I don't have Faith in God

Alithis

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So as I said we are saved because of our faith. We do good works because we love God not because we expect our works to save us. You could do lots of good works but if you reject Jesus, its game over.
Its all entwined.
If you don't do the works (i speak nothing of law) of righteousness then the proclamation of belief is feigned.
 
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Alithis

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Recommending someone find a good church is fake? How so?
No where but no where are we instructed to folow an organization. Adhere to one or submit to one.
The very thinking that church is a place is fake tradition.
 
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blackhead

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No where but no where are we instructed to folow an organization. Adhere to one or submit to one.
The very thinking that church is a place is fake tradition.

In the book of Acts we find the disciples meeting regularly to continue in doctrine, the breaking of bread, and prayers. Hebrews states that we should not forsake the assembly of ourselves together. According to church history the church has met together corporately since the earliest of times.
 
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DarkSoul999

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It has remade my thinking in this question, to realize that my God is not the wimpy god who sits around waiting for people's decision to "accept" him. He does not kiss the rear end of "free will".

God is the one who decides whom to save, and he is the one who does the saving. This is what the Bible refers to as regeneration, or being born again, becoming a new creation --it is God in us, and is not the result of our effort nor strength of will, nor the integrity of our heart, nor the size of our intellect. It does not depend on us. But it will inevitably produce evidences, and so there is indeed a need for concerted effort on our part to obey. Yet even that is the work of God, and is of no value if it is only us doing it.

"Deciding to be saved", "Accepting Christ", or whatever words you want to use there, are not the cause of salvation, but the result. Depend on God to accomplish what he set out to do from the foundation of the earth. The reason he created us is for his own sake --not so much for ours, though it consumes us and fulfills us.

So what does it mean when the regeneration and "born again" status is not happening even if we think we want it?

Does that mean that God actually hates us? He might be saying "yea that loser is not my best work. I'm just going to let him rot. I'd rather save this other guy over here." That doesn't sound like something he'd say but it is compatible with the "God does all the saving" hypothesis.
 
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DarkSoul999

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Faith comes by hearing
Because when youhear the word of God you then know what it is you are to DO.

If you dont do it you wont be saved.
God sent the saviour
He said
This is my belived son
Listen to him.

Im pretty sure if a cop tells you you to listen to his partner.. He means DO AS HE Instructs you.
Not just hear and ignore.

So what am I supposed to do 3:00 pm this Tuesday? Where in scripture is it going to tell me this? Yea I can try following all the general instructions and still mess up the details... then the whole thing falls apart like a deck of cards in a hurricane.

You are talking about an enigma that you feel that you have all figured out because you are very proud of your wisdom. I have never met two Christians who agree on exactly how they should follow God.

If God is waiting for us to properly interpret scripture before saving us then possibly all of us are DAMNED!
 
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Alithis

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In the book of Acts we find the disciples meeting regularly to continue in doctrine, the breaking of bread, and prayers. Hebrews states that we should not forsake the assembly of ourselves together. According to church history the church has met together corporately since the earliest of times.
Its not a command.. How are they the church in order to meet..?
Because they are people who repented got baptised and recieved the Holy spirit.
Who then go on to Obey the lord Jesus

So very many attend meetibgs but continue to live in disobedience.
Advicing some one to go and be among disobedient believers is sending them to the worse place.

Want your faith to grow. Believe Jesus and begin to Do as he says to your heart.
 
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Alithis

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So what am I supposed to do 3:00 pm this Tuesday? Where in scripture is it going to tell me this? Yea I can try following all the general instructions and still mess up the details... then the whole thing falls apart like a deck of cards in a hurricane.

You are talking about an enigma that you feel that you have all figured out because you are very proud of your wisdom. I have never met two Christians who agree on exactly how they should follow God.

If God is waiting for us to properly interpret scripture before saving us then possibly all of us are DAMNED!
When your hear the word of God then you know you are to repent of doing works of sin
You know you are to then be baptised into Christ JESUS death .that you might live in his resurrection and he promises to fill you with his Holy Spirit.
Then you have Begun on the road to salvation through christ.
Faith ..is the action we take based upon what we truly believe.
So when we truly believe In JESUS we begin to do as he says.
(Not as Sunday or saturday clubs say)
We begin to increasingly forsake all works of sin and begin to increase doing works of righteousness as a result .
We stay on that road of salvation to its final conclusion.being the salvation of our souls.
 
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blackhead

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Its not a command.. How are they the church in order to meet..?
Because they are people who repented got baptised and recieved the Holy spirit.
Who then go on to Obey the lord Jesus

So very many attend meetibgs but continue to live in disobedience.
Advicing some one to go and be among disobedient believers is sending them to the worse place.

