I used to be an atheist; here's why many won't reach people like me

[john1]

17 hours ago, Yowm said:

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (Joh 3:19)

This I think is about people trying to obey one law at a time, and no one obeys the law.

1 John chapter 1 verse 8

If anyone claims to be without sin they deceive themselves and the truth is  not in them.

 

1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 7,8

 

They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

 

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.

 

Galatians chapter 3 verse 24,25,23

 

So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.

 

Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

 

Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.   Galatians chapter 5 verse 6 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.

[john1]

3 hours ago, Adstar said:

Why ?

Ephesians chapter 2 verses 14-19
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two. thus making peace and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently , you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.

[john1]

9 minutes ago, Yowm said:

It's about people who will not come to Jesus to be born again

1 John chapter 4 verse 7

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.     But most people in church don't love, if they drive gay  people away, and everyone who lives and ever has except Christ continues to sin.

[stillseeking]

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15 hours ago, stillseeking said:

I disagree.  They're probably having an insulted reaction that someone they didn't ask advice from is telling them how to live their life.  Similar accusations of "you're wrong" are just as frustrating when the source is another atheist.  People just don't like being told they're wrong--and that's why they react. 

Well now you are adding a new dimension to your points.. And that's unfair.. 

Nothing new in my points here.  I'm refuting your claim as to why people have those reactions, which was this:

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The fact that they are having an emotional response either guilt or hate or what ever to the conviction being given runs contrary to their stated stance of not believing that God exists.. 

I explained why they might have an insulted reaction for a reason other than what you suspected.  Perhaps this is new information to someone who was not previously aware that people could have insulted/frustrated reactions for reasons other than you suggested, but otherwise, nothing new here. 

[stillseeking]

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People just don't like being told they're wrong--and that's why they react. 

Proud people hate being told they are wrong or faulty beings..  

Humble people listen and search themselves to see if what they are being told is the truth and take the truth onboard.. So they can progress to the next stage.. The stage where they get the good news of the Atonement Jesus has secured for their transgression..

I figured you might take this out of context. 

Of course people are proud and don't like being told they're wrong!  That, or people's disrespectful attitudes toward them, are more often reasons they react negatively--not because they feel convicted from any accusations they receive.  Following with my original points, though, what I've stated already and will state again is that HOW you say it is important.  The following are worth reiterating:

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• Speaking in any kind of accusatory manner.  You may be right that their behavior is sinful, but what's the point in rubbing that in their face when they don't yet believe in a holy God?  You've given them no reason yet to believe sin is even wrong. 
• Speaking in any way, of any thing, that is motivated by your own self-righteousness.  Be extremely honest with yourself about this.  If you think you've achieved "humble", then that's probably a sign to be more humble. 
• Force feeding people gospel information when they've made it clear they're not interested.  Talk to someone who IS interested.  Jesus never forced his message on anyone and in fact issued warnings to those who would choose to follow him. 

Now, if you aren't doing any of those, I don't see an issue. 

Edited July 4, 2018 by stillseeking
clarity

[stillseeking]

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14 hours ago, stillseeking said:

For me, that wasn't exactly it.  Once I realized who God was, I was immediately on a quest to figure out what He wanted from me.  (I'm still on that quest in many ways, as I have a lot of specifics not quite nailed down.) 

 

Which makes me wonder.. Are you saved?

Have you fully embraced the Gospel Way of salvation?

What causes you have eternal life with God in his eternal existence? 

@Adstar you know my position and struggles as a new believer from reading my other posts, and I know you read my other posts because I've seen you respond to them. 

It seems very odd that you'd indirectly accuse me of not being saved at this point in our discussion.  Your attitude and statement at this junction have prompted to reiterate this point:

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Accusing them of holding a position they don't, just because they question yours.  Example: "You believe in abortions?  Then you must be a new age feminazi!"

Please think about the way you're speaking to me and whether it's loving and helpful or motivated by other things. 

