I'm a born-again Christian, but I still get doubts sometimes...

[Reaching]

So let me start off by saying that I'm not trying to debate. These are internal struggles of mine, though, that cause me to question my faith. Also I'll say that God has given me every reason to believe, He has graced me with so many signs. I'd for sure be dead by now if it wasn't for God intervening in my life is so many direct and obvious ways.

But... questions like these, sometimes tempt me to do things which I've gotten away from.

So...for example, this woman, seems like a pretty good woman who has been through so much horror, but she's going to hell because she's Jewish?
[post count wasn't high enough to post a link, but was going to link to news article about how a 110 woman just died who was the oldest holocaust survivor, the article talks about her and she seems like a very intelligent, courageous, and sweet woman]


Once again, not trying to debate, but these are questions I ask myself which cause me to question my faith, which I feel ridiculous (and very disrespectful towards God) doing since God has given me so so so many signs and has intervened so many times in my life...so all this makes me feel confused and frustrated sometimes. And then I've stumbled upon ideas such as synchronicity and the collective consciousness (i.e. Carl Jung ideas) and start thinking that maybe they could explain the sort of signs I've had which have consistently directed me towards God and Christianity... for example, I start thinking that maybe the reason I'm getting directed towards Christianity is because 'that's where the "universe" thinks I'll be happiest at' but not because it's literally true.

Sometimes I even ask myself if maybe life is all just some sort of simulation or dream so that the signs and God interventions I've had can be explained.


I feel very good when my faith is strong and feel like I'm doing what God wants me to do by attending Bible studies, staying away from alcohol, etc. but whenever I'm questioning my faith (and questions like the one I asked about the Jewish woman are how I justify allowing myself to question my faith despite the signs) I go back to thinking 'reality isn't what it seems' explanations to explain my life.

Thoughts?

 

[seeingeyes]

Once again, not trying to debate, but these are questions I ask myself which cause me to question my faith, which I feel ridiculous (and very disrespectful towards God) doing since God has given me so so so many signs and has intervened so many times in my life...so all this makes me feel confused and frustrated sometimes.

It's not disrespectful to ask your Father the questions of your heart. Would you want your kids or your friends to avoid asking you their deepest questions just to appease you? Of course not. They honor you with their trust. And you honor God by trusting Him, too.

And then I've stumbled upon ideas such as synchronicity and the collective consciousness (i.e. Carl Jung ideas) and start thinking that maybe they could explain the sort of signs I've had which have consistently directed me towards God and Christianity... for example, I start thinking that maybe the reason I'm getting directed towards Christianity is because 'that's where the "universe" thinks I'll be happiest at' but not because it's literally true.

Why would "the universe" want you to be happy? Isn't that a Father's heart?

It sounds like your trouble is not so much with the existence of God, but with His character. (Is He good? Does He care at all about the people He made? What are His priorities?)

We have been given a view of the Father through the teachings, the life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus. Who did Jesus think his Father was?

 

[Norah63]

There is no need to 'figure out' God. Doubts come by question.
They are just showing us our humanity.
Praise Jesus for what He has done, rest the questions there.
All will be well.

 

[CalebTumanako]

This body is flesh but inside we have a spirit, our spirit was dead until we came to Christ. This old Jewish holocaust survivor, look, the Jewish people are God's chosen people, without them, Yehoshua would not have come. I believe God our Father is gracious and kind, just look at what Christ did -- he broke racial boundaries by preaching to the Samaritan woman, a time where Jews and Samaritans were probably like Conservative Christian America Vs. Extremist Muslims. God is so kind and we tend to forget that.

When Christ went down to Hades, he STILL continued to preach the Good News and even released those who were disobedient during Noah's time from their prisons. He took paradise up from the Earth to the third Heaven which I can only imagine is what's BEYOND the unobservable universe itself.

We tend to get stuck into this religious dogma and I don't believe Christ came to say -- look, if you don't believe in me, you're going to Hell though that is true but he also came to SAVE.

So don't worry, my friend. Our Father is love, his very nature is love itself where as our nature is born in sin, our nature is flesh, natural instincts, God's nature is love in the most purest form.

Every time, someone has had a prophetic word for me from the Lord -- it has been uplifting, even though I sin, I realize that I am dead to sin and it's not I who is doing it anymore but sin living within me. Hence why I cannot WAIT until we receive our new Heavenly bodies.

Friend, ask the Holy Ghost to show you these things. Christ carried it ALL. The Word says not to be heavy drinkers, if you are struggling just ask help from the Lord, the thing is -- believe, he may not answer straight away, maybe not even within the year but sometimes God through His silence is probably working on you and you don't even realize it.

