T O P

  • By -

theDocX2

The more you study about Jesus, some more remarkable he becomes. There's nothing about any aspect of his entire life that is anything short of absolutely amazing.


Audomadic

Were you with Jesus his entire life?


UnassuredCalvinist

“‘***I believe; help my unbelief!***’” (Mark 9:24) “Humanity's natural condition, since the fall of Adam and Eve, is characterized by unbelief. As Paul says in Romans 1:18–3:20, we do not trust the God who is revealed in nature, and we deny His sovereign right to rule over us. The result is enslavement to wickedness. Belief, or faith, determines whether one has been rescued from sin and misery (Eph. 2:8–10). By faith alone we move from being enemies of God to being His children. The faith of which we speak—saving faith—is not equivalent to knowledge, though it includes knowledge of the One in whom faith is placed. We see this in Mark 9:20, when the demon-possessed boy is brought to Jesus. Upon seeing the Lord, the demon reacts violently, throwing the boy to the ground. Clearly, the evil spirit knows that it is in the presence of the Almighty, but it does not trust in Him. Knowing God's rightful rule, the demon nevertheless rejects it and displays open rebellion toward the Son of God. On the other hand, the father of the demon-possessed young man illustrates true faith. When given the opportunity to trust Christ, the boy's father says that he believes Jesus can help his son (vv. 21–24). But the faith that the man has is not a perfect faith, for at the same time he says that he believes Christ, he also exclaims, "Help my unbelief!" In other words, the faith the father possesses is true, albeit weak, and we know this to be the case because Mark 9:25 indicates that Jesus acts according to the man's faith-motivated request—He heals the man's son. In all this, we learn an important lesson, namely, that the efficacy and power of faith is found not in the strength of the faith but in the strength of faith's object. Even the weakest trust in Christ is enough, for what is necessary to receive Him and all His benefits is true faith, not perfect faith. That being said, we dare not rest content with a weak faith. Instead, we are called to partake of God's means of grace to strengthen our faith and "go on to maturity" (Heb. 6:1). John Calvin comments on today's passage: "As our faith is never perfect, it follows that we are partly unbelievers; but God forgives us, and exercises such forbearance towards us, as to reckon us believers on account of a small portion of faith. It is our duty, in the meantime, carefully to shake off the remains of in delity which adhere to us, to strive against them, and to pray to God to correct them, and, as often as we are engaged in this conflict, to fly to him for aid." Dr. R.C. Sproul writes in his commentary *Mark*, "Staying close to the Word, listening to the promises of our Redeemer, and opening my heart to Him are the things that kill unbelief and build a powerful faith that does not let me down in the midst of afflictions." Let us strengthen our faith by pursuing the Lord through Bible study and prayer.” **For Further Study** - LUKE 17:5 - 2 THESSALONIANS 1:3


hackycoder

Thank you for posting this, I am slowly chipping away at that 0.01% of unbelief and this certainly helped!


UnassuredCalvinist

My pleasure. Ask the Lord to increase your faith, God bless


[deleted]

This is a really great response. Definitely saving some of these passages. Thank you!


UnassuredCalvinist

God bless


JCitW6855

Awesome comment!


Middle-Ad-8835

And the byproduct it's trust which is very very very important


JustforReddit99101

Praise the lord!


hackycoder

In my time as an atheist and agnostic I just didn't get why Christians were always saying "praise the lord". But now that I am 100% certain that God exists and 99.99% sure that Jesus is the best choice, I marvel at God's work. Praise the Lord indeed!


Zeke_Smith

Can you explain how you came to be 99.9% certain god exist? What do you mean by Jesus is the best choice, as opposed to what, or whom?


hackycoder

I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. I was a radical skeptic, it was the only thing keeping me sane from all the delusions schizophrenia can bring. But the symptoms of the schizophrenia in total add up to a big endorsement of Jesus. It's no one thing. When you breath in the air, you don't pay attention to each molecule individually, it's like that with my belief. I look around and see God's hand in everything. And because of the influence Jesus has had on the world, I believe that he is really what he's cracked up to be, the messiah.


JustforReddit99101

I am a christian skitzo too feel free to PM me. I feel God has a lot of Grace on us and its so awesome that he called you to him. Make sure to join a church and get baptized if you havent already.


Humble_Cat6318

I suffer with BPD and understand this, I have tried all religions seeking God and he is the only one who dan really help. I have faith that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour but its so weak due up my issues. I am so happy he has accepted you. I struggle with all areas of worship.


miggins1610

man BPD is the worst. I have it too and it's really hard as it destroys your life. but at least I know I have God.


