initial questions mentioned salvation and this mentioned contact with/existence of God, is it fair to say that you were struggling with the idea of salvation/why it's necessary and how it's possible if God's presence isn't certain? Or something along those lines at least, some sort of blend of the two topics?

PetLuv said:

I used to trust God very much, I never really knew/learned the Bible but I had a very strong trust/belief in Him.
Well, as things often go, things in my life went wrong and I found myself very angry at God for putting wants on my heart that I would never have. It's been many years since I've really been to church or put muh thought into God, but I am a lot lately. I miss that joy I remember my life having before hate took over.

..Maybe I'm still a little mad at Him, and that is part of my untrust. I have a hard time with trusting in general, and previous hurts/reasons to not fully trust in Him keep swirling around in my mind.

Sounds rather petty to see it in words, but it is what it is.

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You'll find most believers go through periods in their life like that. Look at how the prophets often felt, either in regards to their current condition or even in regards to God Himself. Just remember that, no matter how low you sink, God will just as eagerly welcome you back into the fold. Christ has done all things for you, and there is no mistake for which his atonement has not absolved you.

In regards to your plight and feelings, a good section of scripture to meditate on might may be Psalm 22. Although a Messianic prophecy, it's also edifying for the believer, because though at the beginning the psalmist cries out "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?" (v. 1), it is revealed that God heard his cries (v. 24).

I might also suggest finding a good church to make your spiritual home in. A proper church will even be able to provide you in-person assistance and growth for which we who help you online can only provide so much.

PetLuv said:

I used to trust God very much, I never really knew/learned the Bible but I had a very strong trust/belief in Him.
Well, as things often go, things in my life went wrong and I found myself very angry at God for putting wants on my heart that I would never have. It's been many years since I've really been to church or put muh thought into God, but I am a lot lately. I miss that joy I remember my life having before hate took over.

..Maybe I'm still a little mad at Him, and that is part of my untrust. I have a hard time with trusting in general, and previous hurts/reasons to not fully trust in Him keep swirling around in my mind.

Sounds rather petty to see it in words, but it is what it is.

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Nah. I've been up and down that rollercoaster more times than I can remember. I must be thick headed or something b/c I always give up hope in the worst of it, but then eventually the Lord always comes through to calm the storm. It just takes time, and at least in my case I could save myself a lot of pain if I could learn to always stop assuming the worst.

I'm curious about your story though, but if you don't want to post it on a public forum that's understandable.