YesToTheTruth

(Call From Disobedience to Obedience) Acts 17:30-31 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now He commands that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because he has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained; of which He has given assurance to everyone by raising him from the dead. Luke 6:46-49 46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? 47 Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. 48 He is like someone building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But he who hears, and does not do, is like someone who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." Hebrews 5:9 And having been made perfect, He [Jesus] became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments. 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that He will not hear. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Isaiah 55:6-7 6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Luke 5:31-32 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” James 1:21-22 21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness [that's repentance], receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word [that's faith/obedience], and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. James 4:7-8 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Acts 26:19-20 - NIV 19 "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds." Matthew 3:8 - NLT Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.

In your perspective, Leyla, I believe Christianity is (still) only a belief system different from what you have come from. You have found a new religion but have not come to a personal relationship with Jesus. Because coming to that relationship with Jesus, you would know that you don't have to keep looking for what you had thirsted for. There is no way to not know that Jesus is the truth if you have come to know Him in the way He makes Himself known. Jesus is essentially who you should have come to know. He called Himself "the truth," and reveals Himself this way: “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32) The context of this scripture reveals that the freedom He speaks of is freedom from sin (v. 36) that a person He saves experiences. So, you should have experienced salvation from your sins that you are in bondage to until you do get saved. In the mere process you go through to receive that gift you come to know Jesus and who He is, not just know about Him. You will experience God in this way He spoke of (you will have an inner understanding of those scriptures): Hebrews 8:10-12 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Another way Jesus has spoken of making Himself known is this: John 14:21 The one who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him. Jesus' words are then key. They must be heard and believed and those commandments of his must be obeyed. You have to "follow Jesus", become his disciple who hears his words and does what He says. That's the path that having a "religion", even one called "Christian", does not guarantee. That's also the narrow way to eternal life (walking in a faithful relationship with Jesus) vs. having a religion and not know Jesus by the Holy Spirit that He gives: 1 John 3:24 He who keeps his commandments remains in Him, and He in him. By this we know that He remains in us, by the Spirit which He gave us. 1 John 4:13 By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given us of his Spirit. Jesus make Himself known by his Spirit that comes live in the person He reveals Himself to and saves: Romans 8:9b But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. So, how do you get the Spirit of Christ that would fill you so that it won't even cross your mind to try to find anything in any quest outside of the relationship you would have with Him? It's simply to do what the Gospel prescribes as the way to come into a relationship with God. The apostle Paul gives it here: Acts 20:20-21 20 [you know] how I did not hold back from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks A) repentance toward God, and B) faith toward our Lord Jesus. I recommend you listen to this message: True Repentance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=898gI_Y6s1o The apostle James issues that same call in these ways: James 1:21-22 21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. James 4:7-10 7 Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. Jesus said this: Luke 5:31-32 ... “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 shows what it means to repent and what that accomplishes. Jesus also gave the example of the repentance of the city of Nineveh in Matthew 12:41, which refers back to Jonah 3:10. Here are a few more scriptures that capture the humility and contrition that accompany true repentance: Psalm 25:7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, LORD. Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a contrite spirit. Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. All those imply that the sinner who repents is in full agreement with God about sin being an offense to Him that leads to death (bad news); he is regretful of past sins that come to his conscience; he is resolved to plead his case before God to be forgiven of his past sins on the account of Jesus' blood that he believes was shed for that very purpose (Good News), and then to "go, and sin no more" (John 8:11). On the basis of that broken humility, God sheds his grace on the one who is seeking Him and that grace becomes power to live for God going forward: Titus 2:11-14 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age; 13 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ; 14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works. When you experience that salvation, you are put on the path to eternal life, and it's a way of righteousness (2 Peter 2:21, Romans 6:16) opposite to the way of sin, and you know it. Everything becomes new (Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17): Titus 3:3-7 3 For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of rebirth and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7 that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.