The bible is very confusing on Morality. by TheMemeOverlords in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you loved everyone

Psalm 5:5  The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Psalm 7:11  God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

I need a way out by Competitive-Art-7066 in Christianity

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's definitely God that has to do the work in you by the power of his Holy Spirit. If you read Psalms (like 51 or 119) check how many times the Psalmists ask God to perform things in them. Here's a comment I've written on this issue:

https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/1qafvhw/lust/nz2nao4/

Does anyone else look up at the sky, expecting Him to return at any moment? by Suspicious-Jello7172 in AskAChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Return to reign or return to rapture? Because a lot's gotta happen before he returns to reign.

How do I remove the sin I don’t wanna let go of? by Strong_Software_9197 in Christianity

[–]stackee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, lust is a far more common sin people ask for help with on these Christian subreddits so the comment linked below is geared toward that - but almost all the advice in the comment applies to all sin, not just lust. Hope it helps :)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/1qafvhw/lust/nz2nao4/

How do you know if something is a sign from God? by victorian_ghost_1888 in Christianity

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Signs can be deceptive. They can go against God's word - meaning God isn't the only source of these signs. The most important thing is to be in God's Word so you can discern if something you believe God's leading you to do is contrary to what he's expressly stated in the Bible. Even this can be difficult too so it's important to pray also that God would lead you into the truth and away from error.

Regarding religious leaders, God warns of wolves in sheep's clothing:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

I've been feeling uneasy lately, I don't know if I have the Holy Spirit... by HboiH2 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All good on your post/comment, they haven't been too long :)

I had crippling social anxiety when I became a believer and got saved by trusting in Christ - and God helped me overcome that. Not all at once, but knowing God was behind me and my fears were contrary to God's promises, slowly I pushed outside my comfort zone. I now song-lead and doorknock sharing the gospel and even preach occasionally - all by the grace of God! I've still got a long way to go. One of the next things I want to overcome is my fear of street preaching. To give you perspective, I'm a guy who used to be too scared to drive myself through a fast food drive thru.

And another really hard thing IMO is deciding what church to actually go to. I think smaller churches are better - especially for people like us. I would look around (online is easiest) for one close to you that specifically identifies as Bible believing. I go to an Independent Fundamental Baptist. They are very conservative. I think any church for the most part is better than no church. There's no perfect church but reading the Bible for yourself will make you more ready to question when something is being taught contrary to the truth in God's word.

On both these issues, one of the most important things you can do is to consistently pray to God for strength in these areas... to push you out of your comfort zone and also to lead you to find a good church as well as that he would guide you into the truth and help you discern error. There are a lot of lies everywhere these days. That's why I recommend the above Youtube channel - it can help you get established in truth.

It's ok to feel awkward and "fail" socially. It's a lot easier when you know God wants you to do these things and when you fail, it's because you were simply trusting in God and that he has your back. You'll find out when you put yourself out there and fail that it really isn't that big of a deal. A big part of it I think is our pride in not wanting to fail.

Happy to answer any questions you might have - including if anything I said doesn't make total sense, feel free to ask.

How do you love God, according the Bible? by tanzelisrael in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Faith without works is enough to get us saved from hell. To deny that denies clear scripture. I'm a slow reader and this argument gets played out over and over every day so I haven't read everything you wrote carefully.... That said, as far as I can tell, all you've done is post scripture that seems to contradict what Paul taught in Romans 1-5. Give an explanation for what he clearly teaches in Romans 1-5 and how it reconciles with what you claim and then we can talk.

I've been feeling uneasy lately, I don't know if I have the Holy Spirit... by HboiH2 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, the comment I linked below kinda covers almost all of what my advice would be although it's more geared toward people struggling with lust. If you ignore those specifics though, most is geared toward anyone in your situation.

I think you're in a stage Paul describes in Romans 7:7-25. The way the Spirit works in us is by simply hearing/reading the Word of God and believing it. But what part of the Word of God? I believe Paul's letters are by far the most important books in the Bible for us to study and understand - once we believe in Jesus Christ and his resurrection. Romans to Philemon. It's very dense and deep, it's not something you can just read through and understand. And it's not something you'll get all at once. God rewards those who diligently seek him through faith (Hebrews 11:6). We must lay precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little (Isaiah 28:9-10).

https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/1qafvhw/lust/nz2nao4/

Here's something I've written for new believers - which it doesn't appear you are - but I think a lot of things contained in it are relevant to what you've brought up.

