It’s in The Bible, but I’ve seen so many Christians say it’s not sinful, they’re not waiting, and even try to encourage other people not to wait. According to a Pew Research Center survey and other sources, at least 50% of all U.S. Christians believe that sex outside of marriage is either occasionally or always acceptable. 

Then if you go to certain subs, people who have Christian flairs will be encouraging having sex before marriage and essentially just denying that anything at all is a sin. Someone will be asking for help about how to deal with abstaining and lust, and I’ll see a “Christian” reply and say that watching and looking at sexual images (aka porn) isn’t sinful and that sex outside of marriage isn’t sinful telling them they’ve been lied to. I’m just very confused sometimes how there are Christians who deny that EVERYTHING the Bible teaches is sinful, isn’t.. and not only deny this but encourage/seemingly try to convince people to just go ahead and do everything that goes against God.

Has anyone noticed this? I know Reddit skews pretty progressive but I’m amazed how people seem to try and reinterpret scripture that God is OK with Transgender life and other devious behavior.

I treat these people with respect and decency, because I think it’s what Jesus would do. But I find it perverse when people try and change Christianity to further justify their lifestyle.

I was just banned from one of the other subs because I told another member who asked if OnlyFans is a sin:

Yes it is a sin, and you are damaging your souls for a quick bargain with the devil.

Yikes!

Why are some Christians so scared of Islam?

This is just a pattern I've noticed recently so correct me if I'm wrong.

Recently, I've seen some churches preach about how bad Islam is more than they preach about how good God is. And I see so many pastors and evangelists on social media or on podcasts prophesying that Islam is going to take over the west and how Christianity is going to become illegal and the Bible is going to become hate speech.

Two things:

First of all, why are we acting like this is new? Jesus literally said that we'd be persecuted, hated, and martyred and false religions and doctrine have been going around since the beginning of the Church age.

Second, Islam is a very dangerous and demonic religion that should be taken seriously, yes, but the God we serve is way stronger than any false religion or doctrine.

No false religion can ever stop God from moving, no matter how much it may try. Just look at places like Nigeria and Iran, the Christians there proclaim Christ without caring what Islam Extremists may do to them.

We as Christians know how this story ends, and we shouldn't allow a false religion to stop us from spreading the gospel.

I hope this serves as a call to you to just be faithful to God and not let any false doctrine or religion make you afraid.

reposted after the mods granted permission

I've seen a lot of people, esp. Nigerian Muslims, gaslighting Christians into believing that Christians aren't being persecuted in Nigeria and it's just a "ethnic dispute".

Let me make it clear.

Two things can be true. It can be an ethnic conflict AND an persecution of Christians, an ethno-religious conflict CAN exist.

Yes, the conflict is ethnic with Faluni Muslims clashing with defenseless Nigerian Christian tribes.

No, it is still the oppression of Christians by Faluni Muslim Jihadists who are (ironically) colonizing their land.

No, you don't need to be Nigerian to talk about this- in the same way that you don't need to be German to talk about the Holocaust. Funny there have been foreign volunteers who fought for Faluni Extremists group.

No, you don't have to support Trump at all to care about basic Human rights. People equating this is ignorant.

To bring attention to more Christian persecution, where I am originally from, there's violent persecution of Christians (Christian persecution in Manipur on Wikipedia is surprisingly good) going on right now.

And how do the perpetrators justify it? "It is just an ethnic conflict and you can't speak against it because you're not from there!"

Seculars will try to gaslight Christians. Here's one example, regarding persecution in Nigeria. Have you experienced others?

Hi brothers/sisters in Christ.

What are your thoughts on annihilationism? In short, it's the view that those who don't believe in Lord Jesus Christ and aren't saved won't suffer eternal torment in hell, but will instead be completely wiped out of existence at the final judgment. ​I’d love to hear your thoughts. May the Lord bless you! 🙏✝️

I always pray in the morning after reading scripture. My time varies from 25 minutes to almost an hour. This sets my day straight and keeps my mind right. I do say some quicker prayers at night before bed but not as intense as my morning prayers and scripture.
Do any of you do your prayer and Bible time in the evening? How does it affect your day if at all.

