Hi all, I'm new to the site but I'm loving it.
First of all do not get me wrong, I believe the church and the Bible but I find that the church since it's creation has been scaring people from GOD, in churches we mostly talk about and do Youth meetings and retreats all revolving SIN, we hardly talk about the graceness, love, compassion, forgiveness, and all might of God.
I do not feel or think that God is just waiting for us to SIN so he could keep track and punishes us later.
We seem to be focused on not being on the bad side of GOD, I do not want to be AFRAID of God, I read the VISION of Anbba Asanasious the 20th pop of our church when GOD decided to show him Heaven and Hell and the different places and levels in both.
God is strict but he is finding any excuse to get us back and forgive us, I seem to understand from the explanations of the ANGEL that was showing saint Asanasious (not sure of the correct spelling) that for people who refused God or did not believe he exists, there is no hope for them, but for us there is always hope, meaning that our sins and our GOOD DEADS will be balanced, I think it means that even if we sins (and repent) our GOOD DEADS is what's going to determine if we go to heaven or not.
My question is: SHOULD I BE FOCUSED ON SIN OR ON DOING GOOD DEADS, WHAT COUNTS FOR GOD MOST?
We are all sinners but we are not all saints
I'm sorry if it's not a valid question or maybe answered before, but just a quick heads up I HAVE NOT BEEN BORN IN THE FAITH, SO I’M TRYING TO FIND GOD ON MY OWN AND MY NAME IS THOMAS, JUST LIKE THE DISCIPLE, I NEED TO TOUCH AND REASON WITH MY HEAD TO UNDERSTAND.
Sorry for making this too long for you guys and I will be posting more questions later.
Thank you all for reading and please keep me in your prayers.
Comments
Sorry, I can't give u a long answer now, of course others will give u more advice,
but I think you should focus on it both. You can not do good deeds without trying not to sin and i think it has a connection with each other. We sin not only when we do bad acts, but also when we abstain from doing good. (correct me if I am wrong) God wants us not to sin...we are all sinners, but God is there to give us power and to repent, because he loves us very much. And of course, you DON"T have to be afraid for God, it's quite the oppostie. God is love and he don't want you to be afraid for him, he only want to save you from sins.
Here there are some nice sermons: http://www.saintmaryhouston.org/content/audio/the-lord-calls-sinners-to-repentance
[url=http://[/url] http://www.saintmaryhouston.org/content/audio/how-can-we-describe-god’s-love-towards-us-0
there are sermons in english an arabic http://www.saintmaryhouston.org/node/audio?page=7&filter0=**ALL**&filter1=**ALL**&filter2=sermon&filter3=**ALL**] http://www.saintmaryhouston.org/content/audio/how-can-we-describe-god’s-love-towards-us-0
there are sermons in english an arabic http://www.saintmaryhouston.org/node/audio?page=7&filter0=**ALL**&filter1=**ALL**&filter2=sermon&filter3=**ALL**
I Hope it helped u a bit,
Rabena ma3ak
and pray for my weakness
The answer is repeated in the the Bible many many times:
"36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment."
Matthew 22:37
28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving[d] that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[e] This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.
Mark 12: 28-34
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
Luke 10:26-28
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."
Deuternomy 6:5
To summarise all this:
Love God.
Loving God will put you in the best position where you will be both doing good deeds and avoiding sin.
Lets take this further: How do we love God and how do we know we are loving God?
1. 1 John 2:5 (New King James Version)
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
2. 1 John 3:10 (New King James Version)
In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
3. 1 John 3:17 (New King James Version)
But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
4. 1 John 4:8 (New King James Version)
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
5. 1 John 4:20 (New King James Version)
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
6. 1 John 4:21 (New King James Version)
And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
7. 1 John 5:3 (New King James Version)
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
I always keep the following as one of my motivations:
1 Corinthians 2:9 (New King James Version)
“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Thank you all for taking the time to read my post and answering for whoever could.