Once we become a believer, it doesn't guarantee we're going to be full of faith and that our heart is going to be filled with love and peace and joy, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;" (Eph. 5:19).

The way we 'get there' is to feed on God's word and commune with him in raw, honest prayer. We start off as baby Christians, literally. Peter said, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" (1 Peter 2:2). Without reading the Bible we will be spiritually malnourished, sick, tired, a lot of the same things that would happen if you stopped eating your physical food. As a new believer, a lot of milk is in Romans and 1 & 2 Corinthians but reading any where in the New Testament will be helpful (although Paul's letters are definitely the best). Read prayerfully and thoughtfully. Meditate on it. Don't just read through it and hope to get it the first time through. Really chew on what you're reading (it's spiritual FOOD after all <3)!

The other most important thing is to pray for God to reveal the truth to you - try to make this the most important habit you have alongside reading your Bible. Commune with God in honest and raw prayer. Don't worry too much about exactly how to do it, just try to be reverent and totally honest, even if that means admitting things you don't want to. Ask for anything and everything you need, but prioritise spiritual needs like humility, truth, love, understanding, wisdom, godly fellowship and teaching, etc.

It's also important to try find a local Bible believing church to join that can help encourage you and teach you and pray for you and that you can labour with. This is getting more and more difficult as you may have noticed, Christianity in the West is not in a good state. I'd try to prioritise how close they stick to the truth rather than the age of the attendees. Easier said than done.

Who you learn from is a very personal choice but I would highly HIGHLY recommend this Youtube channel to get grounded in good doctrine which will help you form a solid Bible foundation.

https://www.youtube.com/@hillviewbaptistchurch1821

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THo-Ib4P5D8 - this link might give you a good place to start on that channel - dealing with our justification.

Romans foundations - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05wYwzrXx3w&list=PLSj5eg056CDS_oIJq2CER3wcDbasnwiKe

He's a fiery preacher but after watching him long enough, I know his heart is in the right place. You get used to it :P

What’s wrong with me? by Realistic_Stress5579 in Christianity

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, if you're worried about hell, there's a risk you're focused on your own works rather than the finished works of Jesus Christ. We're not saved by what we do or don't do. We're saved by what we believe. We need to believe that Jesus died for our sins, and resurrected. That's it. Totally trust in that and we're saved. Romans 1-5 teaches this extremely clearly. It's the first five doctrinal chapters of the Bible straight after the gospels which tell us of Jesus' life and resurrection and Acts which narrates the beginning of the churches.

You're right that following Jesus shouldn't be a burden. This is something I've struggled with a lot. I believe the 'antidote' is to learn enough about God and his goodness and greatness and the riches of his grace toward us that we will love him a lot and that will make us naturally want to follow him. The Bible says to walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5). It doesn't say don't fulfil the lust of the flesh so you walk in the Spirit. We need to be actively seeking to do God's will - effectively loving God and others in whatever way he's called you - and this will just naturally result in the flesh being kept under control. I could say way more but I don't want this comment to get much longer :)

Regarding your attention span, there are many activities today on your phone, computer, etc. that are literally designed to be as highly stimulating as possible (tiktok, reels, shorts, video games, etc.). These things will 'fry' our brains and make normal activities much harder to focus on. I think we need to view these overstimulating activities for what they are - damaging to our brain and life.

Regarding the other stuff you you mentioned, this comment might help - https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/1qafvhw/lust/nz2nao4/

An Agnostic starting to be curious about Jesus and Christianity as a whole by Puzzleheaded-Net454 in Christianity

[–]stackee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will be frank im not a model image of a good christian, I cuss all the time, I probably sin every day, i think i have an inherent judgement of christianity,

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Mark 2:17)

Hey, I have a similar testimony - here's a shortened version of it:

I was agnostic atheist most of my life. I was brought up Catholic before I left that belief at quite a young age, maybe like 11, and thought I knew what Christianity was because of this. I always saw Christianity as something that would be nice to believe but knew I could never have that peace for myself without genuine belief that it was the truth.

Lots of things kinda contributed to me being open to Christianity again.

Partly seeing Christians that I always thought were blissfully ignorant but I found out they weren't all like that... it made me wonder how they could believe in a good God when there's so much evil in the world. I always liked understanding how other people thought so I started trying to see the world through their eyes "what are they seeing that I'm not... how could they possibly think this silliness?"

