What must i do?

[Soverinth]

I don't mean to come back all depressed again but, i'm not saved.

My guess is that I got all happy for nothing yesterday. I know i'm not saved because God has not done anything to me since then. I haven't changed one bit. Back to square one again being completely depressed.

Now i'm not expecting a perfect change, no i know that's not what happens. But when God saves you he lets you know. You just know. The fact that I still have no idea means nothing has changed.

In fact i think i'm not saved because I don't see my true need.

I'm not truly sorry for my sins. None of us really are. Only God can make us see how bad sin really is.


Along with what "trulyconverted" says about being truly saved I found this website that pretty much explains it, heres some of what is on the page:

First this must be done; You must come to be bitterly Sensible, that you want [lack] a Glorious Christ for your Saviour.
We read, John 7:37. "If any Man Thirst let him come unto me." Truly, no man will come to a Christ, until a Thirst or a pungent and Painful Sense of the Want of a Christ be raised in him.
You must feel the Burden of your sin, lying on you; and cry out, Oh' Tis a heavy Burden too heavy for me! You must see God Angry with you, Sin Binding of you, Hell gaping for you; and utterly Despair of helping yourselves out of the confusion that is come upon you.
You must be filled with sorrow, for what you have done; with horror at what you are Expos'd unto. The Cry of your Uneasy Souls must be that; of Romans 7:24. "O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me!" You must be no strangers to such soliloquies as these; I have sinned; I have sinned, and, woe is unto me, that I have sinned, I have lost the knowledge of God and lost the Image of God, and lost the Favour of God. My Sin renders me obnoxious to the Vengeance of God. Lust enchants me, enslaves me; Satan Tyrannizes over me. I am in hourly Hazzard of an Eternal Banishment from God, into Outer Darkness, into the Place of Dragons. Oh! wretched man that I am: I can do nothing to deliver myself. I perish, I perish, except a Glorious Christ be my deliverer.
The Degree of this Distress on the minds of them that shall be saved is Various. There is a Variety in that Prepatory Work, which does distress the Elect of God, in their coming to a Saviour. Converts do sometimes needlessly Distress themselves, and Even deceive themselves, by insisting too much on the Measure of this Preparation.
But so much of this Work, as will render us restless without a Christ; so much of this Work, as will render a whole Christ precious to us before there must be so much in our Experience, if we would be saved.
Secondly; This must be Done; You must confess yourselves, Unable To Do Anything Effectually of yourselves, in coming to a glorious Christ, as your Saviour.
With a fearful trembling of Soul, you must make this Profession; Lord thou worketh in us to Will and to Do, of thy own good Pleasure!
Your Profession must be that of Eph 2:8 "By Grace are ye saved, thro' Faith and that not of yourselves it is the Gift of God."
Your Profession must be that of John 6:65. "No man can come, except it be given to him." Oh! Lie at the Foot of Soverign Grace confessing and Imploring Lord, I am justly destroyed. If I do not sincerely renounce my sin, sincerely embrace my Saviour. But I cannot, Oh! I cannot! I have deadly fetters upon my Soul; I shall never answer thy gracious Calls, except thy Soverign Grace enable me. Oh! Quicken me: Oh! Strengthen me: Oh! Enable me; Turn thou me and I Shall be Turned.
Your Impotency must not now be made an Excuse for your Impenitency. Your Inability must Affright you exceedingly. Affect you Exceedingly; It may not Excuse you in a slothful Negligence. You must Not Remain Careless of doing anything, Because you can thoroughly do nothing.
Having first Cry'd unto God, that He would help you to do what you have to do, you must now try to do it; now try, whether He do not help you to do it.
Thirdly; This must be done; You must Admire, You must Adore, You must Address a Glorious Christ, in all His offices for all His Benefits. Oh! Hear a Compassionate Redeemer Calling you; Isai. 45:22 "Look unto me all ye Ends of the Earth, and be ye Saved." Comply, Reply; Lord, I look unto thee, I will be thine, Save me.


There is a ton more than that. And it brings me to conclusion that until i feel the need for Christ and am truly grieving over my sins, until all of the paragraph above happens to me, my salvation wont come.

Since i can't post any links just put this into the address bar:

"spurgeon dot org" "/~phil/mather/whatmust.htm"


Edit: Most of my issues concerning this have already been answered below and on other pages of this thread, so i am content now. If you still wish answer this first post, go right ahead.

