Bible Discussion Thread

makes me wonder. I must be a deep sinner; I thought that I was always with the God up above all this time. now this scares me. how do I convince myself I am a believer

Hello DLHenri-2025. I concur with what Fuji has shared with you & would like to add the following for your encouragement. Yes, the Letter by James, as all other writings given to us, both show us our sin, God's hatred of all things evil (within & without), but also His great Plan of Salvation in & through Himself for lost mankind. If we are truly saved (born again by His Spirit by repentance & hungering after holy & eternal things), then we know that we have been called by God to receive His Salvation & given power to lead this new, special & holy life. Sure, sin will always knock at our door, particularly seeking out weak, vulnerable entrances to cause us to fall, resulting in us even doubting the validity of what God has done in us. And God knows this too well, as Psalm 103:13,14 reminds us. He doesn't expect us to get victory in our strength alone, for we are weak against the enemy of our souls. That is why He gave His Holy Spirit to give us power, direction, even 'a way of escape', if we are truly waiting on Him. And sometimes, this takes time, a long time, to mature & develop the same hatred for anything of sin & spots from the world.

I would encourage you to take time to read through Paul's letter to the Ephesians, & particularly chapters 1 and 2. In there, he clearly affirms the strong & eternal position we have in Christ Jesus, & nothing, but nothing, can alter that. Why? Because you are chosen & He has changed you. The same Paul, when he was severely buffeted to despair of life ( 2 Corinthians 12:7-10), whether by some sin, doubt or fear, was assured by the Lord that 'God's Grace was sufficient (given in sufficient measure) for him to bear up - God's Strength will be perfected (in Greek, 'completed/accomplished') through Paul's weakness. We can all truly be encouraged by the Promises of God which can be realized in reality. Don't give up dear one, stay true to the Lord in spite of your trials - He never fails - He will not let you down. With prayers.

Hello there ! Don't be discouraged ! James is the kind of book that makes even the most devoted Christian examine themselves very carefully . Every time I read it I feel guilty , as if James was looking right into me as he wrote it ! It seems to me that James has listed all my faults and failings and is rebuking me personally . I'm sure this is intentional , it's easy for us to sometimes be a bit self satisfied and pleased with ourselves , imagining that we are better than we actually are . To me , the book of James is there to bring me back down to the reality of who and what I actually am , a sinner , in need of God's mercy and forgiveness every day . It's like a report card that says ' must do better ' and it's addressed to us all , not just you and not just me . Take it on the chin and vow to do better tomorrow , every day !