Quote (Valhalls_Sun @ Oct 21 2015 10:45pm)
In Rebuttal,
In your own words answer me this and you'll find my answer;
Which is better, the man who lies to himself and others when he pretends to have faith yet he can find none in his heart? Or the man who is honest in his lack of faith, can address it without trying to fool anyone least of all himself?
I have been saved by Christ, I gave myself up and over to him and accepted him as my savior. I repented my sins before God and allowed Christ to lead my path for years. I'd trade anything for that comfort, to give up control and let someone else take the lead again. But it doesn't work anymore. True faith, a real relationship with Christ isn't something you can talk yourself into, there isn't a lesson plan for it. You either have the capability to give yourself up or you don't. I can't or won't do it again, having been there and come out on the other side I know the futility in it. Call me a vile fool it doesn't matter to me. I'd say that you're a fool for believing, but whatever get's you through the night brother.
You want the true answer to that question? What matters is that there is no faith in that person's heart, there is no 'lesser of two evils' in this particular case. If you are separated from God, there is no measuring stick to measure how far away you are from God. That does not matter. The thing that does matter is the fact that you are separated from God in the first place.
The outward actions do not change a thing. The thing that is better is to have faith. You can nurture that faith and test that faith and push it to its very limits in order to increase the faith. Yet no faith at all - there is no good in that whatsoever.
The book of 1 Timothy 4:1 states that: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will
abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. "
Obviously something happened that caused you to fall away. Was it a single solitary moment or was it a lot of little things adding up in the Church or was it your personal life where it didn't lead to success, fame and glory? Jesus makes it perfectly clear that if you are going to follow Jesus you need to be prepared to lose your life. Losing your life doesn't mean physically losing your life, it means to give up the comfort, suffer persecution from others, being called that you are being brainwashed and that we Christians are intellectually and mentally handicapped. On the surface that does not seem like a very successful way to 'bring people into the faith' but over a period of over 2000 years, there are so many Christians that accept and follow Jesus despite those times. Sometimes we even rejoice in our sufferings as it will produce endurance, endurance produces character and character produces hope.
Do not expect a luxurious car and a mansion if you come to faith, expect the exact opposite. It is through the suffering we remember why we suffer. You didn't first hate me, you first hated Jesus. It is because of the badmouthing directed towards me in here that I keep coming back for more and more. That tells me that I am a part of the Kingdom of God. If I am a part of the Kingdom of God then when I die, I'm going to Heaven. It is that, that gets me through the night. When I lay my head down at night, I'm assured that Jesus has saved me and rescued me. What else truly matters?
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