 

[AndrewK9]

From personal experience I can tell what I went through. I remember, I was reluctant to come to Christ, because I feared I did not feel sufficiently my sin (conviction) enough. I heard sermons about hell on youtube and read things about the gospel, crying and hoping that I could muster up a feeling that would make me acceptable to come to Jesus. From what I have learned over the last fews days, I think, is this, salvation is like you are holding onto a bar and about to fall, and someone is saying they will catch you, all that must be done is let go, and let him catch you, and trust he will. It's not a matter whether you "feel" it enough, or have done enough to deserve a chance to be helped, just simply this, you see you are in trouble and you need that person to rescue you. This case it be Jesus. Let go of your sin, let go of your own efforts to save yourself, and just let him catch you. I will remember you in prayer.

Listen to what Charles Spurgeon himself stated; "If we fall into the notion that a certain sense of sin has a claim upon god, we shall be putting salvation upon other grounds than that of faith—and that would be false ground. Now, the ground of salvation is—"God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." A simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the way of salvation! But to say, "I shall be saved because I am horribly convicted of sin and driven to desperation," is not to speak like the Gospel, but to rave out of the pride of an unbelieving heart. The Gospel is that you believe in Christ Jesus; that you get right out of yourself and depend alone on Him! Do you say, "I feel so guilty"? You are certainly guilty, whether you feel it or not! And you are far more guilty than you have any idea of. Come to Christ because you are guilty, not because you have been prepared to come by looking at your guilt! Trust nothing of your own, not even your sense of need. A man may have a sense of disease a long time before he will get healing out of it. The looking-glass of conviction reveals the spots on our face, but it cannot wash them away. You cannot fill your hands by putting them into your empty pocket and feeling how empty it is! It would be far wiser to hold them out and receive the gold which your friend so freely gives you. "God be merciful to me a sinner" is the right way to put it, but not, "God be merciful to me because I sufficiently feel my sinnership, and most fittingly bewail it."

 

[Soverinth]

What bugs me is how easy it sounds. Like for some reason it sounds so easy to just give yourself to Christ.

But for some reason i'm not grasping it. This is ridiculously hard. I have tried tell him that i need him. My guess is i deep down didn't mean it completely. Seems to me that because i don't realize how lost i really am, other than knowing that I am probably going to Hell, I'm just having a hard time getting it through my head.

 

[Willie T]

As long as you are concerned about it, then there's no need to be concerned about it.

(Let that sink in.)

 

[PROPHECYKID]

I don't mean to come back all depressed again but, i'm not saved.

My guess is that I got all happy for nothing yesterday. I know i'm not saved because God has not done anything to me since then. I haven't changed one bit. Back to square one again being completely depressed.

Now i'm not expecting a perfect change, no i know that's not what happens. But when God saves you he lets you know. You just know. The fact that I still have no idea means nothing has changed.

In fact i think i'm not saved because I don't see my true need.

I'm not truly sorry for my sins. None of us really are. Only God can make us see how bad sin really is.


Along with what "trulyconverted" says about being truly saved I found this website that pretty much explains it, heres some of what is on the page:

First this must be done; You must come to be bitterly Sensible, that you want [lack] a Glorious Christ for your Saviour.
We read, John 7:37. "If any Man Thirst let him come unto me." Truly, no man will come to a Christ, until a Thirst or a pungent and Painful Sense of the Want of a Christ be raised in him.
You must feel the Burden of your sin, lying on you; and cry out, Oh' Tis a heavy Burden too heavy for me! You must see God Angry with you, Sin Binding of you, Hell gaping for you; and utterly Despair of helping yourselves out of the confusion that is come upon you.
You must be filled with sorrow, for what you have done; with horror at what you are Expos'd unto. The Cry of your Uneasy Souls must be that; of Romans 7:24. "O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me!" You must be no strangers to such soliloquies as these; I have sinned; I have sinned, and, woe is unto me, that I have sinned, I have lost the knowledge of God and lost the Image of God, and lost the Favour of God. My Sin renders me obnoxious to the Vengeance of God. Lust enchants me, enslaves me; Satan Tyrannizes over me. I am in hourly Hazzard of an Eternal Banishment from God, into Outer Darkness, into the Place of Dragons. Oh! wretched man that I am: I can do nothing to deliver myself. I perish, I perish, except a Glorious Christ be my deliverer.
The Degree of this Distress on the minds of them that shall be saved is Various. There is a Variety in that Prepatory Work, which does distress the Elect of God, in their coming to a Saviour. Converts do sometimes needlessly Distress themselves, and Even deceive themselves, by insisting too much on the Measure of this Preparation.
But so much of this Work, as will render us restless without a Christ; so much of this Work, as will render a whole Christ precious to us before there must be so much in our Experience, if we would be saved.
Secondly; This must be Done; You must confess yourselves, Unable To Do Anything Effectually of yourselves, in coming to a glorious Christ, as your Saviour.
With a fearful trembling of Soul, you must make this Profession; Lord thou worketh in us to Will and to Do, of thy own good Pleasure!
Your Profession must be that of Eph 2:8 "By Grace are ye saved, thro' Faith and that not of yourselves it is the Gift of God."
Your Profession must be that of John 6:65. "No man can come, except it be given to him." Oh! Lie at the Foot of Soverign Grace confessing and Imploring Lord, I am justly destroyed. If I do not sincerely renounce my sin, sincerely embrace my Saviour. But I cannot, Oh! I cannot! I have deadly fetters upon my Soul; I shall never answer thy gracious Calls, except thy Soverign Grace enable me. Oh! Quicken me: Oh! Strengthen me: Oh! Enable me; Turn thou me and I Shall be Turned.
Your Impotency must not now be made an Excuse for your Impenitency. Your Inability must Affright you exceedingly. Affect you Exceedingly; It may not Excuse you in a slothful Negligence. You must Not Remain Careless of doing anything, Because you can thoroughly do nothing.
Having first Cry'd unto God, that He would help you to do what you have to do, you must now try to do it; now try, whether He do not help you to do it.
Thirdly; This must be done; You must Admire, You must Adore, You must Address a Glorious Christ, in all His offices for all His Benefits. Oh! Hear a Compassionate Redeemer Calling you; Isai. 45:22 "Look unto me all ye Ends of the Earth, and be ye Saved." Comply, Reply; Lord, I look unto thee, I will be thine, Save me.


There is a ton more than that. And it brings me to conclusion that until i feel the need for Christ and am truly grieving over my sins, until all of the paragraph above happens to me, my salvation wont come.

Since i can't post any links just put this into the address bar:

"spurgeon dot org" "/~phil/mather/whatmust.htm"

That paragraph has some truth to it but it is also misleading and is over-exaggerating the whole thing. There are different factors that contribute to how guilty, etc you feel about your sin. David's reaction to his sins of adultery and murder was much different to the others because in those sins he killed a faithful soldier in his army because he committed adultery with his wife and had to be confronted by the prophet of God before he finally repented. That experience contributed to how much sorrow he had. Do not think that everytime you sin, you should feel immense sorry and sore grief unto death.

You should not be letting someone else tell you how you should feel to know if you are saved. You should know in your own heart if you want God to forgive you. Do you feel sorry for the sins you have committed and do you want God to forgive you? Once you can say yes you are on your way. Do not let anyone tell you, you must follow a particular criteria for you to know that you feel truly sorry.

You are being unnecessarily depressed.

Let's look at the facts. You are feeling depressed because you do not feel you are truly sorry and thus not saved. The fact that you are depressed means that you care. It means you want to be saved and it means that you do want to be truly sorry for your sins. It means in your mind you are truly sorry for your sins because it is making you depressed.

Do you know who likes the fact that you are depressed now? Satan.

The bible calls Satan the accuser of the brethren. The devil wants to keep holding your sins infront of you and accuse you say and night, and make you feel stressed. All God wants you to do is let go of your sins and let him take care of it.

You don't have to always go through a period of deep sorry for your salvation to come. Some people do, some people don't. Everyone's experience and journey may be a bit different. What is the same with everyone's experience is that they asked God to forgive and save them. That is the first step.

As you grow in grace, your sins should become exceedingly sinful to you. The more you grow in Christ the more you are disturbed by sin, not at the beginning of your journey. Logic says that a Christian not beginning his journey may not be as disturbed with a particular sin as he would be 20 yrs down the road. Fact is the Christian at both stages, would acknowledge his sin and ask God to remove it.

Let me share this with you.

As we grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ we are supposed to bear fruits. When does an apple tree become a perfect apple tree? When the apple tree is younger, it is more vulnerable to pests and other natural conditions. So does the tree become perfect when it produces the fruits? No!! The young apple tree is going through the stage that it is supposed to go through at that stage of its development and is no less perfect that is would be when it is older. The only problem would be if that young apple tree does not grow and become a mature tree and dies.

I hope you see the analogy and I hope something I have said helps you cuz I know I rambled on a bit.

