New To Christian Chat.

[UnsureAnon]

Hello all.. New here. I'm kind of unsure (as my name implies) about the Christianity thing. I guess that's kind of why I'm here.

It's not that I haven't learned or am not well versed in Christian theology and even the Bible. I was born and raised Protestant and went to Catholicism after graduating. Gave up entirely around age 22 or so and dabbled again in protestantism here and there. Now, I'm 27 and I don't know.

I am prone to being very black and white about things, and I feel like that's my downfall. I struggle understanding the disagreements between denominations. I struggle ever feeling good enough when I've been a Christian, or that I'm "doing Christianity" right. And I struggle because I grew up with strange teaching of ideals on what "sin" is and was frequently reminded that it would send me to hell, which makes me constantly paranoid. I also struggle heavily with things that I've done in the past, and I guess, feeling forgiven, or that I even could be forgiven, given how actually terrible and at times even blasphemous many of those things were.

But now I'm at my wits end. I'm struggling so heavily with guilt and apparent lack of understanding.
So I guess that's why I'm here. I want to understand. I want to be and feel forgiven. I want to shed my guilt and move on because this guilt has actually destroyed my life. It's in shambles.

Anyway, thank you for reading.

 

[Magenta]

I am sorry to hear that you are suffering so much from lack of knowing that you are loved and forgiven.

Welcome!

 

[Bingo]

"Let us be reminded, the best minds have been confused and bewildered.
And, proceed through these many pages with caution,
each shall find their own path...we must learn to chose wisely."

 

[Deade]

Hello Unsure, welcome to Christian Chat.
I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.

 

[MatthewWestfieldUK]

Hi. You will find lots of people are happy to talk. Message people and hopefully they will respond with respect

 

[Seeker47]

You are surely carrying a lot of trash bags...

Without question many of us go through similar trials, frequently multiple times. Sometimes this appears to be the process to deeper faith. Hang tough!

 

[Laura798]

Hello all.. New here. I'm kind of unsure (as my name implies) about the Christianity thing. I guess that's kind of why I'm here.

It's not that I haven't learned or am not well versed in Christian theology and even the Bible. I was born and raised Protestant and went to Catholicism after graduating. Gave up entirely around age 22 or so and dabbled again in protestantism here and there. Now, I'm 27 and I don't know.

I am prone to being very black and white about things, and I feel like that's my downfall. I struggle understanding the disagreements between denominations. I struggle ever feeling good enough when I've been a Christian, or that I'm "doing Christianity" right. And I struggle because I grew up with strange teaching of ideals on what "sin" is and was frequently reminded that it would send me to hell, which makes me constantly paranoid. I also struggle heavily with things that I've done in the past, and I guess, feeling forgiven, or that I even could be forgiven, given how actually terrible and at times even blasphemous many of those things were.

But now I'm at my wits end. I'm struggling so heavily with guilt and apparent lack of understanding.
So I guess that's why I'm here. I want to understand. I want to be and feel forgiven. I want to shed my guilt and move on because this guilt has actually destroyed my life. It's in shambles.

Anyway, thank you for reading.

Dear Unsure,

I find your honesty refreshing. I would say this forum--as I have discovered, probably won't be the best place to come to an understanding of the Truth. There are a few faithful Christians on this site, but there are also some bad apples--e.g. self righteous and argumentative, some a bit 'off'--steer clear of them. I think it much better to find a small group bible study--but of course read their statement of faith and check out church's website--their is a lot of weirdness out their and so many churches seem to be run more like a a business than true fellowship. I definitely agree and after all these years still perplexed at how denominations can have so many differences and that they even exist in the first place since scripture speaks against it. I am fairly new to the site, so there may be some friendlier forums--i enjoy apologetics so usually hang out in the Bible Forums--maybe I need to expand my horizons. (;

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,"--Ephesians 1:18

 

[Evmur]

Hello all.. New here. I'm kind of unsure (as my name implies) about the Christianity thing. I guess that's kind of why I'm here.

It's not that I haven't learned or am not well versed in Christian theology and even the Bible. I was born and raised Protestant and went to Catholicism after graduating. Gave up entirely around age 22 or so and dabbled again in protestantism here and there. Now, I'm 27 and I don't know.

I am prone to being very black and white about things, and I feel like that's my downfall. I struggle understanding the disagreements between denominations. I struggle ever feeling good enough when I've been a Christian, or that I'm "doing Christianity" right. And I struggle because I grew up with strange teaching of ideals on what "sin" is and was frequently reminded that it would send me to hell, which makes me constantly paranoid. I also struggle heavily with things that I've done in the past, and I guess, feeling forgiven, or that I even could be forgiven, given how actually terrible and at times even blasphemous many of those things were.

