Christians: How much did you reject the Gospel before becoming a Christian?

[GandalfTheWise]

I'm curious as to how Christians here did or did not respond to the gospel before they became Christians.  I'm also curious how old people were when they become a Christian.

I put in categories for answers which are more representative of state of mind rather than counting numbers.  

For gospel response, I'm referring to times you had a fairly clear understanding of what you were accepting or rejecting.  I'm interested if you responded the very first time you clearly heard the gospel, if you heard it clearly a few times but did not immediately respond but maybe wrestled with it for a time, or if you had made it a habit of rejecting it. 

For age, I split the categories into rough stages of life rather than specific years.   Childhood, teen years (in middle school or high school), young adult (graduated HS, in college or starting work, maybe newly married, basically getting started in adult life), middle age (meaning that career is established, family is established, basically that you were somewhat established as an adult), and older (meaning that you had started to hit empty nest or retirement years).

 

Thank you.   

[Jayne]

As I was saved almost on my 9th birthday, it's hard for me to say that I rejected the gospel a few time before I was saved, but that's exactly what I did.

My home was a Christian home and we were at church all the time.  I understood the gospel as best as an almost 9 year could.  My idea of "being saved" at the time was that it was for adults.  Not me.  I had a sense that I would "join the church" when I was older, but at 6, 7, 8, and almost 9 - I consciously said not now - not now.

I suppose that IS a rejection.

I was so convince that salvation was for adults, that this is how God spoke to me.  He explained in my heart that He could call anyone he wanted and that that day - he was calling me.

[ProGoddess]

I started going to Sunday School when I was small, around 3 years old. To a little child, Sunday School is like another preschool playground. I enjoyed the singing and listening to Bible stories, however I do not think a child of that age would understand about salvation though from the teachers, I knew that Jesus loves me. We always sang "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know" and so, every child knows that Jesus loves them.

 

Though I might have been exposed to Christianity at a young age, a child does not comprehend the concept of God and salvation. However the teaching of the Bible laid a good foundation for my later life as a Christian. The wording of rejection does not sit right here, I wouldn't think I was rejecting the Lord when I heard about Him when I was a child. It was only when I grew older that I began to understand about the Lord and the gospel better in which I then finally gave my life to Him when I was 12. Being a twelve-year old, it does not mean that I fully understand everything about God and His Word. It is through regular listening to His Word - attending church and bible study - and meditating on it daily that I gradually get to know the Lord better.

 

Blessings to all!

[enoob57]

I have to say the things that are made convinced me at a very young age... 'The wonder of His design' when in church the Scripture they taught me fit perfectly with what I see in life... 

[AnOrangeCat]

13 minutes ago, ProGoddess said:

 

Though I might have been exposed to Christianity at a young age, a child does not comprehend the concept of God and salvation. However the teaching of the Bible laid a good foundation for my later life as a Christian. The wording of rejection does not sit right here, I wouldn't think I was rejecting the Lord when I heard about Him when I was a child. It was only when I grew older that I began to understand about the Lord and the gospel better in which I then finally gave my life to Him when I was 12. Being a twelve-year old, it does not mean that I fully understand everything about God and His Word. It is through regular listening to His Word - attending church and bible study - and meditating on it daily that I gradually get to know the Lord better.

This was pretty much me too. I remember that I felt good about the choice as a kid and noticed a difference in my behavior. I can't put a finger on when I might have accepted and understood adequately. These days I feel like so long as we're walking in God we never stop growing spiritually.

[ProGoddess]

5 minutes ago, AnOrangeCat said:

This was pretty much me too. I remember that I felt good about the choice as a kid and noticed a difference in my behavior. I can't put a finger on when I might have accepted and understood adequately. These days I feel like so long as we're walking in God we never stop growing spiritually.

I agree with you.

 

We never stop growing spiritually. Even our body and mental state of mind change because we have Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will always be our guide in whatever we do. We only need to be still, and know that He is there, inside us, and being with us.

 

As we are fortunate that the Lord found us, I did come across people who did "reject" God even when they heard it multiple times. It was a friend who accepted Christ and her husband got angry because of that. They were retirees and had grown up children. My friend went to church upon an invitation from another friend. After she became Christian, she invited her husband to come to church with her, which he reluctantly agreed. He attended a few times but refused to accept. No matter what his wife said, he would give a negative comment about it. Eventually my friend stopped mentioning but only depending on prayers in hope of having the Lord to change her husband.

 

I guess as someone of this age (as stated above), I would think it is not ignorance or innocent like children who could not comprehend fully but purely a rejection which I suppose fit into what the poll says.

[Who me]

The survey is flawed as it assummes that nonchristian reject the gospel.

What about those who didn't understand it or had not accepted it.

 

My story is of being brought up attending church, of hearing the gospel very clearly preached, explained and illistrated. I knew the gospel and wanted to be a Christian, but wasn't.

It took several years of sitting under this preaching of trying to be a 'Christian' and knowing that by the end of Monday I'd failed again before the clarity of Jesus's death and the vital nessity of the resurection suddenly became clear and I believed it.

[Debp]

I always loved Jesus, however I was truly born again in 1972.   That's when I truly understood salvation and experienced the Holy Spirit's work in my heart and life.

[Deborah_]

I voted for the first option in the first question, but actually none of them fitted my experience. I hadn't heard "the gospel" at all when I became a Christian. It was only about 6 months later that I did hear a clear presentation of it - wanted to become a Christian and realised that I already was!

[Still Alive]

22 hours ago, GandalfTheWise said:

I'm curious as to how Christians here did or did not respond to the gospel before they became Christians.  I'm also curious how old people were when they become a Christian.

I put in categories for answers which are more representative of state of mind rather than counting numbers.  

For gospel response, I'm referring to times you had a fairly clear understanding of what you were accepting or rejecting.  I'm interested if you responded the very first time you clearly heard the gospel, if you heard it clearly a few times but did not immediately respond but maybe wrestled with it for a time, or if you had made it a habit of rejecting it. 

For age, I split the categories into rough stages of life rather than specific years.   Childhood, teen years (in middle school or high school), young adult (graduated HS, in college or starting work, maybe newly married, basically getting started in adult life), middle age (meaning that career is established, family is established, basically that you were somewhat established as an adult), and older (meaning that you had started to hit empty nest or retirement years).

 

Thank you.   

I accepted His free gift in 1981. I was 27. However, after I did, I suddenly remembered I'd knelled on a fireplace hearth and accepted the lord in 1961, when I was seven.  

That may explain why, though I never "rejected" the gospel, I'd never really accepted it either and always saw myself "on God's side", but not from a "believer's perspective". I was what I call an intellectual agnostic, but not as intellectual as I claimed to be. I had not actually read scripture and didn't go to church until 1981.