by miss iris 
It is an aged old story and it's echoing over and over again. A person (we'll call him Bob) grows up in a church or a Christian family and professes to believe Christ. Someone in the religion of Christianity does something absolutely against Christ and His teachings and now Bob is confused. Everything that Bob has learned in church and with his family is being torn down. Bob then decides that Christianity is not what it's chalked up to be and walks away.
I guess my question in this situation is what is Bob really walking away from? Is Bob walking away from God? Or is Bob just walking away from his religion? If Bob is just walking away from his religion, then I wonder, did Bob have God in the first place?
No man knows the heart of another man, however, God knows our hearts and he knows whether or not we truly believe in him, or whether we believe because we were told to believe.
Looking to another human as the source of your beliefs is never going to work. Even David, the man after God's own heart, made some huge mistakes in his life, it does not mean he was not redeemed when he repented. However, I'm sure if David was a popular modern day preacher there may have been some people who might have turned away after David made his mistakes.
If Man is our source for understanding who God is then we will always be turning away since Man will always fails us. If God is the source for understanding who God is then we will never turn away from him because why would we taste his goodness and turn away? God does not let man down, man lets man down.
We are told not to judge others because the same measure we're using to judge others will be used on us. It's a very frightening thing for me because if I look at my fellow man when they do wrong and say, "wow, they are hypocrites" then that same measure will be used for me. I am not "better" than anyone else, it is not my place to judge their actions. I have a life of my own to live and look after so why look at the other person's and have their life determine mine?
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out
demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell
them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!' Matthew 7:22-23 [NIV]
[image from postsecrets.com]
Comments (31)
Well, then I guess you can call me Bob. Of coarse, it wasn't just the people that drove me away, it was a lot of things at once.
But seriously... Don't go pulling that "you weren't really Christian" bullshit. I mean, you can believe it if you want, if that's what makes you feel better about your own faith, but... you aren't and never were me, and do not, never did, and never will know what I believe(d).
I don't believe Bob is walking away from God. Just because he walked away from the christian community doesn't mean he doesn't believe in God, does it? I walked away from the christian community because it was torn apart from within. The greed of money and power over shadowed the church and most of the church I attended. However, it doesn't change the belief and trust I have in God.
Well said. Please don't judge Jesus by his sin filled, forgiven followers... We'll fail you every time... That's why We need Jesus.
~Oneazn2nv
"Is Bob walking away from God? Or is Bob just walking away from his
religion? If Bob is just walking away from his religion, then I wonder,
did Bob have God in the first place?"
Why do you have to take part in a "religion" that you might not agree with in order to "have God"? Is staying in a church where the pastor was caught in some sex scandal (for example) better than leaving and finding your own path to the divine?
The question IS what is Bob walking away from? Only the church? Or everything he has ever believed about God? Because Christianity is NOT religion. Religion really means nothing to God, who knows our hearts.
shame on me, shame on people calling themselves Christians who took part in living a lifestyle that turned people away from Jesus. as humans, we are fallen. only saved by a forgiving, merciful Savior who allows me to call Him my best friend. despite my failures, shortcomings, wrongdoings. i would hate, absolutely hate, to be the cause of why someone did not want to know about the Best Friend anyone could ever have. Lord forgive me for the times that i did not love people as you would love them, show them hope, show them mercy, and show them Jesus. my humble prayer is that i would radically love my Jesus and love people through His eyes and not my own. and that the world could truly see Him. may everything we do be for His glory only.
in Christ alone, a sister in Christ,nicole:)
I would say that most of the time the people who turn away from their religion are saved. I turned away from God, but that didn't change the rest of my life spent following God.
When people are saved it is the same as getting married to God. Walking away from God is saying, "God, I want a divorce." "No man, if after plowing a field and looks back is worthy of the kingdom of heaven." For those who take a "spiritual hiatus" only prove one thing, that they are not really "soul'd out" to God at all.
There are over 14 cases found in the bible to where people believed they were true believers but were really not. Turning from God or from church should throw up red flags to anyone concerned for their eternal soul.