But now I'm at my wits end. I'm struggling so heavily with guilt and apparent lack of understanding.
So I guess that's why I'm here. I want to understand. I want to be and feel forgiven. I want to shed my guilt and move on because this guilt has actually destroyed my life. It's in shambles.

Anyway, thank you for reading.

Hi ya Come to Jesus and learn from Him ... He can break into locked rooms.

 

[Omegatime]

Welcome to CC chat, knowledge can take a lifetime, but salvation in a moment

 

[She_is_Legendary]

Hello all.. New here. I'm kind of unsure (as my name implies) about the Christianity thing. I guess that's kind of why I'm here.

It's not that I haven't learned or am not well versed in Christian theology and even the Bible. I was born and raised Protestant and went to Catholicism after graduating. Gave up entirely around age 22 or so and dabbled again in protestantism here and there. Now, I'm 27 and I don't know.

I am prone to being very black and white about things, and I feel like that's my downfall. I struggle understanding the disagreements between denominations. I struggle ever feeling good enough when I've been a Christian, or that I'm "doing Christianity" right. And I struggle because I grew up with strange teaching of ideals on what "sin" is and was frequently reminded that it would send me to hell, which makes me constantly paranoid. I also struggle heavily with things that I've done in the past, and I guess, feeling forgiven, or that I even could be forgiven, given how actually terrible and at times even blasphemous many of those things were.

But now I'm at my wits end. I'm struggling so heavily with guilt and apparent lack of understanding.
So I guess that's why I'm here. I want to understand. I want to be and feel forgiven. I want to shed my guilt and move on because this guilt has actually destroyed my life. It's in shambles.

Anyway, thank you for reading.

Welp, I think you have found the right place to ask for guidance, none of us are perfect by any means and some of us have gone through trials that we could write stories about. But, nonetheless we are here to encourage, give advice… and if you wish, facts about Christianity and or beliefs.

Every ‘Apple’ is different that falls from the tree, our life/experience/trials are what make Us who we are. some have gone through hell and back multiple times, others (not that I know of personally) have had it pretty easy. But don’t give up… keep searching and keep doing what you are doin, and have FAITH that everything happens for a reason. That’s always been my motto... and it’s so very true to this day, cause we don’t know why things happen the way they do, they just happen for reasons unknown.

God is with you, and never against you. He wants a personal one-on-one relationship with you, just have to open your heart and your mind to see him and begin your new Life with him.

Blessings 💜🙏🏻☺️

 

[de-emerald]

Hi @UnsureAnon hope you find the security you need,

God bless you and may our lord keep you

 

[Deuteronomy]

Hello all.. New here. I'm kind of unsure (as my name implies) about the Christianity thing. I guess that's kind of why I'm here.

It's not that I haven't learned or am not well versed in Christian theology and even the Bible. I was born and raised Protestant and went to Catholicism after graduating. Gave up entirely around age 22 or so and dabbled again in protestantism here and there. Now, I'm 27 and I don't know.

I am prone to being very black and white about things, and I feel like that's my downfall. I struggle understanding the disagreements between denominations. I struggle ever feeling good enough when I've been a Christian, or that I'm "doing Christianity" right. And I struggle because I grew up with strange teaching of ideals on what "sin" is and was frequently reminded that it would send me to hell, which makes me constantly paranoid. I also struggle heavily with things that I've done in the past, and I guess, feeling forgiven, or that I even could be forgiven, given how actually terrible and at times even blasphemous many of those things were.

But now I'm at my wits end. I'm struggling so heavily with guilt and apparent lack of understanding.
So I guess that's why I'm here. I want to understand. I want to be and feel forgiven. I want to shed my guilt and move on because this guilt has actually destroyed my life. It's in shambles.

Anyway, thank you for reading.

Hello @UnsureAnon, first off, welcome to CChat! We're glad that you found us and joined in the discussions with us

As for what you said in your OP, would you mind clarifying what you meant when you said that, as a Christian in the past, you struggled to feel "good enough" (and what you felt would have been necessary to have that "good enough" feeling back then too).

Also, what do you mean (specifically) by "doing Christianity right" (what does that look like exactly).

As for the rest of what you wrote, it sounds amazingly similar to my own life (from growing up in church, to leaving church for a far more worldly/sinful existence in college, to coming to my wits end, between the ages of 25-30, with the growing sense that the weight from the guilt that I felt because of my sin was fast becoming more that I could possibly continue to bear).

