(This is an archived correspondence at The Path of Truth. We have sent notification to the correspondent.)
Hello,
I was wondering if you can add a list of "True" christian preachers to your website. I saw the list of all the false christian preachers and wow, there are a lot of them. Pretty scary.
This makes me wonder if my salvation is a farce. Here's an example of my testimony so you can test me.
I believe in and accept the son of god who died on the cross for my sins. Jesus was someone I that I call a God-man (my term) because he is a man and God at the same time. Jesus is the son of God, one of the trinity. He humbled himself to be a person like us and then at the end be crucified of the cross to pay the sin dept because of his great love so we wouldn't have to go to hell. The second essential part is his resurrection to show that we are justified in him and will also live with him because he is God. Any man can die, but Jesus rose again. His is the only empty grave.
I was working a few years ago at the front end of a supermarket and some woman out of the blue came up to me and said, "believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead." Very surprising. I did believe in his death, but maybe during that time I was struggling with the resurrection.
I'll let your spiritual discernment tell the rest, anything God needs to tell you about me.
Thank you.
I was wondering if you can add a list of "True" Christian preachers to your website
-
Paul Cohen
Re: I was wondering if you can add a list of "True" Christian preachers to your website
Hi Mark,
Why should a large list of false teachers be frightening to you? Haven't you heard Jesus' warning about this?
“And many false prophets will rise and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11 MKJV).
Or Paul's, Peter's, and John's?
“But evil men and seducers will go forward to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13 MKJV).
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their pernicious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be evil spoken of” (2 Peter 2:1-2 MKJV).
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 MKJV).
False prophets are only scary if you're walking in the dark and don't know what's in front of you.
“Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of the world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because there is no light in him” (John 11:9-10 MKJV).
So before you even supplied us with your formal testimony, your informal one has told us you lack the salvational knowledge of the Lord that comes by faith. Questioning whether your salvation is a farce indicates you're not where you need to be. If you were saved by faith then you would know it, not just intellectually but with all assurance of Heaven in reality.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report” (Hebrews 11:1-2 MKJV).
You aren't there yet, Mark. But there's no condemnation in our pointing out your lack because we're pointing you to Him Who Supplies. There's only condemnation in acting as if your lack is the fullness of God and you walk away in delusion.
James 1:23-25 MKJV
(23) For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man studying his natural face in a mirror.
(24) For he studied himself and went his way, and immediately he forgot what he was like.
(25) But whoever looks into the perfect Law of liberty and continues in it, he is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This one shall be blessed in his doing.
According to what you bring up in your testimony, Mark, read the following writings for the understanding the Lord has given us of those things in which you err:
The False and Misleading Gospel of “Accepting” Jesus Christ
Diabolical Doctrine: “Accepting” Jesus Christ as Your Personal Savior
The Asininity of the Trinity (and other writings at The Trinity section)
The State and Fate of Hell
Don't get us wrong - much of what you say is true. Jesus Christ IS Lord; God came in the flesh to make atonement for our sins. And as you so rightly say “The second essential part is his resurrection to show that we are justified in him and will also live with him because he is God. Any man can die, but Jesus rose again. His is the only empty grave.”
Now the question for you to answer and know experientially is: How do you live with Him? Does this happen automatically with a profession of the lips? No, the Lord rebuked those who thought and acted so:
“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men'” (Matthew 15:7-9 MKJV).
You need to know what the Lord's commandments are, and to walk in them by faith. And here's the essential thing you need, Mark, in order to come to that place: The Cross - Only the Death Sentence Will Avail.
You don't need lists of true and false - you need discernment to distinguish between true and false. When you hear and obey the true teachers who are already speaking to you in the Scriptures, then you will receive God's discernment.
“Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn't serve Him” (Malachi 3:18 HNV).
By the way, our list doesn't scratch the surface of the multitude of false teachers, prophets, apostles, pastors, and evangelists. We have listed only those relatively few brought to us by the Lord and people somehow involved with them.
