Losing faith in Christianity

[onlyme]

I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but I'm losing faith in Christianity today. It seems today everyone is calling themselves Christians, claiming to be, it has become a trend, or so it seems. Then the way Christians treat others today makes me question what is Christianity anymore. The criticism, the slander, the judgement, the behavior today makes me wonder what Christianity has become.

Honestly it disappoints me and breaks my heart. What makes a christian a christian anymore? I know people aren't perfect but isn't a christian someone who has been born again, transformed, become a new creature in Christ. Isn't it someone who walks in love, who desires to live a life pleasing to God? It seems now days people just want an easy ticket out of hell and a quick way to heaven, but they want it their way.

They want to be a christian on their terms and not God's, so what has Christianity become honestly? It saddens me how many broken, searching hearts have been turned away from Christ because of this kind of Christianity today. They went seeking the truth, hope, love, and instead felt rejected, ignored, shunned, judged, you name it by those who call themselves Christians.

1 thing I am sure of when this life is over and we come face to face with God we won't be judged with how popular we were, how successful we were on an earthly scale, how good we thought we may have been, we will be judged by God's word, and how we lived our life to love God and love others.

The bible says if we say we love God and do not love our brother the love of God is not in us, and that we are to love others as Christ loves us. How can Christians act and treat others this way and yet claim to love God? God wants us to show others the same forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, compassion, that He has shown unto us.

The christian life is about love. Love is beautiful yes it is, but love is also holy and pure, you can not separate love from God or God from love. Love will do no wrong the bible says, love will not sin, because it can not sin, love rejoices in the truth, it is obedient to the truth, desires to do what is right. Love forgives, keeps no record of wrongs, love is not boastful or proud. Love isn't selfish it is selfless.

To truly know love, and walk in it, you must truly know God, and the love He has for you and others. We were created for love, to love and be loved, for that relationship with God, and with each other to be a family in Christ. I am disappointed and broken hearted in what Christianity has become today, honestly it saddens me. Why can't people just be real, genuine, anyone can say they are a christian, but not all can truly live it. There is only 1 way to do that and that is by letting Christ live in you and through you, stepping up, stepping out, and being real.

Christianity isn't a badge, it isn't something you can put on and take off as you please, it isn't a trend, it isn't another vain religion, it's a living relationship with God through Christ. It's not okay, I said my prayer, I am going to heaven now, it's a daily walk, learning to take up your cross, following Jesus. It is something you live out everyday of your life for the rest of your life, not just now and then, but always and forever.

I am not saying anyone is perfect, but that's never an excuse not to show the same love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, compassion to others as God has shown to us. I just want to see Christians be real about Christ, and live the life God has called them to live. God Bless.

 

[wolfywolfs]

god thing you havent discoverede youtube user shock of god or his site that would make u sick the things he says

 

[lightbliss]

I agree with you. But I've learned that, people will do what they want and in order for me to remain sane, I just have to focus on my life and my walk with Christ. If someone wants my opinion or advice, I will try my best to help but I will not continually worry over it because I tend to get too emotional. Sometimes the solution is so clear and evident yet, for some reason, they can't see. Maybe this sounds a bit harsh but it is my only way of retaining the slight respect I have for humanity as a whole. There will always be something, best not kill myself over it. But I totally understand because it is frustrating.

 

[djness]

Joshua 5:13-15

The Fall of Jericho


13Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lordd have for his servant?”
15The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

​

We should spend more time considering if we are on Gods side then if he is on our side. As he said to Joshua,

"NEITHER" "But I have now come".
Soending more time on our faces to him leaves less room to idolize ourselves and our thinking.




​

 

[Timofree]

It's difficult not to be disappointed when you look to men........personally when I became a Christian I thought great, I can chat with people at church my age, about God, no more partying and going out clubbing. Id had enough, but was disappointed from the conversations I overheard.
But im learning not to judge, and understand not everyones at the same place in their faith, even if they've been Christians longer. We need to concentrate on our own walk, if we can influence and encourage others along the way, that's great. I just don't want to fall back into my old ways, so if that means more time alone with God for now, then bring it on!

If persecution came that'd sort out peoples faith, blessed are those that can seek Him when the goings good. It sounds like Im wishing for persecution, Im really not, but I believe it's going to get harder soon.

