Can you choose God?

  • Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.

    You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Taken

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Encounter Team
Feb 6, 2018
24,556
12,970
113
United States
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
I tend to think that believing is faith + works

Faith is a Gift from God.

God does not Gift you Works.

Works are a Service.

Only a Saved and Born Again man CAN perform Works that glorify Gods Name.

Such a Saved and Born Again man WHO DOES perform Works that glorify Gods Name;
Such a man shall be rewarded.

ANY Works performed by a SAVED and BORN again man not acceptable TO God......
AND all works of an Unsaved man...
Those Works SHALL BE Burned.

I think you confuse...belief with works.
Faithfulness is required to perform Acceptable Works unto God.

God Bless,
Taken
 
  • Like
Reactions: Reggie Belafonte

Taken

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Encounter Team
Feb 6, 2018
24,556
12,970
113
United States
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
I tend to think that believing is faith + works

Adding reasoning...

Faith is (a gift of God) given TO EVERYONE hearing the word of God.

A man CAN NOT do acceptable Works TO glorify Gods Name........UNTIL that man is made WHOLE......crucified, saved, born again.

Many men Believe & Have faith......
BUT have NOT YET become made WHOLE.
(Ie they have NOT YET surrendered their LIFE TO the Lord).

UNTIL they DO....They are STILL dead in their flesh. God is a God of the LIVING.

Dead men can NOT do acceptable WORKS in Service to God.

Making a simple statement of believing is faith + works....Leaves a possibility for a man NOT saved and born again, dead in their flesh....to do works FOR God, acceptable to Him.... Not possible.

Just saying. The Lord gives us the WHOLE Truth, and it is the WHOLE true He desires us to tell others.
This is an open forum. We know not who is listening. A babe searching for the TRUTH, receiving not the whole TRUTH, will be left without the whole Truth.

God Bless,
Taken
 

Miss Hepburn

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2009
1,674
1,333
113
USA
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
We are born with disbelief? News to me...children believe anything you tell them...full of wonder and a hunger to 'see' ...what many can not as adults blocked by their
logical, intellectual minds.

Belief is key, yes..then that leads to direct experience..no need for some kind of blind faith any longer, guys...this is something left out of many conversations.
Direct revelation trumps simple belief everytime. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: aspen

Miss Hepburn

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2009
1,674
1,333
113
USA
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
i was born not being aware of many things in this world...but i do not call it disbelief, per se...i was very open as are most children..so i would say it differently than you do...i was open and ready to believe.

Unaware would be diff to me than saying born with disbelief.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GodsGrace

Taken

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Encounter Team
Feb 6, 2018
24,556
12,970
113
United States
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
i was born not being aware of many things in this world...but i do not call it disbelief, per se...i was very open as are most children..so i would say it differently than you do...i was open and ready to believe.

Unaware would be diff to me than saying born with disbelief.

Semantics.
We are born in sin, not believing in God.

God Bless,
Taken
 

Miss Hepburn

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2009
1,674
1,333
113
USA
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Semantics.
We are born in sin, not believing in God.
God Bless,
Taken
Yes semantics...I was born unaware of a million things...and then I learned.
I don't call it sin or not believing in something...i simply did not know that each day it would get dark and then later this big warm thing would light up everything...but I learned.
I was a new creature in this new world. Is that sin to not know being so new here?

Later, I became aware of a Presence...It was everywhere, all around me and in me.
In my play pen on the kitchen floor not yet able to stand, under 2 yrs old big time...I saw everything as interconnected...and floating...this thing (the refridgerator, haha and then this washer thing floating as I tilted my head trying to understand what I was seeing..I had not grasped gravity yet)..so they seemed to float as I looked at them with my head tilted in absolute wonder of these big 'things'..my discovery of this place I was
was slow.
I digressed, I know...to my early years.

I became aware of a 'nice' Presence early on...I will say 'protective'...from my little brain's perspective.
Was i born aware of God..I cant remember.
I know people have gone to Primal Scream Therapy and Rebirthing and actually remember their birth...I have not done those.
But, early on I knew there was 'something'.
As I got older with no Bible around, no church...I became aware of something
actually Holy.
It wasnt until decades later I thought, oh this must be this Holy Spirit Christians talk of...
Yes..a Holy Spirit...yes...living and breathing in things around me...and so so so
Holy.

