Bible and Christ

In order to have the benefits of being accepted, cherished, and protected by Christ, we have to go beyond just following the tenants of a religion. This is about entering into a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus himself. This is not scary. It does not feel condemning. Why? Because God is good, and He wants to be a Father to us (which means he holds us close to his heart). A relationship has to do with communication, support, and love. But following a a religion has to do with rules. A relationship is dynamic. It can involve questions. It can involve emotions. Imagine a relationship with a friend: That friend is not going to let you down. He or she is going to let you talk when you are confused, and will comfort you when you are hurting. In the same way, God offers friendship to us through Christ. So, in summary, you will want to become a Christian so that you can have this relationship with Christ. :):):)

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There is truly beauty in surrender, it’s difficult because we so desperately need control (especially with OCD), but giving it all to God is a liberating freedom, genuinely. There’s a song that says “and what if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is a revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy?” When I was anxious to the point of constant panic attacks, God was there. When I was up through long nights feeling as if the rest of the world was quiet, God was there. He saw me and helped me. When I was on the brink of suicide, He reminded me of the power I have in being His daughter. I’m clearly quite biased. But I pray these testimonies may give you peace that God grants a peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7), He loves us to an overwhelming extent (John 3:16), He gives us a spirit of power, love, self control (2 Timothy 1:7). And He sent His Son to die for us when we were sinners (Romans 5:8) The biggest caution I can give is don’t allow historical and societal interpretations of Christianity/don’t let other Christians steer you away from God. People are finite and fallible, we are all STILL sinners. However, April 20 we get to celebrate Jesus’s victory over death. He conquered it, and through that victory, we are radiantly redeemed (hence the username 😉). I’m more than willing to answer any questions, even some that may have you doubt. I’m here to listen 💛

I struggle with this too, especially since there's so many different versions of the Bible and so many religions... how do we know which one is the truth? So I've chosen to go by what I feel is real and I do feel that God is real, I can feel His presence and peace over me when I sing or listen to christian music and not other music gives me that feeling. I have seen God work in the lives of many, including countless times He has provided for me when I was at my lowest and even provides when I'm doing well. To me there's a massive difference between religion and the gospel. I don't follow the rules of religion, I follow the gospel and have faith. I have chosen to have a relationship with God because a very long time ago before any of us were created, God made a sacrifice so that EVERYONE (no matter who you are or what you've done) could be forgiven and offered the gift of eternal life in Heaven. I believe the gift of salvation is not something you have to earn or keep up by being good and it's not something God will take back, a gift is literally something that is given to you for free and only you can choose to accept that gift or not. So many people have a fair argument that if God created the world, why would He let bad things happen? I believe He did create all living things and gave us freewill with it. He doesn't control us like we're dolls, we live in a world full of sin so bad things will happen to everyone everywhere.. there's no way of escaping it until our souls leave our human bodies and goes to a perfect heaven where there is no sin, corruption or evil. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who chose not to accept the gift of eternal life and one day their soul will forever be trapped in a place much more wicked and painful than this world could ever be. A lot of people think it's silly to believe in something they can't see, but life here on earth honestly sucks enough as it is.. there has to be something after death and if hell is real, I don't want to risk going there FOREVER or being stuck in something inbetween. Besides I have lived several years of my life that is not pleasing to God and those were absolutely the worst years of my life. I accepted God's gift when I was younger but at one point I chose to walk away from my faith, I left God but He never left me. I feel the most comfort, peace and strength from within and all around me when I choose to be closer to Him. I still have my ups and downs with this (questioning everything) but the more effort I put into the relationship I have with God and the more I try to live a God pleasing lifestyle, the better I feel. It's really such a big difference. Now I'm not saying life as a christian is all sunshine and rainbows, in fact it may seem to have more struggles than a life without God because the enemy attacks those who are winning. The further away you are from the enemy the more they will try to tear you apart so you can be on thier level and the enemy especially loves those who are losing because there's a chance those who've lost everything won't try to get up and fight back and will forever be on their level. I just know from personal experience that the fight is worth living for and my eternal life after death is worth even more fighting for... the best part is, we actually won't even have to fight it (the devil himself) in the end.. God will handle that... but for now while we try to survive living in this world of sin God has equipped us with **The Armor of God** and **The Fruits of the Spirit**. I highly recommend looking into those tools, they're metaphors but have a lot of powerful meaning and guidance. Anyways here's the key differences I have discovered, everyone is different but you can find communities of like minded people who share the same belief and can grow together, hold eachother accountable, worship and fellowship together, etc... ❌️❌️ Religion (man made): Salvation is earned by good works and can be lost if you don't keep it up, you must follow the rules. There's a whole list of things you can't do and a list of things you have to do in order to be a christian. I am uncertain if God will keep my spot in heaven, I may not be worthy/good enough for that. ❌️❌️ ✅️✅️ Gospel (God made): Salvation is a gift given by God through grace. God's mercy covers me when I slip up and sin, I can enjoy the freedom of being forgiven and not have to worry about loosing my gift when I fail, once saved always saved. There are a lot of sins that tempt me and many times I will give into sin but I will try my best everyday to fight the temptations and live a Godly lifestyle because I want to, NOT because I have to. That is the power of His grace, mercy, forgiveness and my freewill. I have respect for God The Creator and I don't want to hurt the relationship I have with Him, it is worth spending my life on earth serving Him since He has given me assurance of eternal life in heaven. I am certain there is a place in heaven for me, no matter what. ✅️✅️