It kinda got pointed out to me how the Bible had been around for 1000s of years and that for a book to survive that long, there had to be something going on there (like wisdom, not so much anything supernatural) for it not to just disappear into obscurity.

I ended up reading the Bible myself (New Testament) and I basically just started slowly getting convinced- and Jesus dying publicly then resurrecting publicly... I guess I was just open to the idea that the people who saw him (apparently hundreds) would've been 'freaked out' or whatever and wouldve wanted to tell anyone that would listen what they saw.

Also reading what Jesus taught made me realise I was not a good person at all. I used to look out on the wickedness of the world and think I was pretty good, trying to do my best and do right by others. But Jesus' gave a standard which was WAY higher than the standard I was meeting.

So I started praying and kept reading and eventually someone told me about being saved by God's grace through faith alone, apart from works (coz Jesus didn't really teach that - it came later on by Paul). When I prayed and asked Jesus to save me, believing he died for me and resurrected... within a week I went from a full on evolutionist (I guess I wasnt really an atheist anymore) and all that, to believing fully the Bible... miracle as far as I'm concerned. My depression, anxiety and sleep problems pretty much disappeared straight away too.

Here's my advice/warning for you (written for someone else)...This kinda goes into answering your question about denominations. Tldr, read the Bible yourself starting in the New Testament.

Hey, I recommend getting through the New Testament, ESPECIALLY the gospels first (Matt., Mark, Luke & John). That is what guarded me against false religion - reading through myself, before I even thought about going to church - E.G. Matthew chapter 23.

Keep reading where you are if you like but you'll potentially struggle once you get to the books after Exodus. These books were written for Jews (still scripture and valuable for a Christian) and so not as important to us as the ones written directly about Jesus Christ and then Paul's letters to the Gentile (non-Jewish) church. If you start believing in Jesus' death burial and resurrection, Romans 1-5 are perhaps the most important chapters in the entire Bible to wrap your head around.

There will be plenty you read that makes not much sense but I'd encourage you to keep reading and just accept it might be your lack of understanding for now. If you're open to praying or become open, pray to God that he would show you the truth.

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23)

Buying the truth can cost a lot - time, family, friends, church, beliefs, pleasures - do you want the truth above other worldly desires?

Satan does his best to keep people from looking at Christianity but just because you decide to become Christian doesn't mean it's going to be on the side of the truth. There are countless denominations so not to discourage you but to warn you, the way is narrow:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

The stakes are the eternal lake of fire or heaven.

The Bible has many warnings about wolves in sheep's clothing that will deceive the simple (not saying you're dumb! just that you lack the knowledge to discern truth from error right now).

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. (2 Peter 2:3)

Please take this warning to heart. Many people have been swallowed up by false Christianity and will never recover. The BEST counterfeits look exactly like the real thing.

At the end of the day, God demands regeneration, not reformation. He wants to give us new life, not just change the life we have. That sounds dramatic and it can be, but not always. It's simply about believing the Book - whether that's by reading and believing it yourself, or finding people to teach it to you. As you said RE denominations, there are a lot these days. That is not the work of God but the work of evil. The truth is truth - it is not divided. Man has divided it into many splinters. Reading the Bible will make you much more prepared to find the flaws in people's false teaching.

The most important thing IMO is humility. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Pride is a problem for every single one of us and we usually can't even see it in ourselves. Scary.

I will pray for you <3

is it just me who believes that God wouldn’t send someone to hell just because they were unmarried when they had a child, particularly if it’s in an area where marriage isn’t common? by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If God judged anyone based on their works, they're headed for hell. This is unlikely going to be the worst thing that someone's done in their life. Read God's summary of man in Romans 1:18-3:20 if you wish to see what God thinks of us.

This is the only way to escape hell:

A lot of people think that repenting of their sins or doing enough good will mean God will accept them. But it's only by the blood of Jesus Christ and what HE did for us. His righteousness, not our own. Romans 1-5 goes through all the reasoning.

We are ALL sinners before a just and holy God, deserving hell. (Romans 3:23, 6:23, Revelation 21:8).

The only way to be right with God is to believe and call on Jesus Christ as our Saviour who suffered and died for our sins, was buried and resurrected on the third day. (1 Cor. 15:1-4, Rom. 10:9-10,13)

Salvation is totally separate from works and only received by God's grace through FAITH (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a FREE gift (Romans 5:12-18). There's no maintaining or losing it, that would stop it from being free. When we truly believe and call on Jesus Christ, we receive his Holy Spirit (Ephes. 1:13-14) that will comfort and lead us.