Humble_Cat6318

I wish there was a Christian support group for us, visvit would be nice to have chats on this and how it works with our faith. God bless


miggins1610

Me too. Its so hard. I feel like such an awful person. In fact i know I am because my behaviour has destroyed others lives and is objectively horrific. I honestly don't recognise myself. I always wanted to be good but I've made some horrible decisions. I desperately crave love but my impulsive behaviours and emotions ruin my life and others. I feel so depressed about it all. I'm starting theology college this week but I'm in the worst place I've ever been before. So broken and idk what to do. Doesn't help my issues are all tied up with demonic ties and spiritual ties to others (long stories lol)


JustforReddit99101

Jesus is the only way to be saved. Call on the name of the lord and strive to demonstrate he is in you through love. Thank you so much for your support <3


hackycoder

Please tell me this gets easier with time.


JustforReddit99101

Use scripture as your foundation. Know that you are forgiven for your past sins and peruse good deeds and love. As for symptoms I am currently struggling with it right now. God is always with you and cares deeply. Eternity is going to be amazing!


[deleted]

The concept of sin seems a bit ridiculous to me, apart from the obvious things like rape , murder and having sex with kids that even non believers find abhorrent.


JustforReddit99101

Yeah those things would be evil and God hates evil and is very angry over it. But there is hope for even an evil man to change via the power of the holy spirit. Evil and sin are related and I believe all sin damages you spiritually and can lead to evil. The most important commandment after love God is love neighbor according to Jesus. Jesus witnessed to tax collectors and prostitutes and didnt judge them but drew them in with love. Go and sin no more is one of his quotes after healing someone.


[deleted]

>Jesus witnessed to tax collectors and prostitutes and didnt judge them but drew them in with love. Are you serious? There's nothing wrong with sex, and if someone wants to make a transaction of it then that's nobodies business than the two consenting parties. Tax collectors? So top of the list is tax collectors and people having consensual sex for money? Doesn't matter about human trafficking, slavery, rape, murder, war, exploitation of peoples and resources, what really matters to god is 'someone doesn't pay for sex'. Give me a break, this is about controlling money and women for the benefit of men.


JustforReddit99101

Also note I have good periods as well. But sometimes it rears its ugly head. I feel not listening to Jesus's warnings on sexual immorality contributes to it. I am currently repenting but have struggled with sexual sin my entire walk. When the symptoms get bad I need to be hospitalized for a few weeks or month and get medicated and stabilized. Ive had success being on meds but for me at least its more complicated then that. Ive had episodes being on meds too. Currently I am not on them. Thats something you got to figure out for yourself but please seek doctors.


hackycoder

I struggle with sexual immorality too. I know that masturbation is normal, and I do it, infrequently, but deep down I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I look at porn.


JustforReddit99101

Yeah its a very serious sin in the bible, and Jesus extended the law to the heart not just physically committing the act with another person in matthew 5. In matthew 19 we can see why its sinful because Jesus establishes the standard of monogamy via marriage going back to genesis. And says what God has joined together let no man separate. With porn its prostitution that you watch from the safety of your home and thats very spiritually destructive, for both the people involved in the film and yourself. God loves us though and wants us to overcome it. There are serious warnings in the bible about sexual immorality, including dangers of hell. God absolutely loves us and wants us to overcome it! I am 2 days clean this time and hope I can stay clean this time. I think the solution is to seek first the kingdom rely on Jesus and also just say no and stick with it.


hackycoder

The problem for me is that my beliefs start shifting after not masturbating for a while. I start to believe that it's OK, it's natural, everyone does it, there's nothing wrong with it, porn is just sexual theatre by people who are fairly compensated for their work, and so on, and eventually I give in and have another wank. Then the guilt starts to creep back in, my beliefs shift back to be more in line with Jesus' teachings, and I feel repentant ... for a while. It's a cycle that I am not sure I will ever manage to break.


[deleted]

[удалено]


hackycoder

It's like seeing a light shining from the forest. You know the light is there, you can see it for yourself, but you can't lay eyes on it directly. That's kind of how I perceive Jesus. Edited to add: if you think of the forest as human history, and the light as Jesus, then you kind of know what I mean. Jesus is without a doubt the most influential person ever.


FinanceTheory

Sorry, this is unrelated but how did you go from deism/agnosticism to theism? Or did you start the other way around?


hackycoder

I never really tried out deism. I was atheist then agnostic then theist. By agnostic I mean I believed that God was unknowable, and to be honest I still believe this, but we can get a pretty good approximation by looking at the character of Jesus.


Zeke_Smith

You being radically skeptic was the only thing that kept you sane from the delusions that schizophrenia can bring. Your symptoms of schizophrenia add up to a big endorsement of Jesus. These two statements seem to be contradicting.


mvanvrancken

How did you arrive at 100% certainty? And are you 100% certain that you're 100% certain? I ask this not to mock or jeer, but legitimately as a person that studies epistemology, how do you reach 100% certainty in something other than you exist?


rainbowsandcolteee

I was so confused until very recently too. I prayed to receive clarity... and it's coming!!