Paul Cohen
Why should a large list of false teachers be frightening to you? Haven't you heard Jesus' warning about this?
“And many false prophets will rise and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11 MKJV).
Or Paul's, Peter's, and John's?
“But evil men and seducers will go forward to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13 MKJV).
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their pernicious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be evil spoken of” (2 Peter 2:1-2 MKJV).
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 MKJV).
False prophets are only scary if you're walking in the dark and don't know what's in front of you.
“Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of the world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because there is no light in him” (John 11:9-10 MKJV).
So before you even supplied us with your formal testimony, your informal one has told us you lack the salvational knowledge of the Lord that comes by faith. Questioning whether your salvation is a farce indicates you're not where you need to be. If you were saved by faith then you would know it, not just intellectually but with all assurance of Heaven in reality.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report” (Hebrews 11:1-2 MKJV).
You aren't there yet, Mark. But there's no condemnation in our pointing out your lack because we're pointing you to Him Who Supplies. There's only condemnation in acting as if your lack is the fullness of God and you walk away in delusion.
James 1:23-25 MKJV
(23) For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man studying his natural face in a mirror.
(24) For he studied himself and went his way, and immediately he forgot what he was like.
(25) But whoever looks into the perfect Law of liberty and continues in it, he is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This one shall be blessed in his doing.
According to what you bring up in your testimony, Mark, read the following writings for the understanding the Lord has given us of those things in which you err:
The False and Misleading Gospel of “Accepting” Jesus Christ
Diabolical Doctrine: “Accepting” Jesus Christ as Your Personal Savior
The Asininity of the Trinity (and other writings at The Trinity section)
The State and Fate of Hell
Don't get us wrong - much of what you say is true. Jesus Christ IS Lord; God came in the flesh to make atonement for our sins. And as you so rightly say “The second essential part is his resurrection to show that we are justified in him and will also live with him because he is God. Any man can die, but Jesus rose again. His is the only empty grave.”
Now the question for you to answer and know experientially is: How do you live with Him? Does this happen automatically with a profession of the lips? No, the Lord rebuked those who thought and acted so:
“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men'” (Matthew 15:7-9 MKJV).
You need to know what the Lord's commandments are, and to walk in them by faith. And here's the essential thing you need, Mark, in order to come to that place: The Cross - Only the Death Sentence Will Avail.
You don't need lists of true and false - you need discernment to distinguish between true and false. When you hear and obey the true teachers who are already speaking to you in the Scriptures, then you will receive God's discernment.
“Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn't serve Him” (Malachi 3:18 HNV).
By the way, our list doesn't scratch the surface of the multitude of false teachers, prophets, apostles, pastors, and evangelists. We have listed only those relatively few brought to us by the Lord and people somehow involved with them.
Paul Cohen
-
Mark
Re: I was wondering if you can add a list of "True" Christian preachers to your website
hello again,
I can see why you say why I may not be saved.
I became a christian at the age of accountability, around 13 or so and for a time... God used to speak to me in my spirit and I genuinely believe it was him at the time and he always looked after me and got me out of a lot of deep shit. The bible says that the Lord delivers anyone from trouble and works things out for the good of those who love him.
I used to feel so close to God, but something happened to me that made me backslide. Maybe I became a little too secure in Jesus to the point that I thought I was hard to deceive. Everything was okay until I was 12 and when I reached 13 or so, I began to feel a deep darkness in my soul like a bottomless abyss. I kept paying attention to it and it made me scared because I felt like I was going to go to hell when I die. That is when I decided to turn to christ. Not only that, I could feel the holy spirit knocking at the door of my soul and the bible also says something like that. God says I stand at the door and knock. So I let him into my life and I felt different, no longer scared of going to hell and no longer loving or being concerned about the world. Never again to this day did I ever feel like a bottomless and dark abyss in my soul, ever. I was a young teen at the time and I used to be pure of heart, I was still kind of like a child at that time.
