How and Why do you believe in someone you cannot see?

[zdanman]

I am who some may call a 'seeker' but have grown discouraged. Grew up in a religious household and now am in my late 20s.

Its easy to see the God exists. Creation makes that evident.

I feel like I know God. I've felt His presence. I don't know doctrinally who He is... the God of Abraham; Mohammed; or the Trinity.

I'm sure he is not 100% pleased with me and the way I live but I can only do so much in this skin. I have many ingrained desires and wants which, without supernatural help, I cannot overcome.

But I just cannot come to believe in Jesus (and I have tried for over 20 years). I cannot see him. And there is no evidence of him from what I can see except from history and what people call the New Testament which I have read over many times and yes it is very beautiful and thoughtfully written albeit by men. The message is very compelling but it stops there - at 'believe in me'.

So I raise this question, to help me understand, to those on this forum who say they know Jesus on a personal level - how do you believe in someone you cannot see?

How do you know that you know Jesus on a personal level and not the God of Abraham or some other?

Remember nature tells us there is a God, however I know of nothing that tells me there is a Jesus and He is alive today.... nothing.

How do you know who you are talking to when you pray is Jesus and not the God of Abraham or Mohammed?

[FresnoJoe]

9 hours ago, zdanman said:

So I raise this question, to help me understand....
to those on this forum who say they know Jesus on a personal level....

how do you believe in someone you cannot See....

Welcome~!

~

If One Believes In God

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:1 (New International Version)

Ask In His Name

you can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. John 14:13 (New Living Translation)

And Know

'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 (New American Standard Bible)

Or Not

Be careful, brothers and sisters, that none of you ever develop a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12 (GOD'S WORD® Translation)

~

Be Blessed Beloved Of The KING

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. Numbers 6:24-27 (King James Bible)

Love, Your Brother Joe

~

Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Psalms 119:160 (King James Bible)

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s charter. Here too, Heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.  It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

From The Inside Of My Gideon New Testament

[Sing40King]

You already believe in many things you can't see but you know that they are real. You have never seen oxygen but you know it exists because it helps keep you alive when you breathe. You've never seen the wind but all have felt it, heard it, and seen the effects of it. You've never seen your brain but you are using it right now as you type and read this.

What has happened is when you started to doubt you opened the door for satan to fill you with all kinds of insecurities. You begin to question everything including your Savior Jesus Christ. Frenoe Joe has quoted you some very good scriptures. I will be praying for you to come to a better understanding on Jesus. You said you grew up in a Christian home and have read the Bible but did you ever recieve Christ as your Savior?

[enoob57]

15 hours ago, zdanman said:

I am who some may call a 'seeker' but have grown discouraged. Grew up in a religious household and now am in my late 20s.

Its easy to see the God exists. Creation makes that evident.

I feel like I know God. I've felt His presence. I don't know doctrinally who He is... the God of Abraham; Mohammed; or the Trinity.

I'm sure he is not 100% pleased with me and the way I live but I can only do so much in this skin. I have many ingrained desires and wants which, without supernatural help, I cannot overcome.

But I just cannot come to believe in Jesus (and I have tried for over 20 years). I cannot see him. And there is no evidence of him from what I can see except from history and what people call the New Testament which I have read over many times and yes it is very beautiful and thoughtfully written albeit by men. The message is very compelling but it stops there - at 'believe in me'.

So I raise this question, to help me understand, to those on this forum who say they know Jesus on a personal level - how do you believe in someone you cannot see?

How do you know that you know Jesus on a personal level and not the God of Abraham or some other?

Remember nature tells us there is a God, however I know of nothing that tells me there is a Jesus and He is alive today.... nothing.

How do you know who you are talking to when you pray is Jesus and not the God of Abraham or Mohammed?