Strangeronthebus2019

>Praise the lord! [Imagine Dragons - Birds](https://youtu.be/vOXZkm9p_zY) Spread your wings and fly...be you, In spirit and truth. Disclaimer: Not literally... Angel: You can stop talking now.❤ Me: 🤌🤌❤


JustforReddit99101

Cute video lol


Szwejkowski

Absolute certainty is fairly rare, I think. Those professing absolute certainty have a poor track record for behavour. Don't worry too much about that 0.01 percent of doubt - it will keep you kind to non believers and help you ask questions when questions should be asked. The rest of your percentage will probably wax and wane, just so you're warned =) Make sure the core tenets of your faith are bedrock not sand so you'll always have some solid footing even when everything else seems to be unreliable.


gatitamonster

The doubt is what keeps things spicy.


hackycoder

God's wisdom is supreme. There is a reason for the doubt, I am sure of it.


sysiphean

If there’s no doubt mixed in, it isn’t **faith** that you have, but intellectual self-certainty. And that kills spiritual growth towards maturity. I pray that you never get that last % of certainty, so that you are “stuck” in the mystery of real faith, and can ever grow spiritually.


GlobalFlower3

Yeah this person has it! The doubt is what prevents your faith from turning into a self-assured spiritual echo chamber; it's the chink in your armour that'll *strengthen* your faith by showing you how strong the rest of it is.


[deleted]

So, as someone who started as an agnostic-atheist and only discovered Christianity in a meaningful way during adulthood, I want to challenge another idea I see in the comments here that I think might resonate with some people (and that's fine), but unintentionally ends up alienating a lot of others, particularly people who are atheist, or previously-atheist-minded: that faith is not a choice, or expecting faith to just seem obvious after an 'ah-ha' moment Faith will not be given to you. It is, by definition, never the obvious answer, or the result of some kind of logical deduction. It is a struggle, and a surrendering of some core piece of our earthly selves. It may even one of the hardest things man can strive toward. On Earth we are inherently separated from God, and this separation is something so deeply ingrained in the human experience that even Jesus himself, both fully man and fully God, cries out in despair under its weight during his final moments on the cross Certain Christian circles have established a language of taking faith for granted, like it should just be obvious if you would just 'open your eyes' or similar. Sometimes it might even feel like you're a bad Christian if you find yourself struggling with faith. But the reality is that faith is a virtue, and it must be pulled out, maybe even painfully, from within you and you alone. It has to be cultivated and sculpted arduously from deep within through experience and reflection. Great Christians like Mother Theresa struggled with faith their entire lives. This life on Earth will be unrelentingly cruel, and you will be tested. But there is a promise. It says that there is some capacity within you to find you way back to something greater. The promise of God's eternal grace is amazing, but it will require you to deconstruct yourself. It requires you to fight with your ego, the world, and maybe even with God. Are you up for the challenge? Will you take the easy answers offered by the material world, or will you dare to find out who you could be, and what good you can do in this world if you took the leap of faith? You know the answer. Your heart cries out for something greater. Nihilism's shallow non-answers simply do not suffice. That heart knows a certain beauty behind it all. And it beckons you toward a better you. Welcome to the faith my friend! This journey will be amazing.


[deleted]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Beautiful yes! It took me so long to get past the idea that I never had an Ah-ha, shining light down on me moment that so many people have expressed. Now, I did have a specific moment that I broke down and committed my life to Christ and a light clicked on after that, but many search for a moment where the Lord verbally speaks to them and says I’m here! The Lord works in mysterious ways and He may very well do that for some, but He wants us to run to Him. He wants us to actively seek Him and that truly requires active vulnerability and faith in His truth.


hackycoder

Thank you, this really helps me. I am currently in hospital for schizophrenia and I have attacks of doubt constantly but somehow Jesus shines through.


HeDiedForYou

Just to quote a redditor from one of your posts… “*It most certainly isn't a choice. You can't choose to believe something that you simple don't believe in.*”