God bless, brother! You are strong because of Christ who lives in you. PEACE.

 

[Emmyc]

Please go here and listen to these sermons:

Faith and Doubt » Sermon Series » Woodland Hills Church

They are on faith and doubt and they will set your mind at ease. I can not explain as well as Greg Boyd can but you can listen for free while jogging or doing the dishes or whatever. Please listen to them and don't let doubts damage your faith.

The jist goes like this: it is okay to wrestle with God, and to struggle with doubt. Faith is not about being CERTAIN or having all the right theology. After all the Demons were certain of their belief in God and they have all the right theology and they shudder.

Faith is about being certain ENOUGH to commit your life to God. It's like getting on an airplane. You are not 100% CERTAIN without a shadow of a doubt that the airplane will not crash... but it PROBABLY won't, all the best evidence is that airplanes are safer then driving, so you take a leap of faith and get on the plane. you have FAITH that the airplane will not crash.

Also faith is not a house of cards in which every single word of the bible has equal value and if one thing is thrown into question the whole things comes tumbling down. instead it is about concentric circles. Jesus is the center of the center, everything revolves around Jesus and his position and his character. After that is orthodoxy (like the niacin creed), then beyond that is teaching of the church/church tradition, and beyond that is opinion. If something in one of the outer circles is called into question (say, the age of the earth, or your question about the fate of non believers) then the whole thing doesn't come crashing down, because the center is still intact.

listen to the Podcast and let me know if it helps.

 

[Ohiodude]

By admission you are on the right path. By the nature of your post it shows me that you are seeking the truth yet it has not been completely revealed to you. Very well. Let it be so for now because God is true to you and he has called you on a mission. The Nephilim did not fall for nothing, but to necome giants and leaders in this world. I tell you the truth that you are a son of God but just do not know it yet. The spirit of the Lord has spoken. Welcome to the house of Benjamin my friend. I am the wolf described in the book of Genesis.

 

[Mr.SteveSir]

Welcome to the "Those Who Have Doubts" club. If you didn't have doubt you wouldn't be using your brain. My doubts are along the lines of how can God have always existed and the concept of living eternally in heaven. When I have doubts I look at God's influence in my life, he has proven trustworthy in the past, so I can trust Him in the future. A few things to keep in mind. First of all, God and his ways are far beyond our understanding. He sees things in light of eternity, how what we might think is a useless tragedy will bear fruit that we will never see. Second, God has a plan. The universe was not thrown together haphazardly. God has shown great precision in everything from planetary movements around a star to the way cells operate. He makes all things work together. Last, why to we complain about the way God works when we see things we don't like, but never complain when God works the way we want. Why have I been so blessed when others have not, it is certainly not because I earned it. So if I accept good things from God, I have to accept bad things as well; even if they cause doubts. In closing, never neglect prayer. It helps clarify doubts, see answers, and brings us closer to God.

 

[boogalaboogala]

i have doubts also.. i guess that all we can do is trust that the Lord is working out our salvation, just as He promised..
now i will tell you that i really should be doing alot more.. and this is probably, a big reason why i am lacking faith in this area..

 

[boogalaboogala]

Please go here and listen to these sermons:

Faith and Doubt » Sermon Series » Woodland Hills Church

They are on faith and doubt and they will set your mind at ease. I can not explain as well as Greg Boyd can but you can listen for free while jogging or doing the dishes or whatever. Please listen to them and don't let doubts damage your faith.

The jist goes like this: it is okay to wrestle with God, and to struggle with doubt. Faith is not about being CERTAIN or having all the right theology. After all the Demons were certain of their belief in God and they have all the right theology and they shudder.

Faith is about being certain ENOUGH to commit your life to God. It's like getting on an airplane. You are not 100% CERTAIN without a shadow of a doubt that the airplane will not crash... but it PROBABLY won't, all the best evidence is that airplanes are safer then driving, so you take a leap of faith and get on the plane. you have FAITH that the airplane will not crash.

Also faith is not a house of cards in which every single word of the bible has equal value and if one thing is thrown into question the whole things comes tumbling down. instead it is about concentric circles. Jesus is the center of the center, everything revolves around Jesus and his position and his character. After that is orthodoxy (like the niacin creed), then beyond that is teaching of the church/church tradition, and beyond that is opinion. If something in one of the outer circles is called into question (say, the age of the earth, or your question about the fate of non believers) then the whole thing doesn't come crashing down, because the center is still intact.

listen to the Podcast and let me know if it helps.

hey, thanx.. i am also going to check this out as you make alot of sense.. blessings sister

 

[boogalaboogala]

Please go here and listen to these sermons:

Faith and Doubt » Sermon Series » Woodland Hills Church

They are on faith and doubt and they will set your mind at ease. I can not explain as well as Greg Boyd can but you can listen for free while jogging or doing the dishes or whatever. Please listen to them and don't let doubts damage your faith.

