Being 'Born Again'

[Carl Emerson]

I hear varied opinions about what it means to be 'born again'

I have several questions to kick this off.

1. Is it necessary for salvation ?

2. Does it involve a surrender of the will to Jesus ?

3. Can it be reversed ?

4. Does being born again require repentance ?

5. Does it guarantee eternal life ?

6. When were the apostles 'born again' ?

These matters address issues central to our faith.

 

[Pearl]

I have several questions to kick this off.

1. Is it necessary for salvation ?
Yes, deffinitely.

2. Does it involve a surrender of the will to Jesus ?
Yes, dying to self so that Jesus can live through us and in us.

3. Can it be reversed ?
No, once we've been accepted by adoption into God's family he will always be our Father.

4. Does being born again require repentance ?
Absolutely. We must turn our backs on our old life and go forward free from sin.

5. Does it guarantee eternal life ?
Yes it does.

6. When were the apostles 'born again' ?
Yes because they accepted Jesus as their Saviour.

These matters address issues central to our faith.
Yes they do. They are the solid foundation on which my faith is built.

 

[BloodBought 1953]

I hear varied opinions about what it means to be 'born again'

I have several questions to kick this off.

1. Is it necessary for salvation ?

2. Does it involve a surrender of the will to Jesus ?

3. Can it be reversed ?

4. Does being born again require repentance ?

5. Does it guarantee eternal life ?

6. When were the apostles 'born again' ?

These matters address issues central to our faith.

One becomes Saved, or “Born Again” the Instant That they put their Complete Trust in Jesus , and Him ALONE , to Save them....Practically speaking, it’s Believing Paul’s Gospel Of Grace Found In 1Cor 15:1-4, the one revealed to Paul by Jesus personally....It’s all about what God has done for Sinful, Lost men and NOT what man does for God.....
If you have “ changed your mind” ( That is the True Repentance required for Salvation , From the Greek Word ‘ metanoia’) about Paul’s Gospel , going from ignoring it to Trusting In it as the only means to be Saved in this present Age of Grace , you have done ALL of the Repenting that you ever need do.....

A wise person will “ surrender to the Will Of Jesus” , But it is not part of the Gospel ....it is not Essential for Salvation...
It is absolutely necessary ....” It is “ Foolishness to those that Perish” and it is what God is going to Judge you by when you stand before Him so one had best get familiar with it....
If it is not a “ Guarantee” Of Eternal Life , Both Paul and Jesus are Liars....”By which YOU ARE SAVED”.....

The Apostles were Saved by Believing in Who Jesus *WAS* ( Their Promised Messiah) .....They were unaware of the “ Mystery” That Jesus revealed to Paul.....The Plan Of God for Salvation was transformed from “ Who” Jesus was to “What” Jesus accomplished —— What He “ accomplished” by the Finished Work Of The Cross”......Trying to ADD to what Jesus did by Dying for our Sins and by Rising from the Dead—— THAT will cause one to “ Fall From Grace” .....That May or May Not be tantamount to losing ones Salvation...The Jury’s out on that one...

 

[Carl Emerson]

6. When were the apostles 'born again' ?
Yes because they accepted Jesus as their Saviour.

When ???

 

[Carl Emerson]

OK someone comes to you with no biblical knowledge saying they had a dream about Jesus and are fully convinced they must become a Christian and they are clearly under conviction.

How would you guide them to becoming born again?

Remember they are unfamiliar with Christian language and culture.

What then are the fundamental steps needed to become born again?

 

[savedbygrace1]

Without wishing to get into a grand theological debate about it. Every Christian is a born again Christian. Jesus said ye must be born again. It is not an option, it is a necessity. Therefore, you must be born again at conversion. As soon as you accept Christ into your life as your saviour, the Holy Spirit enters your life. He writes the law in your heart and places it on your mind God wants you to follow. You have been supernaturally changed. No one can be a Christian unless the Spirit dwells in them (Rom8:9) He bestows upon a person being born again. And if we believe God accepts us at the point of accepting Christ as our saviour, at that point we are born again. We are born again when we have the Spirit.

So you wouldn’t necessarily have to use the words ‘born again’ for someone to be born again. They would only have to accept Christ as their saviour to be born again.

