What makes a person a believer

He has allowed people to reject His evident truth for specious lies. And the effects are devastating. Join Brett Clemmer as he continues our study in Romans and shows us how the wrath of God is not against people.

The apostle Paul is such a man. Paul is the ultimate example of a man who took making disciples seriously. If you too are serious about making disciples, then what could be better than to figure out and imitate what Paul thought, said, and did?

His language will spark a forest fire in your heart, his passion will infect you like a highly contagious virus, and his challenge can forever change your life. You can unsubscribe anytime. Do you lead a men's bible study? Remember me. Lost your password? Continue reading. Constant Contact Use.

Please leave this field blank. Anyways, I do agree that Christians ought to abstain from sin. Jhn That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. What is the SEED? The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Jhn It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. Rom But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Rom And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness.

Rom But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Rom For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. The law that works in the fleshly members is overcome by way of His words known and obeyed by HIS spirit which we have received with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save our souls.

Rom For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Rom For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. Jhn But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Mat Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Also the truth of it does not leave us subject to various forms or feelings which are not according to the truth but are the real evidences of repentance so we need not be confused or deceived.

In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. It seems that when God grants repentance it is that we are so intent to avoid being deceived by our own flesh that we exert great care and concern to learn from His word how to avoid such things…seeking wisdom that is FROM GOD. Jam But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

How important this section has been for me in seeing how to know the difference …the worldly sorrow is shallow and without fruit …. Jam But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Jam This wisdom descendeth not from above, but [is] earthly, sensual, devilish. Mal The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. Mat Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. Jhn Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Jhn These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Jud To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Thank you so much Susie for your wonderful comment. I also loved your comment that if a person kills someone every day and as long as they are a Christian they will go to heaven.

This to me shows that they are not saved because no one that is born-again continues in sin and if they claim to be Christian, and do not love their brothers or sisters, they are a liar and the truth is not in them 1 John ,9. God bless. Hello Wyatt. Thank you for even thinking of being a witness for Christ. I witness at work and in the street, to my family, to strangers, but I often use Bible tracts and let the Word of God do its work. The power is in the message, not the messenger. It comes in time.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you His power to be more of a bold witness. You are doing it in love…for their eternal future and if you think of it this way, maybe that will help.

God gives us His power and the words to speak come from the Spirit of God. Take heart…it gets easier each time you do but you will feel such joy afterward. Remember, when you are rejected, they are rejecting the message and not you. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. I do visit with many of them, more often than not my grandparents, but also friends. This is a commendable article which helps to expose to the us some of the ingredients required to be a good Christian.

This is a commendable article which helps to expose to us some of the ingredients required to be a good Christian. Chis, this is so true. Thank you for your comment. At times, even I have been guilty of lacking faith and God forgive me…because that is a lack of trust in God. Well said Chis. I agree. Thank you so much for the good work done through these articles. I have never taken visiting orphans a serious issue though i help people.

Now that i know i will start wih the little that i have. God bless you. This was helpful, but I have questions. When we talk about praying regularly, How does one define regular. Does the length of prayer matter, How should you go about praying eg kneeling, sitting, standing, eyes closed or open etc. I would love to pray without feeling guilty of doing it the wrong way.

Thank you Anna for your question. The length of the prayer is not important…but I myself like to be on my face, hands, and knees since in the Bible everytime someone encountered God, they lay flat on their face, hands, and knees out of reverence for God.

The Bible never says whether our eyes need to be open, closed, or whatever. You can stand and raise your hands and pray, or kneel, but the method I prefer is to bend my knees and lay flat on my face before God in prayer out of reverence and respect for our Great King. Dear Pastor, I gain a lot in your recent article,I most comment on your level of creativity. God will continue to bless you,in this christian journey the Lord will lift up above all circumstances GOd bless you.

Thank you Kingsley. What an encouragement you are my friend. I myself was convicted to examine myself as to whether I was and am in the faith and it is a constant battle for I most certainly lack in many of these 10 traits.

