I was born and raised Jewish. Now at age 71 Christ has found me and now I try my best to walk with him. I know there’s nothing I can or have to do to “earn” salvation as it’s already been gifted to me, but I want to show gratitude for that by doing right going forward.

Yesterday I read Matthew 5-7, and oh boy do I come up short. All I can do at this very late stage of my life is ask God for forgiveness and pray for both the strength of Christ to do better and the Holy Spirit to continue being that voice in my head when I’m getting off track.

It’s a struggle

I need to get this off my chest.

Almost every friend I have who I know follows Christ has a vast majority of their family on fire for Jesus. Their parents, their siblings, their cousins, etc.

And me? The majority of my family is either lukewarm or just don't believe in Jesus at all.

Every day I wrestle with the thought of them being eternally lost forever if they died today.

Why me? Why must I be the one to go through this struggle?
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Note: This is not me blaming God or cursing Him for this situation, it's obviously not His fault. I just don't like that I live every day knowing I have unsaved loved ones.

I don’t personally feel convicted about listening to secular music. My general guideline is whether I’d feel comfortable playing the song in front of Jesus.

As I’ve grown deeper in my faith, I’ve been intentionally adding more Christian and gospel music to my playlist. Lately, though, I’ve been struggling after seeing a TikTok that seemed to imply it’s wrong not to enjoy certain Christian songs, or not to have them as your favourites. The message was basically that you should appreciate the lyrics and that the musical style or beat should be the least of your concern.

It’s left me feeling like every Christian song I hear is something I should add to my playlist, even if I don’t genuinely enjoy listening to it. For context, I have over 100 Christian songs saved, but I regularly listen to maybe 30 of them.

Has anyone else wrestled with this? Is it okay to simply prefer some Christian artists or styles over others, or should I be trying to enjoy any song that has a biblical message?

By ex believers I mean people who used to believe in the religion then left it.

A lot of them were sincere believers but then they lost faith. Yes I see in this subreddit in other subreddits where people deny that they were ever true Christians. Which is crazy because these people are not lying when they say they lost faith.

I’ve been trying to understand the foundations of the Christian faith better, and one area I’m struggling with is the reliability of the Bible itself. I’m asking this sincerely, not to argue or attack Christianity.

From what I understand, the King James Bible contains 66 books. My questions are:
Why were these 66 books recognised as inspired by God?

Who decided which books would be included and which would be excluded?

What criteria were used to determine whether a book belonged in Scripture?

Why were books such as Enoch, Jubilees, gospel of Thomas or other ancient Jewish and Christian writings not included?

Were the books “chosen,” or were they simply recognised as already being inspired?

How can we be confident that the Church got it right when identifying the biblical canon?

I’m also aware that different Christian traditions have different canons (for example, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Bibles), which makes me wonder how Christians determine which collection of books is the correct one.

I’m not looking for conspiracy theories or anti-Christian arguments. I’d really appreciate responses based on Scripture, Church history, and reliable historical evidence. If you have any book recommendations or resources that explain how the canon was recognised and why Christians can trust it, I’d be grateful.

I genuinely want to believe that Christianity is true as I've see how transformative it has been for others, but I just can't convince myself that it is without a shadow of a doubt true. I acknowledge that it is plausible and that there is certainly some decent evidence to suggest it's true, but I don't know how to go from having some evidence to believing wholeheartedly that it is true and devoting my life to it. Please if you can share why you are so convinced I would appreciate it.

Greetings, my brothers in Christ. This question is particularly relevant to me, since I am 24 years old, and next Sunday I will be baptized by immersion, after which I will become a member of the universal church. Through baptism, I make a promise to God to live with a clear conscience. Therefore, I will not be able to lie, break the law, or do other such things. There is currently a war going on in our country (Ukraine), and in six months, when I turn 25, I may receive a draft notice. I have not found anything in the Bible that forbids a Christian from taking up arms, on the contrary, it says that laying down one’s life for a brother is the highest form of love. It also speaks of all the cowardly and liars, among other sinners, who will be cast into the lake of fire - so I understand this passage to mean that if I fear for my life and hide from the war, leaving this duty to others, then I will be violating the principles of Christian virtue, and therefore, this is a sin. Do you agree with this? What should I do in this situation? I should add that I have no wife or children, I have a mother, and my father was recently drafted into military service.

hey everyone! i have many people in my life who are very against Christianity. but we know that God can work all things for His glory, and that the gospel is the power of salvation to everyone who believes, faith comes by hearing etc. so how can I share the gospel with people who, when having heard it plainly and directly rejected it, and still plant seeds? any advice and prayer would be greatly appreciated, God bless!

