Still sin and feel like a hypocrite, am I even saved?
Q: Jesus said "come as you are"...but how does that work?
I smoke, cuss etc, so how am I supposed to come to him? Do I just pray for these things to go away there’s no way I can give up smoking on my own I’ve tried and I always go back to it . Everytime I ask Jesus in my life, I treat it as a check list... that I have to stop all these things,... but I always go back to them 😞.
I don’t want to do that this time I want to go to him as I am not something I’m not, im broken, but I feel like a hypocrite.
A: Jesus calls sinners to come to him to be transformed and made new.
We come as we are and God changes us. By God's transforming power of the Gospel, God converts us and sends us the indwelling Holy Spirit, along with the Bible... to guide us.
When we come to Him we put an end to ourselves, and he becomes Lord over our lives. In effect, we died and rose to new life in Christ [and that's what "believers water baptism" symbolizes btw; it shows outwardly what inwardly already happened].
Believers struggle with sin and are ar war with it. Being a Christian doesn't mean we are perfect. If sin bothers us, that's a good sign. It means we desire to fight it, to keep going till we conquer it, to get rid of it. Then it has no temptation over us anymore. We're dead to it. Think of something that repulsed you. It's sorta like that. You have no interest in it anymore. It has no power over you anymore.
When we understand God's Glory & Holiness, and "the righteousness he calls us to" upon recieving Christ... God transforms us into a new creation...with new and right desires. Therefore we can rightly hate sin and love righteousness, and pursue it. 😊
I would spend time in Scripture and studying about Who God is, who he made us to be, what went wrong, how God restores us, so we can live out the Communicable attributes in Christlike manner, as we grow to become more like Christ. Do a study on the armor of God and Fruit of the Spirit, and how believers kill and conquer sin. These will help you, along with a proper understanding of the Gospel, to surrender to God and go live in Faith.
It takes time to go from a newborn to toddler and to mature into s fully grown believer. Be patient with yourself, do your best, and keep short sin accounts (pray whenever you stumble) so you dont fall off the path.
Here are resources to help you.
On the Holiness of God.
*Attributes of God <<<
Understand the Fall, who we really are meant to be & what went wrong
Understand the Gospel, and recieve it, so you can live as God wants you to.
*If you understood this for the first time today, then, Obey the Gospel- in prayer, Repent once and for all and believe/trust in Jesus.
>>[Then go through the rest of what's on this page, to get off to a good start in your Christian walk].
*If you already understood this, and had obeyed the Gospel, but are just struggling with "how to live better as a believer", then go through the rest of what's on this page, to walk well in the Faith.
*Why believers are saved or why we seek it.
* See series topic
*what is the Fruit believers have, that we grow in
*purposely pursue these daily in your character so it can grow in you.
Dealing with sin as a believer:
*Understanding God's holiness & man's sin
Some of these should be taught in church, esp in a new believers class, but some take time to learn. Here you can do a crash course through the links, to help save you some pain and frustrations., as you begin and grow.
God bless
Bonus:
Related:
Solid Resources for Growing Believers
*this is a reliable and safe place to spend time in. Avoid everything else "religious" online and on social media, to prevent you being led astray. Focus learning at church, and here for the next several months, to grasp the important basics and you be well on your way to maturing as a believer. 😊
*Bookmark this page, and set a daily calendar alarm to 1. Read Scripture in am for 10 minutes a day, 2. To go through this material in a dedicated time at home daily.