At the end of the day were called to store up treasure in heaven, no Christian who honours God in that area will be dissapointed in the end. I do wish some would WAKE UP though

 

[Brandon777]

I understand exactly where you're coming from; today what most would call Christianity, I would call a false religion. Sound shocking? Keep reading... To answer your question: What makes a Christian a Christian. It is a person who follows Christ. That's what the word Christian means. So the focus is on Jesus not on the person doing the following. Jesus himself said, "Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21) A great deal of the people that call themselves Christians are not sheep. What is he talking about, you might be thinking. This is what Jesus had to say about sheep and goats:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? He will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.(Matthew 25:31-46)"

So not everyone who claims to be with Jesus is actually on His side. So when you say I'm losing faith in Christianity, it doesn't bother me as much as if you had said, I'm losing faith in Jesus. This nation is going through a season of spiritual dryness. It happens to all great nations. These cycles of good and not so good. It happened to Israel dozens of times through the centuries. That doesn't mean that there aren't true believers though. Of course not! You can still place your trust in Jesus Christ, get baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and go to a Bible believing church (Matthew 28:16:20, Hebrews 10:25).

You'll always have selfish people, and during droughts there's a lot more evil within the population of saints.

 

[Deadflesh]

YOUR FAITH ISNT SUPPOSED TO BE IN CHRISTIANITY. It is suposed to be in JESUS CHRIST. Not people and Religion. SO if your loosing faith in a religion, adn people who claim a religion then GOOD. Your waking up. NOW its time for YOU to seek Jesus liek you never have before. As HARD as you cna get as close as you can, and constantly pray for MORE of him. and MORE wisdom of him, and from him. And OBEY HIM. HIS words.

LOVE of GOD is obedience to HIM. YES be kind, and gentle, and meek, and mercyfull, and good natured, but also HATE SIN, adn be seprate fro mthe Wolrd. SEEK JESUS not humans. and JESUS will bring all that HE wants in your life to you, and work HIMSELF through you. Jesus bless you.

 

[onlyme]

Thanks I appreciate all the comments

 

[Brandon777]

YOUR FAITH ISNT SUPPOSED TO BE IN CHRISTIANITY. It is suposed to be in JESUS CHRIST.

Very true.

Not people and Religion

Well... God is a person. And as far as religion, the Bible says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)"

SO if your loosing faith in a religion, and people who claim a religion then GOOD.

Christianity should be defined by being reborn in spirit, not by simply claiming to be Christian because a true faith has good works (James 2:17). So no, you're not losing your religion or people that claim a religion unless they claim it falsely.

Your waking up. NOW its time for YOU to seek Jesus liek you never have before. As HARD as you cna get as close as you can, and constantly pray for MORE of him. and MORE wisdom of him, and from him. And OBEY HIM. HIS words.

Absolutely!!! Amen!!!

SEEK JESUS not humans.

Jesus is human, but I think he meant sinful humans.

 

[Crazy4GODword]

It saddens me too, but I am right now seeing what trial I am going through and it makes me look toughly at it with conviction, but I am human and still sin. But with the falsies roaming around is just wrong. Devil is trying to blend in with us, but fails and tries to blame it on us. It is just like the Pharasees and scribes, not all were the self righteous type.

God bless

 

[QuestionTime]

I am not saying anyone is perfect, but that's never an excuse not to show the same love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, compassion to others as God has shown to us. I just want to see Christians be real about Christ, and live the life God has called them to live. God Bless.

Sin is a Law. Gravity is a Law. Laws must be obeyed. Since Christians are no longer taught how they may overcome the Law of sin, nor see any living examples of victory over sin, they have no ability or knowledge regarding how they may be delivered from sin. Truly, if you do a Google search you will see 95% of the "Christian" websites tell you that if you resist sin you will grow stronger at resisting it. Of course, this message is never found in the Bible. The Israelites didn't get stronger at fighting their foes and neither did Paul get better at fighting his lusts.

People are so defeated that they can do nothing but live as hypocrites. Of course, many of those who claim to be Christians are not Christians. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, etc., all claim to be Christians but are not. So that becomes an issue as well.

I suppose OnlyMe that it would be more helpful to us all if you would provide detailed information on how we might be delivered from the Law of Sin, rather than complain about how bad our sins are. Any preacher can tell us what we ought to do, but few have ever blessed mankind with a detailed treatise on how one might be enabled to do good.

