What has prompted me to begin reading the Bible and accepting Christ as a savior is the deep fear of hell. Is this wrong? Is this merely believing in hell, or is it a form of believing in Christ and God? If I have guilt, does that mean I must not be doing something right? I fear that Christ will say my love is derived from fear and that I am not a strong enough believer. The only book I have to read right now is the New Testament, but I will read it in hopes that my faith and love is strengthened. I hope Jesus can forgive for not having a strong enough faith. I will try to adhere to everything he asks.
2007-01-02 14:50:49 · 19 answers · asked by john d 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
as long as you accept that you are a sinner, and honestly ask for God's forgiveness, and ask Christ into your life, you are on the right track. guilt is a trick that satan(his name means liar) uses to cast doubt on ourselves.
2007-01-03 08:06:08 · answer #1 · answered by otis the brave (luke 22:36) 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God bless you and welcome home.
Everyone has a starting point, and it's different for everybody. The most important thing, the part that your doing that is making Christ's heart sing, is that He has been calling you, He has been calling for your heart, and you are answering. Most people don't even do that. God bless you.
Guilt is a good thing. Most of us have things in our past or things we're doing now that we're not proud of deep down inside; it's when we finally recognize these harmful things and begin to face them - that's when the blessings pour in. It's like living with walking pnuemonia all this time and finally getting the courage to do something about it. It will probably be hard at first to do things differently, even harder to stay the course, but you're taking those precious first steps. Keep praying to Jesus. Ask for His help, His guidance, His blessings. Keep studying the bible. Go to church and start practicing your faith. I'm a new Catholic so that's the road I'm on - don't know if you are or not but I would advice attending RCIA. It's an experience that changed my life.
Jesus knows you're trying. It's like being in intensive care at the hospital - your faith is weak, you have a ton of questions, uncertainties, doubts. That's all okay. You have to learn to walk before you run. Keep close to Him, and let Him lead the way. Study your faith. There's tons of educational material out there to help you. If you're Catholic, make sure you study from Catholic sources.
Again, you made heaven shout with joy. Welcome home. Email me anytime if you need. God bless and take care.
2007-01-03 01:20:38 · answer #2 · answered by Danny H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one thing that you need to understand is that you are a sinner deserving of hell. That's where the good news of Jesus comes in. He died to pay for your sins. He took the punishment that you deserve. I would recommend looking at www.livingwaters.com and www.wayofthemaster.com for more on that. Try to read the Old Testament too. Don't forget that the OT is the foundation of the NT. That's what the NT writers were reading and referring to, so the OT is essential to your full understanding of the NT. Fear of hell is certainly not wrong, but make sure you've got the full picture. Read the Bible and ask God to help you to grow. OK? and God bless, I'll be praying for you.
2007-01-02 23:06:14 · answer #3 · answered by shorty 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus didn't really use guilt as a motivator. He was not a negative believer to a major degree. He was a postive thinker and motivator.
If you read Jesus you'll see he expects a LOT of work out of you for no rewards and he expects you to do it with nothing in your pockets.
Being a Christian is about the life you live, the way you live it. It's not about fear and guilt as the OLD ways were.
Paul was the one to clinged to the Old ways in NEw Times. When you read Paul in Context with Jesus you'll see they are worlds apart at times.
Jesus was about you leading a GOOD life not about telling you what a BAD life was and what it would do for you.
He was about salvation.
But this is not necessarily a GET OUT OF JAIL FREE card.
Keep reading. Mostly about Jesus. Also Revelations, which isn't easy to read, so you can understand how the End of Times can leave Christians out of the Book of Life if they aren't careful about how they live their lives and who they follow IN life!
2007-01-02 23:20:28 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, it is one way only. Many have come this way. The cool thing is, even if you didn't get drawn in by the kindness and love of God, because of the second chance he gives us, you can know after the fact. There is so much to learn about God, and you will actually forget the part about hell, and realize, there is SO much to look forward to. A relationship with the God of the universe an eternal life, filled with the unimaginable. One of my favorite verses is this...
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has entered into the heart of man, what God has in store for those that love Him."
2007-01-02 22:58:52 · answer #5 · answered by oceansnsunsets 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I really feel sorry for you. As long as you are sorry and ask God to forgive you of your sins and believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sins, you will be saved and you should never have to fear going to hell. But you should NOT be motivated to serve God by fear, but by love. Pray, read the Bible, and ask Him to help you to love Him and trust Him. Part of having faith is trusting in God, not just believing that He exists. I will try to pray for you also.
2007-01-02 22:59:26 · answer #6 · answered by Lady of the Garden 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hell was never meant to be used to scare people out of it. But for the saints to get motivated to love people out of it (in a completely 1 Cor 13 kind of way)
Well if you want to give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ because you fear Hell I aren't going to judge you.
Praise the Lord for His mercies are new every morning great is His faithfulness.
Go search Him out...
2007-01-02 23:02:00 · answer #7 · answered by Abbasangel 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't think that it is wrong because you fear hell. You have to start somewhere. It really is no different from someone who becomes a Christian during a crisis in life. God has chosen this particular way to draw you to himself. It is up to you to accept him and learn about Jesus and begin a relationship with him. You will learn how wonderful the Lord Jesus and how much God really does love this world of creation he made. Pray that he will give you stronger faith and open your eyes to his scripture. God Bless you and welcome home friend!!
2007-01-02 22:59:06 · answer #8 · answered by Gardener for God(dmd) 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
God bless you in your search for answers. When you accept Christ into your life, God doesn't ask you why he just forgives your sin and surrounds you with his love. The gift of salvation is just that-a gift freely given with no questions asked. All you have to do is accept the gift of Gods love. I will be praying for you.
2007-01-02 23:03:02 · answer #9 · answered by Country girl 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
John, the first step is admitting you're a sinner, and asking God for forgiveness and asking Him into your heart. If you do this in sincerity, you will be born again and have eternal life in Heaven. Continue reading your Bible, and find a good Bible believing church. God bless you.
2007-01-02 23:03:41 · answer #10 · answered by ted.nardo 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