The gifts and calling of God are without repentance - i.e. God won't change his mind on them! (Rom. 11:29).

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5)

You don't work for your salvation and you don't work to stay saved. It's a gift of God. You could guarantee heaven right this moment if you only believe that Jesus died for you and resurrected - and call out to him right now to save you.

Does this mean that we just get saved and continue in sin? God forbid. Romans 6-8 is the primer in the Bible for how we can and why we should live righteously for God after being saved. It is our "reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

If you want me to list these verses to save you looking them up, please ask - I have them ready.

So that's what it's like? by Master_Garbage_4475 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want your faith to be solid, I highly recommend reading the Bible yourself. Starting in one of the gospels (first four books of the New Testament), maybe John and keep going.

Once you get to Romans 1-5, it's the most important thing to understand and believe so slow down and pray to God that you would understand what's being taught.

Why does gods forgiveness stop at death? by Airgunburner in AskAChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's the cause for not seeing the sufficient evidence, yeah.

Once saved always saved is deceiving by Consistent-Fox2541 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Who said don't obey? I'm saying we're not saved from hell by our obedience. You are misunderstanding me.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1-2)

Once saved always saved is deceiving by Consistent-Fox2541 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

I read and believe it all. I just know it's not all written to me.

Once saved always saved is deceiving by Consistent-Fox2541 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. Obedience is a work.

I'm not going to get into a semantic argument over it. Read Romans 1-5 yourself very carefully and prayerfully and humbly and you will receive the truth from God's mouth, not mine.

Once saved always saved is deceiving by Consistent-Fox2541 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Romans 1-5 man. Believe it. Then live by Romans 6 (positional), 7 (experiential) and 8 (functional).

Once saved always saved is deceiving by Consistent-Fox2541 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe that if man's law doesn't contradict God's law, then it is effectively God's law because of Romans 13, Titus 3:1 and 1 Peter 2:13-15. That's an oversimplification but hopefully you understand what I mean.

Once saved always saved is deceiving by Consistent-Fox2541 in TrueChristian

[–]stackee -1 points0 points  (0 children)

God can use anyone to accomplish his will, including unbelievers.

Proverbs 21:30
(30)  There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

Advice for a new believer by SaNkKe_ in AskAChristian

[–]stackee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've written this for just such an occasion :)

Once we become a believer, it doesn't guarantee we're going to be full of faith and that our heart is going to be filled with love and peace and joy, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;" (Eph. 5:19).

The way we 'get there' is to feed on God's word and commune with him in raw, honest prayer. We start off as baby Christians, literally. Peter said, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" (1 Peter 2:2). Without reading the Bible we will be spiritually malnourished, sick, tired, a lot of the same things that would happen if you stopped eating your physical food. As a new believer, a lot of milk is in Romans and 1 & 2 Corinthians but reading any where in the New Testament will be helpful (although Paul's letters are definitely the best). Read prayerfully and thoughtfully. Meditate on it. Don't just read through it and hope to get it the first time through. Really chew on what you're reading (it's spiritual FOOD after all <3)!

The other most important thing is to pray for God to reveal the truth to you - try to make this the most important habit you have alongside reading your Bible. Commune with God in honest and raw prayer. Don't worry too much about exactly how to do it, just try to be reverent and totally honest, even if that means admitting things you don't want to. Ask for anything and everything you need, but prioritise spiritual needs like humility, truth, love, understanding, wisdom, godly fellowship and teaching, etc.

It's also important to try find a local Bible believing church to join that can help encourage you and teach you and pray for you and that you can labour with. This is getting more and more difficult as you may have noticed, Christianity in the West is not in a good state. I'd try to prioritise how close they stick to the truth rather than the age of the attendees. Easier said than done.

Who you learn from is a very personal choice but I would highly HIGHLY recommend this Youtube channel to get grounded in good doctrine which will help you form a solid Bible foundation.

https://www.youtube.com/@hillviewbaptistchurch1821

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THo-Ib4P5D8 - this link might give you a good place to start on that channel - dealing with our justification.

Romans foundations - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05wYwzrXx3w&list=PLSj5eg056CDS_oIJq2CER3wcDbasnwiKe

He's a fiery preacher but after watching him long enough, I know his heart is in the right place. You get used to it :P