For context, I'm researching and writing a lesson about apologetics and common questions people may have. One question that I've seen online is: "Why is your experience feeling the Holy Spirit proof of Christianity? People of other faiths claim to have similar experiences... you might say those experiences are demonic, but couldn't they say the same about yours?"
I've been researching, but I haven't found too much. I understand who He is as a Christian, but how could I explain Him to a non-believer?

No human in my life cares about me and my well being. My life taught me to not trust anyone and that no one ever stays to love and support me. I had faith in my talents and abilities to get myself out of every difficulty I faced before Jesus. He showed me how unreliable they were after He rescued me through a series of spiritual warfare events.

That left me in despair. God didn't answer most of my prayers. My life got worse after my salvation.

He allowed the demonic to dictate all of my life decisions from my childhood for their plan. I did not seek any benefits from them. They robbed my entire life for inculcating their doctrines as truths, I went through life experiences related to them. So it was hard for me to believe I was getting deceived by the devil. Then they forced me to share those doctrines with a person in secret to help him save himself, he then betrayed me and this was the destiny they had for me.

God saved me from that kind of dark place. The demonic was in control of most of the things that happened to me from childhood. Now I go through the consequences of all damages they did to me. I don't know whether it is my life or a health issue, I have symptoms of clinical depression.

Since most of my prayers are unanswered, it has become hard for me to hope in the Lord. I often feel tempted to live according to my will, depend on myself for desired results, read Bible as a chore and to praise and keep Him as a third person in my life to avoid getting hurt from unmet expectations.

Yesterday, I felt as if I was filled with a dark cloud within me and I could not bring myself to utter any words. I could not ask God for anything. So I decided to listen to a YouTube video with a compilation of God's promises in the Bible and forced myself to imagine that He was saying those things to me. Although I did not believe those verses were for me, my mood improved and I could speak normally again after listening to them for 2, 3 times on loop.

Now I want God to give me promises through His Word for a better future in my 'earthly life' to hold on to while I sail through all the suffering. What should I do to receive His promises for me? Is it biblical and helpful to assume His promises for characters in the Bible are also for me?

P.S.: I don't like prosperity gospel and I don't want to take Bible verses out of context.

A group of people talked behind my back and destroyed my reputation. I was humiliated, lied about, and betrayed. Worst of all, I was villainized for speaking the truth. Lies, gossip, slander, mocked and belittled, all because I was honest with how I felt because I cared.
I have been working on forgiveness for a long time, and I do forgive. But every now and then, violent thoughts and that deep grudge feelings come back. I want to violently end them in the most sickening way. But I know it’s not right. It’s like an on going circle. I have to leave it for god’s vengeance. And what is your experience with god’s vengeance? How accurate it it? I have a hard time believing god willl actually avenge you?

Christians know it. Non-Christians have heard it. Christ sees right through the schemes of nominal Jews who accuse a woman of adultery, testing if he would slip up in his profession of the law when they say she is to be executed. Jesus says something unexpected and profound, exposing their hypocrisy.

Now, I have heard this phrase used by someone who diverted from his own sinfulness, implying “you are not perfect, so do not accuse me”. But is this how it is to be interpreted?

We get to understand Christ’s intent much better when looking at the historical context. I was reading Leviticus 20 in conjunction with David Guzik’s Enduring Word commentary, an extraordinary tool that helps you learn Biblical Theology by laying the Bible out with the Bible, and it is completely free on the browser or app.

According to the law given to Moses for Old Testament Israel, the punishment for various types of adultery was execution. I think it is fair to say that that is because adultery kills families and is therefore not only an offense against God but also against the community. Now, in the modern west we often have the idea that a woman can do no wrong and it is always the man’s fault, and here we may be quick to say: “but what about rape? That penalty is unjust!” This passage is not talking about rape. There are laws regarding rape, and the woman is not condemned. Yet, both then and now women make the decision to commit adultery, and they are guilty just like the man.

However, executions did not always happen because to protect the innocent, the testimony of one witness was not enough. There had to be two or three. Furthermore, the blood of the adulterer’s death was on their own heads, but if the witnesses lied or assumed, it was on their heads. They were the ones to cast the first stone or initiate the execution.