Want your faith to grow. Believe Jesus and begin to Do as he says to your heart.

Did not the disciples gather for fellowship when Jesus was on earth?
 
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Alithis

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Did not the disciples gather for fellowship when Jesus was on earth?
Sure..its good.
But its not a law and its only good if all present are living in obedience to Christ.if not it is the worst place to direct someone too.
Direct people to JESUS. Dont follow the body
Follow the head.
 
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blackhead

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Sure..its good.
But its not a law and its only good if all present are living in obedience to Christ.if not it is the worst place to direct someone too.
Direct people to JESUS. Dont follow the body
Follow the head.

Still the head isn’t without the body. The church is the bride of Christ. I don’t think it’s wrong to direct someone to join the bride.
 
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Sycarton

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This is part of a devotional that I have read:


Devotional content: Am I beyond forgiveness?

The reason for Jesus:

"When we believe our behavior is linked to God’s ability and willingness to forgive us, we categorize sins as major versus minor. Minor sinners can experience Christ. But major sinners? We aren’t sure there’s hope for them.

Friends, listen carefully: Sin does not make you ineligible for redemption; sin is the reason redemption is necessary."

"...our enemy so expertly twists the truth. He convinces us that our sin cancels the invitation to Christ, and our sin drives Jesus away from us. But here’s truth: Because of our sin, Christ came for us. Because of our sin, Jesus invites us to Him."

"The only question you have to answer is: Do you believe you were saved nearly 2,000 years ago on a hill outside Jerusalem?"

"“Do you see this woman?” Jesus asks His dinner host, as the rest of the room watches a sinful woman wash Jesus’ feet beneath an awkward hush. “I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven…” (Luke 7:44, 47)."

"Jesus looks at the woman crouched over his feet, her hair matted with dirt and tears, and says to her, “Your faith has saved you…” (Luke 7:50)."

"This woman believed Jesus was her Savior, and her only response to having her numerous sins forgiven was gratitude. This is the way the Kingdom increases: the greater your sin, the greater your gratitude will be for the finished work of Jesus."
 
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Sycarton

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But, just because we've received grace doesn't mean we can continue to walk in the flesh, we can't continue in evil

"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God."
Hebrews 10:26‭-‬27 NIV

We aren't perfect, but don't deliberately choose to walk the path of evil

1 John 1:9-2:1 "If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have never sinned, we make him a liar and his word has no place in us. My little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you might not sin. Yet if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus, the Messiah, one who is righteous."
 
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Blade

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1st... Jesus is REAL! He found you just as you are.. so just be you. I don't sin because He said DON'T. For me to get Him to talk about my sin is like pulling teeth. He sees me NOT how I do.. I see sin mistakes what not..

He sees YOU righteous.. in right standing with the Father SIMPLY because you believe in Jesus Christ. He said.. the work He started He will finish. Just talk to Him.. if you goof up say sorry dust off keep going and read His word.. you will find.. for some odd reason.. what you use to like to do..you dont any more. HE IS REAL! Your not in this alone.

Its not.. SERVE ME OR (forgive me Father) BURN! My burden is light.. yoke is easy. He came to give you LIFE and more abundantly. And HE didnt come to judge you or condemn you. Ask Him to help your faith..

As for Church.. we should all go. For God gave each of us somethings.. the sweet sweet Holy Spirit uses us with gifts. Now if we do not go to Church which does not make one saved.. but.. everything just kind of stops. This is ALWAYS about others not self. God blessed you and there are people at church that NEED what you have and where two or three are gathered in His name HE IS THERE!

They use to meet at houses.. together all the time. That never stopped. Ask Him to lead you to a Church HE wants you to go to. HE will!
 
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Mark Quayle

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So what does it mean when the regeneration and "born again" status is not happening even if we think we want it?

Does that mean that God actually hates us? He might be saying "yea that loser is not my best work. I'm just going to let him rot. I'd rather save this other guy over here." That doesn't sound like something he'd say but it is compatible with the "God does all the saving" hypothesis.
It is not quite compatible with the "God does all the saving" hypothesis. Your description sounds more like God chooses out of a pool of possibles, than that he made each of us for his purposes. Nor does he choose out the better put-together creatures.

But for all that, what it sounds like isn't really a test of truth. If God says, (and he does), that regeneration is not of the will of man, of God, then it is not.
 
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Presbyterian Continuist

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It is not quite compatible with the "God does all the saving" hypothesis. Your description sounds more like God chooses out of a pool of possibles, than that he made each of us for his purposes. Nor does he choose out the better put-together creatures.