The jist goes like this: it is okay to wrestle with God, and to struggle with doubt. Faith is not about being CERTAIN or having all the right theology. After all the Demons were certain of their belief in God and they have all the right theology and they shudder.

Faith is about being certain ENOUGH to commit your life to God. It's like getting on an airplane. You are not 100% CERTAIN without a shadow of a doubt that the airplane will not crash... but it PROBABLY won't, all the best evidence is that airplanes are safer then driving, so you take a leap of faith and get on the plane. you have FAITH that the airplane will not crash.

Also faith is not a house of cards in which every single word of the bible has equal value and if one thing is thrown into question the whole things comes tumbling down. instead it is about concentric circles. Jesus is the center of the center, everything revolves around Jesus and his position and his character. After that is orthodoxy (like the niacin creed), then beyond that is teaching of the church/church tradition, and beyond that is opinion. If something in one of the outer circles is called into question (say, the age of the earth, or your question about the fate of non believers) then the whole thing doesn't come crashing down, because the center is still intact.

listen to the Podcast and let me know if it helps.

i followed the link and listened to the sermons.. thank you..

 

[Steeno7]

I've been a Christian for 30 years, and I still doubt myself....but I never doubt my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My assurance is in Him, not myself. He is faithful even I am not, and He has promised to complete the work He has begun in me. I can rest assured in Him and His promises.

 

[Emmyc]

i followed the link and listened to the sermons.. thank you..

How was it?

 

[x141]

So let me start off by saying that I'm not trying to debate. These are internal struggles of mine, though, that cause me to question my faith. Also I'll say that God has given me every reason to believe, He has graced me with so many signs. I'd for sure be dead by now if it wasn't for God intervening in my life is so many direct and obvious ways.

But... questions like these, sometimes tempt me to do things which I've gotten away from.

So...for example, this woman, seems like a pretty good woman who has been through so much horror, but she's going to hell because she's Jewish?
[post count wasn't high enough to post a link, but was going to link to news article about how a 110 woman just died who was the oldest holocaust survivor, the article talks about her and she seems like a very intelligent, courageous, and sweet woman]


Once again, not trying to debate, but these are questions I ask myself which cause me to question my faith, which I feel ridiculous (and very disrespectful towards God) doing since God has given me so so so many signs and has intervened so many times in my life...so all this makes me feel confused and frustrated sometimes. And then I've stumbled upon ideas such as synchronicity and the collective consciousness (i.e. Carl Jung ideas) and start thinking that maybe they could explain the sort of signs I've had which have consistently directed me towards God and Christianity... for example, I start thinking that maybe the reason I'm getting directed towards Christianity is because 'that's where the "universe" thinks I'll be happiest at' but not because it's literally true.

Sometimes I even ask myself if maybe life is all just some sort of simulation or dream so that the signs and God interventions I've had can be explained.


I feel very good when my faith is strong and feel like I'm doing what God wants me to do by attending Bible studies, staying away from alcohol, etc. but whenever I'm questioning my faith (and questions like the one I asked about the Jewish woman are how I justify allowing myself to question my faith despite the signs) I go back to thinking 'reality isn't what it seems' explanations to explain my life.

Thoughts?

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sin be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

How far personally does this apply to you ... remember, the spirit is leading you into all truth.

A couple of ways this appears in picture form in scripture are a garden and a kingdom, the kingdom of God is in you, and God's garden is enclosed ... take note, that the first garden (in scripture) was not enclosed.

In truth, if God was your adversary you would have never been.

We often think God thinks like us, (here's where a cross comes in) which reasoning is based on an image without us, an image of good and evil.

To God, darkness and light are the same. This is the journey into the kingdom or garden of God.

 

[HIM_In_Me_In_HIM]

"To God, darkness and light are the same. This is the journey into the kingdom or garden of God.

"

....that this sentence requires some elaboration/clarification of the clear/transparent/concise "kind."

For at first "blush," it can be both T &/or F in further explanation.

selah.......

 

[HIM_In_Me_In_HIM]

I've been a Christian for 30 years, and I still doubt myself....but I never doubt my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My assurance is in Him, not myself. He is faithful even I am not, and He has promised to complete the work He has begun in me. I can rest assured in Him and His promises.

.....amen.

HimiH would only "add" that whenever he is in doubt mode, he knows that he "is in flesh mode" not spirit mode.

best to stay as much as possible in spirit mode.