Now I am 28. I when I reached the age of 20 is the time my life came to a stand still and to this day it seems like my life is in a rut. I have made little progress, except for driving a car and getting a part time job. Still, I feel like I lack purpose and the holy spirit is no longer answering me and no matter how much I try to still myself.
I HAVE GIVEN ALL TO THE LORD. I HAVE BEEN HONEST TO THE ULTIMATE DEGREE AND EXPRESSING MYSELF TO THE LORD. HE HAS PROMISED HEALING FOR THIS KIND OF ATTITUDE AND ALL I GET IS NEGLECT!!! NEGLECT! NEGLECT! NEGLECT!!! WHAT THE FUCK MORE CAN I GIVE?! I CANNOT BE HONEST ANYMORE. I AM TOTALLY SPENT. I HAVE PUT HOLES IN THE WALL AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER FITS OF RAGE. I CANNOT TAKE IT ANYMORE.
What the hell happened for me to deserve this??? All I know is when I felt so eternally secure, I've had things happen such as stupid, hair brained ideas that encourage the sin of independence, just to keep it simple. It was like these bastard thoughts sneaked up on my blind side and infected my mind just like a computer virus would. I gave minimal or no heed to these things, no even a second thought and yet these beliefs infect my mind like a robber entering my home at night. I didn't choose, it somehow got into a back door without my willful or conscious awareness, and there it is! I ended up thinking the way I did and cannot stop. Earlier in my life, in my teens, I had intrusive thoughts. Weird stupid things that wouldn't stop popping into my head against my will. Real bizarre things... It was like I was being mentally molested. Was it me doing it to myself due to fear of thinking a bad thought? Was it a spiritual attack? Was it a chemical imbalance triggering this? I don't know.... Regardless, my trust in myself is lost... I know this is a lot to take in and I put a lot into this. What's your say? A response would be greatly appreciated. Take your time answering, or not.
I can see why you say why I may not be saved.
I became a christian at the age of accountability, around 13 or so and for a time... God used to speak to me in my spirit and I genuinely believe it was him at the time and he always looked after me and got me out of a lot of deep shit. The bible says that the Lord delivers anyone from trouble and works things out for the good of those who love him.
I used to feel so close to God, but something happened to me that made me backslide. Maybe I became a little too secure in Jesus to the point that I thought I was hard to deceive. Everything was okay until I was 12 and when I reached 13 or so, I began to feel a deep darkness in my soul like a bottomless abyss. I kept paying attention to it and it made me scared because I felt like I was going to go to hell when I die. That is when I decided to turn to christ. Not only that, I could feel the holy spirit knocking at the door of my soul and the bible also says something like that. God says I stand at the door and knock. So I let him into my life and I felt different, no longer scared of going to hell and no longer loving or being concerned about the world. Never again to this day did I ever feel like a bottomless and dark abyss in my soul, ever. I was a young teen at the time and I used to be pure of heart, I was still kind of like a child at that time.
Now I am 28. I when I reached the age of 20 is the time my life came to a stand still and to this day it seems like my life is in a rut. I have made little progress, except for driving a car and getting a part time job. Still, I feel like I lack purpose and the holy spirit is no longer answering me and no matter how much I try to still myself.
I HAVE GIVEN ALL TO THE LORD. I HAVE BEEN HONEST TO THE ULTIMATE DEGREE AND EXPRESSING MYSELF TO THE LORD. HE HAS PROMISED HEALING FOR THIS KIND OF ATTITUDE AND ALL I GET IS NEGLECT!!! NEGLECT! NEGLECT! NEGLECT!!! WHAT THE FUCK MORE CAN I GIVE?! I CANNOT BE HONEST ANYMORE. I AM TOTALLY SPENT. I HAVE PUT HOLES IN THE WALL AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER FITS OF RAGE. I CANNOT TAKE IT ANYMORE.
