How do I not get mad at God

[J0SHUA]

I'm new to calvinism and it's hard for me to accept no free will... college with anxiety and depression is too difficult I just want to die.. how can I not get mad at God in this situation? I feel like He just planned my suffering and that I should just not pray ever again about my depression and anxiety because He wants me to struggle so much with it. I am very thankful He saved me and changed me like I prayed for but my suffering is ridiculous and I don't know how to get through this life and I don't want to be angry at God but I can't help it when I feel this way..

 

[J0SHUA]

Now that I think of it I actually feel I deserve this suffering because of how sinful I was before I changed and I apologize I sounded impatient in my previous post. But seriously I can't live with these problems til death unless I die very young.. please pray for me

 

[Thisismybody]

I used to struggle with Calvinism as well.

I pray you come to terms with your faith. I personally left Calvinism and sola scriptura in general.

I won't go on into some Calvinist debate, but let explain something:

Authority does not lay in Scripture alone. Authority was given to the Church by God through Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Church's authority comes from God, not from scripture. Christ gave the Church the keys to the kingdom and the ability to bind and loose the things of the Earth.

Scripture was canonized by the Church, for the Church, to be used within the context of the Church. We within the Church are to serve as the Body of Christ and are given that authority by the Holy Spirit, which governs our actions.

You can sit here and try to interpret scripture by your own logic, or you can do so by the wisdom of the Holy Fathers, who were ordained by the Apostles themselves, and have never struggled to reconcile man's will with God's.

Look at some of the Saints of the Church. Follow their example. Not the example of Calvin. I would much rather follow the teachings and examples of men who followed the example that Christ laid for us, over a 16th century French murderer.

Therefore, I will leave you with this little gem. May you find comfort in it:

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people"

Christ is Risen!

 

[Skala]

I would completely ignore the advice of our friend above. The Bible alone has authority over the Christian's life and conscience. Without an objective rule of faith, each Christian is allowed to believe whatever he subjectively "feels" like God is telling him. I'd also warn you against the gross misunderstanding he demonstrates about Calvin's alleged "murder". Calvin did no such thing. He was a witness in a trial, that is all. He certainly wasn't judge, jury, or executioner. But hey, what can you expect from people who learn about Calvin from 3rd party anti-Calvinist sources with a clear agenda, rather than study the history yourself.

As for your OP, I'm not quite sure how your dilemma and situation has anything to do with Calvinism.

If you are suffering from a condition of depression, thoughts of suicide, and other emotions like uncontrollable rage and anger, you might have an unbalance in your body chemistry, such as the production of too much adrenaline.

You might want to see a doctor who can help you in the form of medication.

 

[J0SHUA]

Thanks Skala I was upset because I was thinking "what's the point of trying to overcome depression and anxiety because it's God's will?" and that I was doomed to live with it my whole life but I have decided I will just try my best and pray and hope God will allow me to overcome it.

 

[Thisismybody]

Each Protestant denomination has it's own interpretation of Scripture, all claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit. The question is, which church really has the Spirit? I'll take my chances on the one that received it on Pentecost, and who's lineage we can trace up until now, by the direct laying of hands, starting from the Apostles.

Jesus told the Apostles that whatever they bind and loose on Earth is also done in Heaven. He gave the Apostles this power, not the Bible. The Spirit descended on the Apostles on Pentecost, not on the Bible. God didn't give the Church the Bible, he gave them the Spirit. Christ gave the Church direct authority to act as his body on the Earth.

The Bible was canonized by the Orthodox Church many years after Pentecost, to be used by the Church within the context of the Church. That is until the Reformers came along and decided to cut the books out which they didn't like.

I used to be in the same boat, digging and praying and searching for stability. I begged to know what interpretation was right. I found stability in the Orthodox Church, the pillar of truth, which had existed from the very beginning, and still lives, even after 2000 years of suffering at the hands of Muslims, Catholics, and Athiests.

But forgive me. I turned this into another debate which I shouldn't have.

Prayer my friend. Prayer is your best weapon against the Evil One, who wants you to hate God and who wants you blame Him for your suffering. direct your anger toward the Devil, not at God.
Patience is also key. St. Seraphim of Sarov suffered years for Christ, and he was rewarded in ways which most men may never understand. God gives strength to endure suffering. Follow Job's example, and the Early Fathers, and the Saints. They did not waver, and they were given a taste of the Kingdom even before death.

 

[Skala]

Each Protestant denomination has it's own interpretation of Scripture, all claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit. The question is, which church really has the Spirit? I'll take my chances on the one that received it on Pentecost, and who's lineage we can trace up until now, by the direct laying of hands, starting from the Apostles.

Jesus told the Apostles that whatever they bind and loose on Earth is also done in Heaven. He gave the Apostles this power, not the Bible. The Spirit descended on the Apostles on Pentecost, not on the Bible. God didn't give the Church the Bible, he gave them the Spirit. Christ gave the Church direct authority to act as his body on the Earth.

