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MaryJane
Member



Joined: 2006/7/31
Posts: 3057


 Re:

Jdl

I think the Bible makes it very clear that we either choose to believe God, that what He speaks is truth or we reject Him. It really comes down to the heart. If you are crying out to God, repenting of your sins and seeking to live your life in submission to His will daily, He is not a liar, He does not slam the door on you. God is faithful to His children!!!

Came across this article, it is only a small part of the article but it really has helped me in my walk to stop trying to justify my sin and to repent. Maybe Father may have something for you in this as well.

God Bless
mj


Embrace the Truth

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…

Romans 1:18-23

This verse from the Bible clearly tells us that God judges whether we “suppress the truth” that He shows us and choose to live wicked, self-centered lives, or if we embrace His Truth. Have we invested ourselves to find out what God’s ways are? Or are we lazy and apathetic?

Our job in life is, as the Bible says, to “love the truth and so be saved.” The person who seeks shall find. That’s what all of us have to be doing no matter what stage we are at in our pursuit of Truth. God answers the prayer of those who are diligently seeking, not those who are resting on their laurels (looking into the past and counting some good things as sufficient).

No Excuses

What about the situation where our environment has somehow blinded us? Maybe we’ve grown up in a very wicked environment or in some very materialistic environment, and we are clouded to the truth of God. We had all these things pushed in our face year after year, either because of bad family situations or some terrible thing later in life. What about all these sorts of things?

While some would like to think that those are valid reasons to ignore God and His truth, the Bible says that God has made His truth clear. And God knows what He is doing. It says that all men “are without excuse.” It doesn’t matter what your environment was. It doesn’t matter what your physical limitations are or what your sociological limitations have been—that has absolutely nothing to do with it. All men are without excuse because God has made it His project to show us enough truth to find out whether we are going to pursue truth, or walk away from it. He has shown us enough truth to make known the inclination of our hearts.

In John 16, it says the Holy Spirit was brought to convict the world of guilt in regard to sin. The “world”…in other words, everybody. Everyone is without excuse because God has shown us all enough truth to see whether we will pursue it, or let it lie by the road as we walk on by. In that sense, it is pretty easy to understand that when God has this thing called “Heaven” and this thing called “Hell” that He is not being unfair. He has made the choice clear to us—we are all without excuse.

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

 2009/9/23 15:04Profile
Leo_Grace
Member



Joined: 2009/6/14
Posts: 703


 Re:

Quote:

Jdl wrote:
Is believing really a choice? Some say it is, some say it isn't...I'm confused on the matter...I would absolutely love to believe! But for some reason, it feels like I can't with all these doubts...I heard someone say faith has to be grounded on assurance/certainty of the facts...almost like it leaves no room for doubt...
R.C. Sproul makes a distinction between child-like faith and child-ish faith...At this point I fear that any faith I have will only be a wishful thinking, pretend, child-ish faith...a faith that won't save...I mean, how can I have saving faith if I doubt the object Himself of that faith? Jesus, the son of God, is the one who saves...how can I expect to be saved if I am struggling to believe in His diety? This is awful!



Dear Jdl,

If you doubt Jesus Christ, then you do not believe him. If you WANT to believe, then choose to do so. Only after you take that step, after you open your heart to God's Spirit, only then can He lead you into knowledge and understanding. But your belief must be such that you are willing to do things to gain that understanding. If you say you believe but are not interested enough to learn about God by reading the Bible, then you are lying to yourself.

Believe... hunger for God (read the Bible)... pray for understanding (read the bible)... and if you do all these sincerely, God is faithful... He will reveal Himself to you, and help you to understand. Then you will know, then you will experience, and then you will see the wisdom of believing in God.

 2009/9/23 15:05Profile
whyme
Member



Joined: 2007/4/3
Posts: 293


 Re:

Jdl,

doubts about your own salvation...we all experience that at times.

doubts about the deity of Christ...not normal for a Christian.

Find a mature Christian. Talk to them. Chat rooms aren't for that. Turn away from sin to God and faith towards Jesus Christ... guaranteed you'll be saved.

 2009/9/23 15:33Profile
Jdl
Member



Joined: 2009/9/21
Posts: 66


 Re:

Leo, whyme...I am confused though...does that mean then that we are not allowed to doubt at all? As long as I am battling these doubts, is that an indication that any belief I have in the midst of them is a false belief? Do I shrug them off and just "believe" or do I need to convince myself more until they go away?
As far as choosing God, is it something we really do? Reformed doctrince says no, that God enables us to believe...I really don't want this to turn into a calvin/arminian debate, but I'm mentioning it because it confuses me as far as belief goes...Do I ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to me or do I delve deeper into apologetics to convince my intellect first, on my own?


