For the beginning Christian
Published 06.11.2017
Why go to church on Sundays, because “I believe in God in my soul.” Do you think so too? Is it good or bad for a soul to believe in God? Let's look at three reasons, and then you can decide for yourself whether you will continue to believe in your heart or change your point of view. Read the article to the end, it will take you no more than 5 minutes.
Reason one. You may be sincerely mistaken.
Have you ever been sincerely mistaken? Maybe you were mistaken about some person? Maybe you were mistaken in some acquisition? Or maybe, in the course of your life, you abandoned some beliefs that seemed to you the only true ones? People don't tend to admit their mistakes. It's difficult and unpleasant. But the reality is that millions of people are mistaken in their faith today.
Are you sure that what you believe is true? Nobody wants to be deceived. The problem is that if you do not examine a belief for truth, then how can you understand that it is true? You could say that I can explore faith on my own, why can’t I still “believe in God in my soul”? The answer is very simple - someone needs to evaluate your faith from the outside. It is necessary to talk about faith. You need to put your faith to the test. It is necessary to grow in faith. Otherwise, it will turn out that everyone on this earth has their own faith. Everyone will believe in something different. And if everyone believes in something different, then how can we even understand what the truth is?
Jesus once spoke to His disciples in these words:
Jesus said, “I am your way, truth and life. No one will come to the Father except through Me. If you know Me, you will also know the Father. And from this day on you have known Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6,7)
Jesus said that He is the truth. Before Him, people believed in God, each in their own way. But here Jesus is here, He teaches and clearly says in human words what to do and how to believe. Are you ready to hear about true faith - from the Son of God himself? He is the true and only way to God. Throughout his life He proved that this is so. If you think otherwise, you have a potential problem. You can continue to live with “faith in your soul,” but who will be right in the end—you or Jesus? The answer is obvious.
“I believed, and my whole life changed dramatically, I began to look at the world with different eyes. What was previously satisfactory and even liked appeared in a completely different light.
But this did not happen to those who surround me, whom I sincerely love and for whom I wish the same path that befell me. Relatives continue to live their old lives. The children have their own families and a lot of financial and everyday problems; they are not interested in the understanding of the world that was revealed to me. I try to convey to them my new outlook on life, but I come across a blank wall of misunderstanding. You show concern for them, and in response: “Why are you interfering with your love!” If you want to share your joy about a pilgrimage trip or a festive Liturgy, they are not interested. You sit, trying not to attract attention - they think that you are offended by something and generally live in your own world... The desire to have a heart-to-heart talk is regarded as intrusiveness. Good advice is perceived as interference in their personal affairs...
So I float in this worldly sea, restless, not knowing which shore to land on, since everyone is busy with their own problems. I understand, of course, that you need to pray, humble yourself and endure. But I barely have enough strength, and the burden of my own sins is heavy, which is why my prayer is weak. What to do? Take an example from the holy fathers? But where do I care about them!
, a regular contributor to the Logos newspaper, reflects .
“People come to God in different ways.
Someone gains faith immediately, having experienced a strong mental shock, more often sad than joyful. For others, the road to the temple stretches for years and decades. But whether a person “suddenly” believed or is just approaching faith, his perception of his former life inevitably changes, because he himself changes.
Anyone who believes is shocked to realize the imperfection of the world in which he has lived until now. As the author of the letter accurately notes: “What was previously satisfactory and even liked appeared in a completely different light!”
Moreover, we begin to perceive the people around us differently. It’s as if they’ve known a person for a hundred years, but only now have they noticed certain vices in him that they hadn’t even paid attention to before. Strange? No, it's natural! Because, having believed, they understood what “good” is and what “bad” is. Or rather, it was not we who understood, but it was revealed to us. And at the same time, an understanding of our own sins opened up, which we have no less, if not more, than others. So it is better not to be like the proud Pharisee, but to take the humble position of a tax collector.
What if your soul hurts for your loved ones? If you want to share with them the grace of God that has descended on you, explain to them that the life they lead is vain and sinful? I'm afraid this is a hopeless endeavor. It is unlikely that, say, an ice cream seller will be interested in a lecture on the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. So, something incomprehensible, abstract and... unnecessary.
Let us not irritate our loved ones with our moral teachings; it is more useful to rely on the will of God. The Lord knows best who, when and how to open up. We can only pray that this happens as quickly as possible.