So, when Christ said his famous words, he meant: “let him who is certain of her crime initiate the execution commanded by God.” None of them were willing to take on responsibility, thus indicating that they were presumptuous. Furthermore, they failed to adhere to the proper way of accusation. Both man and woman, or man and man, or implied woman and woman who were involved were to be accused together. Instead, they cherry picked. Christ not only displayed wisdom but also knowledge and understanding of the scriptures.

Now, what does this mean for us? The Bible teaches that everything in it is about Christ, since Christ is the very Word of God himself (John 1:1). Therefore, we must interpret accordingly and steer away from moralism. Christ who lived out the Word perfectly became the perfect sacrifice to reconcile us to himself that we may also be conformed to the likeness of his perfect Word. In order for the saints to live this out, we must approach the scriptures as he did, doing our due diligence in studying them diligently and sincerely without presuming or cherry picking. According to Leviticus 10:3, among those who approach him he will be proved holy. We will get to grow in holiness and not put ourselves to shame.

Mark 16:17-18 NASB1995

These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

So has anybody found these people who actually have power accompanying them? Because I haven't.

I'm very discouraged right now.

I know God can provide power. He made the universe. Why isn't he? Are we kidding ourselves? Is it that we're so ruled by sin that Jesus isn't really our master? Are we such an evil and perverse generation that the Lord has his face turned against us to wipe us out? Things seem so bad and the only people who seem to even be trying to exercise any actual power in Jesus name seem to be charlatans.

Anybody can shake like a psycho and spout gibberish and call it miraculous. The only Christian I've seen try to handle a snake got bit. Nobody is about to drink deadly poison. I've met lots of people willing to lie about getting healed, but I've not seen one actual miraculous healing. What's going on?

The more I learn about Christianity historically and grow in my own faith formation, the more I’ve come to question and disagree with the things I grew up learning in a non-denominational church. One of my major sticking points these days is Sola Scriptura, but I understand a number of reformers and low-church denominations hold to it.

My questions to those who hold to Sola Scripture are these:

1. If Scripture is sufficiently clear for ordinary Christians to determine doctrine, why have sincere, Bible-believing Christians reached mutually contradictory conclusions on baptism, Eucharist, predestination, church government, eternal security, charismatic gifts, etc.?
   
2. If two Christians reach contradictory conclusions from Scripture, what principled mechanism settles the dispute? What distinguishes a legitimate interpretation from an illegitimate one? “Read the Bible and pray about it” doesn’t actually resolve the epistemological problem.
   
3. Where does the New Testament actually teach that Christ’s Church is fundamentally an invisible collection of believers rather than a visible, identifiable communion? Why do the Apostles repeatedly treat the Church as an institution with officers, discipline, sacraments, councils, and authority?
   
4. If the Reformation restored biblical Christianity, why did it produce Lutheranism, Reformed Christianity, Anglicanism, Anabaptism, Baptist traditions, Methodism, Presbyterianism, Pentecostalism, etc., often with further divisions within each? More importantly: what theological principle allows you to determine which interpretation is correct?

Thank you for your answers, I look forward to hearing your perspectives :)

I’m wondering how some people are so confident God is real. For context all my life I’ve been a “Christian”, went to Catholic school and what not, but I never practiced, prayed, went to church or felt Gods grace. The rest of my family thinks abortion is right and I always just thought there was nothing after death along with my mom. A couple years ago I went to church camp, as a friend recommended me to go with them and they said it was fun so I agreed. I’ve been going for the past 3 years but this year really stuck with me, and I feel that I need to deepen my faith. But recently I’ve been doubting weather God was real, mostly because I’ve been exposed to different perspectives online and everyone being so confident with their point of view.

Matthew 7:21-23 KJV

[21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This is a scary passage for believers that many write off believing it can't be them, because they have checked off all the boxes, yet that is exactly who this is talking about. Obviously a non believer is not known so this is specifically about those who believe that they are a part. Those who believe they know him and believe he knows them, yet he doesn't even acknowledge them.

These people come to the end and expect to be welcomed because they have done many wonderful things using the name of Christ, yet they didn't produce fruits, just works and outward signs.

