The Moment I Almost Lost My Faith

[mattfivefour]

The moment I almost lost my Faith
by Pastor Ben Sadler
August 14, 2023

The religious rug was pulled out from under my feet. In the middle of my studies to become a pastor, I somehow stumbled onto a video of a militant atheist named Richard Dawkins. He was speaking to a packed auditorium at the University of Berkley. Although he was a well-known scientist, his presentation style was more like a stand-up comedian than a biologist. He equated believing in God to believing in the spaghetti monster. And the crowd that was listening to him roared with laughter.

The video went on like this for over an hour. And I came to realize they were all laughing at me. They couldn’t believe anyone in our modern, scientific, and rational world could still put their faith in some unseen deity in the clouds. By the end of his talk, I wondered, “Am I all wrong? Is my faith and my career completely irrational? Will I be trying to persuade people to believe a lie?”

I have talked to others who’ve had similar experiences. They stumbled onto a video where a smart professor called believers dumb Christians. After watching a few videos like this, YouTube’s algorithm spits out more messages that challenge the Christian faith. If a Christian can’t peel himself away from his computer, he might start the day as a follower of Jesus and end the day as a follower of Darwin.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Although many scientists fall into Dawkins’ camp, he is not the only voice in the scientific community. For example, John Lennox is a Christian mathematician who taught at Oxford. In addition, William Lane Craig is a highly regarded philosopher who has made compelling arguments for the Christian faith. But the scientist who has been most helpful to me is Stephen Meyer. Meyer is a graduate of Cambridge who has become one of the strongest proponents of intelligent design. This scientific theory points to a grand Designer of all things in contrast to a purely materialistic perspective of the universe.

Continue reading this faith encouraging message at

The moment I almost lost my faith – Time of Grace

timeofgrace.org

 

[3Nails4Given]

Nobody has been able to give me a scientific answer to my question. If everything evolved and is in a constant state of evolution, Then why are there still monkeys and gorillas? Because supposedly we evolved from them. What happened to stop their evolution?

I have also posed the question, When did man stop evolving? Why haven’t we evolved into higher beings?

Because evolution is junk scientific theory and nothing more. All my life these educators have tried to convince me I came from a monkey. I have told them, you might have but I didn’t. I have told them I was created, I did not evolve from some scientific ooze into a monkey then a man.

“Professing to be wise, they became fools,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Romans 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools | New King James Version (NKJV) | Download The Bible App Now

Professing to be wise, they became fools

bible.com

 

[Ronnie]

I am friends with a woman who is an renown atheist and an a close personal acquaintance of Richard Dawkins.

 

[3Nails4Given]

I am friends with a woman who is a renown atheist and an a close personal acquaintance of Richard Dawkins.

It is a sad day when she takes her last breath and realizes she was wrong.

 

[mattfivefour]

It is a sad day when she takes her last breath and realizes she was wrong.

Pray hard for her soul, Ronnie. Until the day she dies still rejecting Christ, there is hope for her eternal soul.

 

[Ronnie]

I quit her friendship, then God dealt with me and I came back.

She is now in Philadelphia now, originally from Baton Rouge. Her name is Margaret Downy. She contacted me through my blog, “Historical Baton Rouge and when she came to BR we when to Magnolia Cemetery together (one of the oldest cemeteries in town. She was trying to discover her roots.

 

[mattfivefour]

Well, make sure you are praying for God to soften her heart so that she will realize there IS a God, that He loves her personally, and that she will see her need for salvation.

 

[Ronnie]

She warned me to stay off her website, she knew it would upset me.

 

[mattfivefour]

She's showing consideration for your feelings. God bless her for that. And in return pray for he soul!

 

[Quantrill]

The moment I almost lost my Faith
by Pastor Ben Sadler
August 14, 2023

The religious rug was pulled out from under my feet. In the middle of my studies to become a pastor, I somehow stumbled onto a video of a militant atheist named Richard Dawkins. He was speaking to a packed auditorium at the University of Berkley. Although he was a well-known scientist, his presentation style was more like a stand-up comedian than a biologist. He equated believing in God to believing in the spaghetti monster. And the crowd that was listening to him roared with laughter.

The video went on like this for over an hour. And I came to realize they were all laughing at me. They couldn’t believe anyone in our modern, scientific, and rational world could still put their faith in some unseen deity in the clouds. By the end of his talk, I wondered, “Am I all wrong? Is my faith and my career completely irrational? Will I be trying to persuade people to believe a lie?”

I have talked to others who’ve had similar experiences. They stumbled onto a video where a smart professor called believers dumb Christians. After watching a few videos like this, YouTube’s algorithm spits out more messages that challenge the Christian faith. If a Christian can’t peel himself away from his computer, he might start the day as a follower of Jesus and end the day as a follower of Darwin.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Although many scientists fall into Dawkins’ camp, he is not the only voice in the scientific community. For example, John Lennox is a Christian mathematician who taught at Oxford. In addition, William Lane Craig is a highly regarded philosopher who has made compelling arguments for the Christian faith. But the scientist who has been most helpful to me is Stephen Meyer. Meyer is a graduate of Cambridge who has become one of the strongest proponents of intelligent design. This scientific theory points to a grand Designer of all things in contrast to a purely materialistic perspective of the universe.

Continue reading this faith encouraging message at

The moment I almost lost my faith – Time of Grace

timeofgrace.org

I do not believe any believer can lose their faith. I know there are many so-called 'ex-christians', but they are just lying to themselves. If one says they are an 'ex-christian' who doesn't now believe, then they never believed. Or, they are believing a lie that they are not still Christian.

