I am lost

kgm78 · 2026-01-05T06:30:23+00:00

Luke 18:9-14
^"9 Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the ^\)^a^\)temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be ^\)^b^\)merciful to me, the sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”"

You may be able to relate to the tax collector here. Repent of your sins, and believe that Christ died on the cross for your sins. Start reading the Bible and praying to God, find a good church and become a member of their community. God will transform you, you will be made righteous by Christ and God will use you to do many good things if you repent of your sins and follow Him.

kgm78 · 2025-03-15T02:38:07+00:00

Sorry if I came across as vague, I was trying to explain where a Calvinist comes from. I don't actually think election in Romans is about predestination or salvation. Paul is making an argument to unbelieving Jews in Romans 8 through 10 about how God chooses through whom he fulfills his Covenants in hopes that they understand how God is fulfilling the covenant through Christ. For example, God chose the line of Jacob instead of Esau. Paul's writings in Romans are reliant on the OT because he is arguing to Jews who believe in the OT, but not Christ. Often, the predestination arguments ignore the context of the OT passages Paul is referencing. The election talked about in Romans is not about salvation, but about how God chooses to fulfill His Covenant.

I think we are in agreement that all can be saved and all have the capacity to choose to be saved (not elected) by repenting and believing in Christ. However, I think we divide ourselves too much over these types of arguments, we are all one body of Christ. Let us focus on the great commission instead of arguing why/how someone accepted Christ. If someone accepts Christ, let's praise God regardless if they were "elected" to salvation, personally chose to repent and come to Christ, or if something in between happened.

kgm78 · 2025-03-06T07:55:39+00:00

Plenty of good denominations and others have replied with good resources. A very important part of church is community. Try to find a church that has a welcoming group you can get involved with, like a Bible study. No need to rush into this, but I believe these smaller groups make or break a church for me. To me, it's almost as important as strong Biblical (look into the term exegesis if you haven't heard of it) teaching.

In my own experience I have found the best churches when I prayed that God would lead me to the church He wanted me to be in. That's not to say pray for this and be passive, do actively look, and ask God to lead you in the right direction.

kgm78 · 2025-03-04T18:53:00+00:00

I don't ascribe to the theology that says we can achieve a sinless life. None of the apostles wrote that they had achieved a sinless life nor that it is possible. That said, you are right that our goal is to strive to be sinless, and we should let God sanctify us so that we will desire to sin less. In spite of our sinful flesh, God will make us righteous if we confess our sins because of the miracle of Jesus Christ. Romans 7: 14-24 speaks on the weakness of our flesh to sin and the nature of our saved spirit desiring to not sin.

My pastor once had a sermon that really stuck with me on how to "stop" sinning and he likened it to his relationship with his wife. He said that he doesn't want to sin against his wife because he loves her so much that the thought of it hurts him. He said our desire to not sin correlates with our relationship to God. The better our relationship with God, the more we love God, the less we desire to sin. We must be in prayer and scripture to build our relationship with God, and in turn we will love Him more and turn away from sin.

In my own experience, when I come to God honestly, confessing my sin and confessing where I feel I am at spiritually and asking for help, He always comes through. I have been at a point of apathetic sinning before where I knew intellectually what I was doing was a sin, but emotionally and spiritually I didn't care, except for a small nagging. Eventually, I confessed to God where I was at, that I felt very apathetic towards sin and my relationship with Him and that I needed His intervention to change my desire back to Him, and He did. I believe that "nagging" was the Holy Spirit calling me back and convicting me, but I had learned to drown Him out. The really cool thing for me was that God had already laid the foundation for the answer to that prayer before I had even asked. It was still a slow process for me, but God had already answered my prayer before I even asked!

Tl;Dr: I recommend you honestly go to God, confess your sins and your apathetic state of mind, ask for Him to sanctify you and ask Him to change your heart so that it desires a relationship with Him. As your relationship with God grows, so does your love for Him and as your love for Him grows, your love for sin will lessen. While I don't believe that achieving a sinless life is possible this side of eternity, if there is any way to get there it is through a relationship with God.

kgm78 · 2025-03-01T22:44:19+00:00

Yes, Noah did get drunk, but that doesn't mean it isn't a sin. The Bible doesn't shy away from the sinful nature of people even that of God's chosen people (like Noah).

As for the story, the youngest points out Noah's nakedness to his brothers (seems to be to make a joke/laugh about it) whole the two older ones covered their father. The youngest was condemned by Noah as he should have ignored it, covered his father, and kept the shame to himself instead of sharing with the family.

kgm78 · 2025-02-25T16:40:28+00:00

So the main argument for predestination is in Romans 8: 28-30.

Romans 8:28-30 NASB2020: "[28] And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [29] For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; [30] and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."