But for all that, what it sounds like isn't really a test of truth. If God says, (and he does), that regeneration is not of the will of man, of God, then it is not.
I think the problem is the "easy believerism" notion that all a person has to do is to go up the front in a meeting and receive Christ, without doing anything else. He believes that his decision for Christ is conversion or regeneration. In actual fact, it is not. Receiving Christ is just the starting point. If a person says he or she is regenerated and there is no evidence of it except attending church on Sundays and appearing religious, then how can he say he is regenerated?

It's like a person saying he has been baptised with the Holy Spirit, but there is no evidence of it - no change. Isn't that pretending that something has happened when nothing has happened at all? Does the Emperor have new clothes or not, or is he naked and people are pretending he has new clothes, as the fable goes?

If regeneration is a total transformation of a person's heart and spirit, then there has to be substantive evidence of the change, and if he is genuinely baptised with the Spirit, then there has to be substantive evidence that the Spirit is flowing out of him. If there is no change, then the person is just pretending, and no regeneration or baptism has actually occurred.

This is how so many church members can be all religious on Sundays and live in disobedience during the week. They are deceived into thinking that just because they made a Christian profession that they are converted and saved. But it is all just a religious act.

The change in a genuinely regenerated and converted Christ is clearly obvious. He knows full well in his heart that something awesome has taken place, and those closest to him know about it as well.

If a person is religious just in Sunday church meetings, and then has no evidence of regeneration at home, or at work, or among his friends, then he is just a hypocrite and his Sunday religion is just for show to please those other religious people at church. But when he is away from church, he doesn't have to put on that act any longer so he can go back to being his own sinful self again. If someone challenges him about it, he says, "I am saved by grace, and it's all under the Blood".

If he said that to St James, he would receive the reply, "So you SAY you have faith? Well let me see the evidence of it in the way you are living your life at home, at work, on the street, as well as at church."
 
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JAYPT

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I got saved and begin calling myself a Christian 2 years ago and finally got baptized a year ago. Even over the last 2 years I have been battling unbelief in God. How can I learn and have trust and believe in God? I think this is due to not going Church as a child, having a narcissist parent that is a unbeliever installing negative about Jesus in me as a teen and dabbing into cults, new age and occult in the past.

Blue Lily,

What most people dont tell you, is many Christians today feel this way. You are not feeling any different than any other Christian. If you can honestly answer yourself when asked "does Jesus live inside of you" you are saved. However having unbelief happens to everyone, however being saved is not a feeling. Dont be looking for a feeling, because many of us at the beginning of the week are feeling saved, then by the middle of the week we may not be feeling quite so saved and when the end of week comes we are a disaster. Maybe something in their lives causes them to doubt, we are human. Jesus mentions the faith of a mustard seed, have you seen one? They're tiny! :) Don't focus on your past, your baptism or these other things that don't save. Fix your eyes on Jesus, know that He is God, He came to save you, there is hope for you and He loves you immensely. Thank Him everyday and let Him know that you are open to however He wants to work in your life and challenge Him, He does not fail! :) :)
 
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Xavier Cane

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Absolute holiness or morality in itself does not save us. Only true conversion can save us and that is something that we cannot do ourselves, no matter how strong our profession of Christianity is, or how many times we "accept" Christ, go to church, do Christian activities, even preach the Gospel and pastor churches, speak in tongues, prophesy, try to cast out demons and all the other stuff that Christians do.

I don't think that a lot of people fully realize that just accepting Christ is not conversion or salvation. Christ has to accept us, and that can only come through conversion - and conversion is not automatic. It is a definite work of the Holy Spirit and there is a real and definite transformation in the heart and spirit of a believer. Just saying the sinner's prayer and putting on the Christian "badge" is not enough and a lot of people who do that and no more will find themselves in hell.

Believing the Gospel and turning to Christ is just the first step. Then the believer earnestly seeks God through prayer and the Word until there is the definite experience of conversion and there is absolute and definite evidence that the conversion to Christ has taken place. For God to do this in a person, He has to see clearly that the believer is fully committed to Jesus Christ as total and complete Lord of his life and conduct, otherwise He won't do it, and the professing believer will find the gates of Heaven locked against him. When that believer, in the judgment, asks Christ why he can't come in to Heaven, the Lord will say to him, "You were very religious all right, but you did not give Me your whole heart!"

This is why the gate to eternal life is very narrow, and few there are who find it. I would say that at least 50% of all church goers are just religious and unconverted, because they have depended on their profession of Christianity, and not pressed into God to be fully converted to Christ; therefore they have one foot in the Christian religion and the other foot still firmly planted in the world. And the Scripture says that a friend of the world is no friend of Christ.