Im a believer. I have the faith. But, if persecution comes, and you toruture me enough, I may well deny my faith. But, guess what. That just makes me a lying Christian, like Peter. (Luke 22:54-62) It doesn't remove my faith. The faith we have is not ours. It is the gift of God. (Eph. 2:8) (Matt. 16:17) And God does not take away His gifts. (Rom. 11:29)

My, my. We Christians believe the salvation of God is such a fickle and flippant thing that we are the ones who determine if we keep it or not. Don't we know that God knows how unreliable man is? Thus He provides a salvation that is secure by Him, not us.

Years ago, when I was coming back to the Lord, I had accepted Jesus Christ. Was doing well...for a while. Then, to my surprise, but not God's, I found I was still a sinner. I was disappointed at first, then got mad at God about it. So, I decided to forget the whole thing. That night I am telling God that I tried but it just isn't working. So, I'm signing off.

I know God has a sense of humor, and must have laughed at that. You don't get to sign off. It's a done deal. You will either be a believer walking in the light, or you will be a believer who is miserable because he is walking in darkness.

You cannot remove your faith. It is from God. You can remove your enjoyment of that faith, but not your faith. So, a Richard Dawkins, or any other atheist, may cause a Christian to doubt, or to stumble, but he can never cause him to lose his faith. (Pro. 24;16)

Quantrill

 

[Everlasting Life]

I do not believe any believer can lose their faith. I know there are many so-called 'ex-christians', but they are just lying to themselves. If one says they are an 'ex-christian' who doesn't now believe, then they never believed. Or, they are believing a lie that they are not still Christian.

Im a believer. I have the faith. But, if persecution comes, and you toruture me enough, I may well deny my faith. But, guess what. That just makes me a lying Christian, like Peter. (Luke 22:54-62) It doesn't remove my faith. The faith we have is not ours. It is the gift of God. (Eph. 2:8) (Matt. 16:17) And God does not take away His gifts. (Rom. 11:29)

My, my. We Christians believe the salvation of God is such a fickle and flippant thing that we are the ones who determine if we keep it or not. Don't we know that God knows how unreliable man is? Thus He provides a salvation that is secure by Him, not us.

Years ago, when I was coming back to the Lord, I had accepted Jesus Christ. Was doing well...for a while. Then, to my surprise, but not God's, I found I was still a sinner. I was disappointed at first, then got mad at God about it. So, I decided to forget the whole thing. That night I am telling God that I tried but it just isn't working. So, I'm signing off.

I know God has a sense of humor, and must have laughed at that. You don't get to sign off. It's a done deal. You will either be a believer walking in the light, or you will be a believer who is miserable because he is walking in darkness.

You cannot remove your faith. It is from God. You can remove your enjoyment of that faith, but not your faith. So, a Richard Dawkins, or any other atheist, may cause a Christian to doubt, or to stumble, but he can never cause him to lose his faith. (Pro. 24;16)

Quantrill

Reminds me of what someone once said, 'A baby can't be unborn.' Another words once that little body is out, there's no shoving that child back in.

Same with being born again, that's a one time, permanent, everlasting, eternal decision once repentance (changing mind about sin) and dependent, simple faith is placed in Christ. One becomes a permanent child of God. The instant this happens, the Holy Spirit resides in that soul.

No matter what a person may or may not further understand about God, the Bible, their salvation and its never ending blessings, they are saved and growing in Christ and sanctification (Jesus more and more emerging in one's life) until their glorification (in new bodies, with the Lord).


Praise God!

 

[mattfivefour]

Yes, Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. He who began a good work in us WILL finish it. HE will present us holy, unblameaable, and faultless before His throne. When Jesus said that when He gives us eternal life no-one can ever pluck us out of His hand, that no-one clearly must include us. The Greek says "not anyone".

Our salvation is entirely in His hands. If someone says they lost their faith, I would suggest they never really had it. You can't be born again and then unborn again, any more than you can be born and unborn. If you are ever truly born again, you will be saved forever.

 

[Ronnie]

Yet proponents will fight over their belief in an insecure salvation like no other doctrine.

 

[Quantrill]

Yet proponents will fight over their belief in an insecure salvation like no other doctrine.

Yes they surely will. But why?

It is my opinion that, traced back far enough, the root cause to argue for an 'insecure salvation' is both 'pride' and 'control'.

'Pride' because I have contributed and maintained my salvation and God will reward me it.

'Control' because preachers love to control their flock with the threat of a loss of salvation if you don't keep up the good work. And then pride enters again, because so many will complement the preacher and how he has such a Godly flock who really tow the line. And why do they 'tow the line'? Because every Sunday the preacher gets up in the pupit with a baseball bat and beats the saints with it, threatning them with the loss of salvation if they don't. And they go home bruised and bloodied.


And lastly, behind the pride and control, a deeper threat lies. If my salvation depends on me to keep, then I deserve it. I have earned it. But they will never say it. They will say, no, it's all about grace. Thus for one to believe in grace, and that you can lose your salvation, is an oxymoron in my opinion.

Those who argue against a secure salvation from God, will argue for grace. But the grace they describe is not the grace I know of God, as revealed in the Bible.

Thus it is my opinion that the doctrine of 'imputation' utterly destroys any belief in an 'insecure salvation'. The Righteousness we are clothed in, covered with, is not ours to maintain. It is Christ's righteousness imputed to us. We cannot improve on it. We cannot take away from it. It is ours by imputation only.

We as believers will grown in our faith, in our knowledge of God, and in our maturity as Christians. But we will never grow in 'Righteousness'. Why? Because the Righteousness you have is the Righteousness of Christ.

In other words, the day you were born-again, you were at that moment, just as Righteous as you will ever be...forever. Because at that moment, the Righteousness of Christ was imputed to you.

Quantrill