 

[Strider]

Thanks Onlyme - this was a great encourager of me to keep talk the talk and walk the walk. Pretty sure I'm experiencing sanctification right now, I can see the Spirit is methodically removing sin from my life. Seriously have you tried sharing your thoughts with your Christian bros and sisters at church? acting out of love includes rebuking the wayward.

 

[Strider]

and also, don't lose faith in God and his majesty and power - just use this as a reminder that sin can still flourish in us (living, breathing temples of god) and must be nipped in the bud

 

[Red33]

I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but I'm losing faith in Christianity today. It seems today everyone is calling themselves Christians, claiming to be, it has become a trend, or so it seems. Then the way Christians treat others today makes me question what is Christianity anymore. The criticism, the slander, the judgement, the behavior today makes me wonder what Christianity has become.

Honestly it disappoints me and breaks my heart. What makes a christian a christian anymore? I know people aren't perfect but isn't a christian someone who has been born again, transformed, become a new creature in Christ. Isn't it someone who walks in love, who desires to live a life pleasing to God? It seems now days people just want an easy ticket out of hell and a quick way to heaven, but they want it their way.

They want to be a christian on their terms and not God's, so what has Christianity become honestly? It saddens me how many broken, searching hearts have been turned away from Christ because of this kind of Christianity today. They went seeking the truth, hope, love, and instead felt rejected, ignored, shunned, judged, you name it by those who call themselves Christians.

1 thing I am sure of when this life is over and we come face to face with God we won't be judged with how popular we were, how successful we were on an earthly scale, how good we thought we may have been, we will be judged by God's word, and how we lived our life to love God and love others.

The bible says if we say we love God and do not love our brother the love of God is not in us, and that we are to love others as Christ loves us. How can Christians act and treat others this way and yet claim to love God? God wants us to show others the same forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, compassion, that He has shown unto us.

The christian life is about love. Love is beautiful yes it is, but love is also holy and pure, you can not separate love from God or God from love. Love will do no wrong the bible says, love will not sin, because it can not sin, love rejoices in the truth, it is obedient to the truth, desires to do what is right. Love forgives, keeps no record of wrongs, love is not boastful or proud. Love isn't selfish it is selfless.

To truly know love, and walk in it, you must truly know God, and the love He has for you and others. We were created for love, to love and be loved, for that relationship with God, and with each other to be a family in Christ. I am disappointed and broken hearted in what Christianity has become today, honestly it saddens me. Why can't people just be real, genuine, anyone can say they are a christian, but not all can truly live it. There is only 1 way to do that and that is by letting Christ live in you and through you, stepping up, stepping out, and being real.

Christianity isn't a badge, it isn't something you can put on and take off as you please, it isn't a trend, it isn't another vain religion, it's a living relationship with God through Christ. It's not okay, I said my prayer, I am going to heaven now, it's a daily walk, learning to take up your cross, following Jesus. It is something you live out everyday of your life for the rest of your life, not just now and then, but always and forever.

I am not saying anyone is perfect, but that's never an excuse not to show the same love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, compassion to others as God has shown to us. I just want to see Christians be real about Christ, and live the life God has called them to live. God Bless.

If anyone according to the scriptures had a reason to be discouraged it would have been Paul, who had the care of all the churches as an apostle (2Cor 11:28). Think of all the areas of life that he had to deal with in all the churches he wrote and sent epistles to. There were numerous issues in many of the churches among believers that ranged from being a babe in Christ needing the milk of God's word to those that could finally handle some meat and receive the word with meekness. Many were unskilled in the word of righteousness and had no idea of the importance of doctrine and the work of the Spirit in their life.

They had problems with sin and with their old sin nature. Many of them were Jews who had lived under the law and needed to learn about grace and how to grow in that grace that saved them. Many had a problem with forgiving others and the love of God that covers sin. Many were involved with slander, gossip, judging others and being critical of the apostles, their credentials and what they taught. They were put through the grinder by many of those who were believers but needed to be transformed through the word and doctrine because they had brought into the church their old way of thinking and doing things.