I believe that God is working in your life right now, in your mind and in your heart (whether or not you are aware that He is), just like He did all of those years ago in mine (I will be 35 years a believer next Tuesday), to help you see your life for what it truly is .. by making it possible to understand who He truly is .. and by helping you know/understand what He is truly offering you, so that you will want to trade in your present life for a FAR better one .. in Christ

So, if you are as tired of your life as I was of mine (before coming to saving faith in Jesus), if you'd like to stop feeling overwhelmed by the weight of your guilt, if you'd like to gain a true knowledge and understanding of the "truth" from God's spiritual POV, and if you'd like to ~KNOW~ that you are forgiven of all of your sins, and that forevermore, then perhaps you could do what I did 35 years ago, which is,

1. Confess your sins to God (all of them that you can remember) and ask Him to forgive you of them, believing that Jesus died on the Cross in your place to save you from them, and to grant you eternal life .. John 3:16, 5:24, desiring with all of your heart to repent of them/walk away from them, once and for all.​

​

To be honest, there were a couple of sins that were right at the center of my pre-salvation existence, sins that I loved SO MUCH that I had to confess to God, along with confessing my sins to Him, that I had no idea how I would EVER stop doing them (or at least wanting to do them). I told Him, with that understanding, that I still/desperately wanted to be His child, if He still wanted me to be and was willing to accept me with that understanding, and the great news came in two parts 1) yes, He still wanted to adopt me as His very own, and 2) He took the strong desire that I had for those two sins away from me such that they have never been the kind of problem for me that I thought they surely would be back then, PTL ​

​

2. Once you've confessed your sins to God (and asked Him to forgive you of them, believing that He will), ask Him to be your Savior, and also the Lord of your life, trusting/knowing that He loves you .. Romans 5:8-10, that He knows what's best for you (far better than you could ever hope to yourself) and that He always wants what is best for you too, believing that He will save you on the basis that He said He would, by grace alone through faith alone, and by the merits/meritorious works of Christ alone, just like He promised you that He would in the Bible .. Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5. ​

​

Then ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit so that you can live your life for Him from now on (instead of for yourself), knowing too that the heavy burden of your guilt that you've been bearing has been lifted off of your shoulders forever ​

Praying for you and for your salvation!

God bless you!!

~Deut
p.s. - if you have any additional questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to make us aware of them! Here, from Pastor Charles Spurgeon, and from the Bible as well (below the Spurgeon quote), are some words that you may want to consider carefully as well.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21
.​

 

[TabinRivCA]

Nice to meet you and welcome to CC Here are a couple of verses out of many on God's attitude toward us when we repent:

6. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). In His great mercy, God erases your sin from His memory!
7. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). It gives you a wonderful feeling of freedom to be separated from your sins and joined with God.

We all are sinners saved by GRACE. Worry, guilt, unrest etc are tactics of the enemy. The more we study God's Word the more we know Him. God bless you and hope you will join in on the other Forums!

 

[oyster67]

I am prone to being very black and white about things, and I feel like that's my downfall.

Yes. The just must come by faith and live by faith. This requires a very meek and humble Spirit that is willing to embrace the spiritual realm and accept the limitations of our human minds in contrast to the omniscience of our loving Lord, God, and Saviour.
When you come to the end of your little highway of seeking God by means of your own methodologies, you will find that He has been waiting for you the whole time... waiting for you to come to Him on His terms, not your own.

Bless you and welcome to CC.

Hebrews
11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 

[shittim]

Our Christian faith is relationship with the person of Jesus Christ who indwells the believer, sounds like you have had a lot of experience with religion and not relationship.
Religious people killed Jesus.
Way too many times we think going to a place and hearing someone talk about God or practicing a bunch of religious rituals if what He desires of us, not so, we were always intended to experience God, hear Him, and respond to Him in prayer/communication.
bless you friend

 

[oyster67]

And I struggle because I grew up with strange teaching of ideals on what "sin" is

Sin is simply rebellion against God and His way. All other ideas about sin and manifested results of it are peripheral out growths of this root cause. We must allow Jesus in and lay the axe to the root, rather that just swatting at leaves all day long.

given how actually terrible and at times even blasphemous many of those things were.

Nothing is greater than the soul-cleansing power of the Blood of our Lord, God, and Saviour. Question that no more.

So I guess that's why I'm here. I want to understand. I want to be and feel forgiven. I want to shed my guilt and move on because this guilt has actually destroyed my life. It's in shambles.

You and I are very fortunate indeed. Serendipitous for situation, I say. He has won the victory for us at Calvary.

Isaiah
55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
55:2 Wherefore do ye spend money for [that which is] not bread? and your labour for [that which] satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye [that which is] good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the sure mercies of David.
55:4 Behold, I have given him [for] a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
55:5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation [that] thou knowest not, and nations [that] knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Anyway, thank you for reading.

Thank you so much for coming and sharing.

Welcome and God bless you.