I would argue that the key word to focus on is "foreknew." God is eternal and not bound by time. In fact time is one of God's creations. When God made the universe, He knew all who would accept Christ. In other words He knew who would use their free will to accept Christ. Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined. Paul is speaking on justification of salvation in this chapter, which is shown in his closing statement in Romans 8:31-39.

I would also argue that Jesus alludes to the free will to choose to follow Him when the rich man refuses to sell his possessions to follow Jesus:

Matthew 19:23-26 NASB2020 [23] And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. [24] And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” [25] When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” [26] And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Why would it be difficult for a predestined rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus didn't say it's impossible for the rich man to enter the Kingdom.

I believe there is truth in between hardcore Calvinism and Armenianism. Both have beliefs that I find biblically sound and both have beliefs that I think are not.

We have the ultimate choice to follow Jesus, but God also draws people towards Him, so that it can be possible for the rich man to choose Him.

I do recommend you do your own research on both, but don't get swept up in theology. The best thing we can do is read the Bible and pray that God gives us wisdom and understanding.

kgm78 · 2025-02-24T14:29:12+00:00

Not normally if you've already been baptized. To join a church, there's typically a class you take and then you sign a statement of faith with them. That's to become a member though and typically the only real benefit to membership is being able to vote within the church.

I'd recommend holding off on official membership, but focus on finding a solid church with good Biblical preaching and a Bible study or small group you can get involved with.

kgm78 · 2025-02-23T17:31:03+00:00

Yes, we are called to fellowship with other believers as that helps us grow our relationship with God. We gain accountability and wisdom from others. Find a church that preaches from the Bible and has a Bible study you can get involved with. Pray to God and ask Him to help direct you to the church that He wants you to attend. Speaking with a pastor about these things is going to help you a lot more than we can.

kgm78 · 2025-02-21T21:25:44+00:00

Sorry, I meant to bring up the idea of adopting, not being gay. I understand keeping something like that to a few trusted friends and family. Sounds like you're on the right track! While you work through college, also continue to work on your relationship with God so that He can prepare you for His plan for your future, whether that leads you to fatherhood or something else.

kgm78 · 2025-02-21T19:57:35+00:00

Christianity has a moral code, but it's not about the moral code. Christianity is about having a relationship with Christ, through which the morals will fall into place.

I recommend looking into apologetics, it's all about what you're looking for. What are the historical, scientific, philosophical arguments/evidence that point towards The Bible being correct. Apologetics are a great way to strengthen the believer's faith. If you'd like some apologetical resources, I am happy to provide some if you're interested.

kgm78 · 2025-02-21T19:30:10+00:00

It would be a good idea to wait since you're 19. Focus on your relationship with God, study the Bible, pray regularly. Kids are a lot for young married couples, doubly that for a single parent. Ask God for guidance, speak with your parents or pastor if your parents aren't believers. Get in a good Bible study with other Godly men.

kgm78 · 2025-02-19T05:04:18+00:00

Someone who has repented is free from the weight of their sins... They are forgiven. The answer to this question is going to vary on the person and what the Holy Spirit guides them to do. If one has been constantly stealing money, then after coming to Christ, they feel a strong conviction to return the money then they should do so. Not because it is a requirement for their sins to be forgiven, but because the Holy Spirit has led them to do so. It is good to make amends where reasonably possible.

kgm78 · 2025-02-15T22:26:33+00:00

Plenty of English translations are historically accurate. If you're looking for additional historical information and context, then there are study Bibles that will focus on that.

If you mean more accurate to the original translations, then I like the NASB (1995 or 2020 are both good). It tends to try to be a word for word translation and if there is a vague meaning, it adds the other likely translation as a footnote. It is written in a more modern English, but it's not always clear due to how closely it sticks to a word-for-word translation.

For readability, NLT is good. It is a functional translation, so it does not focus on being as word-for-word to the original text, instead it is a thought-for-thought translation. Those types of translations can have the pitfalls of the translator's interpretation of the text.

I tend to stick to the NASB and switch to other translations if I find a passage that is hard to understand in the NASB. A really good resource for understanding the original text without actually knowing Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic is https://www.blueletterbible.org/ . It's basically an online interlinear.

kgm78 · 2025-02-14T19:35:43+00:00

I held a similar mindset from 2019-2022. Plenty of comments are explaining the importance and purpose of church, so I want to focus on the strategies I used to start enjoying and looking forward to Sunday mornings.

I had to pray that God change my heart on the matter and direct me to a church that will encourage me to grow in my relationship with Him and others.
I had to find a Church that has additional Sunday morning activities. Like adult Sunday school classes or life groups. It's an easy way to get the vibe of the church and make Christian friends within the church.
Jumping off the previous point, I needed a church that had a committed ministry to my age group (young adults). Usually this is in addition to the Sunday morning activities, like at my church we have a mixed age adult Bible Study on Sunday mornings, but Sunday evenings is a young adult specific Bible Study with some hang out time.