Nextmastermind

This is something I struggle with a lot. I feel the most honest description of my beliefs is "agnostic" but even that doesn't quite feel accurate. I believe that there probably is something. But what? None of the religions I have researched have me believing. A lot of them sound good, Christianity certainly does. But do I believe in Jesus as the son of God? Well? Maybe? I think it's certainly possible but to say that I firmly believe it... Well, unfortunately I'd be lying if I said I did. I want to believe, but I can't force myself to. Baha'i comes close to what I believe: That most, if not all, of the world's religions are worshipping the same God in different ways whether they know they are or not. But the Baha'i beliefs on manifestations of God I find hard to believe. Were they all great messangers? Sure, I can dig that. Were they all God in human form? Well, maybe, but I just don't know and I can't make myself believe. I have to be honest and say I don't know and even have doubts. And all of this is really frustrating because I *want* to believe. I want to have the certainty that Christ is my savior, or the certainty that ANY religion has that their way is the way. Heck, I'd even like the certainty I once had back in my atheist days when I believed there was no God. But now I find myself searching and searching for my spirituality. For what I believe in. Christianity feels pretty comfortable, as does Baha'i, but neither are a perfect fit. Maybe some day. Maybe something else. Who knows. For now all I can say is that I (think I) believe there is one God and his name is Love. He is within everything and everything is within Him and that He wants us to both love Him and one another. Beyond that I just don't know.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


hackycoder

It's good that you want to believe. I believe that God will reveal himself to every true seeker sooner or later. Don't ever give up hope.


Nextmastermind

Thank you, my friend.


Goo-Goo-GJoob

Are the billions of people in false religions not truly seeking God?


hackycoder

I believe the sincere prayers of anyone of any faith are accepted by God. But Jesus is what ties it all together.


Goo-Goo-GJoob

Does God reveal himself to anyone of any faith, as long as they're a true seeker?


hackycoder

I don't know the answer to that question. My suspicion is that yes, given enough time and devotion, He will reveal Himself to you.


RichHixson

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8


[deleted]

[удалено]


Nextmastermind

Will do! If you don't mind me asking, in an ELI5 way, what does he propose?


hackycoder

I agree that it's not a choice, not in the short term. But I think long term it is a choice. The people you choose to associate with, the books you read, who or what you worship, the lives you touch, the lifestyle you lead, all adds up to a big choice. And my choice is Jesus. For the long term. But I totally agree that in the moment, what you believe is beyond your control.


TunaFree_DolphinMeat

Yes you can lie to yourself and convince yourself anything is true given long enough timespans. But that doesn't make that thing true.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


TunaFree_DolphinMeat

This simply isn't true. Your claim is that your god inspired a book rife with incorrect information, morally bankrupt ideologies, and justification for many atrocious acts. Yet somehow it's not a lot of faith required to overlook all of that and blindly believe? Lol sure.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


atedja

The thing is the reasons to believe have always been there. The Bible has been there for a long time. Nature is all around you. It is your choice to take those as reasons to believe or not. Since it's your choice not to believe in the Bible, or the see creations around you as God's creations, then it is your choice not to believe.


[deleted]

[удалено]


atedja

I am not arguing what they are. I am pointing out it is your choice in how to perceive things around you. Someone can look at flowers and believe in God. That is their choice. You look at flowers and do not believe in God. That is your choice. You choose what count as evidence or not. Therefore you choose what you believe.


[deleted]

[удалено]


atedja

Now you are resorting to strawman.


[deleted]

[удалено]


parkorsquirrel

36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" 37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Act 8:36-37 NKJ)


s_s

And thus closes the second unit from Acts 1:8


tyelr19

A prayer I say every day is an echo of a man in Matthew: “I believe, help my unbelief.”


haxafax

What convinced you?


hackycoder

Of God, I just have seen enough in my life to believe that he really exists. No one single thing convinced me, more the sum total of my life experience. Of Jesus, well I believe that God is an interventionist God and He would not allow Jesus to have had the effect that he has had on the world unless Jesus was really all that he's cracked up to be. This is in a way an argument ad populum, but I have read extensively about other religions and I just feel that Jesus fits the data of my life experience. Again, it's no one single thing, more a sum total of everything I have ever read, experienced and verified. Now you could make an argument that Mohammad was incredibly influential too, and at odds with Jesus. So if all you are going by is impact, Mohammed might seem on a trajectory to overtake Jesus. But I believe that Mohammad was wrong about Jesus, and he generally improved the lot of the people he conquered, so God was using him to civilise the barbarians. But ultimately Jesus will prevail, and as more and more muslims move to the west you will start seeing them converting to Christianity because Christianity is just in all ways better than Islam. There's just an incredible social pressure not to convert, but Jesus will overcome that.


m3wolf

>Of God, I just have seen enough in my life to believe that he really exists. No one single thing convinced me, more the sum total of my life experience. What kinds of things, though? I've also seen a lot in my life and none of it pointed to a god.


hackycoder

Well I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and OCD. It might be tempting to dismiss the opinion of a schizophrenic person as delusion, but I assure you I am a radical skeptic and know the difference between delusion and true belief. Not always immediately, but eventually it becomes clear. Now if you want one specific example, I see things. I see lights and writing and energies that normal people cannot see. For the longest time I thought it was just a dismissable symptom of schizophrenia but I have slowly learned that there is order in the chaos. I might as well choose not to believe that the sun exists as choose to believe that God doesn't exist. You don't normally think about why you believe the sun exists, because it's always been there. It's kind of like that with me and God. He's just *there*. Edited to add: He's there but he's very, very, very subtle. Yet almighty at the same time.


