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Author Topic: Not sure if you helped or hurt me  (Read 6602 times)

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Craig

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Not sure if you helped or hurt me
« on: April 17, 2006, 11:18:03 AM »

Mr. Smith I know this long and you are busy, but i hope that you will respond.
 
I am 24 years old and was in a christian school form sixth grade until I graduated high school. This school was affiliated with very large Baptist Church, so all I ever heard was hell fire and brimestone preachers and people asking for money. Thats all I knew, it ws the truth to me. After I graduated and was not forced to Bible class or chapel, I kind of quit the whole church , God and Bible thing all together. For about 4 years I really felt a strong conviction and felt really guilty for all the partying and sin I was doing. One saturday night I took it a little too far and the next morining I woke and said " thats it, I can't live like this anymore" and about hour later I was back in a church for the first time in 4 years. I told God I was sorry and that I wanted to really start living for him. I quit drinking, cleaned up my language, stoped hanging around the people that I laways got in trouble with and I was feeling really good. Then about 4 months ago I started doubting my salvation and weather I really going to Heaven. I couldn't sleep a night, It was the worst feeling I have experienced, thinking that I was going to Hell, I was affraid to go to sleep. I went and talked to my pastor about and it and he told me quit worrying because the greatest thing about Christianity is that you don't have do anything, its already done for you. It sounded great at the time, but the talk really didn't help me. So I began my search on the net and found you. After reading some your papers my first reaction was WOW this is amazing, but then I thought well maybe this just what I want to belive to make me feel better. I then read some more and finally read all of your papers. I really want to belive what you teach, but I feel that it pushed me further from God, because  I find myself going back to doing things, like drinking and hanging out in bars, because my thoughts are oh well there is no Hell anyway. Mr. Smith  ;I am not saying that you pushed me away from God, because I know its me, its just that I don't know what to belive anymore. I never had struggle like this before.
 

Dear Kevin:
Your struggles is no different from many other saints that have gone before you. Here is the simple truth about whether it is all a done deal in our lives, or whether there is something for us to do as Believers in Christ:
 
"For by GRACE are ye saved [that's a true statement] through FAITH [that's also a true statement]; and that [that 'faith'] not of yourselves: it is the GIFT [and that too is a true statement--a gift can't be 'earned'] of God. NOT OF WORKS [that certainly is also a true statement] lest any man should boast.  For we are HIS workmanship [the Greek is 'His achievement'--and that again is certainly true, we can't make ourselves spirituall converted and mature], created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, Which God has before ordained that we SHOULD WALK IN THEM [now where did that come from?  Are we now to assume that that statement is NOT TRUE?  That there are NO WORKS involved in our salvation, when God ordained that we MUST WALK IN GOOD WORKS?]" (Eph. 2:8-10).
 
God gives us FAITH, and God grants us GRACE, and with that He works out His achievement in us by causing us to DO GOOD WORKS, and don't let any two-faced lying hypocritical false prophet ever tell you differently.
 
Our "good works" will not save us, but God will save no one in whom He does not ORDAIN GOOD WORKS that they must walk in.
 
Now then, take heart. As you read the Truths of God, OBEY all that God is showing you. God will lead you to true spiritual repentance, as that too is something that only God can grant to you (See Rom. 2:4).  When you begin to live a life without all the sins of your past, you will have a clean and clear conscience for the first time in your entire life. With a clean and clear conscience comes PEACE OF MIND.  If God is causing you to seek Him, then God will grant you repentance, and sin will no longer have "dominion over you" (Rom. 6:14).
 
You and your future are in God's hands.  If what I teach is from the Scriptures, then believe it and follow it; and if not, then ask God to show you where the Truth is. If you find someone else who teaches the truth contrary to what I teach, please get back with me and let me know where you found it.
God be with you, and we will be praying for you,
Ray
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