I have been conflicted and terrified lately, because I'm afraid
that I am not saved. I haven't yet finished reading the Bible,
so I was hoping that someone who has a more complete understanding of it could
possibly quell some of my fear, or at least some of my confusion.
What I'm unsure of is the manner in which one is saved.
There were two conflicting ideas based on scripture which seem plausible.
One: By believing that Jesus Christ is our salvation, and by aligning ourselves to Him and trying to do good, His sacrifice negates our sins, present and future, even those sins which in life
we were too weak/too unwilling to stop ourselves from committing.
Two: Jesus Christ's sacrifice negates our PAST sins. Meaning in order
to be saved, we must fully rid ourselves of sin going forward. In this case
any sin which we continue to commit places us under condemnation
until we stop committing it.
If the latter is the case, I'm afraid, because I don't know of anybody, aside from perhaps a handful of Christians that are saved. Especially because of the verse James 4:17
"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
There are so many things that are good that I fail to do. To truly live up to this
I'd need to be fully possessed by the spirit of God, giving everything to God,
in every moment, in action, not just as a thought, in the same way that Jesus did.
How can I bear the weight of this responsibility? How can I hope to be saved?
Please give me your thoughts on this subject.
Also, if I may ask, please pray for me so that I may be given the courage to not shrink back into destruction.
I will pray for all of you as well.
that I am not saved. I haven't yet finished reading the Bible,
so I was hoping that someone who has a more complete understanding of it could
possibly quell some of my fear, or at least some of my confusion.
What I'm unsure of is the manner in which one is saved.
There were two conflicting ideas based on scripture which seem plausible.
One: By believing that Jesus Christ is our salvation, and by aligning ourselves to Him and trying to do good, His sacrifice negates our sins, present and future, even those sins which in life
we were too weak/too unwilling to stop ourselves from committing.
Two: Jesus Christ's sacrifice negates our PAST sins. Meaning in order
to be saved, we must fully rid ourselves of sin going forward. In this case
any sin which we continue to commit places us under condemnation
until we stop committing it.
If the latter is the case, I'm afraid, because I don't know of anybody, aside from perhaps a handful of Christians that are saved. Especially because of the verse James 4:17
"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
There are so many things that are good that I fail to do. To truly live up to this
I'd need to be fully possessed by the spirit of God, giving everything to God,
in every moment, in action, not just as a thought, in the same way that Jesus did.
How can I bear the weight of this responsibility? How can I hope to be saved?
Please give me your thoughts on this subject.
Also, if I may ask, please pray for me so that I may be given the courage to not shrink back into destruction.
I will pray for all of you as well.