The Bible was canonized by the Orthodox Church many years after Pentecost, to be used by the Church within the context of the Church. That is until the Reformers came along and decided to cut the books out which they didn't like.

I used to be in the same boat, digging and praying and searching for stability. I begged to know what interpretation was right. I found stability in the Orthodox Church, the pillar of truth, which had existed from the very beginning, and still lives, even after 2000 years of suffering at the hands of Muslims, Catholics, and Athiests.

But forgive me. I turned this into another debate which I shouldn't have.

Prayer my friend. Prayer is your best weapon against the Evil One, who wants you to hate God and who wants you blame Him for your suffering. direct your anger toward the Devil, not at God.
Patience is also key. St. Seraphim of Sarov suffered years for Christ, and he was rewarded in ways which most men may never understand. God gives strength to endure suffering. Follow Job's example, and the Early Fathers, and the Saints. They did not waver, and they were given a taste of the Kingdom even before death.

The Eastern Orthodox Church is just another denomination with its own interpretation.

So basically, it's guilty of the same thing you mentioned in your first sentence in your post.

 

[Don Maurer]

Each Protestant denomination has it's own interpretation of Scripture, all claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit. The question is, which church really has the Spirit? I'll take my chances on the one that received it on Pentecost, and who's lineage we can trace up until now, by the direct laying of hands, starting from the Apostles.

I wonder if Pelagius had orthodox hands layed on him? How many of the ancient Bishops were heretics who could trace their linage to an apostle? I will take my chances on the authority of the scriptures.

Jesus told the Apostles that whatever they bind and loose on Earth is also done in Heaven. He gave the Apostles this power, not the Bible. The Spirit descended on the Apostles on Pentecost, not on the Bible. God didn't give the Church the Bible, he gave them the Spirit. Christ gave the Church direct authority to act as his body on the Earth.

The same words giving the apostles the power to bind and loose was given to believers in the Church in Matthew 18.
18 Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

I find your attack on the scriptures to be interesting. The bible is where Christianity comes from. It is the source. If what you say cannot match up with what the scriptures says, then how can you lay claim to being "Christian?" Its where Christians begin. The authority of the apostles was not passed down through other leaders, or even other men, but through the words of the apostles, and they are recorded in the scriptures.

The Bible was canonized by the Orthodox Church many years after Pentecost, to be used by the Church within the context of the Church. That is until the Reformers came along and decided to cut the books out which they didn't like.

Actually, several early cannon lists had the same list of scriptures that protestants maintain are the correct books. The Catholic Church came along in the middle ages and tried to add a few books they thought would establish their additions of doctrines never endorsed by the apostles.

I used to be in the same boat, digging and praying and searching for stability. I begged to know what interpretation was right. I found stability in the Orthodox Church, the pillar of truth, which had existed from the very beginning, and still lives, even after 2000 years of suffering at the hands of Muslims, Catholics, and Athiests.

You don't look stable to me dude. If you want right interpretations, you'd better start searching the scriptures. The very book you are putting down. Philosophy of men will always drift with the tide.

Also, speak of suffering... Try being reformed and you might learn something new.

But forgive me. I turned this into another debate which I shouldn't have.

No, you should not have and you know it. So why did you come and violate the rules? In this Reformed area there is even a place for debate where you can go and say about anything you want. So why did you come here?

Prayer my friend. Prayer is your best weapon against the Evil One, who wants you to hate God and who wants you blame Him for your suffering. direct your anger toward the Devil, not at God.
Patience is also key. St. Seraphim of Sarov suffered years for Christ, and he was rewarded in ways which most men may never understand. God gives strength to endure suffering. Follow Job's example, and the Early Fathers, and the Saints. They did not waver, and they were given a taste of the Kingdom even before death.

Interesting. You come in and violate rules and then you write a paragraph to impress me with your spirituality? Really?

 

[J0SHUA]

Let's just remember to love one another and put our hope in the promise God has given us

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I'm new to calvinism and it's hard for me to accept no free will...

Joshua, I do not know if you know, but Calvinism does not claim we have "no free will". I recommend several writings to help. "The Bondage and Liberation of the Will" by John Calvin, "The Bondage of the Will" by Martin Luther, "Freedom of the Will" by Jonathan Edwards, "God Sovereign and Man Free" By N.L. Rice, "Free Grace versus Free Will" by W.E. Best, "A Display of Arminianism" by John Owen, and "Chosen by God" by R.C. Sproul, and "Willing to Believe" by R.C. Sproul. Also not knowing what you know or not, familiarize yourself with the terminology, the different views of free will and determinism. What Calvinists deny and do not accept is libertarian free will. However historically the majority of Calvinists have affirmed a limited freedom or "compatibilist free will", which is different. Carefully read from the Westminster Confession of Faith , Chapters 3, 5, and 9 especially.

college with anxiety and depression is too difficult I just want to die..