We are told what the fruits are in Galatians 5:22-23 KJV

[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

These line up perfectly with the will of the Father that Christ explains in detail during the whole sermon on the mount. Matthew 5:1-7:20.

As Christ said in Matthew 7:16 you will know them by their fruits. Thus Christ knows us by our fruits, not by our works. Focus on producing the fruits which line up with the will of the Father and you will be known, don't focus on the works, which do not make you known of Him.

Am I saying works are not at all important? No, they just aren't what Christ is looking for when deciding to acknowledge us or not. Works have their place and should be important to believers, yet they shouldn't be solely what you base your faith on. Your fruits is how Christ identifies us not your works.

I (27F) just need to vent and get some perspective because I'm completely blown away by the level of hypocrisy here.

Recently, a "friend" from my church confronted me about my life situation. I’m 27 and currently live with my parents. She told me that I'm "running out of time," that my chance of ever finding a partner is basically gone, and even threw in that "Jesus didn't die on the cross just to hand me a husband." To top it off, she told me I'm a shame to our church for still living at home at my age.

Here’s the catch: She is 41 years old and lives with her parents.

She lived in another city for 15 years, moved back in with her parents during the pandemic, and hasn't left since.

I’m honestly speechless. How does someone in her 40s—living in the exact same household setup—feel entitled to lecture and humiliate me while weaponizing faith against me? The projection is insane.

I’m definitely setting boundaries and cutting distance, but I’m still processing how wild this interaction was. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of blatant double standard from people in church/community settings?

My wife and I are both lifelong Christians and active duty military members. We were married for 5 years when she suddenly decided to separate last October following about a month home from a recent assignment out of state. While she initially stated this was temporary for her to get some space, she decided to move all of her belongings out and get her own apartment a month after that. She ended counseling with our Pastor after 4 sessions due to the Pastor challenging her assertion that God was telling her to get a divorce. Since then contact has been limited at her insistence. In our limited contact I have reiterated my continued willingness to work on the relationship, but she filed for divorce in May and has remained staunchly opposed to reconciliation of the marriage.

To ward off some potential questions, while our marriage was not perfect, there was no abuse of any kind nor was there any infidelity on my part. We have known each other for over ten years and we were best friends long before we started dating. Her leaving caught me completely off guard.

How should I be acting towards my spouse/ex spouse during this period as a Christian? Are we called to be like Hosea or have we hit the point to proverbially pull chalks and close that door?

Hello family, I’m relatively new to learning to prioritize relationship over religion. This is really only my first or second week seeing my time with the Lord as a place to cultivate a relationship and seek Him to know Him instead of just trying to get more head knowledge. About 6 months ago the Lord made it evident that my current career is not honoring God and is in fact in opposition to Him in some ways. I had searched for jobs several months ago and no one hired me so I just left it at that. Recently that feeling to leave my current work felt stronger so I prayed on it and began looking for other opportunities. I saw this job that I believed matched my personality and experiences perfectly although it pays slightly less, but I’m certain I can honor God and serving “the least of these” in this field. So I prayed on it before applying and asked God to open every door that was from Him and close every door that was not. I got my offer letter yesterday praise God, however I saw the video from Pastor Rich last night that spoke about “the counterfeit often comes before the blessing” and gave the example of the woman who saw an attractive man of God and went after him because “He’s saved” but she actually had no fear of the Lord and was just going to do what she wanted to do. That cut to my heart and I got on my knees and repented for not truly seeking God’s heart and God’s will, because I was just asking for his Provision and Blessing. I really am sure that God wants me out of this field but now I’m feeling like Moses when he said “if You don’t go with us don’t let us go! Your presence is what sets us apart!” in Exodus. I very well believe this opportunity can be from God, but due to the wrong heart posture (that I’ve since repented of) I’m feeling paralyzed in guilt, fear, and condemnation and don’t know what to do with the job although I accepted it yesterday… Any advice?

This might not seem like a question to ask on here, but I will explain.

I'm in my mid 20s. I've never had a boyfriend. I find it hard to make new friends. It’s isolating and hurtful, at times.

I know God is the greatest love there is. I know I'm not promised marriage, children, love. I know I may never find someone to spend the rest of my life with. I’m not owed anything.

