My Journey to Jesus

[Ramie]

Hello everyone, My name's Ramie, 19 yo, and im so pleased to find and join a community of believers that will help me in my journey to Jesus !

I grew up in a Heavily Roman Catholic Country, full of Superstition, Idolatrous practices, Mary Deification, and Syncretism with local pre-christian deities.

Fortunately, my Mother was wise enough to see through this Heresy, so we never took part in any of these practices, and are technically "Catholic" in-label only.

I spent most of my teen life as Agnostic and ultra-liberal. Even supporting the LGBT agenda and being Pro-Abortion at one point. I really thought i was  a  good person because im "Nice" and fought for a "noble" cause. And I really thought I can make it to heaven on my own ability (if it was real).

It wasnt until last year, due to Corona, when i was able to get in touch with  christians online, is where my life changed.

At first i was very defiant and annoyed by them. I seek the opinions of skeptics on reddit and quora to try debunk christianity or judaism. I stumbled upon CLE during that time, the first article i ever encountered was the "Ambulocetus" article
 I actively blocked alot of christians online and even bullied them. 

What really made me tick was the QnA of a believer who told an asker that theres no such thing as a "Good Person".

I was like, "How dare she!" .  But deep inside, i was beginning to feel the change within me start.

I was already starting to read certain parts of the bible out of curiosity, and i began to feel convicted of my sins. I still identified as Bisexual  , and part of the reason that scares me is the fact that i have to give up my label, my identity when i turn to Christ. "What shall i be then without this identity?" i mentally asked myself.

One day i had a very heated argument with my Mom. There was screaming, Crying and lot of hurtful words said.

Sad, Tired and Hopeless , all the bible reading suddenly "clicked" like a lightbulb. It was late that night i realized How much of a HORRIBLE person I am, and how WRONG i am on so many of my beliefs. I am NOT a good person, and i am a sinner worthy of hell. And its because of these Sins, Jesus had to die.
 
 thats where I realized how dumb i am for even questioning God's existance.
    So I prayed to God , the first time ive sincerely  prayed in years, and Cried for how truly sorry i am.  I then asked for forgiveness and finally accepted him as my Lord and Savior .

That was the beginning of my walk in Christ.

   i have since left the LGBT community, Let go of Old Grudges i had, and began to spend less time on my Phone.  Gave more time on Praying and studying scripture.
  Just last December, i discouraged my mom from setting up a Christmas tree . I in good conscience, can no longer comfortably celebrate Christmas.

Indeed i still have alot of things to learn, unlearn and grow as his follower. And now, im more watchful of the media i consume so i wont upset the Holy Spirit.

I hope i got my testimony right, but yeah!

[Ellie]

Hi Ramie,

I’m glad to hear your testimony of salvation and that you found us here at CLE. I can relate to a lot of what you have said in your testimony. I grew up “Catholic in label,” later got involved with super liberal groups/ideologies, and was into the LGBT stuff too. So what you are saying here definitely resonates with me as well. I’m glad that you got out of that and that God gave you repentance to understand the truth of those things.

I was wondering how your family has reacted to you since you have been saved? And which teachings have you read/listened to so far on CLE? Have any favorites?

Again, I’m glad you’re here. Welcome! 

[Timothy]

Welcome to the forum Ramie. I enjoyed reading your testimony.

I really thought i was  a  good person because im "Nice" and fought for a "noble" cause.

Sad, Tired and Hopeless , all the bible reading suddenly "clicked" like a lightbulb. It was late that night i realized How much of a HORRIBLE person I am, and how WRONG i am on so many of my beliefs. I am NOT a good person, and i am a sinner worthy of hell. And its because of these Sins, Jesus had to die.

That's very relatable to me because, growing up, I thought the same thing that being a "good" person meant you go to heaven. It wasn't until I finally realized how terrible of a sinner I am that I understood why Jesus died for us. I was always taught to believe in Jesus because I'm a sinner, but I didn't have the repentance (godly sorrow of sin) to understand it back then. I can clearly see that same repentance in you. I don't know what all articles you've read on the site, but you might like the article on repentance.

https://www.creationliberty.com/articles/repent.php

I've never heard of Syncretism before. What is that?