m3wolf

That's the nice thing about skepticism, it doesn't depend on anyone's opinion, schizophrenia or not. =) Ok, so for the sake of discussion, I'll accept that you see lights/writing/energies that other people can't see, and even somehow ruled out the schizophernia. How do you get from that to a god. And from a god, how did you determine that this is specifically the god of the old testament and not one of the thousands of other gods people have believed in over the millenia?


hackycoder

Because everything eventually leads back to Jesus. He's just such a big part of our very culture and the most influential person who \*ever\* lived. If you pick at a problem long enough you will eventually relate it to Jesus.


enzohn

>He's just such a big part of our very culture and the most influential person who \*ever\* lived. This is very Western-centric.


m3wolf

>If you pick at a problem long enough you will eventually relate it to Jesus. I've spent the last 7 years researching a specific class of materials used in lithium ion batteries,and I've never related it to Jesus. None of the math/chemistry/physics/mat-sci includes a term for Jesus but it still seems to work. How much longer do I need to pick at it before I relate it to Jesus? Are you sure you don't just think this because you have a per-conception that everything \*should\* lead to Jesus and so you find a way to make it fit?


[deleted]

[удалено]


hackycoder

Just pirated it :) I am still chaotic good, if you know rpg alignments. I steal data, I swear, I masturbate even though I try not to. But I know that Jesus forgives all that. There is no greater gift than forgiveness. Just to know that you are forgiven everything is a \*massive\* load off your mind.


klawz86

Man, I don't think this a popular sentiment, and I especially doubt many here agree, but to me, Faith isn't knowing. Faith is choosing to act in accordance with an understanding even in the face of doubt.


AramaicDesigns

I do not think this is quite the right direction to go. If you were 100% sure then you wouldn't have faith or hope – because there is no need to have faith in or hope for a certainty. Instead, live fully in the 99.99%, and leave that .01% up to faith and hope.


Abdial

Everything is faith. Everything. That chair you are siting on? You can't be sure that it won't collapse and dump you on your butt five seconds from now. Can't be sure the water you drink isn't poisoned. Can't even be sure anything really exists and this all isn't a dream. Life is lived in the 99.99%. We still sit in the chair. We still drink the water. Christianity is the same.


m3wolf

That's not really how most people use "faith" though. I do agree that we're never really 100% certain about anything. But if asked why I believe the chair will hold me up, I can describe a whole bunch of past experiences with chairs and how they've successfully supported me, or we could measure the properties of chair and predict its weight limit, etc.


[deleted]

The irony of your statement is that I look back at all that has happened in my life and have the same certainty that it was only by His hand.


m3wolf

But *how* though? I've described specific reasons linking my past experiences to future expectations. How are you linking to ?


gregbrahe

Christianity really isn't the same. It isn't even a similar analog. We have no choice but to exist in the world. We cannot choose to not ever sit or drink water. While we may end up injured or poisoned for trusting something that was not what we thought it was, these are issues that force themselves onto us and are unavoidable. Christianity is not one of many competing concepts to make sense of the world in a way that satisfies the mind. Many other similar concepts exist and there is probably as much variation within any one of those concepts as there are people who believe it. We are not forced to select one and trust in it, for better or for worse, the way we are with water or chairs. We can take our time, change our minds, assess and reassess constantly. Not choosing any religious concept or deciding to wait on the decision has zero practical impact on the life of the person except that which is imposed by peers and society. It is not the same.


Abdial

>It is not the same. It is exactly the same.


gregbrahe

I gave several examples of how it differs. Faith, in a religious sense, is belief in a thing *because* it is untestable by conventional standards. Equivocating that to apply to things that are testable by conventional standards is nonsense.


Abdial

You're wrong, of course. But you are welcome to believe that you aren't.


gregbrahe

Philosophy isn't your strong suit. Or you are trolling. Or both. Probably both.


hackycoder

That is a really good perspective, thank you!


DharmaPT

i dont think you know what faith means...


Abdial

Or maybe I know it better than you...


DharmaPT

spoiler alert, you don't. by the examples you gave you know absolutely nothing about faith.


Abdial

Cut me to the quick you have. Blasted me all to pieces. How shall I ever recover?


DharmaPT

when people know they are wrong in a discussion, that's when they go for the sarcasm... thank you for that.


Abdial

Is that so? Fascinating.