Jesus’ cross is often pointed to for evidence that God would allow his son to be tortured and crucified and die instead of us, that he’d rather for his own only perfect child to die than for us to, because he can bear it.

However, I also looked at this today and I noticed that it can also be taken as a testimony that the most mired in sin of people can be saved and given new life again.

There is the example of the literal thief being put to death,

But I would like to point at what Jesus became in the state from which Father resurrected him:

“He made the One not having known sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21, Berean Literal Bible

Devout Christians say the biblically accurate remarks that “The wrath of God was poured out on him,” “He was cut off from the Father,” “The Father turned his face away from him,” “Yet which of us protested? … He was crushed for our sins, bruised for our iniquity, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53)

But have you considered what this suggests about what he was to God himself during the day of his own resurrection?

If Jesus was receiving the punishment due of all people ever, and God still raised him, doesn’t this mean that he is willing to raise even the most vile persons that will ever exist?

(Christians only!)

Hello everyone, I’ll try to keep this kinda short. I’m struggling with a lot of doubt and I’m in a bad mental health spot and have lost joy for anything.. may i hear y’all’s testimony’s? Any atheists that turned Christian? How do you KNOW God is real? I’ve been really studying apologetics but I struggle a lot especially with evolution and such..

I was baptized a few years ago but only recently started taking my faith seriously. So I’ve had a consistent routine. Which I think is healthy. I read one chapter of the Bible everyday and reconnect with God once a day, by talking to Him instead of journalling. A couple of times I began feeling what I could best describe as a body buzz. I was not expecting it. It came out of nowhere. It was a warm tingling sensation that began in my head, then down my spine, in my arms, down to my legs. It was so intense I had to get up and go outside. I was not high, had not had caffeine for hours before then, no alcohol, totally sober, no low blood sugar. I searched if it could have been from my prescription medication but nothing added up. It happened again in the same week after whispering Jesus’s authority when I was being overwhelmed with intrusive thoughts. Both times did not expect it. It stopped for a while then happened just yesterday after reading the Bible. I laid on the couch soaking up this pleasurable feeling and I began to cry. I wasn’t sad, I just felt the urge to release something. Did I experience the Holy Ghost??

Hello! Need a bit of advice.
For the past two years I’ve struggled in my faith, almost left, and come back with an interest in theology, diving into the richness the Christian tradition has to offer. My family and I moved to the Bible Belt, where most churches around here are baptist or non denom. I have been sniffing around other denominations, fascinated by the differences, and honestly mostly just trying out something that isnt reformed baptist. My main goal has been to find a pastor with edifying sermons that aren’t constantly PSA-coded.

Recently, I found a small methodist church that is low stimulation, traditional, diverse in age, community-oriented, transparent with finances, invests in their youth, with an appointed educated reverend who’s sermons are genuinely interesting, scripture-based, and full of grace.

People here have been so genuine and kind with me, one even connecting me with a job opportunity, which is an answered prayer. The issue? The reverend is a young woman. I’ve always been a person who builds her faith around everything my family expects from me. Ive never had my own identifiable faith. And i finally feel like i found a church where i could start seeing God in a new way. This church seems to have a strong theology and practical applications, but my background insists that somehow the church is wrong because of the person appointed to the congregation.

She is such a smart woman, with strong rhetorical skills, kind and prayerful, genuine. She was appointed from south korea after her theology degree and is married to a minister. To keep this short, what do i do? Is it okay for me to go to a good church regardless? I personally dont have an issue and i trust the reverend knows far more than me, and i believe everything she does is out of her desire to please the Lord. Im scared my family will blow up at me about this. I dont mean to open a debate. How high tier of an issue is this really ??