[Ramie]

 @Timothy
YES. I actually already read Chris' article on repentance ! (quite a lengthy read, but absolutely worth it)

 I for the longest time wrongly thought that repentance is a work you have to do to get saved. And its as simple  as Changing your mind, Turn from doing that sin, and then Never do that sin again. Sounds easy Right?
 
    Well that way of thinking frustrated me, because  i keep on falling for the same sins over and over again. In my mind, i was having this false guilt whispering:  "Oh, youre not repenting Enough!" . Or that i should "Try Harder" to change my mind , so my works would show how much ive actually repented.
 
What really stuck to me was near the end of the article, he mentioned how some of us have already repented  ,we just didnt realize at the time.
 
Thats EXACTLY what happened to me . I came in the article feeling nervous to know the truth of repentance , only to find out, oh i already did repented.

That does make me ask, is repentance a one time event? Is it a process, or something i have to do constantly ? What happens if i still sin?  If we constantly sin, does that mean we have to Grieve and Wept (repent) for our sins all the time?

 As for your question, syncretism is when a religion mixes its  beliefs/theology/Deities with another religion.  Similar to how Santeria is a mixture of Roman Catholicism+African  Yoruba mythology. My country has tons of those. Particularly with Mother Mary and the Saints

[Ramie]

I've never heard of Syncretism before. What is that?
[/quote]

Sorry for the messy reply, im still getting used here

[creationliberty]

That does make me ask, is repentance a one time event? Is it a process, or something i have to do constantly ? What happens if i still sin?  If we constantly sin, does that mean we have to Grieve and Wept (repent) for our sins all the time?

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
-Heb 6:1

Which is not to say that we are abandoning the principles (i.e. first teachings) of Christ, but that we have established them, and then go on to more complex things and greater responsibilities. One of those principles is the foundation of repentance, which is a foundation laid in our hearts.
See more on the Biblical definition of perfection here: http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/perfect.php

There are sheep that go astray, but if they have come to repentance and faith at any point, they are still sheep. However, Jesus has to go get them.

And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
-Mat 18:13

And the correlating verse explains more details of what that means:

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
-Luke 15:7

Thus, repentance is an ongoing foundation laid in our hearts, by which we have as children of God when we sin against Him.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
-1Jo 1:8-9

[Ellie]

I for the longest time wrongly thought that repentance is a work you have to do to get saved. And its as simple  as Changing your mind, Turn from doing that sin, and then Never do that sin again. Sounds easy Right?
 
    Well that way of thinking frustrated me, because  i keep on falling for the same sins over and over again. In my mind, i was having this false guilt whispering:  "Oh, youre not repenting Enough!" . Or that i should "Try Harder" to change my mind , so my works would show how much ive actually repented.
 
What really stuck to me was near the end of the article, he mentioned how some of us have already repented  ,we just didnt realize at the time.
 
Thats EXACTLY what happened to me . I came in the article feeling nervous to know the truth of repentance , only to find out, oh i already did repented.

I went through this exact same thing. I was saved in December 2019 and I had no idea what had actually happened that night until months and months later when I came across the CLE article on repentance. I saw so many false teachings on repentance and I was so frustrated for the exact same reasons. I would continue to cry about my failed attempts at "turning from sin" and I wondered if I had ever changed my mind enough. Because they always say "it's a 180 degree turn" and I was like okay... how am I supposed to measure that in myself? I doubted my salvation for a long time because I simply didn't understand repentance.

It was a huge relief to understand true repentance once I read the article. Since then, I began to understand many other things I was trying to figure out in the scriptures.

Along with the perfection article Chris linked, I recommend this article too. It's called "Do Christians Sin?" It might be helpful if you haven't gotten to it yet already.

https://http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/sin.php

[Ramie]

Along with the perfection article Chris linked, I recommend this article too. It's called "Do Christians Sin?" It might be helpful if you haven't gotten to it yet already.

https://http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/sin.php

Hey Elissa, sorry my late response.

