As a new Christian, I had many notions that I have realized throughout the years were either completely false or utterly ridiculous. Below are just a few of the major misconceptions that caused a bit of a struggle for me at one time or another.
1. Life (in general) will get easier.
Wow! I was totally mistaken regarding this one!!! In many ways, life goes on as usual. Life may not get easier. It probably won’t. The good news is that as Christians we have the Holy Spirit, our comforter and teacher, living inside us. There is a lot more to being a Christian than smelling flowers and marveling at rainbows. In fact, God gave us tons of wisdom regarding how to handle life’s troubles. Below are just two verses that illustrate this point.
“…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
2. Romantic relationships between Christians are healthier.
My husband and I were living proof that just the opposite is true for years. Becoming a child of God does not mean that all of our human junk all of a sudden disappears! Maybe we don’t have to suffer eternally due to our sin, but that doesn’t mean that on Earth things will be immediately effortless. In many cases, Christian couples may have to work harder to sustain a marriage. Our marriages are great testimonies to the glory of God, and of course, the enemy would like us to mess that up. Here is proof that Christian relationships are difficult too. Please be encouraged, though, because it is written that “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
3. I will not struggle as much with sin.
In some cases this may be true. Sometimes it may take a while to realize that something you are doing is actually sinful. Other times, you will know what you are doing is wrong and expect God to deliver you all the while knowingly putting yourself in temptation’s way. Just because Jesus paid the price for every sin we will ever commit does not give us carte blanche. There are a myriad of verses in the Bible regarding our sin nature and the dangers of temptation. These gems of instruction would not be there if God didn’t know that we would still struggle after becoming believers. Below are just a few of my favorites:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
4. I will be more mentally and emotionally balanced.
As we discussed in point #1, life is not always easy, and quite honestly, it can be burdensome at times in regards to our health, finances, relationships, etc. You and I would be remiss to think that Christian or not, we will sail swimmingly through life in mentally and emotionally balanced bliss 100% of the time. When I am feeling anxious, depressed, worried, etc. reading the Bible or meditating on God’s Word is helpful. There is most likely something in the Bible regarding my struggle, and this reminds me that God knows me inside and out and has provided wisdom to help me navigate this life. The books of Proverbs and Psalms have a wealth of instruction that have helped me to work through problems in a healthier way by exposing and confronting the root issue/s at hand. Since “a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones,” it’s a good idea to depend on God’s Word daily to stay uplifted and encouraged (Proverbs 17:22).
5. All preachers/pastors teach sound, biblical doctrine.
This one can be tricky. I once believed that when someone talked about God in conversation or even during a sermon that she/he was unequivocally referencing the God of the Bible. Entirely NOT the case. There are a ton of self-help and motivational speakers out there masquerading as legitimate teachers of God’s Word. You may be surprised, but God sure isn’t. In fact, 1 John 4:1 admonishes us to “…not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Compare what you are hearing or reading to the perfect Word of God always. Below are some more verses referencing the very real threat of a false teacher:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Let me know in the comments below if you enjoyed this article. I may reprise it within the next few months with more misconceptions.
What are some misconceptions that you had as a new believer?
Lauren
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I am a “newer” Christian too! I love your post. Actually becoming Christian seems to through even more challenges at me! lol I feel that if I stray too far, God does through those little obstacles out for me to come search Him out. The obstacles also serve as a reminder to remain in His Word every day when I am not being consistent.
I very much enjoyed this, Lauren. Thank you.
When I was a brand new Christian, my aunt got cancer. I prayed for her, and was sure God was going to heal her (in this lifetime), but He did not. I was pretty crushed and struggled with it. Looking back, it was really a blessed experience, even though it didn’t feel like it at the time.
Sometimes new Christians have a tendency to make a bunch of (major) changes in their lives and jump in to doing just that. However, the Lord makes changes in us in His way and in His time, and in order of His importance, not ours. He made some changes in me (in my early days as a Christian) about things that I wasn’t even trying to “give up” (in fact, hadn’t even thought about). I don’t think they were necessarily sins, but I don’t think they were helpful in my Christian walk. And the amazing thing was, I just lost the desire for those things – it was absolutely nothing I did! Other things, however, I have struggled with for years. We serve such a wonderful God!
This is a thoughtful post about misconceptions all of us have had. In fact, I don’t even think you have to be a new Christian to fall for these. Especially the “life will be easier” thought. I’ve been a believer 30 years, and I find myself falling for that all the time. But it is true that the more I mature, the more I realize that life is hard. God promises to be with us though. Thanks for writing this and sharing it today.
If only people could be more open-minded. Things would have been easier and we would be living harmoniously.
Thanks for discussing this relevant “issue”. 🙂
Keep shining your light!
Yes, so many, MANY misconceptions these days!
One that really irritates me is the trinity, including the false teaching that Jesus is God, when we know that the Bible assures us that Jesus is NOT God, but his SON. In fact, Jesus is called God’s only begotten son, which means he came from (was created by) his father. (John 10:36; 11:4)
He does not speak of his own initiative (John 8:28; 12:49), rather Jesus taught only what his father taught him and instructed him to preach to the people of his day.
We also read at John 14:28 that God is greater than Jesus, so of course that means they cannot be the same person!
In addition, at John 17:3, God’s own word states that Jesus was sent BY God, and one sent by another is certainly not the same as the one sent, in fact that one would (by definition) be a “lesser one” than the one who did the sending.
It is sad when people say that Jesus died for our sins – and mean that GOD died. Can God die? ABSOLUTELY NOT, as indicated at Habbakkuk 1:12; Psalm 90:2; and 1 Timothy 1:17. However, his son, Jesus can – and did (and later was resurrected by his Father in heaven), thereby saving us from our sins, provided we truly demonstrate our faith in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice by obeying both Jesus and his Father.
So often these 5 misconceptions are exactly how Christianity is portrayed. No wonder so many people fall away. It’s important to share our testimonies of current frustrations & short comings with new Christians to give them a true view of what living in grace looks like. Great post, Lauren. Lots of food for thought here!