 

[x141]

"

....that this sentence requires some elaboration/clarification of the clear/transparent/concise "kind."

For at first "blush," it can be both T &/or F in further explanation.

selah.......

Words on a page always appear as a serpent at first, but all in all, this depends on whose perception we are living in, or according to what measure we meet it with, or in another form every though into the obedience of Christ, which starts with a cross for our own, that were generated or seeded by those things without.

Before the heavenly city can be revealed the earthly must become desolate.

 

[RickardoHolmes]

Reaching, you can see by the responses that you are far from alone with this issue.

Not knowing you, but reading your posts, and those like yours, I would say that it appears you have gotten caught in that ugly trap of church legalism, the all too common but ineffective thinking of "My church/beliefs alone are right and if you doubt anything you will go to hell" Such thinking is not based on love, but on fear.
And where there is Christ, there is no fear, only Love.

If I could suggest anything to help you, it would be to focus on letting Christ Live through you. We must remember that we as brethren are to be united under Christ. It is our goal to strive to that fullest stature of Christ within us.

Jesus gave us simple for living. One was to love God, and keep His commandments. Most of us have no problem with that one. The next was love thy neighbor as thyself. Most people mess up on this one. While concern about someone else's afterlife is loving, passing judgement is out of harmony, because only God can judge. Even Jesus came not to Judge, but to Love and Teach. DO not let yourself get caught up in the maladaptive thinking of "she cannot go to heaven because she does not belong to the right church" For that is the thinking of man, not of God. The only people who care about that type of thinking are the local congregations that want to get and keep you and your money.
Jesus already gave us an instruction to Love. And when we allow Christ's love to live through us, we do not succumb to fear and doubt.

Keep your mind on the goals and of Christ's love, Allow Him to Live through you, and let HIS Love radiate through you.
Hope this helps.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Reaching. When you mean the Jewish woman, do you mean she does not accept Jesus as the Messiah? Jesus died that we might live, and that is important enough to thank Jesus and accept His wonderful offer with great thanks and gratitude. But it is also important NOT to punish someone for not believing this. When we are told that some people choose NOT to follow Jesus, and they end up in hell, I do not believe that hell is a never-ending pain of being burned, I believe that Hell is Outer Darkness, without God`s Love and Light, a place for those people who do not want to return to God. For anybody choosing this, seems hard to believe, but we do have free will to spend eternity where we want to.
The Bible tells us to "Repent," and to " Be Born Again." To change our selfishness and loveless character, for Loving God with all our beings, and loving our neighbour: those we know and meet, friends and not-friends as we love ourselves.
If you are "Born Again, and a follower of our Saviour Jesus, there is no need for any doubts at all. I say this with love, Reaching. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[trulyconverted]

.

So...for example, this woman, seems like a pretty good woman who has been through so much horror, but she's going to hell because she's Jewish?
[post count wasn't high enough to post a link, but was going to link to news article about how a 110 woman just died who was the oldest holocaust survivor, the article talks about her and she seems like a very intelligent, courageous, and sweet woman]

But how do you know if she is going to hell? God can save catholics, buddhists, jews, so-called-christians, anytime even at their last breath. Not debating here, just making a point that we really do not know which persons go to hell.

I start thinking that maybe the reason I'm getting directed towards Christianity is because 'that's where the "universe" thinks I'll be happiest at' but not because it's literally true.

God owns the universe and everything. I don't think it's the "universe", I think it's God directing you.

Sometimes I even ask myself if maybe life is all just some sort of simulation or dream so that the signs and God interventions I've had can be explained.

Is that like when they say that we are like in the matrix? The atom is vibrational. And that we are vibrational beings? And there are dimensions? They do make sense in a way but I would really read and understand the bible first and see for myself if these things make sense.

I hope I'm making sense here. I do get it though.

I feel very good when my faith is strong and feel like I'm doing what God wants me to do by attending Bible studies, staying away from alcohol, etc.

Well done.

but whenever I'm questioning my faith (and questions like the one I asked about the Jewish woman are how I justify allowing myself to question my faith despite the signs)

Again, only God knows where the jewish woman is/was to go.

I go back to thinking 'reality isn't what it seems' explanations to explain my life.

Thoughts?

Often we can't explain things, that comes with our faith. Even though we don't get it, we know that God does know. That's where faith and trust in God come in.

Hope I am making sense... a bit tired from work...

Godbless!

 

[sarah marie]

I've been a Christian for 30 years, and I still doubt myself....but I never doubt my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My assurance is in Him, not myself. He is faithful even I am not, and He has promised to complete the work He has begun in me. I can rest assured in Him and His promises.

Amen! The answer above is the fruit of being discipled in sound doctrine.