The one thing I can't understand...

[MinorityofOne]

Oh, I almost forgot. Just to give you all a little 'thanks' from God for helping me out...

3So he told them this parable: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
(Luke 15: 3-7)

...my faith is hardly rock-solid as of right now, but you've all given me a lot to think about, and it's certainly stronger than it was when I began this topic.

 

[Dragons87]

Explain to me, in your own words (or, more appropriately, God's/The Bible's words ), why I need to be saved. My understanding of the 'why' is pretty thorough, but perhaps you can expand my mind and expose me to a truth or two that I am not aware of!

The Psalmist says:
"The Lord looks down from heaven
on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
All have turned aside,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one." -- Psalm 14:2-3

Paul agrees. Apart from quoting the psalm above, he also says:

"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" -- Romans 3:23

The short answer of why you (and I) need salvation is because you (and I) have sinned.

The author of the letters of John says:

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." -- 1 John 1:5-10

The gravest consequence of sin is not that we hurt ourselves and the others around us, but we break our relationship with God. You need to recognise how your sins have broken this relationship, and then repent from them and beg--literally--for God's mercy. And He, through His grace and faithfulness, will deliver you from your sins.

Mind you, this is not about self-condemnation, but humility, and recognising that all our efforts to purge ourselves of our uncleanliness are futile. And why waste the effort, when God says: "Just believe and confess"?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." -- John 3:16-17

"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says [Isaiah 28:16], 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' [Joel 2:2]" -- Romans 10:10-13

May God richly shower you with the understanding of His saving grace, and I pray that you open your heart in humility and accept His saving grace. Everything else about Christianity will flow from that.

 

[ephraimanesti]

Faith has always been a struggle for me, ephraim, for reasons I've listed in previous posts. Here's an example of why it's been difficult ... when a Christian around me does something I consider strange - speaking in tongues/gibberish or experiencing the gift of 'holy laughter', for example - I ask them why they did that. 'I feel the spirit' or something similar is the usual answer. I confess not understanding, and the inevitable response is 'If you had ever felt the spirit, you would understand!' Surely you can understand why this was difficult for me; if every other believer in my life can feel the presence of God, and I cannot, am I really a believer? I've followed his teaching, I've loved him with all my heart, mind, and soul, sought a relationship with him fervently, and I've experienced the good he can work through me... but I cannot feel his presence. Ever.

MY DEAR BROTHER,

i am wondering what you expect to "feel." i have personally never experienced any of the phenomena you mention above, and yet there is no doubt in my mind that i have experienced God--in the way He chose to manifest Himself to ME.

As Paul points out, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." (II Corinthians 10:12)

i read above your personal experiences with God, to wit: "I've followed his teaching, I've loved him with all my heart, mind, and soul, sought a relationship with him fervently, and I've experienced the good he can work through me..." and i thought, hey, that's a pretty cool testamony! And then you add "but I cannot feel his presence. Ever." and i'm wondering, what in the heck are you looking for? What are you seeking--thrills and chills in payment for service rendered?

i would suggest that you might take some time to re-evaluate exactly what is is that you want/expect from God. In the process, you might benefit from reading COME, BE MY LIGHT which is a collection of letters from Mother Teresa, primarily to her Spiritual guides, which describe her relationship with God during the greater part of her glorious ministry. Her experience was much like your own, but instead of bemoaning the fact that God did not manifest Himself to her tangibly in what Catholics call "consolations," she kept her focus on her Lord and not His gifts, and the quality, quantity, and joyfulness of her service to God remains a testimony to us all. With the faith of the great Saint that she is, she served her Lord selflessly right up until the end, glorying in His Love for her, even though that Love was not palpable to her physical senses. Another germane read would be St. John of the Cross' THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL which describes much the same thing--a prolonged testing of faith which has been the common experience of many--perhaps the majority--of the great Christians over the years--Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox alike.

You are, my brother, in good company! Get back to basics and run your race to the best of your ability, assured that the ultimate goal is to be found in Abba's arms at the end of the track!

ABBA'S BRAT,
ephraim

 

[drich0150]

'understand what God's word is saying'? What more could I do to close the gap between myself and God?

That Gap is closed with a relationship with the Holy Spirit. the Holy Spirit gives understanding and clarity. We obtain this relationship by asking seeking and Knocking.

Luke 11:

5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'
7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

We ask through prayer, we seek Him in scripture and in the questions we ask to people who exhibit the "Fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5) and we knock by repeating this process until we get what it is our hearts want.

Remember asking for the Spirit and holding out for what the gift of the Holy Spirit looks like to you is not the same thing. a servant accepts any gift given and uses what he has.

 

[JasonV]

~The Bible is, according to most Christians, divinely inspired by God.

Seems this question received no replies.

I ask, how can one know the Bible is God's word?

Asking a similar question just the other day, I have yet to receive a realistic answer, outside of "tradition" or "faith".

Any takers?

 

[ebia]

Seems this question received no replies.

I ask, how can one know the Bible is God's word?

Asking a similar question just the other day, I have yet to receive a realistic answer, outside of "tradition" or "faith".

Any takers?

Jason - please note the particular rules of Exploring Christianity - in particular that Christians are not to discuss issues with each other here. This forum is for non-Christians to ask questions and for Christians to try to respond; all Christian responses should be directed to the O.P., not to other Christians.

 

[totalimmortal]

Check out The Bible, apologetics, Jesus, and more You can even ask questions there I believe to anything you have a problem with and it may be helpful to you