What is the main reason some DO NOT submit to God?

[ClayInHisHands]

Is there a specific emotion(for lack of a better term) why some don't truly submit to God? Is it selfishness, love of self, or is it fear? When those who are not His are in fact His enemies, I think it's safe to say those who are God's enemies basically hate the things of God. They want to satisfy there own desires and lusts. Is it hate or is it really fear? Because I believe the opposite of love is not hate but in fact fear.


They fear losing control....giving their life and living wholly for the Will of God.


Maybe some could discuss this at length or show some scripture that deals with why people are enemies of God. Also, what would someone do when they know God's truth, yet they won't let go of themselves. What if they pray or ask for change and it doesn't happen? God's not failing them, but they are failing themselves. Christ can't change them if they won't or don't allow Him to.

They feel deeply that they have hardened their heart or compromised and taken God's mercy, forgiveness and grace for granted so much that they are so deep in a hole that they can't climb out of that hole.

They say God please change my way of thinking so I want to change. They even put their foot down and try strong will power and vow to change yet change doesn't happen because they keep failing because they don't have the strength to do it.

Something is holding them back, what is it? Themselves?


This is NOT real peace. I refuse to believe Christ fills someone and they have peace that passes all understanding and yet they can agonize like this in their daily life.


I put this in Bible Chat, not counseling, because I think it deserves scripture references and discussion about scripture that deals with this. It doesn't need responses that say, "trust God", "believe", etc. It does need those responses, but it also needs discussed within scripture. I don't mean to sound condescending or keep repeating myself, I just believe it relates to Bible Chat more than anything.

[Adstars]

Pride. Then there is Pride and also Pride.

Pride comes before destruction but the meek shall inherit the earth.


All Praise The Ancient of Days

[keck553]

Pride. Then there is Pride and also Pride.

Pride comes before destruction but the meek shall inherit the earth.


All Praise The Ancient of Days

What you said........

[RollTide21]

Is there a specific emotion(for lack of a better term) why some don't truly submit to God? Is it selfishness, love of self, or is it fear? When those who are not His are in fact His enemies, I think it's safe to say those who are God's enemies basically hate the things of God. They want to satisfy there own desires and lusts. Is it hate or is it really fear? Because I believe the opposite of love is not hate but in fact fear.


They fear losing control....giving their life and living wholly for the Will of God.


Maybe some could discuss this at length or show some scripture that deals with why people are enemies of God. Also, what would someone do when they know God's truth, yet they won't let go of themselves. What if they pray or ask for change and it doesn't happen? God's not failing them, but they are failing themselves. Christ can't change them if they won't or don't allow Him to.

They feel deeply that they have hardened their heart or compromised and taken God's mercy, forgiveness and grace for granted so much that they are so deep in a hole that they can't climb out of that hole.

They say God please change my way of thinking so I want to change. They even put their foot down and try strong will power and vow to change yet change doesn't happen because they keep failing because they don't have the strength to do it.

Something is holding them back, what is it? Themselves?


This is NOT real peace. I refuse to believe Christ fills someone and they have peace that passes all understanding and yet they can agonize like this in their daily life.


I put this in Bible Chat, not counseling, because I think it deserves scripture references and discussion about scripture that deals with this. It doesn't need responses that say, "trust God", "believe", etc. It does need those responses, but it also needs discussed within scripture. I don't mean to sound condescending or keep repeating myself, I just believe it relates to Bible Chat more than anything.

Many won't agree, but, from personal experience with these same struggles and questions, here goes:

I would say this person is bearing burdens that he need not be bearing. Guilt leading to a miserable Walk of Faith is a very effective tool that the Enemy promotes to drive a person AWAY from God. When we constantly measure our Walk with Christ on how much we fail to live up to His Standards of holiness, it's easy to start thinking that, to live a "Christian life" is impossible. I spent 12 years away from God because, after I first decided to submit my life to Him, I thought, "OK...I have to stop doing this, I can't do that, I have to quit hanging out with him, and I need to start doing this." I approached my new life in Christ as a list of do's and don't's. For someone like me, who was heavily entrenched in a sinful lifestyle, walking with Christ by a list of guidelines was impossible.

Finally, after wallowing around in sin and having no fellowship with Christ, He broke me and I returned to Him in repentance and humbleness. He showed me to Walk with Him, I just needed to spend time with Him. I needed to take all my doubts, fears, weaknesses, and concerns and tell Him about them. I needed to worship Him. I didn't make a conscientous effort to immediately do a 180 in the way I was living. What I did was make sure to start infusing myself with the things of God. When I did that, His Spirit came to the forefront of my life and guided my thoughts and actions. If I gave in to a temptation of the flesh, I wouldn't beat myself up over it and question whether or not I had done something wrong. I would just go back to Him whereas, before, I would have let the guilt and failure of that drive a wedge between myself and Him. Very soon, I started to notice that those chains of sin were being broken and I began to desire His Fellowship more than the fleshly stuff.

[Colight]

Many won't agree, but, from personal experience with these same struggles and questions, here goes:

I would say this person is bearing burdens that he need not be bearing. Guilt leading to a miserable Walk of Faith is a very effective tool that the Enemy promotes to drive a person AWAY from God. When we constantly measure our Walk with Christ on how much we fail to live up to His Standards of holiness, it's easy to start thinking that, to live a "Christian life" is impossible. I spent 12 years away from God because, after I first decided to submit my life to Him, I thought, "OK...I have to stop doing this, I can't do that, I have to quit hanging out with him, and I need to start doing this." I approached my new life in Christ as a list of do's and don't's. For someone like me, who was heavily entrenched in a sinful lifestyle, walking with Christ by a list of guidelines was impossible.