[stillseeking]

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You say you are no more and atheist. Why Not? What convinced you to become a believer? Was it someone's wittiness or other conviction. Ha this already been asked. My fokes were not really save when I was young. They were traditional people who went to church at Easter. the rest of the time they may have well been athiests. No doubt this was a point of Christian hypocrisy, but whatconvinced you

It's a number of things, really.  Over many years, I used to spend a lot of time debating with religious people, which gave me the opportunity and motivation to become exposed to not only a lot of information about what people believed but also what evidence existed in support of it and what evidence existed against it.  Over time, and after overcoming the embarrassment that the viewpoint I'd long held might be wrong, I accepted that to be intellectually honest, I needed to change my viewpoint since the evidence had led me to the notion that God exists in the Christian sense and that the resurrection actually happened. 

Among the specific points were these:

• The universe is so finely tuned, to the point where mathematicians have dubbed the utter improbability of a number of speeds, distances, sizes, etc. to be mathematically impossible, that a designer at work makes more sense than assuming random happenstance
• The arguments that the sources about Jesus are simply unreliable don't make sense once you understand that we have even less to go by for most other events and persons from ancient history.  For example, the sources we have on Jesus are closer to his life and greater in number than Tiberius Caesar or Alexander the Great. 
• Mainstream scholars recognize a number of facts about the historical person of Jesus.  These include that he died by crucifixion, that his followers and others claimed to have seen him in body, that Christianity began because of such claims, that the followers of Jesus believed he had risen to the point they were willing to die for their beliefs, that the resurrection story and message began to spread almost immediately after the crucifixion, that Jesus' own unbelieving brother James became a Christian because of his experience with the resurrected Christ, that there was no body in the tomb following the resurrection event, and that the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities who wanted to squash the new movement also admitted there was no body in that they themselves ended up trying to explain it away. 
• Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies about him, many of which he had no reasonable control over, such as where he'd be born, how he'd be betrayed, how the betrayal reward money would be spent, and how he would die. 

[Mike Mclees]

I am happy for you that reason overcame unbelief. I believe with time as you continue in His word more about God and Christ will be revealed. We need the Holy Spirit which scientist cannot fathom. The miracle of the creation of man and all life along with the miracle of gravity which with out nothing could exist, yet they cannot figure out ware it came from or how it works. We need  just one more miracle, and that is that more like you will find Christ 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Mike Mclees

[Adstar]

15 hours ago, john1 said:

Ephesians chapter 2 verses 14-19
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two. thus making peace and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently , you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.

That does not really answer the question for me..

But if you do not want to give a personal answer..

So be it.. 

[Adstar]

14 hours ago, stillseeking said:

@Adstar you know my position and struggles as a new believer from reading my other posts, and I know you read my other posts because I've seen you respond to them. It seems very odd that you'd indirectly accuse me of not being saved at this point in our discussion. 

This is the incredibly frustrating thing for me right now... Why on earth are you interpreting my concern for your salvation status as some kind of accusation or personal attack ?????

What is stopping you from interpreting my post as a caring Christian actually wondering  if you have the full Gospel message and am asking you these questions to get clarity as to what you actually believe.. So i can either identify a problem or see that you are in the right salvation place with the LORD Jesus Christ???

So when i ask this question """ What causes you have eternal life with God in his eternal existence?  """  That's me giving you the floor to respond with the answer to this question so i will know exactly what you believe causes a Christian to have eternal life with God...

So yes i do not know if you are saved... I honestly don't know...  But you have got it into your head that i am out to somehow burn you at the stake....  Unbelievable.. I am really dumbfounded.. Do you see an inquisition around every other corner???? 

 

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Your attitude and statement at this junction have prompted to reiterate this point:

Please think about the way you're speaking to me and whether it's loving and helpful or motivated by other things. 

Yes i do think.. I put a lot of thought into that question.. """ What causes you have eternal life with God in his eternal existence?  """  It's a perfect question to prompt someone to either reveal their faulty religious belief or to reveal their true saved status..   But you decided not to simply answer and put my worried mind to rest... You decided to jump to taking offense when there was absolutely no offense at all..