I don't know if I can be friends with "real" christians

[artqween]

This takes a mature understanding of Christianity:

I know my sins, so you do not have to. If you want to blame all the manmade tragedies in this world over the last 10 years on me personally that might equal my sins. The reason this world is in the big mess it is in is because I have not allowed the indwelling Holy Spirit to cease the opportunities in front of me. Christ established a very simple inexpensive way for Christians to evangelize the world to give every individual a wonderful opportunity to meet and spent individual time with Christ. You along with everyone else in this world need to see/experience Christ in your presence one on one so you can talk with him (that is the way it works). Christ lives in and through true Christians, mentoring a small group of believers (4-12). If out of the small group just one per year becomes a similar mentor allowing Christ to mentor others through him to the point of having his own small group in 34 years you run out of people on earth to be in small groups (all 7 billion+). So that is what I have kept from happening, by being selfish.

Christians dont think this way??..
What r u talking???
Christians sees people as sisters
Or brothers stand point.

 

[bling]

Christians dont think this way??..
What r u talking???
Christians sees people as sisters
Or brothers stand point.

Are you saying I am not a Christian?


Did you read what I said?

I am talking only about my own sins. I have a huge debt to be forgiven of?

 

[artqween]

Are you saying I am not a Christian?


Did you read what I said?

I am talking only about my own sins. I have a huge debt to be forgiven of?

No i am saying u a sinner. Sorry
I unfort.ly disagree. In my opinion.
Sorry if my approach was a little
Bold...

 

[WilbertK]

Is there a way to make all text appear the same size? 'Cause I need a bigger monitor to read artqween's.

@bling. I think it's sad that you feel the way you do. You think you're a bad person because you cannot live up to an impossible standard. That's unfair, to put it mildly. But I guess that it's not possible for you to rationalize this. Once you buy into the idea of needing salvation you're bound to see yourself as bad. I just wish that we didn't need all these negative feelings. I don't think they serve any purpose.

 

[seeking Christ]

Once you buy into the idea of needing salvation you're bound to see yourself as bad.

Actually, the reverse being true is often the biggest problem.

 

[WilbertK]

Actually, the reverse being true is often the biggest problem.

Are you saying people who don't think they need salvation think that they're bad people?

 

[artqween]

Is there a way to make all text appear the same size? 'Cause I need a bigger monitor to read artqween's.

@bling. I think it's sad that you feel the way you do. You think you're a bad person because you cannot live up to an impossible standard. That's unfair, to put it mildly. But I guess that it's not possible for you to rationalize this. Once you buy into the idea of needing salvation you're bound to see yourself as bad. I just wish that we didn't need all these negative feelings. I don't think they serve any purpose.

Meaning?? What is wrong with my
Font??? What r u talking about???

 

[ziggy29]

@bling. I think it's sad that you feel the way you do. You think you're a bad person because you cannot live up to an impossible standard. That's unfair, to put it mildly. But I guess that it's not possible for you to rationalize this. Once you buy into the idea of needing salvation you're bound to see yourself as bad. I just wish that we didn't need all these negative feelings. I don't think they serve any purpose.

I would look at it thusly:

I am not a bad person. I am a *flawed* person. I am a sinner.

But this doesn't give me negative feelings. It gives me joy because I know God loves me and forgives me through Christ. When I fall short of God's glory, I don't beat myself up as a horrible person. I recognize my sin, ask for God's grace and forgiveness, and the weight of my conscience is lifted from me. It's uplifting, not destructive.

Some Christians look more at the "Law" (Old Testament morality, for lack of a better term) and some look more at Gospel (God's grace and forgiveness and Christ's call for all of us to love one another and tend to the least among us). The types who look more at Law are probably more likely to fall into the "I'm a bad person" trap. And those who look more at the Gospel are probably more likely to fall into the "I'm joyous because God loves me despite my flaws". Who doesn't want to be loved for who they really are rather for what someone else wants them to be? The Gospel allows us to feel loved for what we are.

 

[aiki]

Of course I don't know your sins. But I think in general christianity makes people feel that they're sinful, even though that's not always the case.

Anyone who professes to be a Christian but who does not espouse the biblical teaching that people are fundamentally sinful is not taking a truly Christian view of human nature. The Bible is very clear about the tendency toward evil that is the common denominator among human beings. And this is borne out through all of human history.

To make a mistake every now and then isn't evil. That's human. I sincerely doubt that your sins are as bad as murder.

God doesn't condemn "making a mistake" when it is something like forgetting your Mother's birthday or rear-ending someone on an icy road. Sin, though, isn't merely "making a mistake." Not as far as God is concerned. The heart of sin is selfishness, putting the interests and desires of a finite, ignorant, dependent creature before those of the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. The hubris, and myopia, and foolishness of such behaviour is staggering! Human selfishness has caused incalculable destruction; it has produced corruption and death; it has burdened the world with sorrow and tragedy beyond telling. No, sin is definitely not merely "making a mistake."

You are quite correct in saying that sin is human. And you don't need the Bible to tell you so to see that it is so. Oh, we like to downplay our wickedness, make it seem as small and innocuous as possible. But this is just our pride and self-centeredness rearing its ugly head. Who wants to admit that they are sinful? Who wants to confess to wrongdoing? Who wants to concede that they are wicked? No one, obviously. Instead, humans offer up all sorts of justifications for their sin. Many go so far as to suggest that God is the One with the problem, not humanity. He over-reacts to our "mistakes." His anger at our sin and judgment of it is outrageous! He should relax and take a more magnanimous, human view of sin. Again, this is simply human pride and self-centeredness attempting to justify itself. And it does a pretty good job. Few people believe they are the sinner God says they are. God is inexorable, however, in His hatred of our sin. He will not be dissuaded from His wrathful judgment of our wickedness no matter how persistently and vigorously we dismiss Him as a figment of imagination, or the vestige of primitive thinking, or the crutch of the weak-minded.

Galatians 6:7-8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Hebrews 10:30-31
30 ..."Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people."
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Selah.