The structure of understanding by God's Word:
In the beginning Adam chose the way of highest created angel satan through disobedience... 'all have become dead (separated from God) by sin'

Romans 3:23 (KJV)

[23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

How this is seen is that God cannot be of any part with sin thus Adam and all his descendants died in Spirit leaving the only resource the externals of sensual perception... but that alone is enough to judge all men for their rejection of God (The works of God's hands in creation) This is why you know there must be a God!

Romans 1:18 (KJV)

[18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

[19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

[20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

[21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

This is the present witness you have given about yourself above... now this is what your saying to God by your obvious will to be where you are- You are demanding from a Holy Righteous God to prove Himself through your sinful sensual {sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)  means to verify His Son's reality to your satisfaction! But God has provided only one way to verify Himself to you and that 'IS' through His Written Word of truth testifying of His Living Word (His Son Jesus)  and the book of John is the best place to understand what I have written to you of this!

I have prayed for you to be delivered from you own self and be born again also explained in John... remember this was written by man who was with Jesus in His whole 3 year ministry on this earth!
Love, Steven

 

 

 

[OneLight]

Don't be discouraged.  Instead, believe His words!

Matthew 7:7-8

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Continue in your search for Jesus and He will avail Himself to you.  Just be sure to pay attention to how He leads you and not dismiss His leading because you cannot see Him.  The Holy Spirit will move your spirit into truth if you allow Him to do so.  If you have any question as to what you think He is doing or showing, please feel free to ask our thoughts, or the thoughts of someone you know follows Christ.

[Sing40King]

I am sorry about posting twice. I was having internet problems this morning and the first post didn't appear after I sent it so I didn't think it went through.

[gdemoss]

20 hours ago, zdanman said:

I am who some may call a 'seeker' but have grown discouraged. Grew up in a religious household and now am in my late 20s.

Its easy to see the God exists. Creation makes that evident.

I feel like I know God. I've felt His presence. I don't know doctrinally who He is... the God of Abraham; Mohammed; or the Trinity.

I'm sure he is not 100% pleased with me and the way I live but I can only do so much in this skin. I have many ingrained desires and wants which, without supernatural help, I cannot overcome.

But I just cannot come to believe in Jesus (and I have tried for over 20 years). I cannot see him. And there is no evidence of him from what I can see except from history and what people call the New Testament which I have read over many times and yes it is very beautiful and thoughtfully written albeit by men. The message is very compelling but it stops there - at 'believe in me'.

So I raise this question, to help me understand, to those on this forum who say they know Jesus on a personal level - how do you believe in someone you cannot see?

How do you know that you know Jesus on a personal level and not the God of Abraham or some other?

Remember nature tells us there is a God, however I know of nothing that tells me there is a Jesus and He is alive today.... nothing.

How do you know who you are talking to when you pray is Jesus and not the God of Abraham or Mohammed?

God bless you! Great post.

I believe in Jesus.

I couldn't in and of myself.  No one can.  God must reveal him unto you.

Our job is to seek God. 

You have started.  You understand God is by creation.  

You state that you expect God isn't very happy with you due to the way you live.  Then you excuse yourself by blaming your skin.  That is why you won't be allowed to know Jesus.  You don't need a savior when you excuse yourself.  Why would God give you one?

[missmuffet]

Question: "Is there a God?"

Answer: Is there a God? This is among the most fundamental questions asked by mankind. For the majority of human history, the overwhelming answer to this question has been, “yes,” though there have been strong disagreements about what kind of god, God, or gods exist. Certainly, here at GotQuestions.org, we would argue that God exists and that there is plenty of evidence for the fact.

The Bible says there is a God, that nature demonstrates a Creator (Psalm 19:1), and that God reveals enough of Himself in the world for people to know of Him (Romans 1:20). The early Christian church was founded on the use of eyewitnesses, evidence, and good reasoning (Luke 1:1–2; 2 Peter 1:16; Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 14:20). Even Jesus Himself appealed to evidence when defending His claims (John 5:31–47).

