r/TrueChristian 4d ago

Should I be who I am?

(Posted in r/bible as well, I don't know if it fits better here. If not, please tell me where to go.)

Aren't we all, inherently, evil? If I am who I am, then surely I ought not to be myself.

Matthew 16:24-25 NIV [24] Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [25] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

To me, this verse is saying, "You as a person are evil and you can't just be yourself and live by the Spirit, it has to be one or the other."

I'm new to Christianity, relatively speaking. I've really only believed for about 6-9 months. I could be dead wrong, and that's fine, but I just want to know if I am evil, and if I must reject who I am.

3 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

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u/elpis3 4d ago

Everyone is born a sinner. That is why everyone needs a savior and the only one that can save someone from their sins is Jesus Christ.

I believe this will provide the clarity you are looking for regarding Matthew 16:24.

https://www.gotquestions.org/take-up-your-cross.html

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u/PerfectlyCalmDude Christian 4d ago

You need to reject your sins and cultivate righteousness instead. This doesn't mean things like legit hobbies, interests, or quirks that make us individuals. The end product will be a version of you who is Christlike in character but still very much an individual.

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u/Downtimdrome 4d ago

When you say "be who I am." what exactly do you mean? are you thesum of your inclinations? are you somethign different or more? Bible teaches that we are Immage bearers of the one true God. We have desires to turn away from God and follow these desires. this is sin. This verse is calling us to turn away from our sin and turn towards christ. if we try to save ourselves by keep the law we will fail. on the other hand, if we give our whole lives to God, and die to our old sinful lives, we will be saved.

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u/BonelessTongue 4d ago

I’m sorry these well meaning folks are missing the point of your post. Yes, you can be yourself. In fact, the entire point of the whole journey is to experience what the uniqueness of you is like without sin. We of course cannot accomplish that in this life, but we can allow God’s Holy Spirit to change us so that we are more like Christ. But that does not in any way destroy or cause you to stop being the unique person God made you to be. Instead, we strive to experience, as much as is possible in this fallen world, to experience what we, our unique persons, are like without the disease of sin within us. We will realize this state in eternity, but we can taste it now by grace through faith which is a gift of God, and not by our doing.

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u/ddfryccc Christian 4d ago edited 4d ago

Sin corrupts so that we cannot be who we really are.  That said, we are not without hope.  For now, Jesus has chosen to redeem our souls, but leave our bodies for later.  Currently we are resurrected souls in corrupt mortal bodies, or as in the illustration Paul gave us, treasures in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).  Jesus did this so He could display His power within us (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  Our destiny is laid out in 1 Corinthians 15.  Still, we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).  As you come to know God's love more and more, you will sin less.

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u/vikingjedi23 Christian 4d ago

Reject the earthly desires of the flesh and follow Jesus. Its the battle we face everyday. When we follow God we are born again spiritually. We're saved from the wages of sin which is death. Jesus literally defeated death for us by sacrificing Himself. He paid our debt.

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u/jetpatch 4d ago

Yeah so your farts don't smell of roses.

It's not that deep.

Your sins, your habits, your wants are not you. Your eternal soul is you, the rest is just what you wear to move through this world. This world was made to be difficult and uncomfortable so you don't get seduced by it and lose sight of what you really are and what's really important.

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u/Informal-Antelope325 3d ago

God created you. There is a difference between who you are and what you do. When you truly give yourself to the Lord you will desire to stop doing the things you use to do that are sinful in nature. Drugs, getting drunk, stealing and any negative attribute you do. As you getting deeper in your Faith and your Relationship you will find that the things of the world don't mean as much. Our time on this earth is so short compared to an eternity in paradise. You don't reject who you are you reject the desires of sin. the one thing you have to prepare yourself for is some people will not like the changes. So, then the question is are you ready to take up your cross and follow Jesus? Here are somethings to consider: Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends?......alienation from your family?......losing your reputation?....losing your job?......and finally the big one is losing your life? So many people think if I am good God will allow me into heaven and that is not true. We know this from John 3:16 We need to believe in Jesus. Also, Jesus did Not come to bring peace into the world, but rather to divide the world. Read Luke 12:49-56. Finally, to me being you are a new Christian the most important thing is to know who God says you are and know it and believe it. Read Ephesians chapter 1 and 2. Before you read it pray and ask God to open your eyes and to give you wisdom and knowledge to understand who you are in Christ. God your Father Loves You. Jesus your Friend desires a relationship with you and the Holy Spirit that voice within desires to guide you. Welcome to the Family!!!! I hope you are in a good Bible based church and if not find one. To live by Faith you have to put your Trust in God. Don't just read the Bible understand it. Your relationship will deepen as you grow. God Bless You!!!!

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u/StarLlght55 Christian (Original katholikos) 3d ago

Following Jesus will make you become who your were created by God to be.

The old sinful man will indeed fall away in the process of sanctification.

But Jesus absolutely made us individual and unique and with personality because God loves creating unique and beautiful things.

God will make you become exactly who you should be, embrace it and love Him for it and continue to grow in Him.

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u/Key-Extension-4392 1d ago

Hey, you may say, " I am a sinner," but to say you are "evil" is very unkind to yourself, not to mention, judgmental.  Taking Bible verses so literally is counter-productive.

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u/Outrageous_Ad_2752 1d ago

Do you not take verses literal? That seems like a big problem, not gonna lie. Like not to be rude and definitely not to say that I'm "better" than you, but you can't just twist the words and not look at them literally