I am not a fundamentalist. I tried that route but failed miserably.
I failed in two of the most important ways:
1) I don't have a Christian education background.
Greetings and Welcome, Confused! First of all, having a Christian education is not a prerequisite for having faith in Christ. And second, education in the word of God comes by reading the scriptures and prayer and is a life-long process. When you come to the Lord, you come as you are and He receives you, because He is the One calling you.
2) I didn't get saved at a very young age. I was 34. (I'm sure that based on point 1, you're questioning whether I'm saved at all)
Again, it does not matter what age a person is when they receive Christ. If you believe that Jesus paid the penalty for your sins by the shedding of His blood and that He rose from the dead, you are saved. From there continue reading His word and in prayer, giving thanks to God for all things and praying for all people and growing in Christ.
3) There are things in my past I'm not proud of. Very few Christians have that problem.
I also grieve whenever I think of my past sins. But I also have faith in God's promise that through faith in Christ I have forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life, as do you and every other believer. Part of having faith is believing in the promises of God. Regarding this, His promise says "When we sin, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us of all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:8-10. From the time we believed, the Holy Spirit took up residence in each believer and we have been in the process of being transformed into the image of Christ, i.e. taking on His nature which is the fruit of the Spirit.
4) My faith is a little shaky too in some areas. But the fact that I'm substandard in your eyes, and God's eyes, is bad enough.
If you are believing in the Son of God, you are not substandard. We all feel that we fall short as Christians, some more than others. But when we believed, we were credited with righteousness and reconciled to God. We have been seated in heavenly places with Christ, meaning that there is a place in heaven reserved for each believer. Jesus went to prepare places for us in the Father's house and that includes you as a believer. Seeing that these things are true and are promises to those who believe, then have faith in them. Apply them to yourself. Scripture already tells us that there is none righteous, no, not one. All have sinned, all fall short of God's righteous requirements. But through faith in His Son, God sees us through the spectacles of Christ. The righteousness of Christ is credited to the believer, even though we still have our sinful nature. God sees us as perfect just as Christ is perfect.
You have become a new creation in Christ. Have faith in His promises! And when the powers of darkness attempt to discourage you, which is what appears to be happening, counter with the truth of God's word.
We're always here if you need prayer or have questions about God's word.
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