What the hell happened for me to deserve this??? All I know is when I felt so eternally secure, I've had things happen such as stupid, hair brained ideas that encourage the sin of independence, just to keep it simple. It was like these bastard thoughts sneaked up on my blind side and infected my mind just like a computer virus would. I gave minimal or no heed to these things, no even a second thought and yet these beliefs infect my mind like a robber entering my home at night. I didn't choose, it somehow got into a back door without my willful or conscious awareness, and there it is! I ended up thinking the way I did and cannot stop. Earlier in my life, in my teens, I had intrusive thoughts. Weird stupid things that wouldn't stop popping into my head against my will. Real bizarre things... It was like I was being mentally molested. Was it me doing it to myself due to fear of thinking a bad thought? Was it a spiritual attack? Was it a chemical imbalance triggering this? I don't know.... Regardless, my trust in myself is lost... I know this is a lot to take in and I put a lot into this. What's your say? A response would be greatly appreciated. Take your time answering, or not.
-
Paul Cohen
Re: I was wondering if you can add a list of "True" Christian preachers to your website
Hi Mark,
Regarding your spiritual journey, did you ever get fellowship and instruction, and with whom?
Whatever the case, your letter confirms that you're not saved. You've had a false conversion to a false Jesus, which is why you've suffered the things you describe without remedy or hope.
If what you have is salvation, who in their right minds would want anything to do with it? So don't blame the Lord Jesus Christ for the fact that the god you've been serving is impotent.
But now that you've come here, the place where the real Jesus appears and is made known to those who seek Him, listen to what we tell you and follow our instructions if you want to have what is right and good in God's sight.
For starters, I gave you several writings. Read them carefully and receive the truth from God that will set you free if you believe. Repent; turn from yourself and meet the Lord on His terms. The Lord isn't looking for what you can give to Him. You have absolutely nothing to offer Him, and anything you have He has already given you. It's about His will and works - not yours. Forget what you think you know and want and learn from those who know Him and preach His Word.
Or continue doing things your way. Your choice.
By the way, I'm not saying the Lord hasn't done things for you. He does everything for everyone, both good and evil.
“But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45 MKJV).
Isaiah 45:5-7 KJV
(5) I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded you, though you have not known Me:
(6) That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
(7) I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
All that God does is working good, and not just for those who love Him. The evil He sends as judgment on sinners is ultimately corrective, remedial, and restorative. The Lord Jesus Christ is glorified and will be glorified in all.
Paul
Regarding your spiritual journey, did you ever get fellowship and instruction, and with whom?
Whatever the case, your letter confirms that you're not saved. You've had a false conversion to a false Jesus, which is why you've suffered the things you describe without remedy or hope.
If what you have is salvation, who in their right minds would want anything to do with it? So don't blame the Lord Jesus Christ for the fact that the god you've been serving is impotent.
But now that you've come here, the place where the real Jesus appears and is made known to those who seek Him, listen to what we tell you and follow our instructions if you want to have what is right and good in God's sight.
For starters, I gave you several writings. Read them carefully and receive the truth from God that will set you free if you believe. Repent; turn from yourself and meet the Lord on His terms. The Lord isn't looking for what you can give to Him. You have absolutely nothing to offer Him, and anything you have He has already given you. It's about His will and works - not yours. Forget what you think you know and want and learn from those who know Him and preach His Word.
Or continue doing things your way. Your choice.
By the way, I'm not saying the Lord hasn't done things for you. He does everything for everyone, both good and evil.
“But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45 MKJV).
Isaiah 45:5-7 KJV
(5) I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded you, though you have not known Me:
(6) That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
(7) I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
All that God does is working good, and not just for those who love Him. The evil He sends as judgment on sinners is ultimately corrective, remedial, and restorative. The Lord Jesus Christ is glorified and will be glorified in all.
Paul
-
Mark
Re: I was wondering if you can add a list of "True" Christian preachers to your website
Haven't answered you back in slightly over a week.
