I don’t know why I’m not able to trust in God. I think that maybe He won’t answer me. At times I have even doubted His existence, and haven’t been able to grasp that what the Bible says is also true for my life…. My lack of confidence in God, my fears, and the thought that I might not measure up to the standards that Christ requires of me in order to inherit eternal life keep me in a constant state of fear, doubt, and mistrust…. I want to find in God all that I need, trusting in Him and overcoming all my fear.
Dear Friend,
Thank you for telling us your story! There are many other people who have these same doubts and fears, so what you are feeling is not uncommon.
It is very likely that you have been exposed to some inaccurate Bible teaching. Yes, God does have standards. However, even if you were able to follow all those standards, all the time, it would not get you eternal life! Whoever taught you that is mistaken.
The Bible is clear that there is only one way to gain eternal life, and that is by accepting the payment that Christ paid on your behalf when He died on the cross. He already died to pay for every sin you have ever committed. So you don’t have to keep paying over and over. And you don’t have to do penance. You just have to tell Him that you accept what He did for you.
If Christ didn’t die to pay for my sins and your sins, then what did He die for? Why would He voluntarily give His life if it were not to purchase forgiveness and eternal life for you and for me? When we act like His death is not enough, and like we must do more and pay more to get eternal life, it is the same as rejecting His gift to us.
So does that mean that you should go on sinning, breaking all the rules? This is the exact question that the Apostle Paul asked and answered in his Letter to the Romans.(1) Paul’s answer was, “By no means!” Since Christ loved us so much that He paid the ultimate price and died in our place, of course we want to respond to His love by pleasing Him.
We don’t please God by being perfect, because it is impossible to be perfect. Just as little children disobey their parents, we will disobey God. Parents don’t disown their children for disobedience, and God doesn’t disown us because we fail. But because we love Him, we ask for forgiveness and start over again. We understand that the rules are there to keep us safe and help us grow.
All intelligent people doubt the existence of God at one time or another. And thank God, He doesn’t condemn us for our doubts. The Apostle Thomas doubted that Christ had risen from the dead, so Christ invited him to touch his wounds. Christ did not condemn Thomas, but He did say that those of us who have faith without having to touch the scars are even more blessed than Thomas was.(2)
You can trust your Heavenly Father,
Linda
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1 Ro 6
2 Jn 20:29