where you there for World War 1? No? Maybe it was just a myth. The Bible is a real historical document. It’s entire purpose is pointing to Jesus.

Its compelling to find God and have him as a rock and anchor that will not leave you. To find solace in. I will never be able to live up to its teachings despite how theoretically fascinating they are. Going back to my first question; can I follow Christ without believing and take the teachings as I can and incorporate them into my belief system if it fits and treat it like a story / fiction?

What you’re feeling is deeply human. The pull toward God—even when you’re unsure, even when your thoughts won’t quiet down—is something that comes from a real place in the heart. And just because it’s mixed with anxiety or uncertainty doesn’t make it any less sincere. There’s a kind of faith that doesn’t begin with strong belief, but with longing. With wanting peace. With needing to be held by something greater. That’s a start. That’s a door. You mentioned wanting God, wanting to be led, wanting to feel held. That desire isn’t something your mind invented—it’s something your soul knows. The truth is, we were all created to know our Creator. And there is a kind of peace, a deep-rooted peace, that comes when the heart surrenders to one, all-knowing, all-loving God. The beauty of pure monotheism is that it clears away all the noise. No confusion about who to worship, no middlemen, no conditions—just you and the One who made you. The One who knows the difference between your struggles and your sincerity. The One who never confuses your OCD for disbelief. You don’t need to figure everything out at once. Just keep whispering, even in your own words: “Guide me. Show me the truth. Give my heart peace.” And know that He hears you. Even in the middle of doubt. Even when you don’t feel strong. Sometimes the clearest path to healing begins not with control, but with gentle surrender—to the One who already knows your storm, and has always been near.

Hi! Have you heard of Lee Strobel? He went through a similar experience. In fact, he was hostile to Christianity, and then his wife became a Christian. He was a very successful investigative journalist, so he made it his mission to disprove Christianity to his wife using his investigative background. After about a year (maybe more, I can't remember) of intense research, he came to realize that the evidence for Christ rising from the dead was very strong, and he became a Christian largely because he could no longer intellectually deny it was true. He wrote a book called "The Case for Christ." (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation/dp/0310209307) I think you would greatly enjoy this book. The bottom line is that you can definitely have genuine faith in Christ - and receive all the comfort and benefits of Christ's promises - without turning your brain off.

Romans 8:1: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus None, nope nada. Jesus willing sacrifice is why we can be children of the living God. When we are in Christ, and we die, we stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. All our sins, he bore them on the cross!!!

I feel like this all the time as a Christian, but I know Jesus is always with me. Everybody’s walk with Him is different. God Bless you, Mike! Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your path.

He IS impossible to live up to. That’s what he wants us to know. He wants us to know we can’t do it alone. So we lean on him. He is a jealous loving wonderful father. Your desire to want him more is all you need to ask for. I will be praying for you, friend.

Hi! Christian here! I think it’s wonderful to ask these questions. And the answer is yes you have to believe in Jesus because works without faith are worthless just as faith without works is just as useless. Part of having faith is not knowing 100% and choosing to believe anyway. But aside from that you said you were a science guy. I like deep diving into statistics. Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies … check out these odds of that happening. For 8 prophecies: The chance of one man fulfilling just eight specific prophecies is calculated as 1 in 10 to the 17th power, or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. For 48 prophecies: The odds of a single person fulfilling 48 such prophecies are estimated to be 1 in 10 to the 157th power. For 300+ prophecies: The probability of fulfilling even more prophecies is considered incalculable, far beyond what can be comprehended by simple mathematics. Now take into account that the Bible was written over a period of 1,600 years by 40 different people yet it all comes together to form this book that completely works together with all the written parts. It all is so impossible that it must be God. It’s not religion it’s relationship. Religion has rules and rituals and can be legalistic. Jesus is a living God that I want relationship with. Church and community is great but always remember they are run by people and although people have the best intentions most of the time they are still just people and make mistakes. If any teaching doesn’t line up with what the Bible says I would run the other way. That’s why we have it. To keep things in check. It’s the living word of God. I hope you continue to ask the tough questions. As it says in the Bible. “If you seek me with your whole heart you will find me”.