To answer your earlier question, at first my family was really glad when i told  them im a believer again, but the more time passes, they  noted how more "paranoid" or
"extreme" i got.

 My older brother really likes The Lord of the Rings. we know its full of dark symbolism. Though he says he's mature enough to discern the evil stuff, he's only in it for the  Characters, and he's not going to practice  witchcraft in real life anyways.

 And even though i already warned her, my mom is still very into celebrating Christmas, and i fear that these will damn them both to hell.


(I really wanna focus the point on my brother for a bit. Most of the concern regarding fantasy is rightfully aimed at children and Teens because of their sensitve, Malleable minds that can be negatively influence them.
Look how so many Teens got lead to Celebrity Idolization, and Witchcraft by their obsessions .But my brother is a mature adult now. Is it inherently sinful to like stories with magic in it?)

Granted, i do not know their hearts if theyre  actual believers or not, or if theyve truly repented in the past. I just trust on God to convict them where it is necessary. And I do hope  these wont  send them both to hell (if theyre truly believers)🙏

That being said, thanks for the reccomendation,  definitely would be reading it!

[Jeanne]

Along with the perfection article Chris linked, I recommend this article too. It's called "Do Christians Sin?" It might be helpful if you haven't gotten to it yet already.

http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/sin.php

Hey Elissa, sorry my late response.

To answer your earlier question, at first my family was really glad when i told  them im a believer again, but the more time passes, they  noted how more "paranoid" or
"extreme" i got.

 My older brother really likes The Lord of the Rings. we know its full of dark symbolism. Though he says he's mature enough to discern the evil stuff, he's only in it for the  Characters, and he's not going to practice  witchcraft in real life anyways.

 And even though i already warned her, my mom is still very into celebrating Christmas, and i fear that these will damn them both to hell.


(I really wanna focus the point on my brother for a bit. Most of the concern regarding fantasy is rightfully aimed at children and Teens because of their sensitve, Malleable minds that can be negatively influence them.
Look how so many Teens got lead to Celebrity Idolization, and Witchcraft by their obsessions .But my brother is a mature adult now. Is it inherently sinful to like stories with magic in it?)

Granted, i do not know their hearts if theyre  actual believers or not, or if theyve truly repented in the past. I just trust on God to convict them where it is necessary. And I do hope  these wont  send them both to hell (if theyre truly believers)🙏

That being said, thanks for the reccomendation,  definitely would be reading it!

Ramie, the only thing that will send people to hell is a lack of repentance and belief on the Lord Jesus Christ. Liking fantasy novels or celebrating pagan holidays is no different to any other sin. If these worldly things were what actually condemned someone to hell, then we would be saved by works, not by grace, and that is NOT what Jesus taught. If your family members are truly saved, then the Holy Spirit will convict them sooner or later to stop doing these things. If they're not saved, then simply stopping those practices is not enough to save them. The only way anyone can be saved is through the type of repentance that you have experienced, and once that happens, then NOTHING will change that.

If you've already read this article, then reading it again might help:

False Converts vs. Eternal Security

[Ramie]

Along with the perfection article Chris linked, I recommend this article too. It's called "Do Christians Sin?" It might be helpful if you haven't gotten to it yet already.

http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/sin.php

Hey Elissa, sorry my late response.

To answer your earlier question, at first my family was really glad when i told  them im a believer again, but the more time passes, they  noted how more "paranoid" or
"extreme" i got.

 My older brother really likes The Lord of the Rings. we know its full of dark symbolism. Though he says he's mature enough to discern the evil stuff, he's only in it for the  Characters, and he's not going to practice  witchcraft in real life anyways.

 And even though i already warned her, my mom is still very into celebrating Christmas, and i fear that these will damn them both to hell.


(I really wanna focus the point on my brother for a bit. Most of the concern regarding fantasy is rightfully aimed at children and Teens because of their sensitve, Malleable minds that can be negatively influence them.
Look how so many Teens got lead to Celebrity Idolization, and Witchcraft by their obsessions .But my brother is a mature adult now. Is it inherently sinful to like stories with magic in it?)