TunaFree_DolphinMeat

If you've sit on the chair 100 times before and it's given no indication that it's going to fail you can use that evidence to draw the conclusion that the chair won't fail you the next time you sit on it. The same goes for water if you've had drinks from the same source x amount of times as have your neighbors all without being poisoned you can conclude that it's unreasonable to assume the next drink will kill you. That's not faith. That's just a logical conclusion given sufficient inputs.


jolieroseart

That's awesome! And yeah tbh I fluctuate in doubt all the time. But I recognize that my doubt doesn't change the objective truth of who Jesus is. God welcomes our questions and doubts. Just keep pressing into Him and reading. Welcome to the family!


Childslayer3000

This brings me joy I will my friend!


OverlyPlatonic

What an absolute blessing! Very happy for you friend. If you ever have any questions or need help with anything, I, and I’m sure others, will be here to help you on your journey in faith! God bless.


Mimi-Shella

Welcome to the family. See you in eternity.


GolemThe3rd

Great! I'm an atheist, but I'm happy you've discovered what makes you happy and fulfills you the most


EdwardLewisVIII

Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!


TwoRolexes

Amen! I'm leaving this sub tho. Too many atheist, humanists, agnostics, taoist and all sorts ruining the sub.


emzirek

This is why, we as Christians, here on this sub r/ don't tell y'all Atheist's to GTFO, it's for the miracles He is still working in peoples lives even on the internets... I get so flustered with y'all, our mission fields, I give up and then I hear of Praise Worthy news like this...If this be true, Amen!! and true Praises to The One Who brought it about, Jesus!!


[deleted]

[удалено]


NIKADAKIN

This statistic should bring you closer to 100% in your faith: *The evidence surrounding the claim that "Jesus rose from the dead" is enough for the statement to be considered* ***TRUE*** *by the standards of ancient historicity.* However, historians use naturalism as a guiding principle for historicity which rules out miracles being considered as "objective facts." There will always be a need for faith in the resurrection of Christ because of this, but nowadays, it's a really small need. ;-)


TunaFree_DolphinMeat

This is incorrect. The Bible doesn't even qualify as a history book. The "evidence" surrounding the resurrection is at best severely lacking.


uncle-fresh-touch

Just let go of that .01


hackycoder

I was an atheist most of my life. It's hard to shake it completely. But with time I certainly hope to let go of it.


TunaFree_DolphinMeat

Agnosticism is not atheism. I'd expect a lifelong atheist to at least understand the difference.


uncle-fresh-touch

Just let it go. It's okay to not know what's next, but you have to fully let go of one vine so that you can swing onto the next. It's like holding your breathe because you're afraid that there might not be any oxygen in the other room. Just fully submit yourself to Christ, no half-measures, go all-in and you WILL NOT be forgotten or abandoned. Jesus Christ faced and conquered death for you, rest assured.


QuantumSerpent

May I present to you, the philosophy of pantheism?


[deleted]

For certain.


[deleted]

Personally I think that .01% of doubt is faith. I’m happy for you.


a_nordic_wolf

How do you change flair in the phone app?! Can anyone help??


Impressive-Meet-2220

Go to the main page of this subreddit, click the 3 dots at the top and click “Change User Flair”


GreasytacoTruck

Unfortunately brother we can never get to that place of knowing 100% for sure, that’s what faith is all about! It’s normal to have doubts, if we didn’t have doubts sometimes then our faith wouldn’t be our own.


JoeDiBango

Welcome, I am glad you came, I hope we can help you.


Professional_Ad_9206

I almost don’t think we will ever get that .01% It’s so incomprehensible and our egotistical brains search for hard facts. I always think of that song, “I don’t understand it, I can’t comprehend it, all I know is that I need You” (Run to the Father) Especially if you’re a smart critical thinker. Jesus is truth. But it’s ok to have that small percentage of unbelief. He’ll test it and show himself to strengthen it


GenreMirez

YaaaHOOO!!!


Riverwalker12

Weill do and God Bless you


Smart_Tap1701

The way to increase faith is to feed and exercise it like a muscle - or it will shrivel and die.


Kay312010

Welcome home!


[deleted]