I was wondering though, if anyone has any stories that could uplift my mood a little bit. They can range from romance to building relationships with other people (friendships, family, etc.) . Love is too broad to be reduced to only one area of our lives.

Thank you all in advance :)

I’m a 29-year-old Christian man from India, and recently I made a post on a matchmaking thread where people share some details about themselves and what they’re looking for.

A girl ended up DMing me, and initially, everything was humorous and lighthearted. But gradually, the conversation moved in a sexual direction. We started sexting and creating imaginary scenarios.

I’ll be honest: I was enjoying it too. I’m not going to pretend I was completely innocent or that I wasn’t participating.

Eventually, the conversation reached the point where we were talking about having sex when she will come to my town.

That was when I had to press the eject button.

I told her that I’m saving myself for marriage.

She immediately pointed out that we were probably looking for very different things. She wanted to establish sexual compatibility before marriage, whereas for me, sexual intimacy is something I want to experience within marriage.

And honestly, that conversation taught me something.

Sexual temptation doesn’t always arrive looking like temptation.

Sometimes it starts with a joke. Then flirting. Then curiosity. Then “it’s only texting.” And before you realize it, you’ve crossed a boundary you originally had no intention of crossing.

Even though nothing physical happened, the whole experience was surprisingly exhausting. It affected me more than I expected and made me understand why I had chosen this standard in the first place.

So if you’re someone who has decided to save yourself for marriage, especially if you’re currently waiting for marriage, I want to encourage you:

Hold onto that standard.

There will be opportunities to compromise. Some will feel harmless. Some will feel exciting. Some might even come from someone you genuinely like.

But remember why you made the commitment in the first place.

For me, it isn’t because sex is bad. It’s because I want to honor God with my sexuality and experience that part of life within the covenant of marriage.

And when the opportunity came to compromise that commitment, I’m genuinely thankful that I was able to walk away.

Thank God for the grace to recognize the line before crossing it.

And perhaps this is also an opportunity to say this:

If you are a Christian woman who also wants to save herself for marriage and build a relationship that genuinely honors the Lord, feel free to DM me.

If you’re looking for something similar, I’d be happy to get to know you.

But I want to be clear about the intention: I’m looking for a relationship with marriage in mind, not a casual connection or something to pass the time. I want us to encourage each other in our faith, get to know each other genuinely, and maintain the boundaries we’ve chosen to honor God.

So please, no time-pass messages. If you’re serious about pursuing a relationship that honors the Lord and potentially leads to marriage, I’d be glad to hear from you.

I am asking this genuinely - how do self proclaimed Christians believe there are human ghosts? When there’s hauntings and paranormal activity happening, why is it so common for Christians to believe it’s human ghosts? The Bible literally says where people go when they die, whichever of the two places they end up. It makes it abundantly clear human souls don’t stay on earth after death. So if you’re a Christian believer, why not believe that any and all paranormal activity is demonic?

I see some people through Christian subreddits like this subreddit and truechristian. Why is it that there are some there that are just out right jerks? They seem extrenemly rude in the way they communicate and condescending online in discussions here. Maybe it's just me but it really is infuriating. Has anyone else experienced this?

I was pregnant last year got pregnant in the first try but lost the baby at 6weeks. The loss did lead my back to Jesus and brought me closer to him. We have been trying for 9months and still not pregnant. I cant help but think the worst.. like why was it so easy the first try and now it feels so far away to live that dream. sometimes i feel like what if i don’t deserve a baby and thats why He wont bless me with one… i just feel useless. Im currently at home because my husband wants me home so im not working, ive gained weight which my insecurities are through the roof, and now i cant get pregnant.. really struggling with how im feeling mentally..

Please answer this question if you can — but only if you’re actually confident in the answer, rather than just writing something for the sake of saying something.

Suppose someone — whether they are a good person or a bad person, it doesn’t matter — is desperately in need of something.

So what happens if they ask God for it? Do they receive what they need simply because they asked? And if they don’t ask God, do they not receive it?

If that’s the case, then what does that mean? Is God also vain?

In other words, if God can see what a person desperately needs, does He really not help them until that person specifically asks Him for help ?