It is easy to say, "just lest ye be judged"; people use this as a way to say, "you have nothing to say about me, don't try and hold me accountable." How ridiculous, so all the verses that tell us to hold each other accountable are now made void? Nope. That's just a scapegoat for people to rationalize their naughty behavior and not have anybody confront them on it. If a person is a true believer, they are humble and consider the opinions of their peers (aka, brothers and sisters in Christ). We are our brother's keeper, it is only in today's "Christianity" that people are turning away from that accountability, all to justify their own sin at the threat of leaving the church. All that really means is that they love their personal sin more than they love God and the fellowship with the saints. Another red flag.
People often say, "well, I don't need to go to church to become a Christian." Well, that's only half true. Accepting Christ has nothing to do with church. However, if we are to be true Christians, a true Disciple of Christ, lovers of God, then we are called to be obedient to Him. "If you love me, obey my commands," Jesus says. Not seeking out the fellowship of other believers is being disobedient. The bible says that we are all part of one body in Christ, and that we all have a function to fulfill in that body. If you believe that you can be a follower of Christ and not congregate regularly with other believers for the purpose of fulfilling your purpose in the body, you are sadly mistaken. Yet another red flag.
I am no mans judge. But God is. Is is not Scripture that holds the guilty accountable, and therefore is it not God who is holding another accountable, even if by the word of a man? Isn't that what the bible is, after all?
Fourteen cases? I would like to see that list for study.
Anyway, certainly we must decide whether our Bible tells us it is mercy all, and God gets all the credit, or that we must be responsible for our own salvation. Strangely, the Bible gives verses that seem to back both... my understanding now is that there are two aspects to salvation. One is that we are eternally saved in the blood of the covenant if we receive that it was shed for us by Jesus Christ. The second is that we ourselves experience a "salvation of the soul" and a salvation into the coming kingdom of a thousand years if we cooperate whole-heartedly in this age. But anyway, for sure, I agree that Christ is not a religion, because religions tell you what YOU must do to please God or gain spiritual worthiness, whereas CHRIST undertakes this for us, has accomplished it, and now ministers it to those who receive it. This, to me, is the ministry of the New Covenant. It is Christ satisfying God's requirement for us and becoming what satisfies God within us as He makes home in our hearts.
I left the Christian faith - and yes, God, for a while - because I had questioned whether either one made any sense. Why, I asked myself, would I want to claim a belief that wasn't rational?
I later found the answer to my question. I'm still not a Christian; actually, I don't claim any religion. However, I still desire a relationship with God, but that's another story altogether.
I've never understood why people say Christ isn't a religion. This is the definition of religion I found in the American Heritage Dictionary:
NOUN: 1a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
Maybe I'm crazy, but that sounds like what Christians do with Christ. It was certainly what I did as a Christian. Just sayin'.
I regret the word "wholeheartedly" ... this remains a mystery.
Tis mercy all, immense and free, for, O! My God! It found out me!
"Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated"
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12)
I also believe once a person has received Jesus as their Savior, and He has entered into their heart, that bond can never be broken. The contract is sealed in His blood, and He must take you all the way into the full realization of experiencing what God intended for you from the beginning.
But only through God's provision, which is the free gift of salvation in Christ alone. (No man comes to the Father, except through Me.)
Once you are born of divine life (and this is NOT just a belief, it is constitutional), you cannot be "unborn" ... you can, however, refuse to progress in that organic growth by refusing to spiritually eat, drink, and breathe. But you never die, and time is on God's side...
But why cheat yourself? Because that is all you do when you decide to turn away from God. You just hold yourself back. That is punishment enough!
Just like a romance... time spent apart is such wasted time... and moments that can never be regained.
hypocrits are bound to exist, it's biblical..along with false teachers and preachers and bad churches...etc. It's in the bible that the gate is narrow, but the PATH is narrow as well. Out of 9 churches, he only praised 2 of 'em...so needless to say, our chances of going to heaven by banking on a church is likely to be less than 2/9.
Luckily, we've got the bible. The commandments were not written in pencil, but in stone. Jesus' actions were not hidden, but described by the several writers of the new testament. Our daily bread is God's word. We can only tell if we're saved through the bible, and measure ourselves according to that....if we look around us, we're likely to be rejected.
