Unbelief, is it a sin?

[jimmyjimmy]

The gospel is very clear. God has made it so. Even a child can comprehend it.

He has acted already, and now, He has commanded all to repent and believe. In other words, the ball is in the unbeliever's court. No more signs will be given and no clever arguments.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24 ESV)

". . .but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son"
​

No more prophets are coming. No more signs and wonders. If God, out of the deepest self-sacrificial love imaginable, becoming a man and allowing Himself to be spit upon and crucified by His own creation is not enough to move someone, nothing will. Nothing ever will.

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’​

29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’​

30“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’​

31“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”​

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

In my experience, the Spirit speaks into our heart, Paul says that Gods love is shed abroad in our hearts. God writes his law onto our hearts as well. Its all about our heart. Maybe God has spoken but you haven't tuned your spiritual ear to hear him. Christ said, let him who has ears hear. This isnt necessarily a voice we hear, but instead a communion with Gods spirit in our heart and mind. The bible says that God will send the spirit of truth as well, and this isnt a voice we hear exactly, buts heard in our hearts and minds.

John 14:17
Romans 5:5
Hebrews 10:16

Then what do I need to do to hear him? I've been praying to Him for 40 years, as I said, reading the Bible, etc.

 

[Extraneous]

Then what do I need to do to hear him? I've been praying to Him for 40 years, as I said, reading the Bible, etc.

Focus on heaven instead of earthly things, and this is to walk by faith not sight. Study and meditate on the NT commands of Christ and His apostles, follow those things and let them be your teachers. Endure trials and tribulation, pray. Thats about all i know, but it has worked well for me.

 

[Extraneous]

My journey in faith has been difficult at times. Many times i had to endure rebuke that i "heard" with my spiritual ears as i studied and meditated on scripture. Its often painful to hear, but Gods grace will sustain us. Never give up, and never close your ears to truth, even when it hurts. THe Jews on Mt Sanai didn't want to hear Gods voice because it hurt their ears. This, to me, is seen in our own lives as well, but its not a voice we hear, but instead its things like rebuke, correction, instruction, and even mercy. Its often difficult to let God lead us, but its also very rewarding.

That's one piece of advice that i found to help me alot over the years. Dont forget that Gods grace sustains us, so we can hear his rebuke without dying.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

Focus on heaven instead of earthly things, and this is to walk by faith not sight. Study and meditate on the NT commands of Christ and His apostles, follow those things and let them be your teachers. Endure trials and tribulation, pray. Thats about all i know, but it has worked well for me.

I do the latter but the former isn't possible yet since I still don't truly believe God exists.

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

Then what do I need to do to hear him? I've been praying to Him for 40 years, as I said, reading the Bible, etc.

Don't focus on what you expect. So many people put God in a box called religion and then expect God to enter in through that way. God is already inside of you. He made you. There is a real epiphany in the worlds let go and let God. That just doesn't mean let him take over your anxiety and grief. It also means letting him out of the box and into your world. Love is the key and without that all you will have is rules, regulations and horse blinders in which to look at the world down the bridge of your nose.

 

[Extraneous]

I do the latter but the former isn't possible yet since I still don't truly believe God exists.

You dont need to have faith that moves mountains. Tell God that you dont believe, be honest. That's what he wants to hear. I told God that i didnt love him. I knew that he wanted honesty from me. I knew i loved this world more than him and so i decided to just admit it to God. This is what it means to seek God with your heart. ITs giving him all our fears, weakness, disbelief, and everything, and hiding nothing from Him. Just admit that to him, and persevere through faith, not sight. He rewards of those who diligently seek him, remember that and cling to that promise above all else. Grow in grace, thats how we grow.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

You dont need to have faith that moves mountains. Tell God that you dont believe, be honest. That's what he wants to hear. I told God that i didnt love him. I knew that he wanted honesty from me. I knew i loved this world more than him and so i decided to just admit it to God. This is what it means to seek God with your heart. ITs giving him all our fears, weakness, disbelief, and everything, and hiding nothing from Him. Just admit that to him, and persevere through faith, not sight. He rewards of those who diligently seek him, remember that and cling to that promise above all else. Grow in grace, thats how we grow.

That's kind of what I've been doing all these years. I keep at it, but I don't know for how much longer.

