Jesus knew only full well that it is and would be very difficult if not simply impossible [imho] for adults to become as little children and simply simply believe, so how even with all that is written so that we may simply simply believe how has He solved this dilemma for Christians to His eternal praise and glory and our thanksgiving - any comments - twinc
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Bible Study Simply simply Believe ?
- Thread starter twinc
- Start date
Chopper
Member
You are absolutely right! Believing in what Jesus accomplished on the Cross is impossible to believe with a questioning mind. Like a child, one has to accept the Good News as a child. I remember a man named Jim, who just could not believe by faith. He complicated Salvation so much that even today, he probably still has questions. I used to plead with him to believe on Jesus like a child would, he would try, and then question it. That used to frustrate me very much. I just prayed for him, my speech was useless.
I do not know of others, but God reached my heart with His measure of faith dealt to me. Without realizing I would be praying praying to Him, and years later I read in Rom 10:14, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? To even have the hope to ask revealed faith. I did not think of the reasons; I just somehow had that precious expectation without question. Somehow I knew that God was real, and Was that the faith as a child; maybe so, but it was God that made it real to me.
okay so far - so what happened in between - well "when all the ragged rugged robin ways of youth were our's to roam we lost the keys to elfin land [heaven] among the hills of home - we seek and seek but could not find those rustic gates we knew, those red and green and golden gates of gossamer and dew where the dwarf said hush and hummed a tune that the breeze had taught the flowers, the bluebell chimes of eternal time that sped our woodland hours - haunted, haunted, haunted we who mocked and sinned hear the vanished voices wailing down the wind - a robin came and looked at him with eyes of glistening dew and a linnet sang the world's a dream and every dream is true" [Noyes] - more later - twinc
twinc
How does Jesus' teaching on counting the cost fit in with your understanding of 'simply simply believe'? I'm thinking of verses like this:
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own (Luke 14:25-33 NLT ).
I accepted Jesus manyyyyyyyyyy years ago, but never truly knew who He was to me. I knew His attributes, but did not recognize the I AM that he is. I was walking in weak faith searching and questioning and at times doubting and running away from His throne of grace. I'm the kind of person who needs proof positive in order to understand certain things. Simple faith comes easy to some, but others, like me, it's like needing to be hit over the head before you can see and understand that which has always been. In one of my questioning moments God spoke to my heart and told me to only believe. Not to only believe, but to trust Him in all things. When I quit questioning and started searching that is when the Holy Spirit started revealing so many revelations of who the great I AM was in my own personal life as at that point I made Jesus my personal Lord and Savior and will never again run away from His throne of grace.
Chopper
Member
What a wonderful and educational testimony Debbie. I wish many people would read this post of yours. Thank you for sharing your heart with us.
I'm encouraged that it worked out for you in that way. It didn't for me.
In one of my questioning moments, God spoke to my heart about the meaning of 'Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.... And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him' (Heb 11:1, 6 ESV ).
He showed me that faith to believe was not blind faith but faith based on the evidence of who Jesus is, why he died, and why he died for me.
I needed to check out the evidence. For me, there was no point in having faith in a God/god who was ill defined and for whom there was questionable evidence. I needed helps to pursue who God was. I was helped big time by the evidence in C S Lewis, Mere Christianity, based on 4-sets of disjointed radio presentations by Lewis, an Oxford don.
In more recent years, Lee Strobel's, The Case for Christ, has met a similar need but in a much better writing style, in my view.
I'm not convinced that 'simply believe' is what we should be presenting. It doesn't help people to count the cost of following Jesus in our contemporary world (Luke 14:25-33 NIV ), with so many objections to the Christian faith (that we even experience on this Christian forum).
Oz
Chopper
Member
Thanks Oz, your testimony is sure a good one. Lee Strobel's book is a very good one for sure. I studied his findings as he questioned some very intelligent professors. I gave the book to my son who had questions about the validity of the Apostles writings. It did help him find some answers.
Chopper, for me there is a bigger issue, especially for the youth who are going to secular colleges and universities. Many are not equipped for the opposition they may receive in a classroom or online (which is where much education is heading today).
I had a bachelor's degree (Bible & NT Greek) and a master's degree (pastoral psychology & counselling) from 2 excellent Christian institutions but I had not taken one course in apologetics to help me defend the faith. I was in a doctoral classroom at a USA secular university when a professor - before my peers in the classroom - accused me, 'Your views are blankety blank' (I can't mention the exact words here). He later apologised to me in private, but not before the class. I was devastated because I didn't know how to respond to him.
I know what I would do now, but that's 30 years later. I consider that one of the great needs of the church is to equip our youth and future college, university and workplace people with apologetic tools to help them defend the faith in a very antagonistic culture.
Here in Australia it is more overtly secular than what I encountered in the USA (but that was 30 years ago).
In Christ,
Oz
Jn.20:31 should not be taken in isolation but taken in conjunction with Matt.18:3 and Jn.3:3-5 and see and know that we have qualified for we were indeed born as little Christian children of water and spirit and did simply simply believe as little children and all that is required is that the anchor holds - twinc
Sadly, I do not see that your response has anything to do with the content of what I wrote.
fair enough for it was not really in response to your post but as an after thought or addition to mine - so as a response to yours - yesterday's children are today's adults and for Christian education/yesterday - today - tomorrow for juniors via google see [Fact vs Faith]textbooks and for seniors see www.EvolutionvsGod.com - any comments
yes, yes I was once one of them, in the days of the dinosaurs - whilst asking I was told to "stop bithering your head, just say an 'Our Father. Hail Mary and Glory Be' and everything will be alright - twinc
I do have to give my mother credit. I knew the "birds n' bees" (Well.... the basics) by the time I was seven or eight, and I had to smoke my first full cigarette with my Mom at the age of nine (it worked.... till I was 16.... after that, I quit after two months of "being cool" because I was too cheap to keep buying them)
Deborah13
Member
LOL, My mom told me at about 14 that if I wanted to smoke she would rather I do it openly with her than sneak behind her back. Well, that took all the fun out of it, no more forbidden fruit, why bother?
LovethroughDove
Member
This is why I have my Avatar. Adults have a hard time wrapping their minds around the "literal Son of God" aspect of it all. Children see it as possible.
th1b.taylor
Member
Not really. The LORD cut my teeth teaching 1st thru 3rd grade and they believe! They don't just see it as possible, they see it as truth. I enjoyed teaching them, and all the adults I have taught were a labor of love but they are laborious.