Finally, after wallowing around in sin and having no fellowship with Christ, He broke me and I returned to Him in repentance and humbleness. He showed me to Walk with Him, I just needed to spend time with Him. I needed to take all my doubts, fears, weaknesses, and concerns and tell Him about them. I needed to worship Him. I didn't make a conscientous effort to immediately do a 180 in the way I was living. What I did was make sure to start infusing myself with the things of God. When I did that, His Spirit came to the forefront of my life and guided my thoughts and actions. If I gave in to a temptation of the flesh, I wouldn't beat myself up over it and question whether or not I had done something wrong. I would just go back to Him whereas, before, I would have let the guilt and failure of that drive a wedge between myself and Him. Very soon, I started to notice that those chains of sin were being broken and I began to desire His Fellowship more than the fleshly stuff.

David was blessed over and over by God.. not over the fact he did not sin..
But he knew how to handle the sins he did.

David .. fornicated, murdered, lusted, had many wives, there was a ton of stuff he did that in many Christian circles today he would be called a non-believer.

1 John 1
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The strength of a believer is in his ability to get back up after the fall and continue with the race that God has set before us.
We will fall..Now pull the rocks out of your road rash and get up and move on..
while we live the race is on..
Sitting around having guilt over some fall is NOT running the race..

Heb 12
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

[keck553]

David was blessed over and over by God.. not over the fact he did not sin..
But he knew how to handle the sins he did.

David .. fornicated, murdered, lusted, had many wives, there was a ton of stuff he did that in many Christian circles today he would be called a non-believer.

1 John 1
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The strength of a believer is in his ability to get back up after the fall and continue with the race that God has set before us.
We will fall..Now pull the rocks out of your road rash and get up and move on..
while we live the race is on..
Sitting around having guilt over some fall is NOT running the race..

Heb 12
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Now you have an example of what not to do. To him who is given much, much is required.

[John 8:32]

David was blessed over and over by God.. not over the fact he did not sin..
But he knew how to handle the sins he did.

David .. fornicated, murdered, lusted, had many wives, there was a ton of stuff he did that in many Christian circles today he would be called a non-believer.

1 John 1
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The strength of a believer is in his ability to get back up after the fall and continue with the race that God has set before us.
We will fall..Now pull the rocks out of your road rash and get up and move on..
while we live the race is on..
Sitting around having guilt over some fall is NOT running the race..

Heb 12
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Yes and David is a great example. One thing David did not do though was sin casually, thinking he could do whatever he wanted and then repent and be forgiven. David's heart was to obey God. He, just like us, was subject to the Devil, his own nature and the pulls of the world. When he did sin, it was not in a cavalier manner expecting forgiveness. He sinned, we all do, but bitterly repented.

[Fenris]

What is the main reason some DO NOT submit to God? Maybe because they don't believe in God? hard to submit to something one doesn't think is real...

[Colight]

Yes and David is a great example. One thing David did not do though was sin casually, thinking he could do whatever he wanted and then repent and be forgiven. David's heart was to obey God. He, just like us, was subject to the Devil, his own nature and the pulls of the world. When he did sin, it was not in a cavalier manner expecting forgiveness. He sinned, we all do, but bitterly repented.

David was human, he sinned quite a bit..and was a life spent living in sin.
He was not known for his high morals and ascetic life style.

He married a woman whose husband he murdered on top of having many other wives and concubines.

One can not have a house full of concubines and not be living in casual sin with a very cavalier manner.
David never stopped with his women...so much for repenting bitterly and changing his way..
In fact even to his death bed , with the 16 year old bed warmer gained from a beauty contest.

With one of his wives pleading to make her son the next king, while he was on his death bed with some young babe.
That is being very cavalier..about sin.

David strength was not avoiding sin, rather how to handle it and place sin in its proper perspective.

[RollTide21]

What is the main reason some DO NOT submit to God? Maybe because they don't believe in God? hard to submit to something one doesn't think is real...

Yes...but the idea being discussed is based on the presumption that Romans chapter 1 is true, which says that ALL men have knowledge of God. Some just choose to reject that knowledge. So, people who "don't believe" in God are either in the process of, or have already rejected the inherent knowledge of God.

[Fenris]

Yes...but the idea being discussed is based on the presumption that Romans chapter 1 is true, which says that ALL men have knowledge of God.

I'm not getting that from Romans 1. It seems to condemn those who do know God but still sin, which I can agree with. But to say that "all men know God" isn't in the text and doesn't pass the common sense test.

[andrew_no_one]

I'm not getting that from Romans 1. It seems to condemn those who do know God but still sin, which I can agree with. But to say that "all men know God" isn't in the text and doesn't pass the common sense test.

Not as in all men knowing God, but as creation itself testifying to God's existance so as that all men are without excuse; God's work being evident and clearly understood from that which has been made.

[Fenris]

Not as in all men knowing God, but as creation itself testifying to God's existance so as that all men are without excuse; God's work being evident and clearly understood from that which has been made.

I'm sorry, I don't think this is true. And I don't get this message from Romans 1 either.

[BrianW]

I get that from Romans one and the words in bold below. It seems pretty plain to me that we can just look at creation, the world and all living things on it and even out into space with it's planets and stars and see the clear evidence of God.


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15So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

[Fenris]

I get that from Romans one and the words in bold below. It seems pretty plain to me that we can just look at creation, the world and all living things on it and even out into space with it's planets and stars and see the clear evidence of God.

many scientists who know the universe best see it otherwise. This doesn't make them bad people or defiant of God's rule. They simply see the universe as a place of natural laws and not a creation of God.

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God

Who "knew God"? Again, if one is speaking of believers that is one thing, but this verse can't possibly be applied to all humans who ever lived. Understanding it that way goes opposite to Amos 3:2. Or Luke 12:48, if you prefer the NT.