And you can find like-minded people in your parish, on the same pilgrimage trips, and simply among good people who, although they have not yet believed, are trying to live according to the commandments of God. Then loneliness will recede, and life with faith will become, although difficult, but joyful - the way it should be!”
Published in the newspaper "Logos"
Reason two. Faith in God in the soul without works is dead.
The second reason is no less important than the first. Faith without works is dead. Let's say you believe you can do a home renovation in two weeks. This faith lives inside you. But without actually putting that faith into practice, your faith is dead. Your faith will only be confirmed when you begin to put into practice what you believe.
Suppose you believe in God. You even believe in Jesus Christ. Believe that Jesus lived and that He is the truth. But what does the Bible say about faith that is not demonstrated by works?
Do you believe that God is one? Fine! Even demons believe this and shudder. Fool! Do you want proof that faith without works is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by his works when he placed his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith was accompanied by works, and it was made perfect by his good works. And so the Scripture was fulfilled, which says: “Abraham believed in God, and his faith was counted to him as righteousness.” That is why he was called “the friend of God.” You see that a person is justified before God by his works, and not by faith alone. In the same way, wasn't there a harlot? Was Rahab justified before God when she sheltered the messengers and helped them escape along another road? And therefore, just as the body is dead without the spirit, so faith without works is dead. (James 2:19-26)
The God in whom you believe sent His Son to this earth - Jesus Christ (as it is written in the Bible) so that all who believe in Him will gain eternal life. But Jesus said and this is important to know:
“Therefore whoever hears these words of Mine and follows them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. It started to rain and the water rose. The winds blew and battered this house, but it did not collapse, for there was rock at its foundation. And whoever hears these words of Mine and does not act according to them is like a fool who built a house on sand: the rain fell and the waters rose, the wind blew and fell on this house, and it collapsed with a terrible noise.” When Jesus finished speaking, the people were amazed at His teaching, for He taught them as one in authority, and not as teachers of the law. (Matthew 7:24-29)
In this parable, Jesus talks about the uselessness of faith in the soul if a person does not practice faith. It's like building sand castles. The wind blew and there was nothing. The entire teaching of the New Testament is permeated with this idea - faith must be manifested in deeds.
This is the second reason why you cannot “believe in your soul.” If you believe in the truth, then that truth will be visible throughout your life - you will live it and you will talk about it.
Reason three. To believe in your soul is very selfish.
Let's imagine this picture for a moment. Jesus Christ came to earth. He knows the truth, He is just from God. But Jesus “believes in his soul.” He helps people. He leads a righteous life and does not harm anyone. He doesn't drink or smoke. He doesn't really interfere anywhere. He “believes in his soul.” At night He prays for all humanity, and in the morning He goes to work again, like everyone else. People see that He is strange and not like the others, but they don’t know what the matter is, so they believe that He is simply not of this world.
Strange picture, isn't it? It is so different from the real life that Jesus actually lived. He definitely didn’t believe in his soul. He sacrificed time, strength, interests and, in the end, His life for the sake of each of us. He suffered and shed blood for each of us. And He wants us to continue His work - the work of spreading the Good News. His main mission was to tell people the truth about God, about sin and about salvation. That their sins can be forgiven. To do this, you need to repent of your sins and be baptized, and then lead a Christian lifestyle for the rest of your life. These are the words of Jesus at the end of the Gospel of Matthew:
And Jesus came and spoke to them: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and convert all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Now let’s imagine that Jesus didn’t tell the Apostles anything. He would have lived His life and gone back to God. It wouldn't make any sense. Jesus brought healing to people from sin. Sin, as the Bible says, is a deadly disease. A disease for which there is no cure except the blood of Christ.
Imagine that you are terminally ill.
And then someone found a medicine for you that helped you. What will you do when you see people with a similar disease? Will you tell them about the medicine? Will you tell them where you got it? Will you tell them that you were sick before or will you remain silent and pass by? Faith in the soul is self-love towards everyone around you. God would really like all people not to believe in their souls, but to believe in reality. So that they talk about their faith. So that they confirm their faith with deeds. And so that they share their faith with other people. If you have a question related to the Christian faith, write to us, we will try to answer you as soon as possible.