I am sorry, I have also dealt with anxiety and depression, for most of my life to various extents. I have experienced on a number of occasions, the pain of wanting to die. At one time I took medication for depression, however I did not like the side effects so I stopped taking. I really don't know you or your situation, but something my mother used to tell m which stuck and is true is "this too shall pass". A great part of anxiety and depression has to do with "feelings", and the thing to remember is that feelings come and go, and we should resist allowing them to control our lives. But with that said...look into the lives of figures in the Bible. Jeremiah and Lamentations caused scholars to refer to him as "the weeping prophet".

how can I not get mad at God in this situation?

Our natural reaction is to get mad at God, I have been there, done that, have the t-shirt. It's not the "unforgivable sin", and maybe it would be therapeutic in some way to just cry out to the Lord and tell Him you are angry and why. Sometimes it's helpful to just let it out, rather than bottle up feelings. God is merciful and gracious, His mercy endures forever. Most of us respond more similar to Job's wife than Job, and I learned that personally, even not wanting to be mad at God, I came to a point where I could not fight it, the flesh is weak.

I feel like He just planned my suffering and that I should just not pray ever again about my depression and anxiety because He wants me to struggle so much with it. I am very thankful He saved me and changed me like I prayed for but my suffering is ridiculous and I don't know how to get through this life and I don't want to be angry at God but I can't help it when I feel this way..

God hears the prayers of His people, and He does care, whether we see it or not, it's just that He often does not answer the way we want, His ways are not our ways. Suffering is such a common experience to all mankind, and in Scripture there is no shortage of it in the experiences of God's chosen people. I am thankful God planned the suffering of Christ for me and you, and I cannot imagine the extent of suffering, especially the moment the sinless Son of God took upon Himself, our sins, and satisfied the wrath of God we deserved.

Closing thought of advice, make daily efforts to change your focus from yourself and suffering to the suffering of others, and most of all, to God, to Scripture.

 

[AmericanSamurai]

You don't look stable to me dude. If you want right interpretations, you'd better start searching the scriptures. The very book you are putting down. Philosophy of men will always drift with the tide.

Also, speak of suffering... Try being reformed and you might learn something new.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

Authority does not lay in Scripture alone.

Protestants with any knowledge of the subject, have never believed the strawman of solo Scriptura. You should know that we recognize Scripture as the ultimate authority, while recognizing secondary authorities, like the Reformed confessions, which are authoritative over Reformed Churches, which makes Church authorities third in the hierarchy, without going into details about the sub divisions of hierarchy in Reformed Church government.

Authority was given to the Church by God through Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Church's authority comes from God, not from scripture. Christ gave the Church the keys to the kingdom and the ability to bind and loose the things of the Earth.

The authority of Scripture comes from God, since the Scriptures are God breathed, revelation from God to mankind. What "one true Church-ites" fail to recognize when they criticize differences in Protestant interpretation, is that when they say such things as "the Church's authority comes from God", the next question to be raised is, "does God only give this authority to one Church", if so which Church? Everyone seems to think their Church is THE church. Of course any can agree "authority was given to the Church by God", authority was given before any Church, even going back to Adam and Eve in the garden and the authority God gave them over creation. Of course any can agree "the Church's authority comes from God", where else does true authority come from? The Scriptures authority comes from God! The difference is that "the Church" as a body of believers is not inerrant, nor infallible. In fact, it is clear from the Scriptures, the writers themselves did not lead perfect lives, quite the opposite. None of the writers of Scripture would claim to be inerrant, or infallible. What makes the Scriptures inerrant and infallible is that the writers were guided by God the Holy Spirit, in such a way as to preserve the writers personality, and at the same time pen every letter which God gave them by inspiration and ensure a text free from error, because Scripture is revelation from the mind of God, and it is therefore a reflection of the mind of God which He desired to reveal to a chosen people.

Scripture was canonized by the Church, for the Church, to be used within the context of the Church. We within the Church are to serve as the Body of Christ and are given that authority by the Holy Spirit, which governs our actions.

Though the church plays a role in the recognition of the NT canon it does not determine its authority. The canon is self-authenticating and the church recognizes its authority. The difference and relationship between recognition and determination are important. It is God and not the church who began the canon and thus, "the church cannot close the canon because it never started it to begin with."

You can sit here and try to interpret scripture by your own logic, or you can do so by the wisdom of the Holy Fathers, who were ordained by the Apostles themselves, and have never struggled to reconcile man's will with God's.

The "Holy Fathers" were mere mortals! How is it their writings are not also interpretations?!? Here again you generalize to meaninglessness. As though the Apostles lived long enough to "ordain" all the Church Fathers! Yes a struggle did crop up, during Augustine's lifetime, his writings are proof of the struggle within the Church between man's will and the sovereign will of God.

 

[stenerson]

If the depression is a drastic and clinical depression I agree you should seek medical/professional help..I also believe you should be honest and cry out to the Lord. Tell Him how you feel and why..