What do you mean that I've had a false conversion with a false Jesus? Look... I have really and genuinely tried to be saved through Jesus, trying very hard to believe in and take to heart the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The only reason I doubt my salvation because the circumstances of my life has not changed in the sense that the Holy Spirit has not been directing my life. When I was a teen, he used to direct my paths because I relied on him so much, but he doesn't lead me anymore. The only circumstance that has changed is that I am no longer being controlled by a lifestyle of sin. My life has not been consumed by sin uncontrollably, like genuine unbelievers have. They simply cannot help themselves and I can. Every now and then I may do something bad, but most of the time I have the power to say NO to sinning and not do it when I feel like it. I have very strong and deeply rooted biblical beliefs and standards that have bent my life into the shape that it has.
I have been a social reject for most of my life, left out of all groups and friendship circles for apparently no reason. I can't make any friends because they never seem to catch on when I talk to them. I feel like the whole world is against me in the sense that I do not belong. It is very sad and I can't even tell you how I feel. Everyone seems to party and have a merry good time, but I seem to be left out of it all, my teens and young adulthood totally wasted by this. I am not a kid anymore, but a man. I am so depressed that I can't even tell you how bad I feel.
I have lost all my motivation to get out into the world and DO things because there is nothing out there worth pursuing but bullshit. The world has nothing to offer out there that I desire. Even if I do go out there, nobody will catch on to me as a friend. That is how I really feel about it. My parents keep telling me to get out there and do things while others tell me to take action. THE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! What the hell did I miss out on or not understand about Christ? I have read lots of the bible, lots of it. What do you have to say? Did I clarify some things about me that you didn't understood before?
What do you mean that I've had a false conversion with a false Jesus? Look... I have really and genuinely tried to be saved through Jesus, trying very hard to believe in and take to heart the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The only reason I doubt my salvation because the circumstances of my life has not changed in the sense that the Holy Spirit has not been directing my life. When I was a teen, he used to direct my paths because I relied on him so much, but he doesn't lead me anymore. The only circumstance that has changed is that I am no longer being controlled by a lifestyle of sin. My life has not been consumed by sin uncontrollably, like genuine unbelievers have. They simply cannot help themselves and I can. Every now and then I may do something bad, but most of the time I have the power to say NO to sinning and not do it when I feel like it. I have very strong and deeply rooted biblical beliefs and standards that have bent my life into the shape that it has.
I have been a social reject for most of my life, left out of all groups and friendship circles for apparently no reason. I can't make any friends because they never seem to catch on when I talk to them. I feel like the whole world is against me in the sense that I do not belong. It is very sad and I can't even tell you how I feel. Everyone seems to party and have a merry good time, but I seem to be left out of it all, my teens and young adulthood totally wasted by this. I am not a kid anymore, but a man. I am so depressed that I can't even tell you how bad I feel.
I have lost all my motivation to get out into the world and DO things because there is nothing out there worth pursuing but bullshit. The world has nothing to offer out there that I desire. Even if I do go out there, nobody will catch on to me as a friend. That is how I really feel about it. My parents keep telling me to get out there and do things while others tell me to take action. THE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! What the hell did I miss out on or not understand about Christ? I have read lots of the bible, lots of it. What do you have to say? Did I clarify some things about me that you didn't understood before?
-
Paul Cohen and Victor Hafichuk
Re: I was wondering if you can add a list of "True" Christian preachers to your website
“What do you mean that I've had a false conversion with a false Jesus? Look... I have really and genuinely tried to be saved through Jesus, trying very hard to believe in and take to heart the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Haven't you considered that if you had authentic faith in the authentic Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that things would be very different for you, Mark?
Who are you depending on, yourself or the Savior of all men? If on yourself, you're a failure and need The Savior. If on Him, you wouldn't be in your mess because He is Almighty God. Your problem is you don't trust Him; you have no faith at all.
“The only reason I doubt my salvation because the circumstances of my life has not changed in the sense that the Holy Spirit has not been directing my life.”
That's a very good reason, not only to doubt, but to know that you don't have salvation.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14 MKJV).
You aren't led by the Spirit, which means you aren't born again of the Spirit of God.
“Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6 EMTV).