Paul never let these things discourage him or allow them to control his emotions or what he was called by God to do through grace. He recognized that all these things were from God and for his sake and that they would work together for the good. He was to continue to teach and preach the word and doctrine and walk in love no matter what befell him. If these things brought death in his life, he rejoiced because he knew that life comes forth out of death. He was focused upon Christ and the course that was set before him that he might obtain the prize. He had a high and holy calling, just as all believers do. The other apostles and many of the faithful believers experienced the same in a measure and kept themselves in the love of God and built themselves up in the most holy faith.

 

[onlyme]

Thankyou

 

[Brandon777]

QuestionTime: Great points! Red33: Also a great point! Also remember that the Christian faith is determined by God, as is everything. We love God because He first loved us through the forgiveness of sins and the creation and sustaining of our spiritual, mental, and physical lives (1 John 4:19). God is the Alpha and Omega. He determines everything and He sustains everything (Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."). I could say He is everything, but that's not accurate. He's above everything. Creation is infinitely lower in value than God. Take your eyes off all creation for a minute and take a look at God. I find that I need to do this to be myself. If you take my advice you will be happier by definition because God is a completely good God, unless your true, honest opinion of God is that He is not completely good. Just remember when defining good take it from God's perspective through empathy rather than yours. All joy be to you brother!

 

[Psalm2713]

Sin is a Law. Gravity is a Law. Laws must be obeyed. Since Christians are no longer taught how they may overcome the Law of sin, nor see any living examples of victory over sin, they have no ability or knowledge regarding how they may be delivered from sin. Truly, if you do a Google search you will see 95% of the "Christian" websites tell you that if you resist sin you will grow stronger at resisting it. Of course, this message is never found in the Bible. The Israelites didn't get stronger at fighting their foes and neither did Paul get better at fighting his lusts.

.

actually there is a verse about getting stronger.... but I don't know how you will receive it....James 4:7...resist the devil and He will flee from you....

 

[zeroturbulence]

We will all stand alone before the judgement seat of Christ. What matters is how we treated others, not how they treated us.

I too have been losing faith in christians in general. It seems to me that only a handful really care about living it and not just claiming to be it. It not about listening to christian music, or memorizing scripture, or reading your bible...its about following Jesus and DOING what he preached. Love your neighbor as yourself. Pray for those who mistreat you. Do not judge. Its not an easy path and we all stumble on it, but we should at least be making a conscious effort and not just "knowing the rules" and not living it.

 

[Brandon777]

actually there is a verse about getting stronger.... but I don't know how you will receive it....James 4:7...resist the devil and He will flee from you....

I'm not denying that someone can get stronger at resisting the Devil, but I have to agree that I don't find in the Bible where it says if you resist a little, then it's a foot in the door principle to resisting a lot. It's always difficult to resist sin and always easy to sin, that's part of the reason why we receive so much reward for our diligence in doing good.

 

[Katy-follower]

Sorry to hear you're losing faith.

God said in the bible: "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" Matthew 24:11


Yes, it's true that a lot of people call themselves Christian. There are some who say they were baptized at birth, which makes the Christian..... others say that they never do anything bad in society and they live a life away from crime, which they believe also makes them Christian... there are some who are in love with religion but not in love with God ..... Then there are some who follow false doctrines who claim to be Christian. The true followers of Christ are those who follow his word and have faith in him, not those who follow man's word and false doctrines. God said himself numerous times that you will know a man by his fruits.


John 7:24: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” A major purpose of Scripture is to rebuke and correct. Often using Scripture is the best way to correct someone.


We are asked to help others......

“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” James 5:19-20 Judging and correcting sin, when led by the Holy Spirit, is an act of love.

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19

God is the ultimate judge, but we are to share his word - the scriptures of the bible that reveal who the false prophets are that use false doctrines.


Speaking out is defending Christ and helping others the way he would want us to, is the way I see it. It's difficult for a follower of Christ to sit in silence when the truth has been revealed to them and they see those who follow false doctrines without realizing their ways.

Yes, we should love others, but we are told to correct error when we see it, based on scriptures God has given us. We show love by doing this. But I agree that getting aggressive is sinful.

Righteous anger is allowed. If we are His children, then His Holy Spirit abides within us; and when we see things that are just plain wrong, His Spirit agrees with our spirit, and we get angry for the righteousness of God.

Just my thoughts....