Just Curious about Christianity?

Question

I'm not a Christian by any means. However, I do respect that people follow Christian religions and live by the bible. It's wonderful that they can feel so strongly.

I'm just wondering,...not in any way to offend anyone, please don't take it that way... but how are you so confident in Christian beliefs? How do you know for sure that you will be saved and I won't be because I don't have the same beliefs as you do?

I think I'm a good, kindhearted person that probably does a lot of the good natured things that Christians do. How come I am not considered to be as 'good' as you, by your standards?

Answer 1

The Bible tells me that in order to be saved that you must follow Jesus' teachings.
To do this , you must

Hear the Word
Believe the Word
Admit you are a sinner
Repent of your sins
Be Baptized
Live a faithful life

Answer 2

Christians didn't make up the standards for good that they follow. They follow God and only His standards for good are what is acceptable. Christianity isn't encouraged to judge other people based on anything for any reason. And the only reason Christians are confident in their faith is because they are ever before God seeking His face....and therefore have experienced Him. That's how they can walk with that confidence because He gives them that blessed assurance. And actually, we don't know who else is going to heaven or hell...that's not up to us to decide. That's only God's decision.
If anyone told you you were going to hell, they were wrong to tell you that for any reason other than what the bible states.
But He is the only one who has a heaven and hell to put people in, and therefore, all that would be discussed with Him. Because He said no man can come to the Father except through the Son. The only way to Heaven is Jesus.

You should read 1 Corinth. 13 if you want.
I can tell you...no one's good works will get them into heaven simply because you can be a millionaire (like Michael Jackson) and give millions of dollars to the poor and hungry...and then turn around and molest little boys - which I'm not saying he did but I'm giving an example most people are aquainted with.) So where is the "morale" in that? You see what I mean? Our word tells us we are saved by "grace" not by works...why? So that no-one may boast. It's by the grace of God that we're here. And believe it or not, that you're here also.

I love you in Christ :)
Be Blessed

Answer 3

Let me start this as I will end this... I am NOT "preaching"... I am EXPLAINING what the Christian perspectives and precepts are.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Without faith, how can you believe? It is the cornerstone of our "faith." Please read the "commentary" cited below for a very thorough explanation of this concept.

My faith tells me that I will be saved because my Lord has told me that I will be saved... because I have accepted the gift of forgiveness that He has given us. God WANTS us (ALL of us) to accept His gift, but He is not going to force any of us to take it. That is why you have the choice to "believe"... to accept that gift... and so do I, but it is TOTALLY VOLUNTARY. No one, not even God who could if He WANTED to, can force you to believe.

My dear, we are not better than you, we do not consider you any less of a special person than anyone else. What makes us different is that we are have accepted the forgiveness that God has offered to us.

We can do all sorts of good and kind-hearted things, we can be Mother Theresa's TWINS in doing things for others, but no matter what we DO, no amount of "goodness" can earn us forgiveness, nothing we do can ever be good enough to wipe away the sins we have committed. We can't earn it. But we do not despair of that, because we have learned that God does not want us to "earn" that forgiveness.... nope... He GIVES that to us as a gift... yep... YOU have that gift available to you, too... you merely have to ACCEPT it.

There's an old saying that a gift is NOT a gift until it is given away. Well, a gift is not a gift unless it is RECEIVED by someone, too!

YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON, my dear... your heart is kind, your words are gentle, and I'm sure you've done many thoughtful and considerate things... and that you want to live your life doing and BEING a GOOD PERSON. And you ARE a GOOD person NOW. You are not "bad" and Christians are "good," no no no no... that is a MAJOR misconception. YOU ARE GOOD... we are GOOD... but the difference is that Christians have accepted forgiveness, while you, to this point in your life, have yet to accept that forgiveness, too.

Please do not take what I've just said as being "preachy" or trying to "convert" you. I am, as usual, trying to explain to you, and everyone, the Christian doctrines, precepts, theology so you can UNDERSTAND how Christians think (yes, we DO THINK!) and believe.

I thank you for being curious, and I hope all this has cleared up some of the bewilderment about Christianity that you have experienced. Have a blessed day!

Answer 4

According to the Bible. Being good is not good enough. Even the best people sin. So we have to acknowledge that we need to be forgiven in order to see God. God is pure and we cannot be in His presence unless we also are pure. The only thing that allows us to enter into His presence is the removal of our sins through Jesus Christ. Jesus paid for our sins because as humans we are unable to. When we look to Christ for forgiveness we are made clean. But it's an ongoing thing. We live, make choices, make mistakes, ask for forgiveness, try harder and move on etc. over and over again.
Christians are not to think of themselves as better than anyone else. We are not. We hold onto the truths that are spelled out in the Bible. We are constantly learning and growing in the Spirit of God. We believe that we cannot have eternal life without the belief that God came down to earth Himself , taking the human form of Jesus Christ who died for our sins. His resurrection proved to all that He was one with the Father. Many good people aren't aware that they need more than just being good to be with the Father.
They need to realize just how much the Father loves us and what He did for us, so that we can be with Him.
I'ts not a matter of how good you are, it's a matter of trusting and doing what the Lord Himself has asked you to do through the Holy Bible.
I hope this helps you understand our beliefs a little better.
God Bless!

