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Does anyone have doubts?

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tebza4jesus:
Legoman, thank you.

Just last night, I had my doubts. My doubts, I have found, are not found in the teachings themselves, but rather on the effect they have on me. What I mean is that before I knew these TRUTH (NO free-will, no hell, etc),I WORKED hard to ensure my salvation, maybe as a result of being afraid to go to hell. I prayed more, read the Bible more, and went to "church" almost daily.

But now that I understand (I hope I do understand), it seems to me that everything is meaningless. There's no pressure in me to do anything, be it to pray, or study the bible or fellowship. All this simply because it feels to me that, why should I do any of these, if already God knows how am I going to end. For example,

1. Why should I read the Bible if for me to understand it, I will need spiritual ears, but I cannot get spiritual ears of my own working but they can only be given to me by God. I cannot deserve to receive these ears but its a gift from God.
2. We are saved by grace through faith, and this faith is a gift. So what role do I have in my salvation? I might as well just sit and say, "May God save me when and how He wants to"!

When I look at my life right now, I wonder if I am not lost. It seems to me I was a better (depending on what better means) person before I knew these TRUTHS. And please note, I do acknowledge that they are TRUTH because when I read them and meditate upon them, they make perfect sense and are in line with what the Scriptures say and they are also in line with God's nature. I just don't understand the effect on me.

So yes I do have my doubts, and I cry to the LORD saying, "LORD you know my heart. If I am wrong, please correct me in love, and teach me to walk on your ways, for you know that I love you and have been seeking after you for years. Please help."

Will the doubts, ever end? I don't know, but God knows each man's heart. I hope that will count for something.

Kat:

Hi tebza4jesus,

Gal 2:16  knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.


--- Quote ---I WORKED hard to ensure my salvation, maybe as a result of being afraid to go to hell. I prayed more, read the Bible more, and went to "church" almost daily.
--- End quote ---


These were your "works of the law," that before you knew the truth you were depending on for your salvation.  That was the physical that must come first.

1Co 15:46  But it is not the spiritual which is first but the physical, and then the spiritual.


--- Quote ---1. Why should I read the Bible if for me to understand it, I will need spiritual ears, but I cannot get spiritual ears of my own working but they can only be given to me by God. I cannot deserve to receive these ears but its a gift from God.
2. We are saved by grace through faith, and this faith is a gift. So what role do I have in my salvation? I might as well just sit and say, "May God save me when and how He wants to"!

When I look at my life right now, I wonder if I am not lost.
--- End quote ---

What you are receiving now is most certainly a gift, it is the "spiritual."  It may seem so different at first, having the Holy Spirit working in us, that we may feel kind of lost.  But now is when you can really start to learn the truth, because before you were blind and now your eyes are opened. 

It's like if you could not read because your eyes were bad and someone gave you glasses, so you could read.   Hopefully you wouldn't cast them aside, but use them.  What you could now learn by reading would open up a whole new world to you, right.  So now you can study the Scriptures with the 'new' open eyes that you have.

2Ti 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

You can gain all the understanding and knowledge hidden in the Scriptures, only made available to us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Col 2:2  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
Col 2:3  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

But even though it is a gift we actually do have to do something.

Php 2:12  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
v. 13  for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

So we are doing the studying and praying, but now it is Christ in us that gives us the spiritual understanding that we can gain LIFE.

Eph 3:14-21  For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

firefly77:
Just joined the forum… Wanted to respond many times before, but this topic was the “cause” for me to finally “drag” me to do it.
The only thing I can look at in my own life is my own experiences. There are too many examples in my life to look back on confirming God is in absolute control.
Since the last 3 to 4 years,  I have become much more aware than ever that “free will” does not exist. In many ways it comforts me because whatever people I am in contact with in my life are there because God wills them to be part of it. Most of the time, if they rub me the wrong way, God uses them to teach me about His ways and how He is. When I used to harbor unforgiveness in my heart toward a person, even if it was just for a day, I was in all reality “murmuring” against God who wanted to teach me about patience, forbearance, long-suffering, kindness, forgiveness, etc. Now I am learning to forgive and let go immediately because God is really working behind the scenes:
 "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philip. 2:13).
Don’t get me wrong, I still fail, miserably at times, but when I stop and think that God is in charge and in control, I immediately relax, calm down, and forgive.
It’s been an interesting journey and discovery. One of the blessings of “salvation for all” is that I don’t have to agonize over the fact anymore if I will get to see my loved ones again some day. All my relatives live in Germany; I immigrated to this country in 1976… The burden of my “unsaved” family going to “Hell” was more than I could bear. This truth is one of those “THANK YOU, GOD!” experiences that have made me a much happier and content person without the ever present “guilt” hanging over me that I am somehow “responsible” for them.
Nice to be a part of this forum now… One of these days I will write about my journey in seeking and finding the truth a little more in detail.

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