Kierkegaard wrote that Christians must live in a state of anguish because they are constantly in a state of becoming. They are never able to rest in their current state, but are always striving to become more Christ-like. This is a lifelong process that requires constant effort and self-examination.
Philosopher thought the idea of being saved by faith alone was not enough for Christians who were striving to become more Christ-like. He believed that while it is true that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we must also do our part in order to be saved. This means that we should not just sit back and wait for God to change us; we must actively strive towards being more Christ-like.
Soren Kierkegaard believed that the angst experienced by Christians was healthy because it helped them grow closer to God. For example, if you were trying to become more compassionate toward others but failed repeatedly, you would experience angst as a result of this failure and would be motivated to try again until you succeeded. In other words, your failures would make you try harder next time around so that you could achieve your goal eventually.
In addition, Kierkegaard believed this goal could only be achieved by living with anxiety and angst. He argued that if you didn’t have anxiety about becoming more Christ-like then you wouldn’t have any motivation to change yourself for the better.