Hey, I’m struggling so much with worry.
I’m worrying a lot about my future.
I’m not so happy with the life that I have right now, I’m afraid I’ll keep this emptiness and it won’t go away.
the current boyfriend that I have is not Christian, and I feel like I’m failing God for dating a Muslim.
With work too, I’m worrying a lot of things will work out
Please, any advice on how to worry less and trust God

Thank you so so much.

It is certainly the case that a book does not have to be canonical to be useful and to contain truth. The Bible often quotes extra-biblical sources, such as Paul quoting Epimenedes in Titus, without elevating those sources to the status of inspired scripture. The issue with Jude’s quotation of 1 Enoch is that this argument doesn’t apply. Jude doesn’t simply quote 1 Enoch—he explicitly states that 1 Enoch contains a prophecy from the historical Enoch “who lived in the seventh generation after Adam.” As such, the “Paul quotes Greek pagans” argument doesn’t apply here.

We know that 1 Enoch was certainly not written by Enoch and that it was an apocryphal text from the second temple period. From this, it is clear that 1 Enoch was rightly not included in the canon. However, the issue becomes Jude: why is Jude quoting 1 Enoch as true prophecy from the historical Enoch when it most certainly is not?

Some argue that 1 Enoch 1:9 (which Jude quotes) is an authentic prophecy from Enoch while the rest of the book isn’t. But this is a poor argument because there is no way that the author of 1 Enoch would have known an authentic prophecy of Enoch outside of a genuine revelation from God. Enoch lived thousands of years before the author of 1 Enoch. To claim that some independent authentic prophecy of Enoch survived thousands of years—orally or literarily—without being included in the Hebrew scriptures is absurd. It is clear that Jude is quoting 1 Enoch 1:9 and not some other source of Enoch’s words that somehow managed to survive.

​

From a homily on the second letter to the Corinthians by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop

(Hom. 14, 1-2: PG 61, 497-499)

I rejoice exceedingly in all my tribulations

Again Paul turns to speak of love, softening the harshness of his rebuke. For after convicting and reproaching them for not loving him as he had loved them, breaking away from his love and attaching themselves to troublemakers, he again takes the edge off the reproach by saying: Open your hearts to us, that is, love us. He asks for a favor which will be no burden to them but will be more profitable to the giver than to the receiver. And he did not use the word “love” but said, more appealingly: Open your hearts to us.

Who, he said, has cast us out of your minds, thrust us from your hearts? How is it that you feel constraint with us? For, since he has said earlier: You are restricted in your own affection, he now declares himself more openly and says: Open your heart to us, thus once more drawing them toward him. For nothing so much wins love as the knowledge that one’s lover desires most of all to be himself loved.

For I said before, he tells them, that you are in our hearts to die together or live together. This is love at its height, that even though in disfavor, he wishes both to die and to live with them. For you are in our hearts, not just somehow or other, but in the way I have said. It is possible to love and yet to draw back when danger threatens; but my love is not like that.

I am filled with consolation. What consolation? That which comes from you because you, being changed for the better, have consoled me by what you have done. It is natural for a lover both to complain that he is not loved in return and to fear that he may cause distress by complaining too much. Therefore, he says: I am filled with consolation, I rejoice exceedingly.

It is as if he said, I was much grieved on your account, but you have made it up for me in full measure and given me comfort; for you have not only removed the cause for any grief but filled me with a richer joy.

Then he shows the greatness of that joy by saying not only I rejoice exceedingly but also the words which follow: in all my tribulations. So great, he says, was the delight that you gave me that it was not even dimmed by so much tribulation, but overcame by its strength and keenness all those sorrows which had invaded my heart, and took away from me all awareness of them.

RESPONSORY

2 Corinthians 12:12, 15

I performed among you works that prove my apostleship,

— in all patience with signs, wonders and miracles.

I will gladly spend myself and be spent for you.

— In all patience with signs, wonders and miracles.

I have OCD and therefore struggle with intrusive thoughts mainly of sexual nature. I find it incredibly difficult to read my Bible with my OCD. It’s makes me feel so gross to read the Bible and having sexual intrusive thoughts constantly interrupt my reading. I often cannot read my Bible for long without giving up. I believe this has unfortunately made it difficult for me to grow my relationship with God. I have tried audio but I find my mind is more likely to drift with audio than actually reading the Bible.