 

[jenjen486]

Hey armizer...There arent these expected things that will happen when you come to desire Christ. But, as you said, you do have to come to that point where you truly desire Him and want nothing more. It isn't something that is easy, or else so many people wouldn't reject Him in their hearts. He said there is a cost to following Him and we must count that cost first! He said anyone who loves his father,mother,son or daughter more than me, is not worthy. And if anyone comes to Him and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children...even his own life...cannot be my disciple. We have to be willing to forsake everything, in order to follow Christ. It is hard to give up our lives but worth it! God gives us a peace and joy that far surpasses the temporary comforts that the world has to offer.

 

[Soverinth]

Hey armizer...There arent these expected things that will happen when you come to desire Christ. But, as you said, you do have to come to that point where you truly desire Him and want nothing more. It isn't something that is easy, or else so many people wouldn't reject Him in their hearts. He said there is a cost to following Him and we must count that cost first! He said anyone who loves his father,mother,son or daughter more than me, is not worthy. And if anyone comes to Him and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children...even his own life...cannot be my disciple. We have to be willing to forsake everything, in order to follow Christ. It is hard to give up our lives but worth it! God gives us a peace and joy that far surpasses the temporary comforts that the world has to offer.

But i thought Jesus taught that you need to love one another. If i hate my family wouldn't that be contradicting each other?

 

[joey_downunder]

Armizer - the Christian faith is a walk with God. Please read the Pilgrim's Progress book link I gave you. Christian goes through your current struggle.

can you write us a checklist of what you think ''saved people'' look like/always do?
Then we'll compare what you think with what the bible says.

Do you think other young *genuine* Christians ever struggle with feelings of hate/frustration towards their family?

 

[St_Worm2]

But i thought Jesus taught that you need to love one another. If i hate my family wouldn't that be contradicting each other?

Hi Armizer, I think the similar verse in Matthew might make the meaning of "hating your father, mother, wife, children ..." a little clearer. It says:

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" Matthew 10:37
​

The verse from Luke 14 that uses the word "hate" is simply emphasizing that our love for Christ should be so great that all other loves are 'hatred' by comparison to it.

Hope that helps!

Yours and His,
David

 

[Soverinth]

Armizer - the Christian faith is a walk with God. Please read the Pilgrim's Progress book link I gave you. Christian goes through your current struggle.

Sorry i started it and just never kept going but i will continue.

can you write us a checklist of what you think ''saved people'' look like/always do?
Then we'll compare what you think with what the bible says.

Well I don't really know quite honestly cause i don't think i personally know(outside this forum) anyone who is a genuine, truly converted, born-again Christian.

Ill try to list what i can think of.

Saved people:

-Have a personal relationship with God

-Are always relying on Him because without him they can do nothing

-Always worshiping, some way or another

-Are nice to other people regardless of how mean the person is

-Their lifestyle is just completely different from a non-believers lifestyle

-A lot of them strive to help non saved people

That's most of what I can come up with.

Do you think other young *genuine* Christians ever struggle with feelings of hate/frustration towards their family?

Well that depends on the situation. I'm sure many do. But I am not a genuine Christian, i don't even have the Holy Spirit.

 

[Soverinth]

Hi Armizer, I think the similar verse in Matthew might make the meaning of "hating your father, mother, wife, children ..." a little clearer. It says:

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" Matthew 10:37
​

The verse from Luke 14 that uses the word "hate" is simply emphasizing that our love for Christ should be so great that all other loves are 'hatred' by comparison to it.

Hope that helps!

Yours and His,
David

Never mind about the confusion on hating and loving St_Worm2 just described it, i get it now i think.

 

[vjcoppola]

Armizer,
I read through the responses and you have alot of good info here. I'd like to respond/question some of your comments.

1) "In fact i think i'm not saved because I don't see my true need."
Are you sure? If you don't think you need salvation what are you here on this forum for? It seems to me that you do see a need for salvation, that's a big step, we wish more people would.

2) "I'm not truly sorry for my sins. None of us really are. Only God can make us see how bad sin really is."

Are you saying that you realize you have sinned but don't think there is anything wrong in doing them? This could be a problem. Sin is disobediaence and rebellion against God. Pretty serious stuff. Results in death. I'd rethink kthat one. And, by the way, some of us are truly sorry.