_________________
James

 2009/9/23 15:41Profile
MaryJane
Member



Joined: 2006/7/31
Posts: 3057


 Re:

Jdl

Can I ask you something honestly.., is by any chance your name John and have you posted under another name before Bible4life, . I am not trying to accuse you of anything, its just that with each post you write you sound exactly like another young man who has posted here of the same things? If this is not John(Bible4life) perhaps reading through some of the threads and posts that are here on the forum may help you find some of the answers you are looking for as well, since they seem to be along the same lines. I think you can use the search and look up post by Bible4life.

God Bless
maryjane

 2009/9/23 15:57Profile
Leo_Grace
Member



Joined: 2009/6/14
Posts: 703


 Re:

Quote:

Jdl wrote:
Leo, whyme...I am confused though...does that mean then that we are not allowed to doubt at all? As long as I am battling these doubts, is that an indication that any belief I have in the midst of them is a false belief? Do I shrug them off and just "believe" or do I need to convince myself more until they go away?
[b]As far as choosing God, is it something we really do?[/b] Reformed doctrince says no, that God enables us to believe...I really don't want this to turn into a calvin/arminian debate, but I'm mentioning it because it confuses me as far as belief goes...Do I ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to me or do I delve deeper into apologetics to convince my intellect first, on my own?



All these conflicting "isms" of doctrine aside, my personal experience is: I chose to believe and then God revealed himself to me through the Word. But that doesn't mean that God has not been reaching out for you. Many believers (like me) can look back and see how God had been leading them to Him long before they actually decided to follow God.

Please understand that believing God is not a simple prayer of acceptance that may come and go without changing your life. If you TRULY BELIEVE IN GOD, your life will be turned upside down. This can happen instantly, or it can happen over time. For me, the key was feeding on God's Word, the Bible, until I knew more about God. As you grow in knowledge of God though His Son, Jesus, by reading His Word, you will learn to love Him more and more, and you will eventually realize that you want to live your life to please Him and Him alone.

For me, it was at this point that I was born again. I died to a life lived for myself, and I was born to a new life dedicated to pleasing God, whom I love above all.

Once you have truly believed in Jesus (reborn), I don't think you can ever again doubt his existence.

 2009/9/23 16:07Profile
Jdl
Member



Joined: 2009/9/21
Posts: 66


 Re:

Hi Mary...I'm not him, but you know, it's funny...I was actually reading some of his posts about his doubts and I was floored because I thought I was the only one who experienced this type of thing...I actually meant to get ahold of him and perhaps discuss these things together...


_________________
James

 2009/9/23 16:09Profile
whyme
Member



Joined: 2007/4/3
Posts: 293


 Re:

Jdl, reformed doctrine like others holds that all believers choose to believe. In addition, though, the reformed faith holds that one chooses to believe after they have been regenerated and given new desires so that the choosing is born out of a new heart for God.

 2009/9/23 16:19Profile
Compton
Member



Joined: 2005/2/24
Posts: 2732


 Re:

Regarding my comments, in the interest of compassion it's worth noting that my intention wasn't to introduce a feeling of condemnation for experiencing doubts, but rather an assurance that it is quite rational to believe in Jesus Christ.

I understand what Leo is saying about choosing to believe...and can go along with that statement. Joshua was asked to step into the river first, and only then did it part for him.

Also, I want to make sure that I am not being heard as saying that you must remove all doubt from your mind. I remember this old Star Trek episode where Kirk and Spock had to defeat these aliens psychological weapons by not believing in them. Since the slightest doubt could kill them, Spock had to do a mind-meld hypnosis on Kirk to remove all doubt from his mind.

This is not at all like faith in Christ...who saves not because we have no doubts at all, but because we have faith in him!

I have little doubtful thoughts popping into my head all the time to be honest. How can I say I have unwavering faith then? It's a simple proposition actually... I have learned to doubt myself all the more. Though I still sadly doubt the faithfulness and assurances of Christ from time to time, I still put my faith in him, and not myself!

A man may have a fear of flying, or doubt that aerodynamics actually is trustworthy, but he can nevertheless place his faith in the airline and board the plane, doubts and all. He may be in nervous disbelief the whole time he is in the air, but he will arrive at his destination along with the other passengers who were sleeping like babies the whole flight. His disbelief prevented his peace, but not his journey.