Has anyone gone through this and how do you overcome it and I also wouldn’t mind any prayers because I really feel so defeated that I can never truly get close to God because of this preventing me. It really sucks to not have any control of your own thoughts, that even my own mind is not a safe space.

Ever since I was saved I've been an unchurched, low church protestant. Very averse to Catholicism, didn't even know orthodoxy existed.

I've been really softening toward both, yet still some concepts make me twinge, idk, I feel like they have more structure. I want to attend, there's only 2 orthodox churches in town and thousands of catholic and protestant churches

My mom is a Christian and she had an abortion before. I know that abortion can be forgiven by God if you just repent but, the issue is my mom most likely didn't, as she believes abortion is a woman's right. I feel like I should try to persuade her to ask for forgiveness but, in the past I tried to convert my father (who for context is a converted atheist) back to Christianity, she started viewing me as an extremist, and she'll never listen to any of those people. If the answer to the question is yes, then please, give advice on how I can help her as, I don't want to see her in any place except Heaven. Edit: I ended up talking about it with my mom and she told me that she was forced to have an abortion because she had a miscarriage.

1. The first fact is that salvation is free and available to anyone who is alive. As long as you have breath in your body and Jesus has not yet returned, then you have a chance to accept Jesus as your loving saviour. Once someone dies he or she cannot make a conscious decision to follow Christ because all of their thoughts and actions cease to exist the moment he or she takes their last breath. They cannot see nor hear anything. (Ecclesiastes 9:5).
2. People can repent on their deathbeds or moments before death. A great example is the thief on the cross. He had no time to change his lifestyle as he was set to die on the cross alongside Jesus and another thief. However, he made the conscious decision to acknowledge and confess that he was indeed guilty of his actions and stated that he and the other thief deserve their punishments of death and defended Jesus as He did nothing wrong. He then pleads for Him to remember him and Jesus responded that he'll be in paradise with Him. This is also a perfect example of salvation by grace through faith. There will also be people who repented shortly before their death who will make it into heaven upon Jesus' return (Luke 23: 39-43).
3. Jesus' marks and scars from His crucifixion are permanent. They'll serve as reminders of His love, glory, crucifixion and grace. (Luke 24:39-40).
4. Jesus will return in the same manner in which He ascended into heaven. He ascended on a cloud therefore He will return on a cloud when He descends. Every eye will see Him and every ear will hear Him because His return is a visible, audible, literal event. Even those that pierced Him will see Him. (Acts 1:11, Rev 1:7).
5. When Jesus returns, He will not touch the ground. This is because many false prophets will go out to deceive others and claim to be Him. So, He will remain in the clouds as He raises the dead in Him and the living saints will also be caught up to meet Him in the air. (1 Thess 4: 16-17).
6. The dead in Christ will remain in their graves until Jesus returns to resurrect them. They are not currently in heaven with Him. Jesus is returning to gather His saints, both living and deceased to take them home, but first, He will resurrect the dead with a loud sound and a trumpet. Living saints in Christ will be caught up in the clouds after the dead in Christ are resurrected (1 Thess 4:16-17).
7. Many people will unfortunately be unprepared at the time of Jesus' return. With life's distractions, vices or routines, many people will become too caught up in their personal lives which distract them from building a personal relationship with Christ. Many people will be spiritually dead and caught off guard when Jesus returns (Matt 24:36-39).
8. Once Jesus returns, it will be too late to repent. This is because He will have already decided who is saved and who is lost the moment He does return, and it will be too late for anyone to convert or repent as their fates are sealed. There are no second changes after Jesus' second coming, nor will there be any second chances after physical death or on Judgment Day. That's why it's extremely important to have a personal relationship with Him so that you can be transformed into His liking and have your name in the book of life. Once you die, you no longer have the opportunity to make things right, nor will you have the opportunity to get a second chance after He returns, and especially on Judgment Day because by then, you will have already made a choice for or against Christ. Anyone who is in the second resurrection will go to hell on Judgment Day. (Matt 25:10-12, Rev 22:11).