Granted, i do not know their hearts if theyre  actual believers or not, or if theyve truly repented in the past. I just trust on God to convict them where it is necessary. And I do hope  these wont  send them both to hell (if theyre truly believers)🙏

That being said, thanks for the reccomendation,  definitely would be reading it!

Ramie, the only thing that will send people to hell is a lack of repentance and belief on the Lord Jesus Christ. Liking fantasy novels or celebrating pagan holidays is no different to any other sin. If these worldly things were what actually condemned someone to hell, then we would be saved by works, not by grace, and that is NOT what Jesus taught. If your family members are truly saved, then the Holy Spirit will convict them sooner or later to stop doing these things. If they're not saved, then simply stopping those practices is not enough to save them. The only way anyone can be saved is through the type of repentance that you have experienced, and once that happens, then NOTHING will change that.

If you've already read this article, then reading it again might help:

False Converts vs. Eternal Security

Jeanne (and this is open to everyone else) , i do have some few final questions if you dont mind...

What if they are born again, But died without fully letting go of all their sins? For example,  my Mom dies before getting convicted of Christmas (hopefully not!).

I must admit one more thing. Before i was saved, i was  super in to Harry Potter and Netflix's Sabrina.  And not  for the characters and story, but i was literally "hooked" by the portrayal of magic,  and nearly made me want to actually practice it.
  Now of course,  we know Witchcraft is forbidden and i have sinced stop liking these shows (tried watching it again, but the enjoyment factor is  drastically gone).

  But you see, i really still do like learning about World Mythology ,  studying History, and even the occasional Fairytale with fantastical elements. Not to learn witchcraft, or to convert to false religions, but simply for the Stories of it ?

 And so far, i have not been convicted of this. Should i be concerned? Should i be wary of this? Should i also just move to a new interest?
 This is a very similar issue to Chris' Video Game article, and i brought it out to be open with yall.

[Ramie]

That does make me ask, is repentance a one time event? Is it a process, or something i have to do constantly ? What happens if i still sin?  If we constantly sin, does that mean we have to Grieve and Wept (repent) for our sins all the time?

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
-Heb 6:1

Which is not to say that we are abandoning the principles (i.e. first teachings) of Christ, but that we have established them, and then go on to more complex things and greater responsibilities. One of those principles is the foundation of repentance, which is a foundation laid in our hearts.
See more on the Biblical definition of perfection here: http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/perfect.php

There are sheep that go astray, but if they have come to repentance and faith at any point, they are still sheep. However, Jesus has to go get them.

And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
-Mat 18:13

And the correlating verse explains more details of what that means:

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
-Luke 15:7

Thus, repentance is an ongoing foundation laid in our hearts, by which we have as children of God when we sin against Him.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
-1Jo 1:8-9

Thank you! So Jesus, out of his love for us, will chastise and convict us, whenever we backslide to sinfulness.
But we are now Saved

[creationliberty]

I did not say "backslide." That is a church-ianity term. There is only one place in the Bible I am familiar with that mentions "backslide" and that in Proverbs. We have to be careful about using church-ianity phrases because they often have corrupt meanings.

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
-Pro 14:14

The problem is that, if you look up mainstream "Christian" sources, you will find that they use the word 'backslide' to refer to someone who has "fallen away," and Jesus told us that someone who has fallen away is someone who has no root of salvation in their heart.

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
-Luke 8:13

Yet, the modern-day "pastors" and church buildings use these terms to mean something other than what the Bible defines them to mean. These church-ianity terms are often passed around with false teachings attached to them, which means we need to learn the Biblical terms, what they mean, and try to avoid using what mainstream so-called "Christianity" is telling us to use.

[Ellie]

(I'm not sure why but I'm having difficulties with quotes on here today so I'll just say that this is my response to your post that was addressed to me)

That's okay, no worries.