So believing in Christ, abiding in him for safe passage to heaven as a man boards a plane while still harboring doubts is not going to condemn you or exclude you from heaven...but refusing Christ altogether leaves you condemned already.

John 3 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

2 Tim. 2 1f we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

That is to say, place your ultimate faith in Christ, and take your doubts to him!

Like Leo says, I don't need to understand everything before believing...that is foolishness and even abit presumptuous. I can understand somethings, but the most important thing to understand is that we can believe in Christ to save.

Mike


_________________
Mike Compton

 2009/9/23 16:24Profile









 Re: doubt


Hi Jdl,

I apologise I don't have much time online. My reply is not intended to sound peremptory, but I'm writing fast and hope you will discern I have no condemnation in my heart towards your predicament, but rather, I know that if you are determined to find God again and meet with Him, He is watching and waiting until He hears your heart cry out to [u]Him[/u].

I've read this whole thread, and I know all the answers bring something of the truth of God's existence and the testimony of scripture to that truth, but, I think you are making one of the mistakes Bible4life has tended towards, which is to be far too ready to base your 'faith' on what you think you feel, or what you think you might know in your mind.

God is far simpler than this, and the apostle Paul explains God's viewpoint ruthlessly. (I don't mean God is ruthless! But He is in some ways. He cannot tolerate sin in His presence, and He will not make allowances for anyone who knew the truth, but decided not to acknowledge it properly. Let me explain...)

You are in a worship system. Either you put your trust in idols, or you put your trust in God. (John 4:21, 22, 23, 24) Note: 'you know not what you worship'. Compare this with the scathing condemnation in the Old Testament which God through the prophets made of handmade gods.

Today, we also must rule out self-worship - whether it be the gratification of the flesh, the mind, or thinking that by our minds we can judge whether God's thoughts are believable or not. We MUST bow our minds to Him. That's not faith. That's worship. God is pleased with this.

This is not the same as whether or not we have 'understanding'. It is plain from Proverbs (read the early chapters), that God puts great store on 'understanding' and 'wisdom'. However, He is not talking about the understanding available to us through the fallen mind, or the wisdom of the world (1 Cor 1:20 - end of chapter), but of the understanding and wisdom which we develop as our minds are renewed through the operation of the Holy Spirit as we obey God's word. There is no way to succeed in this, apart from to admit defeat from a natural point of view, and acquiesce to the operation of the death of Christ which is spoken of in Rom 5, 6, which puts an end to the wretchedness in Rom 7 leads to the overcoming life of Rom 8.

Now, in Rom 10, Paul points out that 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God'. The practical application of this, is that you must seek God until [b]you[/b] have [b]heard Him speak[/b] to you, or, you must trust the testimony of the millions of Christians before you, that the written word of God is true, and start holding God to His word by trusting He is faithful who promised, who also will do it (Heb 10:23).

Going back to Rom 1, as Compton and MaryJane recommended, the 'choice' you have is not whether to believe or not to believe, but whether to glorify God as Creator, or worship the created thing (creature) instead (v 25).

Here is Paul's [i]logical[/i] explanation of God's behaviour, in response to man's response to His pre-existing statement of His existence and presence: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all [u]un[/u]godliness and [u]un[/u]righteousness of men, [u]who hold the truth in unrighteousness[/u]; 19 [b]Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them[/b]; [u]for [b]God[/b] hath shewed [it] unto them[/u]. 20 [b]For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made[/b], [even] [b]his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse[/b]: 21 [b]Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [/b][him] [b]not as God, neither were thankful[/b]; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,


So we see that that you must make the CHOICE to GLORIFY GOD, in order that He shed light in your mind. Otherwise, He will let your mind become dark and foolishness will set in, with His permission.


25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 [b]For this cause God gave them up[/b] unto vile affections



Repentance, in this case, means going back towards the time when you acknowledged God as you ought, and you glorified Him as you ought, and you withheld your mind and body from wilful sin - which includes not believing in Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 16:9).



Please try to see 'unbelief' as a luxury you cannot afford, and with the same enthusiasm you have opened the door to it, now, work at closing the door, and keep leaning on it as hard as you can to [u]keep[/u] it shut!



I have one last verse to share, because I also had trouble with faith (as you may have seen in my replies to Bible4life), until 1) I asked God for a gift of faith, and graciously He gave me some, and 2) I heard the 'Have faith in God.' of Mark 11:22 expounded as 'Hold the faithfulness of God'. Somehow, that change of wording enabled my mind to give up all its trying, and rest in the faithfulness of God to do me good. And He has. All praise to His Name!



 2009/9/26 11:34





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