I wish,i had known about this site all the while but i thank God that i finally hook up with it. I am so glad you liked this. When I wrote it, it convicted me for sure for I fall so short of His Holiness and prefection but we are at work in a work in progress.

Take heart. Remember that when the Lord saved those who believe that the flesh and the carnal mind are going to be the battle field in terms of thought life. We are reminded how to overcome by the Word.

Eph For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Rom Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. His spirit then brings these to mind as we go throughout our days. When we belong to HIM we will be willing and desire to submit to His words which will grow us up and give us understanding as we mature in this walk.

Thank you so much Mrs. Please click on the link below and I will send you a free eBook on evangelism thru your email and your email will not be shared with anyone and kept private. How glad I am that we may learn about this …and that it seems so many are willing to concern themselves with this aspect of our life in Christ.

It seems that there is a darkness afoot which has many deaf , dumb and blind to the walk we are instructed to pursue. Thank you so much for bringing this to the site Jack …another winner of a topic! Thank you so much for posting this! Hello Caleigh. Love your comment.

This conviction and striving to overcome is truly evidence that the Holy Spirit is in you and working thru you. I am so overjoyed that you have that sense of sin which offends a Holy God and that obedience is tied to love.

Great comment. So insightful. May God continue to richly bless you in your walk with Christ. Oh, that I had you in the church that I am the under-shepherd of to the Great Shepherd. Hello Genesis.

The very fact that you are concerned is evidence that you are saved because no one can keep all 10 of these at all times and there are more evidences than these I am sure. If you are keeping some of these, this is strong enough evidence you are born again. No doubt in my mind Genesis that you are saved for those who are not in Christ could care less about a list like this.

See what I mean my friend? May God richly bless you. You are not alone. Fear not though. Read the conclusion and see my own reaction in writing this. No worry. I think that if I take away the fear I take away the doubt,does that make sense? Or should I take away doubt to take away the fear? Thanks Genesis. I believe staying out of sin, staying in prayer, the Bible and church will do both…for the most part, in taking away fear and doubt. Thank you, and who or what brought sin into the world?

Thank you for your question. We can see that she began to doubt the goodness of God by what is recorded in her thought process. God knew of the danger that Adam and Eve did not.

We have been given the ability and the means to know what GOD will reveal if we are meek to receive it and desire to please Him. There is no need to be deceived as Eve was …or disobedient as Adam was who knew what God had said but went ahead anyway and ate of the tree which had been distinctly forbidden. The urge to serve ourselves and our flesh is thwarted by our knowledge and acknowledgment of God being worthy to be honored, pleased and obeyed rather than taking what we want to please our flesh.

Jesus Christ gave us the ability and the means to disobey sin …to turn from the desires of the flesh that lead away from the satisfaction that God has offered to us through His Son reconciling us back to Himself with a full pardon.

Your Holy Bible is the testimony of those witnesses …prior to His coming …with prophesy…. During His lifespan on earth and in linear time …and After with many who were contemporary witnesses to His life writing their own testimony to what they saw and heard.

Doubt is one of the key leverages that the Devil has used against man enjoying the relationship with GOD that he was designed to have. The hinderance to our confidence in what GOD has had recorded is through knowledge supplied by GOD through holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The establishment and further growth of faith comes from hearing and heeding..

Seek the truth and seek understanding for understanding will dispel doubts that those who are not willing to seek will never find answers to the satisfaction of their souls. God is all wise and all generous to those who are willing to seek His guidance as they go through His revealed Word trusting His capability and desire to be our guide…to teach us through His Word and by His Word all things that pertain to life and godliness.

Picture this. We are all children of God. I being a father and grandfather watched my children as they began to learn to walk and they fell time and time again. Did I give up on them? Did I grow angry with them? No, I always helped them up and encouraged them to try again and again, and to the millionth time if necessary.

The lost have no such desire. Make sense? Have faith, trust God, His love never runs out…His love never fails…even when we do. Great reminder! The oppose and accuser of the brethren wants to trip up and then keep people down with discouragement. Those who love God are grieved to realize how ease it is to fall …yet God IS our encouragement and with His love we cannot help but want to please Him no matter what lie the enemy of our soul may pull on us.

