isnt it enough to just believe in god and thank him every day?

Question

do we really have to go to church and study the bible and whatnot? isnt it enough to just believe in god and thank him everyday when you wake up for living another day(and not sin or to try to avoid sinning)? I mean do we really have to go to church and study the bible and all of that?

And a lot of stuff in the bible to me just seems like it was man made as a way of imposing fear. I dont think a real or true god would do anything as described in the bible.

So yeah, is it okay to not believe whats in the bible but still believe in god and thank him for what you have?

or do you have to believe it all or none of it?

Answer 1

First off, it is not just enough to believe, but you have to accept Christ in your life as your Savior. Christ taught us that we have to go through Him to get to the Father.

Stay in His word. It will sustain you when times get tough, and will help build you as a christian on a daily basis. I find reading the bible continually increases my love for my Father. I love him very much, but I read His word, over and over, and realize that He loves His children so very much. It warms my heart. The bible is God's letter to us, showing us how to live a christian life, and how to handle what life throws at us.

I do not have a 'church' that I attend to locally. I have studied with a church that is televised. It is my belief that if we study the word, do His will, and plant seeds, love Him with all our heart and soul, accept Him as our Savior, we are blessed by Him. I have not found a church that I feel comfortable with it's teaching of the truth of God's word, but when I do, you can be assured I will attend.

It is the fellowship within the church that allows fellowship with other christians. What you do about attending church is your business, but I recommend staying in His word, and you can do that anywhere. You can even do that in a small study group. There are some churches that may not fill you spiritually, so I could not say go here or go there. You have to make that decision on your own. Everyday in God's word, even on tough days, is a good day. Keep thanking God for His grace, and His love. Talk to Him everyday, and let Him know you love Him and all that He does for you. Jesus set an example for us, and that is to do good wherever we go. Just follow Jesus' examples of what He taught while he walked this earth.

You sound like you are faithful, just continue, and do as much as you can to be what God would want you to be, in order to be a good steward of His.

Answer 2

The Bible says if you believe in God you do well. But so do demons & they tremble.

I don't believe you have to go to a building to worship. You can fellowship anywhere two or more are gathered in His name. But Bible study is very important whether you do it alone or with others. How can you know God, who He is & His power, authority & love by just blindly thanking Him for another day. Look at it in a material sense say someone gave you $10. a day, every day. After awhile you'd take it for granted. Though you'd still thank them, it wouldn't really mean much. But what if you discovered that everyday you got to know Him a little better He deposited $100, $1,000 or even a million in a savings account for when you needed it wouldn't you not only be more thankful but want to check the balance every day? Want to know more about the man?

The Bible is so much more than just old stories & laws. You begin to get a picture of not only who God is but of His power, love and the magnitude of His sacrifice. As you discuss it with others (like you would any book) you get more insights than what you can pick up alone. You begin to see the many ways you can sin & how God still forgives you even more than 70 x 7.

If being good was enough then why did Jesus have to die? God tells us in the Old Testament that none of us are righteous, not even one. Some of the greatest men in the Bible sinned. David took the wife of a loyal soldier & had him killed. Noah was a drunkard. Lot had sex with his daughters. Abraham had sex with a mistress & lied to authority. The list is endless. Just going to church isn't even enough. Plenty go to church from tradition, good feelings, whatever & either live like hell the rest of the week or have no real power or control in their life.

God's standard is nothing less than 100% perfect holiness. He knew we couldn't live up to it so He came down to our level in the flesh as Jesus, bore the stripes for our punishment & died a painful death on the cross so that we could stand before Him. All He asks in return is for us to be sorry, confess Him before man & allow His Holy Spirit to guide us. We'll still sin but Jesus is the mediator between God & man. His blood paid the price so we don't have to.

If it's hard to read the Bible start off with a Living Bible translation or do like hubby did before getting saved and start off reading Revelations. Guaranteed you'll want to know more of which you'll find mostly in the old testament. It's like a thirst.

Fellowship is required, but not necessarily a church. Scripture says don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together. If only a church building was the case then there are millions who have no hope because they either can't get to one or there isn't one (before anyone says it there are still plenty of places even in the U.S. where for various reasons one can't reach a church). Fellowship encourages us, helps us grow & teaches us things we might not fully understand.

But the basics are believe on the Lord & that He died for your sins & rose again & repent of any sin. Plus in everything give thanks. Live with an attitude of gratitude and share the gift you've been given.

