Did you, personally, find that belief came to you so you chose to follow, or did you choose to follow and then found belief?
Let me repeat the most important parts of my reply in perhaps other words.
I thought I was choosing the opposite.
I discovered that thinking I am running away I was running into.
I ran away until there was no where else for me to run. Circumstances arose so that "there was no way out but UP."
I deem that as God's mercy to me to arrange my situation so that the reaping of what I had sowed gave me the incentive to try Jesus (as if Jesus needs to be "tried" ).
For me it was a coming BACK from amnesia.
The long discarded basic knowledge of God being there was long discarded.
I returned with a deeper realization of how Jesus was related to knowing God.
avanlanche, to continue with you,
A young child (me) knew something about the realness of God.
He backslide far away from that knowing.
Mercifully, circumstances engineered by the Father channeled this adult back to what I thought was a long discarded unreality.
I will ALWAYS talk about this in a way that encourages OTHERS to come to Christ. If you expect some objectivity which suggests its importance is benigh, irrelevant, inconsequential you would be asking me at the wrong time now.
To get that kind of effect you would have to have been asking me when I didn't CARE about Jesus or the souls of men. The timing of your asking me is going to make my answer sound prejudicial towards wanting people to share my experience, albeit in their own circumstances.
@sonship
Hmm, I'm still struggling to find some clarity in your response. At first it seemed like you were saying you chose to follow, but now it seems like you're saying you were compelled to believe. You clearly believe now, and you seem to be saying that you didn't always do so. I am interested in hearing how you moved from one state to another.
@mchill saidPascal's Wager is a non-starter, because God knows your heart. You can't just slip stuff past him.
I've been reading posts of many non believers here for some time. You folks seem like a pretty "facts and logic" based group, so try to wrap your heads around this:
Scenario #1 I'm a Christian, and one day I die. My faith was misplaced, there is no God, and I'm simply dead - end of story.
Scenario #2 One of you is a non believer, one day you die, only to find all that ...[text shortened]... you spend a very, very long time regretting your views.
Do you like to gamble? Good Luck! 😉
@suzianne saidIt (the wager) is a poor method for seeking truth.
Pascal's Wager is a non-starter, because God knows your heart. You can't just slip stuff past him.
It also fails to take into account the dire threats of all the other religions if you don't follow them.
It also ignores the possibility that the outcomes are not equally likely.
@mchill saidHave the threats of eternal publishment that Islam propagates turned you into a Muslim because you don't want to be "gambling with eternity"?
Scenario #2 One of you is a non believer, one day you die, only to find all that stuff in the Bible was correct - and you spend a very, very long time regretting your views.
@bigdoggproblem saidI feel that the Wager is less about seeking truth and more about covering your bases. That's why I said that's a non-starter.
It (the wager) is a poor method for seeking truth.
It also fails to take into account the dire threats of all the other religions if you don't follow them.
It also ignores the possibility that the outcomes are not equally likely.
@sonship
Ok, you've elected not to respond, so I'll just have to judge your actual response from what you have told me. It sounds to me like you didn't exercise any volition in selecting and adhering to your faith. If this is the case (do please correct me if it's not), then what possible purpose can there be in preaching your scripture here?
Ok, you've elected not to respond, so I'll just have to judge your actual response from what you have told me. It sounds to me like you didn't exercise any volition in selecting and adhering to your faith. If this is the case (do please correct me if it's not), then what possible purpose can there be in preaching your scripture here?
It is mysterious and as one goes on and looks back to the moment of conversion a strange thing happens.
I see that everything in my life seemed to be arranged for the opening of my heart to believe in Christ. All things worked together to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. What an eternal engineer of the whole universe to transcendently blow our minds in this paradoxical way. It is mysterious.
Moody I think put it well. On the outside of the door it reads "Whosever will". You choose. Then once you step on the inside and look back it says "Chosen before the foundation of the world."
Maybe that is the effect of His foreknowledge. I don't know.
My best advice to anyone perplexed over this is not to use it as an excuse not to be saved. Rather use it as an incentive to thank God and be saved.
I like to be practical so I'll give those interested an example. Try this prayer or something like it:
" Lord Jesus, You loved me and chose me before the foundation of the world. Lord Jesus, I love you in return and open my life up for You to come into me as Lord and Savior. Thankyou Lord Jesus for the cleansing away of my sins."
Use predestination's concept toward God and thank Him in the choosing.
As to what use is my teaching and preaching here? That I will know one day when I come before the Lord Jesus. I don't even judge myself on this. The One who examines me is Christ.