3) "What bugs me is how easy it sounds. Like for some reason it sounds so easy to just give yourself to Christ.
Jesus said His way is easy and His yoke is light. We are so used to earning or But we don't earn or deserve salvation. It's free. It's a gift from the one who loves you more than any of us can imagine. How do we know? John 3:16 "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to the end that all who believe may have life everlasting." Good one to memorize. Praise God!


4) "But i thought Jesus taught that you need to love one another. If i hate my family wouldn't that be contradicting each other?"

Yes he did, because He loves us. And He loves your family too. They are part of His creation which He said is good. If the creator of the universe loves your family perhaps you should too. Is something wrong with your family? I wouldn't be surprised, there's plenty wrong with all of us. And yet He loves us. Its us He loves, not the sin we do. That is the key to understanding the love we must have for one another, love the sinner, hate the sin.


5) "Well that depends on the situation. I'm sure many do. But I am not a genuine Christian, i don't even have the Holy Spirit."

I can't tell you you are a genuine Christian or not but I guarantee that the Holy Spirit is working in your life. Why do you think you are here asking these questions? Do you think its your own effort? God is calling you and the Holy Spirit is leading you. Don't worry about the gifts you may have heard about. If God wants you to have them, you will have them. Remember, they are gifts from Him, He gives when He wills to.

 

[Soverinth]

1) "In fact i think i'm not saved because I don't see my true need."
Are you sure? If you don't think you need salvation what are you here on this forum for? It seems to me that you do see a need for salvation, that's a big step, we wish more people would.

I may have typed this wrong, i do understand that the fact that im on here means I'm seeking the truth.

2) "I'm not truly sorry for my sins. None of us really are. Only God can make us see how bad sin really is."

Are you saying that you realize you have sinned but don't think there is anything wrong in doing them? This could be a problem. Sin is disobediaence and rebellion against God. Pretty serious stuff. Results in death. I'd rethink kthat one. And, by the way, some of us are truly sorry.

Sorry again i didn't type right. I do feel bad when i sin, but its not that "regretful sorrow" that true Christians get. Like when the Holy Spirit convicts you when you do sin. I feel bad when it happens and i am trying to not do it anymore, but it's not that remorseful sorrow. Which is why i said only God can make you see that kind of regret. Because i alone don't feel that way. And i see it as a problem because i don't feel the way i should when i do sin. I feel bad and i know its wrong. But that's it. It has never gone any farther than that.

3) "What bugs me is how easy it sounds. Like for some reason it sounds so easy to just give yourself to Christ.
Jesus said His way is easy and His yoke is light. We are so used to earning or But we don't earn or deserve salvation. It's free. It's a gift from the one who loves you more than any of us can imagine. How do we know? John 3:16 "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to the end that all who believe may have life everlasting." Good one to memorize. Praise God!

That could be one of my problems and i just don't see it, the thought of earning.

5) "Well that depends on the situation. I'm sure many do. But I am not a genuine Christian, i don't even have the Holy Spirit."

I can't tell you you are a genuine Christian or not but I guarantee that the Holy Spirit is working in your life. Why do you think you are here asking these questions? Do you think its your own effort? God is calling you and the Holy Spirit is leading you. Don't worry about the gifts you may have heard about. If God wants you to have them, you will have them. Remember, they are gifts from Him, He gives when He wills to.

That is very true, i don't think i would be on here searching and asking on my own.

 

[trulyconverted]

Dear armizer,

I feel for you. Run to Christ! We can give you advise and answer your questions in this forum but only Christ can save you. We can help make things clear to you or only add to your confusion (it can go either way).

So run to Him! He is a Living God. You can talk to Him.

John 3:7-8 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

You know what is worse?... is to think that one is saved but who actually is not (Matt 7:22).

You are on the right path because God has given you the grace to know that you need His salvation.

God arranges and God ordains.

Go to Him!

Written in love.

 

[vjcoppola]

Good. You are seeking the truth, you understand God is calling and you aknowledge your sins. Truly Converted is right, run to Him, wha is stopping you? You only have to accept what He offers for free.

How do you do this?
-Pray
-Read His word.
-Get connected with other Christians. Our salvation is in Christ. There is no Christisan life outside the Church, The Body of Christ, the body of all true believers. This is not a specific denomination but cuts across denominational lines. Personal connection with believers is much better than this internet stuff. Christian friends will support you in prayer and provide direction. Avoid the cults and fringe organizations like Mormons and Jehovah witnesses. These are not Christian. Also, avoid the liberal churches that have become just humanist groups.

Don't worry about your feelings. These may come. And don't get too hung up on conversion. If you are changing your life because you love Jesus conversion is happening. Conversion isn't just an event but a lifelong proccess.