Romans 8:5-9 MKJV
(5) For they who are according to the flesh mind the things of flesh, but they who are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
(6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace
(7) because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be.
(8) So then they who are in the flesh cannot please God.
(9) But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.
But you say you keep the Law for the most part:
“My life has not been consumed by sin uncontrollably, like genuine unbelievers have. They simply cannot help themselves and I can. Every now and then I may do something bad, but most of the time I have the power to say NO to sinning and not do it when I feel like it. I have very strong and deeply rooted biblical beliefs and standards that have bent my life into the shape that it has.”
Hmmm, sounds like someone else we read about in Scripture:
Philippians 3:4-7 ESV
(4) Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
(5) circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
(6) as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless.
(7) But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Your lamentation and bitterness about not being accepted by the world is only more evidence that you don't have intimacy with God or the joy of the Lord. Otherwise, instead of saying this: “What the hell did I miss out on or not understand about Christ?” - you'd say: “Thank God He came to deliver me from this world and the power of darkness into His Kingdom of Light! How blessed I am to be part of His heavenly company!”
If you were in faith, Mark, you'd also be hearing what we say and having fellowship with us, as do all saints in Christ. But instead you're a forlorn and lonely creature, neither at home in the world nor in God's Kingdom. Truly, you're in Hell, as dead as they come. We're calling on you to come out of your darkness by repenting of trusting in your own righteousness and by putting your trust instead in the Righteous One Whom we preach.
And (this is critical for you) according to His commandment, you must forgive all men, recognizing that you are the problem, not them.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15 MKJV).
Then, by God's grace, you will stop hating your Lord and Savior and will start loving Him instead.
“I am Jesus Whom you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:5 MKJV).
Paul and Victor
Haven't you considered that if you had authentic faith in the authentic Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that things would be very different for you, Mark?
Who are you depending on, yourself or the Savior of all men? If on yourself, you're a failure and need The Savior. If on Him, you wouldn't be in your mess because He is Almighty God. Your problem is you don't trust Him; you have no faith at all.
“The only reason I doubt my salvation because the circumstances of my life has not changed in the sense that the Holy Spirit has not been directing my life.”
That's a very good reason, not only to doubt, but to know that you don't have salvation.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14 MKJV).
You aren't led by the Spirit, which means you aren't born again of the Spirit of God.
“Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6 EMTV).
Romans 8:5-9 MKJV
(5) For they who are according to the flesh mind the things of flesh, but they who are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
(6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace
(7) because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be.
(8) So then they who are in the flesh cannot please God.
(9) But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.
But you say you keep the Law for the most part:
“My life has not been consumed by sin uncontrollably, like genuine unbelievers have. They simply cannot help themselves and I can. Every now and then I may do something bad, but most of the time I have the power to say NO to sinning and not do it when I feel like it. I have very strong and deeply rooted biblical beliefs and standards that have bent my life into the shape that it has.”
Hmmm, sounds like someone else we read about in Scripture:
Philippians 3:4-7 ESV
(4) Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
(5) circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
(6) as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless.
(7) But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Your lamentation and bitterness about not being accepted by the world is only more evidence that you don't have intimacy with God or the joy of the Lord. Otherwise, instead of saying this: “What the hell did I miss out on or not understand about Christ?” - you'd say: “Thank God He came to deliver me from this world and the power of darkness into His Kingdom of Light! How blessed I am to be part of His heavenly company!”
If you were in faith, Mark, you'd also be hearing what we say and having fellowship with us, as do all saints in Christ. But instead you're a forlorn and lonely creature, neither at home in the world nor in God's Kingdom. Truly, you're in Hell, as dead as they come. We're calling on you to come out of your darkness by repenting of trusting in your own righteousness and by putting your trust instead in the Righteous One Whom we preach.
And (this is critical for you) according to His commandment, you must forgive all men, recognizing that you are the problem, not them.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15 MKJV).
Then, by God's grace, you will stop hating your Lord and Savior and will start loving Him instead.
“I am Jesus Whom you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:5 MKJV).
Paul and Victor