Something that has been bothering me

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May 25, 2011
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#1
So this has been bothering me for a REAL long time, I haven't said anything about it on here because I thought people would look at me like i'm crazy or stupid.But I know God wants us to be perfect and all but how are we supposed to do that? I've asked only a few people i'm close to and they're like "Oh, we are perfect through Jesus." Well, that is something I don't actually get. That isn't doing anything for me. I know we repent but no one is sinless for a whole day, week, month, year, etc. And the thing is if we live our whole lives for God, repent, read, preach, spread the word, do a sin (lets say curse), die without asking for forgiveness, do we go to Hell? It just doesn't make any sense to me and just brings my faith down. It is just like we have to die at the right time where we repent and all. I don't want to play a round of Russian Roulette with something this serious, I want to understand. The thing is, I just don't know what to do or read in the Bible.

What does it mean to be perfect? What does it take to repent?


ugh, this is so hard
:mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
K

kenisyes

Guest
#2
"Perfect", in the Greek, means "completed". It means to let God finish His work in you , and make you all you can be. This is a process, like in Rom. 12:2, "be transformed by the renewal of your mind". Your body follows your mind, but it takes some work, like practicing a musical instrument, or learning to type. God speaks to your spirit. Your mind needs to be renewed, so it can hear what your spirit is saying to your mind, that your spirit has heard from God. When your mind is renewed, it takes control of your body, and you learn to do it God's way. That's how it works, and it takes time.

To "repent" in Greek, is to change the direction of your thinking. Once you have decided to follow Jesus, you have done that. It remains in place, unless you choose to change back, and stop following Jesus.

If you read through Ps. 32, you will find there are lots of kinds of things we can call "sin". A sin of deliberate turning against God is different from imperfections that exist in you because you are human. Both are different from a sin of not understanding, for instance. All are sin, because they are less than you will be when God gets finished with you. God wants to heal them all. That is part of the work in you that you are to made complete (perfect) in. But they are different things. To get rid of the human imperfections, is what the Rom. 12:2 works best for; God shows you things and tells you what to work on. While God is finishing His work, it's great if you repent, because that's just praying for Him to keep doing it, and it helps you receive it better.

The reason people go to hell is they choose to not let God work on them (anymore, or not at all). The reason God tells you to avoid certain things, is because those things block the blessings He wants to give you. Even if you do them, He will still try to bless you, and that's why repenting helps, and trying to avoid them helps. That's what grace and forgiveness are for; they are His way of blessing you even when you still have sins, so you can get all the blessings. If you keep refusing God, and die that way, your soul will not be able to turn back to God after you resurrect at the end of the world. Then, it will hate being around God, and will end up burning itself in hell.

From the sound of your post,you are not refusing God at all. Satan loves to tempt people by scaring them that they're not good enough yet. He did it to me for many years when I was your age. That's why now I know better. Ignore what you are hearing in your head about all this, and focus on Jesus. If you want to follow Jesus, He will take care of all the rest of it. As long as you are trying to follow Him, you won't go to hell. And you will most probably outgrow these thoughts, as you mature in Him.
 
F

FREAK4JESUS

Guest
#3
So this has been bothering me for a REAL long time, I haven't said anything about it on here because I thought people would look at me like i'm crazy or stupid.But I know God wants us to be perfect and all but how are we supposed to do that? I've asked only a few people i'm close to and they're like "Oh, we are perfect through Jesus." Well, that is something I don't actually get. That isn't doing anything for me. I know we repent but no one is sinless for a whole day, week, month, year, etc. And the thing is if we live our whole lives for God, repent, read, preach, spread the word, do a sin (lets say curse), die without asking for forgiveness, do we go to Hell? It just doesn't make any sense to me and just brings my faith down. It is just like we have to die at the right time where we repent and all. I don't want to play a round of Russian Roulette with something this serious, I want to understand. The thing is, I just don't know what to do or read in the Bible.