If we were already mature and just the same as Jesus then one of us would be unnecessary! Glad I need Him! You do not say what kind of meditation you have been engaged in.

There is a kind that has crept into churches in the past few years that is actually a way that people open themselves up for spirits that are NOT of God. To meditate in the way that the Word of God directs is to keep His word in our thoughts …considering and running his thoughts through our minds. Referring back to scripture in every case we are faced with.

Isa For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isa For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:. As you keep the word in your thoughts it will expel the darkness….

KEEP the Word in your mind. Sow the WORD into your mind.. Isa So shall MY WORD be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it. Eph That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;.

Phl Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

Jhn Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Here I was going to ask whether or not I had the Holy Spirit in me…and boy do I, after reading your list! Seriously though…I was wondering…and I should have known better.

I do notice that when I go to church I am SO happy to be around my fellow brothers and sisters…participating in events, etc. I feel safe too. I am getting over being extremely depressed, developing PTSD Military stuff , having panic attacks, etc.

It is still a struggle for me, because at times…I still experience fear, etc. However, He has Blessed me with calming a lot of those feelings, etc. I live with 2 agnostic young men too and ughhh, is it tough. Knowing what I know now and just struggling with them in a lot of areas. These guys are very intelligent too.

I talked to my mom about it afterwards and she said next time, when you say that…to add, but my Pastor can help you a lot more if you would like to raise these things up to him. I am extremely raw in my feelings, etc. A lot of times when I come across mature Christians, they are pretty harsh…forgetting that at one point they were unbelievers too. This makes me feel worse. Some people you have to really be that way with, but I for one…tend to back off of those types, because it puts too much fear in me…how about just a hug!

Jesus would do that…just hold them…and let them feel the LOVE. Makes me cry every time I envision that. I think what I am saying is, all mature Christians should really step back and remember the younger Christians, be gentle, Jesus is gentle…and patient…and just talk to us, cramming scriptures down our throats can help or not, but also just talking to us…get to know us.

Hello Norma…what an encouragement you are my friend. As far as these agnostic men, all you can do is show them love and pray for them for God alone is the evangelist in that He draws men to Christ John and so you can leave that up to God for only the Holy Spirit reveals the truth found in the Bible and can show them that Jesus Christ is real and that they need a Savior in a bad way.

I o not say this to condemn anyone but as a new Christian and even as we go through years of following Christ we may be shocked as we encounter people who claim to follow Christ but who are not exhibiting what we have read to expect among the brethren. I have wondered about this and asked the Lord to help me understand it. Hindrances in this world are plentiful and surround us yet we are not to be downtrodden by them but to know that the Lord has given us His Word to guide us and protect us as we go through this world.

We are IN it but not OF it. Even coming in His name. Among those who are simply growing and perhaps stumbling as they learn of GOD and how to follow Christ there are among us those who are seeking gain rather than godliness. Being patient and continuing in His Word is the profitable thing to do to learn from HIM all things that pertain to life and godliness in this walk. Luk And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

Gal Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Jam But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Eph And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. As always Kris, your humility and godly wisdom are clearly revealed.

The answer is the international symbol for nothing! Every believer needs a Paul or a mentor…every believer need to be a mentor to a Timothy but all Christians need one another. Glory and honor and credit and praise all belong to Christ and to Him alone for we have nothing to bring but hands full of sin. Thanks Kris. Great points. You have a heart for all of us, new or old, and you have the gift of mercy….. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement as always!

I cannot tell you how it soothes the soul. I have tales to tell of the ways that I was dealt with by those who claimed His name but were not OF Him. I believe that even in those times of being confronted or assaulted that because we want to follow after Him and be taught of Him as we go about endeavoring to obey what we DO know and what we are being corrected in all things that we thus come to more understanding of what is and what is not the way the Word is to be applied.

It has taken me a long time to learn …[so slowly] not to fall for some of the things that did trip me up…I pray that I will not ignore my lessons so hard won! YET God is not hindered in His intentions as we who are led by Him obey and allow the Word to be in our minds but also in our hearts and then our mouths.