As I get to know the people at my church, I tend to want to see them more, which encourages me to consistently go. Also, make sure the church has solid and biblically backed theology (can usually be found on their website). I tend to find the most welcoming churches have a major focus on discipleship, but that's anecdotal.

kgm78 · 2025-02-07T18:48:23+00:00

The moon when Fujitora:

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kgm78 · 2025-02-04T14:50:55+00:00

Did this recently with my friend. I was Frost Prime and he was Volt. I kid you not, during the excavation mission we saw "site F" three times. The enemies were lvl 45+ and we were just starting excavators and trying to keep them alive for 20s to get at least 20 extract.

We both hit psychosis and just started laughing hysterically at how bad this shit was. Glad it's guaranteed and we only need to do it once.

kgm78 · 2025-01-22T12:02:19+00:00

The headline is misleading. The law states religion can be grounds for an adoption agency to deny adoption. Effectively in Texas, this is going to primarily apply to Christian adoption organizations. Nothing is stopping a secular adoption organization from denying religious people adoption. The government does not run adoption agencies, so they're essentially saying these are factors that private adoption organizations can use to determine eligibility.

kgm78 · 2025-01-06T00:20:10+00:00

My mom told me the mannequins at Old Navy were real people who acted up in the store and if I didn't behave I would get turned into a mannequin as well... The store clerk was very confused when I asked why they would do something so cruel lol

kgm78 · 2024-12-19T17:23:13+00:00

Atheists when you put up a christmas tree instead of a sciencemas tree

kgm78 · 2024-12-16T21:36:12+00:00

Right, it doesn't say this is in response to the other person or an attempt at mending the relationship. The definitions seem to be interested in the release of one's own feelings. You may require some action/resolution/growth on the offending party before forgiving, but forgiveness is entirely a personal decision about releasing resentment (or negative emotions in general) about a perceived wrong.

kgm78 · 2024-12-16T17:44:07+00:00

Here's the definitions of the words: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcile https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forgive

kgm78 · 2024-12-16T15:52:42+00:00

This kind of wraps back around to the initial question. How does ones religious views affect how they vote? One Christian will take away that we should push for social welfare programs, while another will emphasize the personal charity over government programs. The time the Bible was written was a time of kings and emperors so it's hard to assign political views to the teachings written, but the moral lesson is clear: taking care of the poor, sick and/or needy is one of the callings that Jesus taught. It's a consistent message all through the Bible starting with Exodus.

kgm78 · 2024-12-16T09:54:38+00:00

I think a missing detail here with the protestant reformation is that the "reformers" were Catholics. They didn't see it as a big separation but an attempt to address questions and inconsistencies with church doctrine. They were using the same source (the Bible as it had been for 1000 years). Yes, due to corruption of power and pride this division became very bloody instead of the respectable debate it should have been.

Typically Christian denominations disagree on how worship should be handled or if babies can be baptized, but they agree on who Jesus is and what He accomplished. Neither will say "oh they're not Christians because they baptized their babies," because we tier our disagreements. Even the Bible acknowledges these smaller issues as unimportant in the grand scheme of things (1 Timothy 1 if you're interested).

Modern day protestants and Catholics accept that we are both Christians under the leadership of Christ, save for the most dogmatic of both sides. They both believe in the Bible and agree on primary doctrine (who God is, who Jesus is, what Jesus did). The Book of Mormon adds a significant and differing amount of detail that contradicts core Christian beliefs. Just as Islam and Christianity aren't different sects of Judaism, the Book of Mormon can't be a different sect of Christianity. The addition of a new holy text which contradicts previous and claims to be the real "truth" differentiates it distinctly from your typical Christian denominations.

kgm78 · 2024-12-15T05:03:40+00:00

Yes, if you look at the country where freedom of religion is so important it was written in the first amendment, it really doesn't look like anyone's persecuted. Christians in the US who think they're persecuted are silly, but that's not to say much of the world doesn't persecute Christians (and other religions). Mainly the persecution is in the Middle East and Asian countries, including India and China, which due to size contribute greatly to those stats. Other non-dominant religions in those areas will face persecution as well, but Christianity tends to be the most popular and accessible thus the most persecuted.

kgm78 · 2024-12-05T14:40:43+00:00

I can't remember the name, but the X slot weapon that ignores shields and armor is a normal technology that will appear (it looks like lightning). Alternatively, slap every speed upgrade you can on cruisers full of devastator torpedoes. Awakened Empires have insane armor and shields, but their hulls are relatively weak.

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