What does it mean to be perfect? What does it take to repent?


ugh, this is so hard
:mad::mad::mad::mad:
Not hard actually, the bible states that if you get baptized and believe in Jesus it means you r already in heaven, but i think u didn't get the real meaning of believing and getting baptized. Alright let's explain it...when ur baptized by spirit(spirit filled) then you will start to live like Jesus, even tho you can't live like him perfectly but you will start to live the way our lord taught us, and when u believe in Christ you will be his follower and if you are his follower it means you are going all the way he paved for you, if you said I am his follower you should follow his foot steps and no other direction u should choose..and when you follow him you MUST follow him up to heaven...I hope u have got my idea, i said this because there are many people saying I am the follower of Christ but they have their own way paved by their own attitudes and Views soo pls pls depend on the word of God. Every answer 4 ur question comes from there.
 
Dec 25, 2012
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#4
Hi there fellow Boriqua.

You are right in saying we are sinners and yes we are far from perfect. The bible teaches us that when you sin, you should repent and ask God for forgiveness. Our salvation is a gift from God. Something we do not deserve! This is what God has given us simply because he loves us. Now scripture says our salvation is based on the belief in Jesus. People try to reason this into being much more difficult than what it is. But I feel your questions go deeper than that.

As Christians we should live our life in a way to represents God to the rest of the world. We will make mistakes and we will make them often. When God says repent, he is speaking about a deep sense of repentance, not just lip service to God. You will learn to recognize this feeling the more you work on your relationship with God. God speaks to your heart and you will KNOW without a doubt you are truly sorry for whatever it is you did, said or thought. We become more sensitive to this as we grow closer to God. .... Think about your closest friend or family member who when they call you and you hear their voice you KNOW its them before they identify themselves. You are able to know this because of the relationship you have with them. They can speak to you from far away and their voice is identifiable to you. Well, when you work on your relationship with God and spend time with him getting to know him, you will be able to recognize him when he speaks to you even in the most weird ways. But you will just know! God reveals things to us a little bit at a time.

I want to encourage you to pray for revelation of God's word and ask God to show you what HE wants you to know and work on. Don't try to reason you way thru your faith because you will frustrate yourself even further. God will show you things as you get closer to him.

There is so much more I could say to this, but unfortunately I don't feel I'm very good at communicating my thoughts and feelings sometimes.

God Bless! I"m so glad you are wanting to learn more about God and are looking for answers.
 
K

Kefa52

Guest
#5
JustinFoundChrist, You are asking some very mature questions. Salvation is a free gift. Accept Jesus, and he will help you with your struggles. The Holy spirit will help you overcome your sin. Fellowship with God is a life long rewarding journey.
Try not to over think this right now. Give it to Jesus.

I struggled with my self worth, and not being worthy of Christ for 35 years. I don't recomend that. Accept Jesus and he will take care of you.
 
Jan 4, 2013
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#6
JustinfoundChrist-- You ask good questions worth as many good answers that you have gotten and more! I struggled myself with accepting Jesus. I had it all mixed up in my mind that I couldn't follow Jesus, either because I was not worthy, or that I couldn't bare the thought of Jesus possibly suffering for ME... Or any other person for that matter. But he already did! He did and NO ONE can take that back from him. When I tried to myself, is when I suffered the most, and then I didn't even realize I accepted Him until a few days after I did! I don't know how it is for each individual person, but you are asking the right things. I pray that you continue to accept the help he is so ready to give you!
 
S

StephenH

Guest
#7
The fact is simple: None of us are perfect and it is impossible for us to be perfect. We will always be tempted to sin and we will always sin as humans are sinful creatures. The good news is that there is forgiveness for our sin through him.

I'm tired so I'm not going to be long winded as I usually am, however I'll definitely be praying for you. This is an issue that we all face, trying to live up to expectations, when in reality, we're already saved if we've trusted in him.
 
K

kittycat7

Guest
#8
Im praying for you!
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! —Romans 5:9-10