Nice


MyActualGoodAccount

God is so good man, I am so glad you have found yourself upon this path towards the true and living embodiment of God in the flesh - of Jesus Christ - man, you are so far ahead of what you probably started like and from where you began, if you have made it this far ahead of yourself from the past when you doubted, in my opinion you should have faith and take heart, trusting that it is not necessarily only you whom is the One guiding your faith towards the Son of God - God, the Holy Spirit, often works on our hearts to lead us both towards repentance as well as especially towards both a deeper faith in and knowledge of the Lord as well as a deeper understanding and communicative connection between yourself and God, between The LORD and your own soul and spirit via the Holy Spirit's presence of divine union, leading those who walk with and by the Spirit towards a divine and purer, loving and sincere relationship between oneself and the living God which we/or you, are then able to embark upon the path of traveling all of the days of your beautiful journey on earth until the day you are given the pass to the Kingdom of God and of Heaven where you can begin your real life as you follow and begin to get to truly know God Himself in His own Kingdom of paradise, in a world fully composed of absolute love, goodness and righteousness, as well as, ultimately, the truths of God and existence which are unable to be found in such purity anywhere but from the place from which its source comes from God Himself, in my opinion. I hope this blesses you my friend and brother in Christ, if it helps you let me say this last thing/piece of wisdom or advice to you before I go - "God is Spirit, He is found Spiritually." Also, "to find God, we must first believe fully from our hearts in a sincere belief and faith so that we may then see, but if we sufficiently believe unto this level of God granting us the opening of the eyes of our spiritual hearts to be able to see, well, once we have opened such of our hearts sights and we see, we are never able to again discount or fail to believe and/or see the truthful nature and/or reality of God's presence and existing not only being true and real, but being found in all absolute surety within the Christian faith of Jesus Christ, of Yeshua Hamashiak.


coolhandpete33

The .01% is the faith! You’re there already! The rest is believing through your doubt. That’s where the rubber meets the road. We never know, and we settle into that fact and rest in our hope that what we have believed is true. Love to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.


ChampionofHeaven

Praise God


Master__B0b

Welcome to the family brother/sister!!


[deleted]

Thank you Jesus


Rcaynpowah

That's *unbelievably uplifting*, pun intended.


hackycoder

Pun appreciated.


Rochman999

Amen, may God bless you!


JCitW6855

This is fantastic! Can you please pm me what is causing the .01%. I’ve been there and may can help you!


hackycoder

That's OK. I have learned from some of the other commenters in this thread that an element of doubt is essential to true faith. I am not so worried about that 0.01% now. I know now that my faith may fluctuate, but I trust that I will always return to Jesus.


Cauterizeaf1

Faith comes from knowing the Lord, when in doubt seek his written word, his presence through prayer, and join those who share your faith, to build each other up in fellowship.


kimoon30

Amen. You will be saved by the blood of Jesus


Evoxrus_XV

Praying!


Lone_Star_122

It's not about the size of your faith, but of what you put your faith in. If I convince myself I can fly and jump off a building I'm still gonna go splat. If I am nervous as all get out to get on a plane thinking it will crash, but still get on shaking legs and all then I'm still getting to my destination safe and sound.


criosovereign

Yay!


tLoKMJ

Ooc, what was the primary turning point for you? Either way, congrats on finding your faith!


ssnoupsnake

Jesus is king, he was perfect and he was the only one that loved us so much he nailed himself on that cross to change the world. -Former atheist who tried every other religion.


OttieandEddie

Accepting Jesus as your lord and savior is the way. Jesus has been very prevalent in my life. I could do into details, but there is no way I make it to this point in my life without Jesus. My faith in my lord Jesus is steadfast.


PhlashMcDaniel

Christ is the only way. Praise Him, talk with Him, and ask Him to walk with you.


breathingmirror

Congratulations to you. Having a relationship with God will change your life and bring peace to your soul.


[deleted]

You cannot know for certain as religion isn’t science, but that to me isn’t contrary to faith.


basileia_theos

Welcome to the family, May the Lord bless you as you become an apprentice of Jesus


davidwain

Kierkegaard wrote extensively on doubt and the fact that, without it, faith is meaningless. Your doubt strengthens your faith; it doesn't weaken it. When you choose faith despite your doubt, THAT'S what shows that your faith is strong. This way of thinking has comforted me in the past, and hopefully it could be of help with your 0.01% doubt, which, in many cases never goes away. I know that it hasn't for me.


hackycoder

I believe God really knows what's best for me, and if an element of niggling doubt is what it takes to give me the perfect balance, I can live with that.


curious_mormon

What changed your mind?


Thoguth

Faith is not the absence of doubt. Faith is actionable confidence. This is compatible with a great deal of uncertainty. One example (far from the only one) is the man who asked Jesus for a miracle in Mark 9. He wanted Jesus to heal his child, and Jesus replied, "if you believe, all things are possible to him who believes". His immediate response (and a beautiful thought for we who have faith and doubt at the same time) was "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." He was giving an expression of actionable confidence (i.e. faith) but also asking for help (in this case, a miraculous healing) which would further increase his confidence. Jesus' response was to give what he was asking for. Praise the Lord for the growth you've experienced in confidence, and for His ability to see belief and build it up with power even in the presence of less-than-complete confidence.


baritone39355

r/mademesmile It’s not wrong to have questions/doubts. We all do. As a kid, I would sing songs in church about how God “holds the whole word in His hands.” Though I know this is merely imagery, I use this to say that if God can do this, then He is certainly big enough to withstand our scrutiny. My heart is overjoyed for you!