Beyond the Bible, we also have the support of archaeology, science, history, literature, and human experience that there is a God. Naturally, some point to evidence from those fields to attack the idea of God’s existence. And yet the balance of human experience, science, and philosophy seems to indicate that there is a God. Much of what we assume as part of daily life, including reason, morality, and human rights, are nonsensical unless God exists.

There are ample reasons to believe in God; the real question is whether or not a person is open to this evidence. Geniuses of history have been believers, and geniuses of history have been atheists. There is more to the question “is there a God?” than purely intellectual concerns. Ultimately, how a person attempts to answer the question “is there a God?” strongly reflects the answer he or she prefers. There are reasonable and unreasonable approaches, open-minded and closed-minded ways to look at the same information. If a person is committed to rejecting God, evidence and reason aren’t going to make much difference. Of course, this is also true for those who believe in God and wouldn’t disbelieve under any circumstances.

Historical, scientific, and personal evidence are meaningless to the person with a deliberate intent to disbelieve. Yet most people don’t want to seem unreasonable, so those who refuse to believe often insert other objections. This results in the common error of demanding direct, miraculous, personal revelation. This is the “if God would show me a miracle, I would believe” approach. Or the “if God would write John 3:16 on the moon” approach. Jesus warned against such unbelief in Matthew 12:39, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign!”

Imagine a person refusing to believe in Abraham Lincoln unless Lincoln posted a YouTube video calling them by name. Or a girl refusing to believe that someone loves her, despite letters, gifts, and conversations to that effect; what she demands is that the person burn her house down to prove his love. Those aren’t reasonable requests, and the person making them is really saying, “I don’t want to believe that.” Such people aren’t going believe the mundane evidence, so they’re just as liable to reject the miraculous evidence (see Luke 16:31).

Those unsure about whether or not God exists are encouraged to seek Him (Matthew 7:7), examine the evidence (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21), and be open-minded. Christianity has nothing to fear from the truth (John 10:10), and we have ample reasons to be confident in our answer to the question “is there a God?”

https://www.gotquestions.org/is-there-a-God.html

[RustyAngeL]

22 hours ago, zdanman said:

I am who some may call a 'seeker' but have grown discouraged. Grew up in a religious household and now am in my late 20s.

Its easy to see the God exists. Creation makes that evident.

I feel like I know God. I've felt His presence. I don't know doctrinally who He is... the God of Abraham; Mohammed; or the Trinity.

I'm sure he is not 100% pleased with me and the way I live but I can only do so much in this skin. I have many ingrained desires and wants which, without supernatural help, I cannot overcome.

But I just cannot come to believe in Jesus (and I have tried for over 20 years). I cannot see him. And there is no evidence of him from what I can see except from history and what people call the New Testament which I have read over many times and yes it is very beautiful and thoughtfully written albeit by men. The message is very compelling but it stops there - at 'believe in me'.

So I raise this question, to help me understand, to those on this forum who say they know Jesus on a personal level - how do you believe in someone you cannot see?

How do you know that you know Jesus on a personal level and not the God of Abraham or some other?

Remember nature tells us there is a God, however I know of nothing that tells me there is a Jesus and He is alive today.... nothing.

How do you know who you are talking to when you pray is Jesus and not the God of Abraham or Mohammed?

God is the creator of all.  He is not the God of Mohammed, He is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  They are all the same.  God became fully man in Jesus yet remained fully God.  

Most of us here on the forums know Jesus on a personal level.  We have asked Him into our lives and have make Him the Lord and Savior of our life.  He is on the throne of our hearts and that relationship is personal level because he pray, and read His word.  He speaks to our hearts through His word, the Bible.  

[4LdKHVCzRDj2]

23 hours ago, zdanman said:

How and Why do you believe in someone you cannot see?

I have seen and read what He has being doing to the life of many, and mine as well.

 

It is similar to what happened with Thomas, when he said he would not believe if himself did not see the resurrected Jesus:

"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. - John 20:29"

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. - John 20:31"

 

It is all already written, you just have to believe... Jesus Christ is Lord, and Savior.