Question:
Could you please explain how to find religion in the simplest terms? I have been trying for twenty-five years in every way I know. I believe there is a God and that the Savior died for our sins and rose again. I have faith that He is just and that nothing is impossible for Him. I love Him with all my heart, soul, and mind. What can I do? I feel overwhelmed by my sin. When I hear His Word, I tremble. Yet, I am still a sinner and it seems there is something about this that I just can’t understand.
Answer:
It seems to us that our correspondant has more genuine faith than she is willing to acknowledge. She claims to love the Lord with all her heart, soul, and mind, which is precisely what God asks of us. She also states that she believes Jesus died for our sins, and that “our” includes her—a powerful recognition.
Given her faith and love, why not let these qualities manifest in a willing obedience to all of God’s commandments? God’s law reveals our sins, while His Spirit impresses upon our hearts the force, power, and condemnation of that law—not to destroy us, but to show us our sinful nature (see Romans 7:7). Christ Jesus died to save us from our sins, the very sins that the law condemns. All He asks is for us to believe, regardless of our feelings or past sins—to accept Him as our Savior from all those transgressions.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If we believe that God is “faithful” and “just,” then we must also believe that if we have confessed our sins, they are forgiven, and our unrighteousness is cleansed away.
We know the lies that the flesh will tell and that the devil wants us to believe them; however, God’s Word is truer than all our fears and stronger than all the powers of darkness. Believe this, rejoice in it, and thank God that His Word is true. He desires for us to move forward. He wants the law of “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” to free us “from the law of sin and death” that is in our members (Romans 8:1–4), so that “the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
The flesh will again strive for dominance. It has been in control in the past and wishes to regain mastery. It will rise up time and again in an attempt to lord it over us; but, through simple faith, we can grasp the scripture: “Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Hold onto this truth by faith: “Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under law, but under grace.” God no longer condemns us; instead, He looks upon us with favor.
As our members have yielded to sin in the past, let us now yield them to righteousness. If our tongues have spoken evil, let them now speak good. If our eyes have been accustomed to gazing upon the things that are evil, let us turn them, by His grace, to what is good, pure, and lovely. If our ears have been prone to hear low and base things, let us turn them to Him; may faith attune them to the music of His voice and truth. Let us listen to Him. If our tastes have been perverted to love things that weaken and destroy, resulting in bondage to the power of appetite, let us give these up and educate our appetites to desire what is good. And so with every sense and every part of our being.
We may make mistakes and encounter failures in our attempts. However, the kind Father who has set us on this path reminds us that while He encourages us not to sin, “if any man sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” He understands our nature and “remembers that we are dust.”
Pray earnestly. Take time to come before the Father and share with Him all your needs, cares, trials, and sorrows. He has an open, listening ear for all His children and is never too busy to hear your prayers. Read His Word and immerse yourself in it daily. Allow the Spirit of God to transform it into your life and character. Rejoice in Him and share His goodness with others.
You may feel a tremor when you hear His Word. This is a good sign; it is evidence of God’s love for you and reflects your relationship with Him. Here is His own Word: “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” (Isaiah 66:1–2). Note the promise He makes: joy will come to those who tremble, and those who oppose them will face disgrace.
What our inquirer seems to need more than anything is to rest in God’s promises. Some people do not know how to truly rest. They even tense themselves up even when lying in bed, not allowing themselves to fully yield to it. They feel the need to be in control, as if the bed won’t support them unless they hold themselves rigid. What they need is to let go and relax. Our correspondent should rest on the promises of God, like a tired child resting in its mother’s arms. Jesus is not far away; He is close to everyone who trusts in Him.
Be not faithless, but believing!