Hmm, should I delete this little story about my childhood...probably...but, who knows maybe it will trigger a memory of someone's childhood when they felt similar things at a very early age..and felt a warm vibration in their chest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GodsGrace

Reggie Belafonte

Well-Known Member
Mar 16, 2018
5,866
2,918
113
63
Brisbane
Faith
Christian
Country
Australia
I seek for the Lord for years, but it was He who found me.
It hit me some what like it did with Saul.
I had faith, a water baptised Christian believer, but when this happened to me I was full of faith and knew Jesus.
Jesus came to me.
I was seeking Jesus for 37 years going to church and all, but no man truly could be said led me to Jesus themselves.
They may of helped in a way sure, but no man will make you born again, only Jesus Christ himself can do that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miss Hepburn

Miss Hepburn

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2009
1,674
1,333
113
USA
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
I seek for the Lord for years, but it was He who found me.
...but when rhis happened to me I was full of faith and knew Jesus.
! ! Thank you thank you :)
Yes! I know! Like Saul on the road.
You pray and study, you research and seek, you contemplate and meditate,
you surrender and give...and then in one moment He can lift you to a place of pure
radiant transcendence and you suddenly know.
 
Last edited:

GodsGrace

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2017
10,727
5,716
113
Tuscany
Faith
Christian
Country
Italy
Yes semantics...I was born unaware of a million things...and then I learned.
I don't call it sin or not believing in something...i simply did not know that each day it would get dark and then later this big warm thing would light up everything...but I learned.
I was a new creature in this new world. Is that sin to not know being so new here?

Later, I became aware of a Presence...It was everywhere, all around me and in me.
In my play pen on the kitchen floor not yet able to stand, under 2 yrs old big time...I saw everything as interconnected...and floating...this thing (the refridgerator, haha and then this washer thing floating as I tilted my head trying to understand what I was seeing..I had not grasped gravity yet)..so they seemed to float as I looked at them with my head tilted in absolute wonder of these big 'things'..my discovery of this place I was
was slow.
I digressed, I know...to my early years.

I became aware of a 'nice' Presence early on...I will say 'protective'...from my little brain's perspective.
Was i born aware of God..I cant remember.
I know people have gone to Primal Scream Therapy and Rebirthing and actually remember their birth...I have not done those.
But, early on I knew there was 'something'.
As I got older with no Bible around, no church...I became aware of something
actually Holy.
It wasnt until decades later I thought, oh this must be this Holy Spirit Christians talk of...
Yes..a Holy Spirit...yes...living and breathing in things around me...and so so so
Holy.

Hmm, should I delete this little story about my childhood...probably...but, who knows maybe it will trigger a memory of someone's childhood when they felt similar things at a very early age..and felt a warm vibration in their chest.
I agree with what you said about children. I taught our faith to children and you could always tell which ones came from a home that worshipped God and which ones didn't.

We are born in sin, yes, but we are also born unaware, as you said.
I've had a similar experience but I was older, about 10. I feel like God has always been a part of my life but I didn't really understand anything till I was born again at the age of about 28. Everything became real after that.
 

pastorjagan

Member
May 25, 2015
49
48
18
CHANDIGARH
Faith
Christian
Country
India
According to me that we have no choice to chose God because the Word of God is saying that He has chosen us before foundation of the World Eph.1:4 and He has chosen us John 15:16
 

Taken

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Encounter Team
Feb 6, 2018
24,556
12,970
113
United States
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
According to me that we have no choice to chose God because the Word of God is saying that He has chosen us before foundation of the World Eph.1:4 and He has chosen us John 15:16

The point IS, two parties are involved in the choosing, and each must CHOOSE the other, before both are in Agreement.

Yes, MEN DO have to decide to choose God, before His gift of Salvation and spirit Quickening is efected.

1 Thes 1:4
Knowing, brethren beloved,
YOUR ELECTION of God.

God Bless,
Taken