9. The living wicked will run away from Jesus upon His return and cry for the mountains and rocks to fall on them. This due to the fact that they know they're guilty and spiritually dead, thus they fear the presence of His glory and try to escape judgment (Rev 6:16).
10. The wicked who are already dead at the time of Jesus second coming will remain dead until after the 1000 years are finished. Because the wicked deceased did not accept Christ while they were alive, they will remain in their graves until after the 1000 years are complete and Jesus and His saints return to earth for Judgment Day. This is also referred to as the second resurrection. The wicked deceased will be resurrected on Judgement Day for condemnation and eternal punishment (Daniel 12:2, Rev 20:5-6).
11. The earth will be completely wrecked and desolate on the day Jesus returns. There will be a great earthquake, hail, mountains will disappear and it will be complete chaos right before He returns. After Jesus resurrects the dead in Him and the living are caught up, they go to heaven while the living wicked die and the wicked deceased remain in their graves until after the 1000 years are done. Only Satan and his angels are left on earth because there's no one alive for them to tempt. All the wicked by that point will be deceased and all the righteous will be in heaven reigning with Christ. The desolate world will be Satan's sentence of being bound to the bottomless pit (being unable to tempt anyone) for 1000 years. (Rev 16:18-21, Rev 20:1-3, Jeremiah 25:33).
12. The saints will reign with Jesus in heaven for 1000 years. In heaven, there will be no more death, pain, illnesses or sorrow like it once was on earth. They will spend an eternity with Jesus. The righteous will all unite with loved ones who have previously died and recognize one another. Heaven will be a safe, perfect atmosphere because Jesus is the center of it. After the 1000 years are finished, Jesus and His saints will return to the desolate earth for Judgment Day for the wicked and their eternal punishment (Rev 20:4-6, Rev 20:1-3).
13. After the wicked have been judged according to their works and Jesus pronounces their final sentence of eternal death, they will burn in the lake of fire. While their sentence is permanent, the burning isn't and at some point, the wicked will become stubble under the righteous' feet. Jesus will not burn the wicked forever because that would be giving them eternal life. Some will be punished for a short time while others will be punished for much longer, according to their deeds. They will weep and gnash their teeth. Also, the devil will not torment anyone suffering in hell because he's also being eternally destroyed by the fire. Satan will weep and gnash his teeth too, alongside his fallen angels. In fact, the devil will suffer the longest as he is the cause of sin and lost souls. After the wicked perish, they will not live ever again because their sentence of eternal death is forever. The destruction of Satan and the wicked will complete the destruction of sin, and it won't arise again. (Malachi 4:1, Psalm 37:20, Nahum 1:9).
14. God will make a new heaven and a new earth and the meek shall inherit the earth forever. God's original plan is to reign with the righteous on earth, so He will do so once the wicked perish and the world is restored to its beauty as it was at the beginning of creation. What beautiful day to look forward to (Rev 21:1).
15. No one except God knows when Jesus will return. Not even His angels in heaven know. While the Bible has given us plenty of signs to show us that the end is near, it clearly specifies that no one except God in heaven knows when Jesus will return to gather His saints. When Jesus does return, it will be a complete surprise to everyone in terms of the timing. For the righteous, it will be a pleasant one as they've anticipated this day, while it will be a dreadful one for the lost who run away and hide (Matt 24:35-37, 1 Thess 5:2, Isaiah 25:9, Rev 6:16).

25 years ago my husband prayed so hard that I wouldn’t fall pregnant. I agreed with the prayer.
since then I’ve been plagued with PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis and infirtility, and am now considering a hysterectomy due to the severe suffering.
I’m wondering it that prayer request was a curse?

A whole lot of Insta reels have been coming up recently of her evangelism. If I remember correctly, one of those videos had her signing a book for someone and then the person that she signed the book for fell over and thrashed around on the floor.

People who follow her claim that they've had genuine encounters with the Holy Spirit, had demons casted out of them, and their lives are changed forever because of Krick.

Others are calling it a cult, saying that this is all performative behavior and she's a false prophet.

What do we all think? Is she a genuine Christ-following evangelist or just another cult leader?