This is pretty much well outlined by Paul Washer, one of the best preachers I've seen so far.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8
I am staunchly against religion. the institute of 'religion' and legalism within religion has tarnished and warped what being a Christian is really about. it's not about just believing in something. it's something so much more beautiful than that--it is a deep, personal relationship(just like being in love with someone) with a God who loves us so deeply it's impossible to fathom. it's about knowing, really and truly knowing that you have someone who knows everything about you and still loves you, no matter what--someone who wants you to be blissfully happy, and is hurt even deeper than you are when someone hurts you, and wants to wrap you in His arms and heal every pain you have ever felt. 'religion' has turned people away from what God is truly about.
(originally posted in my xanga)i think we need to separate christ from christianity. christianity in many spheres has become something other than a christ-centered movement. i think it's sad when christian leaders or whoever make statements that if someone turns away from their organizations that they're wrong.Â
i know, i know--i didn't clarify what i mean very well. i suppose i have to turn it over some more in my mind before i can do a better job at it.Good job Bob! I walked away from religion... and subsequently, God, and haven't looked back. I'm not here to condemn a person for his choices.
I think it's entirely possible to walk away from a christian community in order to walk closer to God.
as far as i'm concerned, organized religion is the worst thing to ever have happened to the Christian faith. organized religion leads to pressure to fit in... to war, to greed, to ego. your faith should be between you and God.
@brerjohn_lives@xanga - If I am not mistaken, this sounds like "once saved, always saved."
I disagree with this stance. I know someone who was once a Christian, but later rejected this. He became a Wiccan... which to me says "Does not follow Christ." Is he still saved? I don't think so. The gift of salvation is still available to him, but as long as he thinks he doesn't need it, he doesn't possess it.
I do think that being involved in a church or organization is important, but it isn't and shouldn't be the main focus. I think that your relationship with Christ matters much more than anything else. I know that our pastor, who is supposed to be a great representative of Christ, has done a lot of unfortunate things behind the congregation's backs, and we have lost members because of it. Just because they gave up on our church, however, does not mean in any form that they gave up on Christ. In fact, most of the ones who left that I know were and are still close to Him. I guess it just depends on the person and how grounded his or her faith is in the Lord.
i've been Bob once. but God showed me He loves me still. Thank you for this post. it certainly hits home. happy christmas! and a blessed new year!
@brerjohn_lives@xanga - would you agree that if the person really meant what they say when they repent and accept Christ that there will be fruit in their lives (Bible says you will know them by their fruits). Consequentially if at the end of their lives there's no such fruit present it would be acceptable to say they weren't really saved in the first place.
i totally get what you're saying. a while back, i stumbled onto Revolution Church. this church is so amazing. while i may not personally agree with a few beliefs they have, their message is so powerful and true. the church is all about showing all people the unconditional love and grace of Jesus without judging them by their lifestyle or religious background, past or future. religion is a false perception of holiness that focuses on law and kills the true message of Christ.Â
@greenbird321@xanga- so true. it shouldnt matter what we call ourselves, as long as we have that meaningful relationship with Christ. even those who don't know anything about Him but do know Him are more saved than those who preach about Him but don't know Him personally.Whether someone espouses Wiccan or Muslim or whatever other beliefs after having received the Lord into their life, I believe that person remains a child of God, regardless, and will be eventually brought about to a full condition of sanctification eventually (1 Thes 5:23-24)...even if it takes a thousand years after the age of grace. To hold down the truth of God within, to become reprobate, to stumble others, to trample underfoot the blood of Christ... all these have grave consequence. In First John, there are the tests of whether one has the life at all: for instance, do we love the brothers? But once that birth has taken place, whatever has been of God in that persons life will remain, and we all will go through the fire to see what remains. And we all, I believe, will be saved, as through fire, and what was of wood, hay, stubble, etc., will be consumed. And star will differ from star in glory in eternity (1 Cor. 15). That is a very sober matter indeed.
But O the depth of the riches, and the wisdom and knowledge of God! How untraceable are His judgments and how unsearchable are His ways? In the end, God will judge righteously. And, I think it is clear, that judgment will be based on whether or not a person received the gift of salvation in the blood of His Son, and then based upon how that person grew in His Son.