Answer 5

We Christians aren't going to Heaven because we act better than everyone else. In fact, no one can earn their way to Heaven because God's standards are so much higher than ours. Even though we humans may do many good deeds...

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
- Romans 3:23

God is not just a loving Creator - He is also a righteous and holy Judge. In His righteousness and holiness, He made sure that blood would be shed for our sins (because sin really IS that serious!), and in His love He provided His only begotten Son to die for us in our place.

After such a sacrifice, it would've been foolish for God to say, "I know My Son died for you, but it's okay. You can still to choose your own way and still get into Heaven."

We Christians aren't better than those who don't believe. It's just that we have accepted God's sacrifice and provision for us - the death and resurrection of His Son, Lord Jesus Christ.

You also asked us about why we are so confident in what we believe, and how we know that we'll be saved due to what we believe in.

For those who trust in the Lord, He proves Himself faithful and just. Yes, even through the hardest times. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. When we read the Bible, which is God's Word, our faith is strengthened. In our daily lives, as we walk with the Lord, He strengthens and builds up our confidence. He reveals Himself and His qualities (like faithfulness, never breaking promises, never lying) to us.

Answer 6

I was raised a Catholic, but learned early in life I made a much better sinner than a saint. I was terrible thief and a liar by 10 years of age, began drinking and smoking and partying by 13, drugs by 16, and among other notable crimes I sexually molested one of my younger sisters.
I hated what I had become, but found no power in me to change. I blamed God. One day I "fired" Him. I told Him if He was Almighty, and I was the way I was and the world was the way it is, then it was His fault and I didn't want to have anything to do with Him.
At that moment whatever light and hope I had vanished. I literally lost the ability to laugh or smile. Everything in my world became drab, hollow, mocking, meaningless. I wracked my brain looking for an answer, but it was like struggling in quicksand. All the goodness went out of my life and only the evil remained.
It was in this state of mind I came home one day, fell on my face and started crying (even though I was too macho to cry).
Then something happened that I didn't even know was possible. A voice spoke into my heart saying "Maybe Jesus really did die for your sins"
Instantly a transformation came over me that completely changed my innermost being and altered the course of my life. I felt as if a flood of light and love and peace and acceptance and forgiveness and understanding filled me, driving out the darkness and depression and hopelessness and meaninglessness of my life.
Somehow I knew I had been forgiven my sins, and that God had accepted me, and that I was now His, and had a place in His eternal Kingdom.
I never knew or heard of this happening to anyone else. No one had been talking to me about God. The change was so profound I didn't even try to explain it to people for years, feeling words could never convey the change that took place in me.
It was not until about a year later that I started reading the Bible that I realized that what happened to me was already described by Jesus in the Third Chapter of John's Gospel, when He spoke of something He called being "born again". I knew instantly when I read of this that this was what had happened to me. It was yet another 2 years before I even met another Christian who shared the same experience. After that though things started happening quickly and I started becoming aware of the great things God was doing in the earth today.
That was over 36 years ago. I live in the peace of God today. God gave me the privilege of leading the sister I had molested into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, and she has been serving Him faithfully many years, and led others of her sisters to the Lord.
So you see, Christianity is not a theory for me. Jesus Christ has proved to be in my life exactly what He said He was: The WAY, and the TRUTH, and the LIFE.

Answer 7

You think you are good, but the Bible says you are not.

Psalms 53:3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

If we use your definition of good then hell will be full of good people. Rejection of God and his son Jesus is the ultimate in sinful pride. You are saying I dont need you God. I am good without you. This is the lie that will send you to hell. God loves you and only wants you to love him back by accepting his Son Jesus who died on the cross for your sin. Now this is my love for you also, that I have the courage to tell you the truth inspite of what the world says about my intolerance. This is the truth and it has been delivered to you. Now do you have the courage to believe it? Will you humble yourself before the mighty God ,Creator of the universe? I hope so sister. Come to Christ, I beg you, come to Christ

Answer 8

Sorry but I in no way think that I am better than you, being a christian does not make me better. I am just as sinful as you or any other human being in the world. Being a christian just means that i know and love God and i want to live for him even though i mess up and sin all the time God will forgive me when i say sorry. All God wants in to get to know you and everyone else he created. You have chosen to live without God so in death he will completely separate you from his presence. People who chose to live for God in life will be saved from being cast out of his presence and into a place without him which means a place without anything good or happy, just pain and suffering a.k.a hell.

Answer 9

Only God judges you, no one else. Christians that tell you that you aren't "good" as them are delusional and hypocrites.

In Corinthians, Paul said that although he believes he lives a good life, it is up to God to judge whether he is righteous or not. This is true.

1 Corinthians 4:4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

To answer your question, I am so confident in my belief because of the evidence presented to me and the changes that I experienced in my life as a result of living in Christ. I believe Jesus is God because he performed miracles and was dead but lived again and appeared to more than 5000 people. For this I believe that those who believe in Him will be saved.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do " (Eph. 2:8,9).

Yes, there are people who live a good life who never kill anyone no steal, etc. But..

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

In the end, all will be judge by God.

Answer 10

Respectfully, two of the things that are very important to me as a Christian, are the facts that I have Hope and Faith. Although, none of us will actually know where death takes us until that day; living without hope, would be very frightening. Believing or having the faith that God is real, gives me the strength and fortitude to get through the tough times.