Answer 3

Yes - both reading the bible AND going to church is a requirement of God. Going to church is required of God to hear the preaching of His Holy Word. If you do not go to church and hear the gospel being preached, how can you grow in the knowledge of His word and know what His will is for your life?

It's not enough to just merely 'believe' that God exists. John 3:3 says that unless one is born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Being born again means to turn your life over to Christ; profess Christ as your Lord and Savior and repenting of your sins to God, obeying His word (to the best that you can, considering we're all sinners) and reading His word. Christians read and study the bible because it is how we grow in spiritual wisdom and can also discern the truth from the lies - the misinterpretations of the world and all the false religions that are on the earth. The bible says to "study to show thyself approved...." I hope you will read and study the bible and will go to church (one that preaches the gospel - not one that merely makes people 'feel good' or gives them an emotional 'rush'. May God bless and give you wisdom to know the truth - :)

Answer 4

A person can worship God waywhere, anytime, alone or with others. There is no MUST or mandate to go to church. But why not? You are going for your own expression of faith and to build your faith. How strong can your faith be or become, if you don't listen to a preacher, don't have fellowship with other Christians, and don't receive more information & instruction? It's like aa professional athlete (baseball player, football, hockey, etc.) saying I'm not going to go to practice anymore. I don't want to hear what the coach, instructors, and other players have to say. I know how to play my sport, I don't want anyone telling me what to do or try to help me. A player that felt that way and refused to practice wouldn't get any better at the sport and probably get fired in a short period of time. There are reasons for church just like there are reasons for practice. If a person feels the church is full of hypocrites, doesn't mean you have to be a hypocrite. The highways are full of bad drivers too, that doesn't mean that you have to be one. Would you quit driving because of some bad drivers? No. Going to church is ment to give God glory. So why not do it? You can do your own worship, praying, etc. at home AND in church too. Nothing wrong with that. As the old saying goes-"two heads are better than one." In church you'd have yourself and another ( other worshipers and the preacher) involved...not just yourself. Did you ever hear someone say something and you think to yourself "I never thought of it that way before" or, "I didn't know that". Going to church could provide you with that sort of information. To dismiss the Bible dismisses the word of God, because the word of God is found in the Bible. There are a lot of churchs. Check some of them out and find one you feel comfortable in.

Answer 5

Unfortunately for them, the people who told you not to go to church at all are wrong.

You DO need to go to church...you don't HAVE to, but you need the fellowship. You need guidance, you need people to rely on and help you when you don't understand something.

The bible is what God has given us to show us how to live, it is NOT there to instill fear in us. The Old Testament is the Old covenant, before Jesus died on the cross for us. Since then he died for our sins so our sins could be forgiven. However th Old Testament has a lot to teach us as well.

I strongly suggest you find a church, group, bible study you can plug in to that can help answer a lot of these questions. The bible isn't scary at all if you learn how much God loves you and wants what is best for you.

Please try to find a place that can give you REAL answers and guidance and not a lot of 'strangers' on the internet.

Answer 6

You just need to be a kind and compassionate person. It's fine to read the bible but remember these stories are handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years, changing along the way, to a point where it is laced with outright lies. A lot of wise men gave us some good rules to live by but don't let religion use scare and fear tactics to get you into church.

Answer 7

The more time you spend with God the more time you want to spend with him. Prayer is the basic relationship and the Bible his introduction. As for going to church, I believe that is your choice, you have to find the right church if you are going to go to one otherwise you'll just sit in the back yawning looking at the clock.

Answer 8

if you believe and love someone you will also try to learn as much as possible about them. if you do not want to learn more and spend with like minded people what kind of belief do you have. Once you experience God and then you will have a different understanding. You cannot serve 2 masters and it is either God or the devil so it is your choice.

Answer 9

Actually, some people believe that you must go to church in order to be 'saved'. It doesn't seem very optional, does it? It seems rather..well..something along the lines of 'fake'.

The directions were never clear, so following a direct answer may not be such a good idea.

For the second question, if you don't believe in the Bible but believe in the Christian god, it proves that you don't really believe in the Christian god at all.

It's okay to believe in any other god, as long as it's not the Christian one. Without the Bible, the concept of the Christian god wouldn't exist.

Answer 10

turning away from learning about religion will slowly drive you further and further away from it. One day you will wake up and find no reason to even thank him. Going to church and reading your bible strengthens your faith and ethics.
Im not christian, but i have learned this through my experiences. I hope you make the smart decision.. God bless!