I often wonder if my fear of going to hell is greater than my love for God. I fear this because I’ve been a Christian for 33 years and often obey out of fear vs love of God. I’ve been praying that God shows me how He loves me more than my parents did. So that I can love Him back as I did my parents. Am I even saved?
I question my salvation
- Thread starter 3 John
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Ask Him to save you then. He loves you and thought you were precious enough to die for. God has given you the garment of praise for your spiritual heaviness. And in spite of your doubts, God loves you so much, more than anyone else ever could. Start to praise Him for His love. Here is how.
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Yes I was saved when I was 20 years old. I was radically changed, but then again it was because I, for the first time in my life; realized that if I was not born again I would go to hell. So I asked the Lord to save me and I believe that he did. My question is this: Is my fear of hell the same as faith in God, only the negative aspects of the gospel versus the positive aspects of living in the Spirit? Or could my motive be out of selfishness instead of loving God?
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d taylor
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I am not surprised by your posted topic one bit, as that is what the church/denomination's promote these days insecurity.
Because the people teaching this insecurity/gospel of doubt place the responsibility on to the person by either saying look to you changed life or your fruit or you, you, you, you and what you are doing or have done for God. Which always keeps a person in doubt because the focus is on yourself.
But instead they fail to teach the Biblical, way of security. Which is, God has promised that anyone who trust in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life has received His free gift of Eternal Life and has become a born again child of God. Who has crossed over from death to life.
See The Bible places the security on the truthfulness of God and His promise and nothing upon the person. That way God gets all the glory in salvation and in security.
If you have trusted in The Messiah and still doubt your salvation. You really are not doubting yourself, but actually you are doubting or not believing God and His promise.
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- Aug 20, 2019
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Take God's love for you as a given, just as you take your own existence as a given. It is divine love that preserves you in being. With each breath you take, God is saying, "I love you." Christ's death and resurrection reveal that same love because God is One.
If you are worried because you're unsure, then you shouldn't worry, just keep seeking to abide in the love of Christ. People who might have a reason to worry simply don't care if God loves them. I make no judgment about them, I am certainly not God, but I'm confident that if you're worried you shouldn't be. Just trust God's love and grace, and love others as Christ loves you.
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"often obey out of fear" I was very young like 9 I think when the Preacher talked about hell. That next week I even had a dream about hell and then went up front crying got saved.. He found me. What does this mean that it was not real? Anyone that comes to Christ He will never turn away. Ooh heres the kicker...you could never come to Christ unless He first drew you gave you that pull in your spirit. So you are His in His hands and His hands are in the Fathers. See we walk by faith not sight nor feelings. If we did.. I would know I am not saved I am lost and doomed forever during my life. Yet that is not how this works. So just talk to Him.. tell Him exactly how you feel whats going on and what you want to have or experience. And watch what He will do. JESUS CHRIST is real
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No it is not a test, I am simply asking Him to work with me so that I may love Him according to His will. I believe if we ask anything according to his will He hears us. Would your father give you a scorpion, if you asked him to show his love towards you?
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Yeah, that seems like a hard problem to deal with. Do you ever pray and just give Him thanks for being good to you? Or what is corporate worship like for you? Do you feel like you are just singing worship to God out of fear? My guess is that this is an issue that pops up for you occasionally, rather than that it dictates your whole walk with God. In any case, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." Sometimes a healthy fear is just the response God wants from us. I would say at some point you will want to experience God's love for you. I think this can be easily seen by God answering our prayers. I would also try and meditate on what it says about God's love for us in scripture. How often do you read the Bible?
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Yes I have read it almost too much and studied every theology out there. Almost to the extent of my desire for knowledge versus my desire for God. I often wondered if I was studying for my selfish edification, instead of getting to know the author better. I have even preached on college campuses for a stent of about five years, however I quit that because I wasn’t sure if my intentions were for the students to hear the word of God or for me to prove that I can stand up for Christ. I now read the Bible as a devotional, and let God deal with the theology.
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Annel Bench
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Annel Bench
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Love is an action word. To increase your love for God show him your love, and your love for him will increase. We show our love for Him, by serving others, by being kind to others, and showing forgiveness. By helping others learn of the gospel of Jesus Christ, being a discipline of Jesus Christ, we show our love in doing these actions. The acts of love will make your love for God grow and grow!
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YahuahSaves
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You aren't the only one to experience fear like this...
I grew up in religion where the fear of God was taught way more than the love of God.
I rejected the biblical God because of this, among other experiences.
When God called me out of the world, it was first by love and when I ignored him, he didn't mess around.
Although now I'm starting to slowly realise everything he has done in my life once I got saved, has been from love - it hasn't been easy and I've had the same question. But remember if a thought you have ever begins with 'What if...' and sows a seed of doubt about God, who he is and what he can do: this is from the enemy.
Here is some scripture that directly answers your question:
1 John 4
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
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18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
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