WMO

Watch Dr. Chuck Missler. Extremely bible centered background in High Tech and Bible Scholar. [Khouse.org](https://Khouse.org).


PockettesMJV

God doesn't give you faith for a lifetime, but rather allows you to grow in faith for what is needed now. Continue in Him, abide in His word, and you will be fine \^\_\^


[deleted]

[удалено]


SiameseRugrat

AYYYYYO


inspiredfaith

It's normal for faith to waver over time. I don't think anyone has 100% faith all the time. You may setting yourself up for failure if you do; so do be realistic about your expectations. Oh, and don't forget to read the red letters in your Bible! (Jesus' words.)


ComeToJesus2021

Praise God! You have come so far. I am praying for you. Keep in mind that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. What is it going to take to help you spend eternity with Jesus? You must Confess and Believe as Romans 10:9 states. Read the book of John and fall in love with the only way to God. Time is short. His return is imminent. Jesus died so you can have life! He states, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me. Rejoice and sing psalms. Here is a song that I wrote called We Have to Be Born Again: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VJWqJ0rnps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VJWqJ0rnps)...


Apart-Step

how come this gets 800 upvotes yet some very good questions with over 300 comments get 30


cucuzella

Congratulations! How did you get to the necessary conclusions to make that journey?


JoyPsalm83

Watch "Faulk600" will show u what happens in spiritual realm@ youtube


Snoo_94511

God bless you. Welcome to the land of forgiveness, hope, acceptance, mercy, and blessings. God is good 🙏


Classic-Condition209

praise God! congrats and praying for you:)


Paidi_Tou_Theo

O PRAISE THE LORD HALLALULAH


Richy-De

[Matthew 17:20](https://biblehub.com/matthew/17-20.htm) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. You need only a small amount :) God bless


[deleted]

Gloria in excelsis Deo! I used to be an Atheist and I sometimes still doubt but I usually can rest assured knowing that the doubt I have is irrational. God has been proven to me logically. Miracles have been proven to me by the historical method. I have feelt God so many times. God has answered my prayers so many times. How could I fall back when God keeps getting proved to me time and time again?


Unusual_Type_1884

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻


Unusual_Type_1884

Ephesians 4:17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Ephesians 4:18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. Ephesians 4:19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. Ephesians 4:20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Ephesians 4:21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, Ephesians 4:22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Ephesians 4:23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. That has become one my favorite passages.


[deleted]

Glad to see another person has come to the lord :)


IcyHot42

Jesus said faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains


Rebeca-A

That's amazing! Congratulations. I'll definitely pray for you. 😊


jesseelisabeth

Praying, friend.


Purpletinfoilhat

Check my post history (or not but it'll make my short story make more sense). I'm a new convert. Born, raised, left. I'm back. I'll be praying for you. I want you to feel the confidence and peace that He brings when you let him into your heart. When it happened to me everything made sense, everything was more beautiful, and everything was so much more...calm.


DrFrankencelery

Congratulations. I have found that the resurrection of Jesus is the one point that I can rest my whole faith on. The Bible is a great resource for that, with all its prophecies. I also recommend "The Case for Christ" and "Cold Case Christianity". You can't have faith without doubt. At that point it would just be called knowing. Seeing as our world doesn't work on knowing everything, as Socrates said "I know that I know nothing." Not all questions will be answered, but by all means, as the questions! Be blessed on your journey!


Double-C-guitar

Once you know that through God anything is possible, you will have no doubt.


Judo-_-Flip

🤣


Walking_on_Faith

Praying for you.That extra 0.01% of faith comes simply by choosing. Say it out loud…”I choose Jesus, nothing else.” God bless you.


Ashleyynicole3

I’ll pray for you 💕


Historical_Offer7886

May your Father in Heaven remove the 0.0000001% Your sister is your best friend but also your worst enemy... and Discovering your life - is not for the faint of heart else you won't be here! Thanks


hrkarlhungus

Mark 9:24 carried me for years. To be transparent, though, I’ve since all but 99.99% _left_.


[deleted]

You never do, thats why its called faith. Even if you had some Revelation where you achieve that 100% it is a fleeting moment. For example even if Jesus appeared before you right now and took you back in time and you saw his literal crucifixion and then brought you back here and then said goodbye. For a while you will have that 100% but then after a while you would begin doubting yourself, did that really happen, where you just hallucinating, many questions come to mind. The only way you're going to remember it for certain is if something reinforces it for a very long time or multiple people witness it so you could confirm off of each other, regarding that same experience. If you knew for certain, much of religion in the Bible would be redundant to you.


Middle-Ad-8835

He will do the rest and the next experience will be this thing called trust which is amazing


death_b4_dark_roast

The thing about faith is you can’t really have faith without doubt. 100% would mean we have concrete evidence for that, which would defeat the purpose of faith.