 

[Extraneous]

Adam and Eve hid themselves too. We all do.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

Don't focus on what you expect. So many people put God in a box called religion and then expect God to enter in through that way. God is already inside of you. He made you. There is a real epiphany in the worlds let go and let God. That just doesn't mean let him take over your anxiety and grief. It also means letting him out of the box and into your world. Love is the key and without that all you will have is rules, regulations and horse blinders in which to look at the world down the bridge of your nose.

I can believe that a philosophy, one that might be called love or compassion, is the best way for all beings to get along and go through this life. I am working to make this love and compassion the grounding for all my actions as best as I can.

 

[Extraneous]

That's kind of what I've been doing all these years. I keep at it, but I don't know for how much longer.

I have times of struggle too. You seem stuck in one. Sometimes i have disbelief war against me, but in the end i remember that without God i have nothing. I want to live, not die. I want more than a grave to look forward to. I usually pray and just wait on God in times that i have such battles, and in the end i am strengthened again and my doubts and fears are gone. THis is a spiritual battle we are fighting.

 

[Extraneous]

Don't live in the disbelief, but instead see it as a battle you must face. Wait on God and resist the enemy.

 

[farout]

Is unbelief a sin?
I believe it is.

God commands all men to repent and believe.

If God commands something and we do not do it, it is sin.

Agree?
Disagree?

Thoughts?

If one chooses to not believe that there is a consequence, eternal separation form those wouid believe in a Holy Creator G_D and His Son Jesus Christ. That place of separation is eternal torture some refer to as hell.

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

I can believe that a philosophy, one that might be called love or compassion, is the best way for all beings to get along and go through this life. I am working to make this love and compassion the grounding for all my actions as best as I can.

It's not a thing of getting along. It's a thing of understanding and compassion. The route to God is understanding where we all fit in this world and finding an anchor for yourself. That anchor is your philosophical outlook on life and If you really look at it religion when stripped of it's divine connections to God is at it's core a philosophy.

People throw their idea of God around, all day long, but in the end, those who don't believe in God only see those who claim to believe in him. They take a good hard look at these people and see their flaws and missteps as being hypocritical. The truth is that we all are trying to do the best that we can at what we want to be and that is the same fore Christian's. The issue is that so many are looking, not at themselves, but what the rest of the world is doing and the observer sees a person who has a beam in their eye, condemning someone else with a needle in their eye.

I lived my life according to Christian philosophy and thought it complete just by doing so, but I found God after I lived that life for 58+ years and then when all things were crashing down upon me and I was really thinking of ending it all. I finally gave up and asked God as my only hope in not going completely gone to help me and the effects were instantaneous.

I won't try to describe it, because of the thought that you might expect the same and miss something that was uniquely destined for you, but you need to learn, first and foremost to appreciate what you have and not put emphasis on what you don't. That leads to envy, jealousy and division. The best you can give is the time you have to spend with others and the best you can ask for is that in return. Everything else can be taken away from you. Don't grant those who wish to take the joy you have for the world away from you by accepting their veiw of you. It is not for your benefit that anyone tries. It is because they have nothing but misery and thy wish to export it as far and widely as possible. You are just in their crosshairs.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

If one chooses to not believe that there is a consequence, eternal separation form those wouid believe in a Holy Creator G_D and His Son Jesus Christ. That place of separation is eternal torture some refer to as hell.

But belief isn't a choice. If it was, I would choose to.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

I have times of struggle too. You seem stuck in one. Sometimes i have disbelief war against me, but in the end i remember that without God i have nothing. I want to live, not die. I want more than a grave to look forward to. I usually pray and just wait on God in times that i have such battles, and in the end i am strengthened again and my doubts and fears are gone. THis is a spiritual battle we are fighting.

That's what I keep hanging around, and trying. ..it would be nice to think there's some sort of afterlife. But the only thing I know is we get this life, and I want to make the best of it regardless

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

But belief isn't a choice. If it was, I would choose to.

Agreed. Belief is an acknowledgment.

 

[farout]

But belief isn't a choice. If it was, I would choose to.

If believing was not a choice, that why preach the Good News to those who are living without Christ?

 

[farout]

Agreed. Belief is an acknowledgment.

But we make a choice to believe or not to. A jury for instance makes to choice to believe or not do do so if the person is guilty, it is a belief, is it not?

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

But we make a choice to believe or not to. A jury for instance makes to choice to believe or not do do so if the person is guilty, it is a belief, is it not?

The choice is not about believing in something or not. It is the determining wither what is presented raises to the level of acknowledgement that something might be there. You must get over the hurdle of skepticism before anything.