I can't express this enough: that true conversion is not something we can do, no matter how religious we are in the Christian faith. We can be utterly and absolutely religious in every respect, but if we are not converted to Christ, we are lost! And God is the only one who can do it in us. And it doesn't happen until the religious person seeks God with all his heart and soul for it and stays waiting on God until it happens. It may have to be sought with tears and pleading until it happens. But when it happens, the truly converted Christian knows all about it, because he knows that God has genuinely transformed him in his heart and spirit.

Then, and only then, does he hunger and thirst after total holiness, without which, he will never see the Lord.

Many, who are actually unconverted and shy away from the strictness of holiness that God requires, use legalism as an excuse for why they think they don't have to be strict about their personal holiness, and use it as an excuse to keep their favourite lust or covetousness.

According to your gospel, people like me will never make it to heaven. I've given my life to Jesus as much as I know how, and have tried my best and given my all to give up sin, but the truth is, I like my sin, and no amount of prayer, fasting, church, devotion, bible reading has ever stopped that. Do I try? All the time, but all the time I fail. I have sought God and Asked him to please deliver me, and change my heart to love and like the things he loves and likes, and to hate the things he hates. I came here looking for encouragement to continue walking the Christian faith, but I see there is no point actually. All the rules one must follow, and then there is the sin that still remains. Jesus saves us from sin, not in it...but why has never saved me? OH well. I like my lust, but I know the bible speaks against it, so I try to obey it...But I fail all the time. I doubt God will ever convert me. I have been at this for 15 years, faithfully....and I can't get any help. Not even from God. I asked God to deliver me from my sins that have control, and change my heart and make me hate them. I'm tired of buying drugs and then tossing them out. I wish it would just go away, but I can never overcome that desire. God must hate me. He must be waiting for me to prove myself and give up my sin. Well....God...I never asked to be born. I just arrived. But I did ask for you to change my heart and life....give me new desires, and power to live for him. But nope. All I get is sin, and more sin. Sin controls my life. It always has, even when I don't want it to, it does.

I have trouble accepting that I am free from sin, when actually, I was never free, nor experinced that freedom, even though I believed it. I'm not going to fake it. I tried it. It didn't work for me. Good luck, I hope it works out better for most of you guys.
 
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According to your gospel, people like me will never make it to heaven. I've given my life to Jesus as much as I know how, and have tried my best and given my all to give up sin, but the truth is, I like my sin, and no amount of prayer, fasting, church, devotion, bible reading has ever stopped that. Do I try? All the time, but all the time I fail. I have sought God and Asked him to please deliver me, and change my heart to love and like the things he loves and likes, and to hate the things he hates. I came here looking for encouragement to continue walking the Christian faith, but I see there is no point actually. All the rules one must follow, and then there is the sin that still remains. Jesus saves us from sin, not in it...but why has never saved me? OH well. I like my lust, but I know the bible speaks against it, so I try to obey it...But I fail all the time. I doubt God will ever convert me. I have been at this for 15 years, faithfully....and I can't get any help. Not even from God. I asked God to deliver me from my sins that have control, and change my heart and make me hate them. I'm tired of buying drugs and then tossing them out. I wish it would just go away, but I can never overcome that desire. God must hate me. He must be waiting for me to prove myself and give up my sin. Well....God...I never asked to be born. I just arrived. But I did ask for you to change my heart and life....give me new desires, and power to live for him. But nope. All I get is sin, and more sin. Sin controls my life. It always has, even when I don't want it to, it does.

I have trouble accepting that I am free from sin, when actually, I was never free, nor experinced that freedom, even though I believed it. I'm not going to fake it. I tried it. It didn't work for me. Good luck, I hope it works out better for most of you guys.
Get hold of and read John Bunyan's "Grace Abounding To The Chief of Sinners". He accepted Christ, and it took him eight whole years before he received assurance of salvation.

There is a difference between willful sin, that is retaining a lifestyle of sin while wearing the Christian "badge", and having a heart for Christ but having battles with the flesh. The very fact that you sense a conflict between your desire for holiness and the desires of your flesh is an indication that you have a new heart and a recreated spirit. Because if you didn't, there would be no conflict within you!

A religious hypocrite does not have the conflicts that you are having. They are satisfied in their level of self-righteousness. They are happy with having their sin and Christ as well. You are telling me that you are not happy, and are constantly seeking God for holiness.

Does God see your heart? Have you genuinely come to Christ and are depending on Him to be your Saviour. If you had the choice, would you willingly go back to your unbelieving, sinful life? No? Then you can depend on what Jesus said, "He who comes to Me, I will in no wise cast him out."
 
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