 

[Soverinth]

Just a quick note.

The fact that I am on here asking these questions, trying to find the truth, is because God is probably working in me right?

If thats the case, I feel loved , in a sense that he's trying to fix me. I think of this reason a lot when I have some doubts. Without him I would probably still be someone who plays videogames all day every day, with no interest in any of this.

Just something i wanted to put out there.

 

[trulyconverted]

Just a quick note.

The fact that I am on here asking these questions, trying to find the truth, is because God is probably working in me right?

If thats the case, I feel loved , in a sense that he's trying to fix me. I think of this reason a lot when I have some doubts. Without him I would probably still be someone who plays videogames all day every day, with no interest in any of this.

Just something i wanted to put out there.

Dear armizer,

You are so right.

God is being gracious towards you because He has allowed you to see this great need. Many people do not see it. And many others are looking at it but not understanding it's importance. And others, yes, they just play videogames all day.

You are on the right path.

God bless you.

With love.

 

[Girder of Loins]

The fact that you are on here, asking questions, and doubting your faith proves that you are being convicted. You have some desire to learn more or to further your walk with God. This proves you have the Holy Spirit. I would say you are a Christian. I noticed the list you put on, and I must say, not a lot of Christians do these things. Being a Christian isn't changing your life around overnight, it is a process of continually submitting to God and doing as He says. It took me nine years after becoming a Christian to finally understand this concept. Don't feel too bad about not being some "super Christian" right off the bat.

Now, don't get me wrong. Keep your enthusiasm and commitment. It is a good thing to question your faith and see where it needs improvement. This allows us to open up to God and other believers about our problems and sins. So keep striving, and keep submitting to God. Don't get frustrated when you slip up, as we are under grace. It isn't about pleasing God, it is about trusting Him(and that pleases Him!).

Go in Grace and Peace, Brother.

 

[hedrick]

What bugs me is how easy it sounds. Like for some reason it sounds so easy to just give yourself to Christ.

But for some reason i'm not grasping it. This is ridiculously hard. I have tried tell him that i need him. My guess is i deep down didn't mean it completely. Seems to me that because i don't realize how lost i really am, other than knowing that I am probably going to Hell, I'm just having a hard time getting it through my head.

In traditional Protestant terms, I think you're turning faith into a work. Faith, and the repentance on which it is based, in grasping Christ. It is not a work, i.e. something you achieve. The moment you start looking at your faith and asking whether it's good enough, you're no longer relying on Christ, but your own faith. The same is true of repentance (in this sense -- more below). Repentance is realizing that your own works aren't going to do it, and turning to God.

Is it easy? It should be. However for some people, there's baggage they have to give up, and that may be hard. So getting into the situation where you can have faith may be hard for some. But actually having faith is easy. I think you're making it hard for yourself.

The quotation in your OP is dead wrong, at least in the way you're reading it. It even refers to coming to faith as a "Work", which is outrageous. Justifying faith is not about forcing your mind to assume some particular attitude. It is about giving up the attempt to be religious yourself and trusting God. Faith looks entirely at Christ, and not at your own attitudes.*

Now living the Christian life is a different matter. There are definitely specific attitudes we should cultivate, and when we do something wrong, we need to think about how to deal with their consequences and avoid doing the again. That's a different kind of repentance, not the initial repentance that gives up our own attempt at righteousness, but the ongoing work of coming into conformity with Christ. But that's what is referred to classically as "sanctification." It's not what justifies us, i.e. puts us in the right relationship with Christ in the first place. And that ongoing day to day repentance is done out of love for God and concern for others, and not in an attempt to earn our place before God.

--------------

* To be fair to Cotton Mather, it is possible to read this passage in an acceptable sense. I believe his step 1 could be preparation for faith, not faith itself. Luther's position is that we have to be killed by the Law before we can hear grace. As far as I can tell, Luther didn't mean this as a separate requirement, i.e. I don't think he meant that if you're not dead enough or in the right way you can't hear the Gospel. So perhaps Mather's first point is not talking about saving repentance, but about how before coming to faith people come to realize their hopelessness without God. So it's not a requirement, not something you should judge yourself on, but a description of what people are like as they get near the point of finally repenting in a saving way. I think you're already been killed by the Law, and that it's time for grace.

However looking at other things has says about being saved, I think he really does turn faith into a work.

 

[Soverinth]

What would you guys say it means to "Run to Christ"?