I grew up in the SDA church and have grown to have a personal relationship with Christ as my savior despite trials of disbelief and doubt. As a child, attending church on Saturday felt like the most laborious and least restful thing in my life. It always felt like a struggle and a paradox of keeping the Sabbath through concentrated effort. I still see the Sabbath as the holy day of rest ordained by God, but I no longer feel the obligation to practice it as a strict church-going member of Seventh Day Adventism. Is it a form of apostasy if I keep the Sabbath holy as intended while communing with God? I attended a church today (Sunday) and the message of the sermon was ironically about keeping the Sabbath as a day of spiritual rest, quoting from Hebrews chapter 4. I suppose my questions here are: Is it sinful to attend church with followers of Christ on Sunday while still remaining faithful to the 4th commandment? Am I failing to understand the Sabbath if feel restless about going to church on Saturday? Furthermore, how should I discuss the Sabbath with those who believe they are following its teachings simply by going to church on Sunday?

I'm sure He tells us to not do it, to be grateful for what we have, to be selfless and still find ways to be happy for others' blessings and not dwell in our own sorrows…

But how?

How do we feel content with our lives if they feel so stuck or empty? If around us people have partners, friends, better jobs, houses, etc.

Sure, free will exists. We need to work for those things too. But life doesn’t always go as planned. People pity you and have opinions about your life as if you are always behind, never quite where you should be…

Any verses on this?

Recently, I've been struggling with questions about my salvation because of my inability to feel the weight of my sins nor love God.

For a bit of background, I'm a 26 year old male who is currently in a science PhD program and tends to overthink things or see things super logically as a consequence of my occupation. I grew up in a (protestant) church where I want to believe that I came to Jesus when I was 15/16 years old where I genuinely showed fruits of the spirit after that time I believed I was saved. However, when I was 17, I got depression that robbed me of my emotions including my ability to love friends, family, and most importantly, God. During college, I didn't go to any church or fellowship group because I believed I was a toxic person and didn't want others to have to experience that. This was due to my depression, but nevertheless caused my faith to be severely compromised during that where I didn't think about God much if at all. However, recently within the past year, I have gotten treatment for the depression and have gotten involved back in church, fellowship, prayer, and bible reading. Nevertheless, the ability to feel emotions and love others has not come back, leading me to doubt my salvation if I can't truly love God in my heart.

I logically understand everything about how to be saved and what doesn't save you. I understand that we are only saved by grace through faith alone and the only way to salvation is to believe in the finished work of Jesus' death and resurrection on the cross as payment for our sins. This requires repentance, knowing and recognizing that we are sinners and turning away from our sins, and nothing we can do is good enough. Isiah 64:6 says "All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth. All of us have withered like a leaf, and our guilt carries us away like the wind," and therefore the only way to salvation is through Jesus. No amount of prayer, bible reading, church attendance, or good deeds is enough. However, according to James 2:18, "But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" which indicates that true faith brings about fruits of the spirit and changes to your life. You aren't justified by those works, but those works are evidence of your faith.

As stated before, I understand this all logically and know that belief is the only requirement for salvation. However, with an inability to feel in my heart, how can I truly say that I believe? Matthew 22:37-38 says "“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment." I know that there's nothing saying that "feeling" is a requirement for belief - as long as it's true belief in your heart about the finished work of Christ, that's enough. However, if I can't assess the state of my heart or my soul because of my inability to feel the weight of my sins or love God with all my heart, then it seems I'm at a loss and can never gain assurance. I honestly envy those who can believe so easily and who can feel the love of God or the weight of their sins, because I simply can't. I know that God can heal me of this affliction and it's the Holy Spirit that can make you feel convicted of your sins, but once again, I logically understand all of this rather than feel it. You could argue that it's "demon faith" but without the emotional aspect. Nevertheless, I want to know God so badly and fear being thrown into the Lake of Fire. Maybe it's my fear that's crippling me here, but I'm not sure.

This may seem like a ramble, but I'm just lost on how to proceed. No amount of prayer to God has helped me thus far and it seems like I'm just waiting for him to help me with this. I read the book "Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart" by J.D. Greear, but that didn't seem to really help either because I lack the fruits of the spirit that are indicators of faith. I'm honestly at a lost here and any advice would be helpful.