That sounds similar to the way my mom responded. Over time, she started to call me "judgmental" and get upset with me about pointing out the sin in holidays and other things. She would say that I always take things to the extreme and she even said one time that it might have been better if I never became a Christian if I was going to be so obsessive about it (I think that was during the time when I didn't understand repentance/my salvation yet. I was very confused and torn apart about it for some time). She claims that she is a Christian but the repentance isn't there. This is what Jesus was talking about when he explains the division in households:

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. - Matthew 10:34-36

For me, it got progressively worse as I started to understand and talk about more things that I learned about in the Bible. I was naive at the beginning and I believed people when they said they were also Christians but over time God gives us more discernment to be able to see the truth of what they believe through their words and actions when comparing them to the scriptures. That reminds me of the command to study them:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15

I pray that God would give you more discernment to understand those things with your family and show you how to share more of the truth with them. I also pray that if they are not saved, that God would have the same mercy in giving them repentance too.

Also, I agree with Jeanne that going through the False Converts teaching would be helpful in understanding things. If there are any more questions you have about it then feel free to ask or just make comments because the church is glad to discuss doctrine. There are lots of good teachings here that helped me personally connect a lot of dots in my understanding. For some of them, there are also audio teachings linked on the article pages if that makes it easier for you to go through them.

[Jeanne]

Jeanne (and this is open to everyone else) , i do have some few final questions if you dont mind...

What if they are born again, But died without fully letting go of all their sins? For example,  my Mom dies before getting convicted of Christmas (hopefully not!).

I must admit one more thing. Before i was saved, i was  super in to Harry Potter and Netflix's Sabrina.  And not  for the characters and story, but i was literally "hooked" by the portrayal of magic,  and nearly made me want to actually practice it.
  Now of course,  we know Witchcraft is forbidden and i have sinced stop liking these shows (tried watching it again, but the enjoyment factor is  drastically gone).

  But you see, i really still do like learning about World Mythology ,  studying History, and even the occasional Fairytale with fantastical elements. Not to learn witchcraft, or to convert to false religions, but simply for the Stories of it ?

 And so far, i have not been convicted of this. Should i be concerned? Should i be wary of this? Should i also just move to a new interest?
 This is a very similar issue to Chris' Video Game article, and i brought it out to be open with yall.

Ramie, what you're asking makes no sense. I've already told you that celebrating Christmas is no different to any other sin, and who do you know of who has ever completely given up all their sins before they died? As I said before, if your mother is truly saved (and I would seriously question that at this point), celebrating Christmas isn't going to send her to hell, and if she's not saved, giving up Christmas isn't going to get her into heaven.

As far as your interest in history and mythology, you say you haven't been convicted about it, but you never would have asked the question if you didn't think there might be a problem with it. So the best advice I can give you there is to pray about it and ask God to show you if what you are doing in wrong.

[anvilhauler]

Jeanne (and this is open to everyone else) , i do have some few final questions if you dont mind...

What if they are born again, But died without fully letting go of all their sins? For example,  my Mom dies before getting convicted of Christmas (hopefully not!).

I must admit one more thing. Before i was saved, i was  super in to Harry Potter and Netflix's Sabrina.  And not  for the characters and story, but i was literally "hooked" by the portrayal of magic,  and nearly made me want to actually practice it.
  Now of course,  we know Witchcraft is forbidden and i have sinced stop liking these shows (tried watching it again, but the enjoyment factor is  drastically gone).

  But you see, i really still do like learning about World Mythology ,  studying History, and even the occasional Fairytale with fantastical elements. Not to learn witchcraft, or to convert to false religions, but simply for the Stories of it ?

 And so far, i have not been convicted of this. Should i be concerned? Should i be wary of this? Should i also just move to a new interest?
 This is a very similar issue to Chris' Video Game article, and i brought it out to be open with yall.

Ramie, what you're asking makes no sense. I've already told you that celebrating Christmas is no different to any other sin, and who do you know of who has ever completely given up all their sins before they died? As I said before, if your mother is truly saved (and I would seriously question that at this point), celebrating Christmas isn't going to send her to hell, and if she's not saved, giving up Christmas isn't going to get her into heaven.

As far as your interest in history and mythology, you say you haven't been convicted about it, but you never would have asked the question if you didn't think there might be a problem with it. So the best advice I can give you there is to pray about it and ask God to show you if what you are doing in wrong.

Jesus' comments on the matter might also be quite helpful

Matthew 13 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.