To make known those things. The first people who brought me around to the Word …kidnapped me and that is tale only worth telling because of the ways that GOD worked in that ordeal to rescue me and allow me to continue to follow Him. Current Relationship with God and Current Happiness. A significance of. A t-test was conducted comparing students and faculty at the Methodist affiliated college on the overall faith total.

The mean for students was Another t-test was run comparing students from the Methodist affiliated college and the community college. Results showed the mean for the students at the Methodist school to be The mean at the community college was Figure 5 Discussion. The first three hypotheses dealt with the individual factors and their relation to faith.

The first hypothesis stated that those who have a higher faith total will also have a higher optimism total. The results showed their was a positive correlation with a significance of. The researcher found two people who stated that they did not believe in God. Others listed a denomination of Christianity, yet their score for church attendance was really low. Self-esteem totals and faith totals had a correlation that was not significant.

The correlation between locus of control and God was not significant. Another correlation was done to examine the significance between self-esteem totals and optimism totals.

The hypothesis was supported by a significance of. The fifth hypothesis of faith totals and ranking of faith was also found to be supported at a significance level of. This allows us to see that people who have a high sense of faith will value that more in their lives than others.

A t-test was run on the first three responses of the seven item ranking question. This had a significant value of.

Of the numbers reported, 21 participants ranked faith as number 1 and 24 ranked it as number 7. The other numbers also showed that faith was either very important or not at all important to participants. Another significant value was found between the relationship of commitment to attend church and faith totals. The original hypothesis stated that a person will have more of a commitment to attend church or campus ministries activities if they score higher on the total faith based section.

After administering surveys, the researcher realized that there is no campus ministries program at the community college and most faculty at the Methodist college do not attend campus ministries events.

Church and faith totals were tested to find a correlation. A positive correlation was found showing that more people value going to church if they have a high sense of faith. Results were in the direction of the hypothesis, but they were not significant. A positive correlation of. This was an interesting finding in which more research might possibly be done in the future.

The last two hypotheses dealt with the groups of people surveyed. It was hypothesized that students would have a higher sense of faith than faculty members at the Methodist affiliated college. After the t-tests were run no significance was found between faith of faculty and students. The relationship was positive however resulting in a higher overall faith mean for students than faculty.

A t-test was also run of college students to examine the different faith levels between the Methodist and community college. The p value was not significant, however the Methodist college students did have a higher mean than the community college students. In both tests results might have been different with a larger sample size. If this study were to be repeated, several aspects would need to be modified.

First, the sample size should be significantly increased. The bigger the sample size, the more accurate the results. By increasing the sample size, the demographics would also increase. This would allow for a more even sample of students to faculty and religious to non-religious people.

In this study, the researcher surveyed 89 people, 54 Methodist college students, 35 community college students, and 9 faculty.

The numbers in each group were far from even. It would have been more accurate to have had an equal number of each.

It was really hard having only nine faculty to compare to fifty-four students. Most of the questions seemed to make sense to the participants. However, five of the responses to the seven-item ranking question had to be thrown out because they did not understand the directions. Future questions like this might require clearer directions. This research laid groundwork for a new approach to the relation between Faith and Personality characteristics. The results showed positive correlations and some significance in hypotheses.

This researcher gave a broad overview of the many hundreds of hypotheses that could be tested. Further research could be conducted in an area of high church attendance or faith commitment compared to an area with low measures of each. It would be interesting to see how faith has helped people deal with life crises such as death of a loved one, change in career, health problems, or financial difficulties.

Adams, T. Conceptualization and Measurement of the Spiritual and psychological dimensions of wellness in a college population. Journal of American College Health , Aspinwall, L. Modeling cognitive adaptation: A longitudinal investigation of the impact of individuals. Allport, G. The Individual and His Religion, Candy Industry, Bee, H. The Journey of Adulthood , Cloninger, S.

Theories of Personality: Understanding Persons, 3 , Frankel, B. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion , Gross, L. God and Freud , Leatherwood, D. Kelley, T. Adolescence , Life Application Study Bible. Maslow, A.

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