Faith and good deeds
The Lord of all worlds, the Creator of the entire universe, almighty Allah created humanity, which speaks different languages and dialects and with different skin colors. This is a sign for all thoughtful people. After all, all people are equal before Him. The best people are those who fear God the most, and fear of God and gratitude to God is expressed in observing the Quran and Sunnah.
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And good deeds must be done exclusively for the sake of the Almighty God, and not for the sake of people or anything else. After all, God ordered to do good deeds, and by doing good deeds to people for the sake of the Almighty, the possessors of knowledge, that is, believers, receive a reward from the Lord of the worlds. So, words like: “So, I am good and I don’t do anything bad to anyone, I, therefore, do a lot of good and don’t sin” are already sinful in themselves. Do you do good because it is the command of the Creator, or because it is accepted in society, or to satisfy your own pride? Moreover, in different societies or countries the same act can be perceived differently. What actually is good and evil is established only by the One who created the entire universe. No nation is capable of making a person obedient to God, that is, a Muslim who has taken the path of righteousness and truth. That is why today among Muslims there are often French, English, Germans, Russians and other people of different skin colors and nationalities. And praise be to the Lord of the worlds, Allah, for His mercy shown to these people... In life, each of us makes our own choices quite consciously, while being responsible for our actions. As God points out in the Qur'an: "There is no compulsion in religion - the straight path has already been distinguished from error." If you look closely at the Arabs, the many nationalities living on the territory of Dagestan, if you look closely at the Uzbeks, Tajiks, Chechens, Bashkirs, Turks, Kazakhs, Tatars and many other peoples called ethnic Muslims, then you can see among them many of those who in reality They are not Muslims. They do not follow the Sunnah (the example of the Prophet) and the Koran, the prohibitions and instructions of the Almighty at all. On the contrary, they only follow their own passions, violating the instructions of God, honoring only the customs of their ancestors and their own ego... Such manifestations are often deliberately interpreted by Islamophobes against supporters of the right faith, they point the finger at them with words like these: “Look what these Muslims are really like.” . But they are not Muslims. And the fact that even some of the followers of Islam commit sinful acts does not mean that this is permitted by the Koran and Sunnah. Milk separately, flies separately.
There is no need for a reasonable person to follow rumors and speculation. In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah has commanded to follow only evidence that can be verified. If you believe, then you know! A believer means a knower! Evidence goes hand in hand with faith. How can you believe something that does not have any valid evidence? Such faith is a blind and unreasonable following of individuals, this is fanaticism. But in fact, all non-believers are fans of their abstract conclusions; they blindly follow their own invented values, which are beneficial, if not to themselves, then certainly to those above them. And Islam categorically prohibits blindly following individuals and the thoughtless crowd! Glory to Allah, Creator of worlds, people and the universe! He was not born and He Himself did not give birth. Wise, Knowing, Existing. Whatever we imagine about Him will be completely different from Him. Whoever represents Him turns to an idol drawn by his own imagination, and not to God. The Creator alone is worthy to be worshiped. All the prophets, starting from Adam - the first man on the planet and ending with Moses (peace be upon him), Jesus (peace be upon him) and Muhammad (peace be upon him) were submissive to the One God, which means they were Muslims. After all, we now know how the words “Muslim or Muslim” are translated. All Prophets professed Islam (Submission to the Only God). Mercy, peace and blessing to all the prophets of the Most High Creator, Lord of all worlds!
The Creator is perfect. His actions are devoid of all flaws, holy. There is no one like or similar to Him. God is self-sufficient. All who live in heaven and earth need Him and pray to Him for blessing and help. After all, all the qualities of the Creator are perfect.
If you yourself truly sincerely want to become a successful and happy person, not only in this temporary life, but also in the Next Real Life, then God helps those who come to meet Him halfway. And stop following the crowd that doesn't understand. After all, by the Grace of the Creator, you are given the opportunity to choose: to follow the path of Heaven or the path of Hell.
- Today you are building your Real Life. Invest in the Next Life with good deeds and trust in the Grace of the Almighty.
- I consider those who, by their own choice, abandoned Paradise, are not reasonable people.
I ask the Creator to guide me and everyone who reads this article on the path of truth and justice, to open the hearts of these people to faith, so that they become successful in both worlds.