 

[Pearl]

OK someone comes to you with no biblical knowledge saying they had a dream about Jesus and are fully convinced they must become a Christian and they are clearly under conviction.

How would you guide them to becoming born again?

Remember they are unfamiliar with Christian language and culture.

What then are the fundamental steps needed to become born again?

I would ask them how they became so convinced and if I discerned that it was a genuine conviction then I would ask if they were prepared to turn away from the wrong-doing in their life.

If they agreed they were I would suggest they say a simple prayer to ask God to forgive their wrong doings and ask Jesus to come into their lives. And if they did that I would then tell them to go and tell somebody they had just become a Christian, give them a bible and either take them to church or help them find a church where they could learn more about God and learn to worship him.

 

[Karl Peters]

Jn 3:7,8 ,“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jn 3:11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.

Rev 3:19 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

Jn 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Is 30:21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Jn 10:9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

I put the above verses together, because they all show the same exact thing!!

Jesus stands and the door and knocks, and if 'ANYONE' hears His voice and opens up to Him He will come into them. More specifically He sends His Holy Spirit to you to talk to your spirit! So if you are "born again" you have been hearing from the Holy Spirit - which would be hearing the sound of the wind (Holy Spirit). And note that you should be hearing Him in "words"!!! Those words of our Lord Jesus Christ which comes through His Holy Spirit are life to you!!!!

And note again - you should be hearing those words "whenever you turn to the right or to the left"!!

Yet also note that "you will go in and out"!!!!!

This is the reality of knowing the Lord - that you hear Him knocking, open up to Him and eat what is being served - and that means hearing "words" - that small voice of the Lord! Those words are spirit! The words in the Bible are not spirit, they are ink on pages!! Many of them were once spiritual words spoken to those who wrote the Bible, but that was before they were written! The were written so that we might open up to Jesus Christ who has been always standing there specking to everyone that could be considered anyone! And when you start hearing Him you are going to at some point get instructions, even instructions as to when to turn to the right or left.

However - with all that said you 'WILL GO IN AND OUT..'

So it is that sometimes you are into hearing Him tell you when to turn to the right or to the left, and other times when you are not into that!!

Now you don't want to harden your heart to hearing from Him. In fact. you should spend some time everyday called "Today" listening to Him.

Heb 3:7,8 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS [fn]WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,

Yet people do harden their hearts, and of course they did that before and after the cross, as can be seen above! Indeed, the statement to Nicodemus about being born again was made before Jesus had gone to the cross!! The Lord had always always wanted people to just spend some time "Today" walking and talking with Him. Since creation He was always the Lord of lord, and King of kings, and also fully God so that He is everywhere, even right there trying to speak so mankind! So it has always been just a question of whether we are going to opening up our hearts to Him??

So, it is the foremost command has always been, "Hear, O Israel"!! Yet when Israel said, "Let not God speak to us" at the mountain of God then the Law was handed down. Yet that was just to teach men that they couldn't follow the Law of God. Men's righteousness could never match God's righteousness. So the Law was meant to turn us back to listening to Him. We are not the same creature without Him in our lives as we are with Him in our lives!! Yet having Him in our lives means listen to Him as our Lord!! And that means getting instructions, even instructions as to when to turn to the left and to the right!!

Let me give you an example, which should be understood already.

The Lord used to take me around yard sales on Saturday mornings. Most Saturdays for years we (Him and I) would do yard sales together. He would tell me, "turn left and the light" - then "turn right by that yard sale sign", and He would lead me to the yard sales He wanted me to go to. As I would pull up He would tell me where to park. He would point out things about the yard sale before I got too close to it. He might point out how neat is was, because that would give me an idea about how much they valued what they were selling. He pointed out all sorts of different things, and would show himself to be God. He might say something like, "offer them $20 for all the books they have", and that before I even noticed a book there.

I remember Him telling me that the guy running the sale was a pastor. So I told the man, 'Sir, you are a pastor". The man responded, "No, I am just a youth pastor." I had to laugh to myself. God considered this man a pastor. I had no way of knowing that except God had told me. Yet the man says, "No" making God a liar, then contradicts himself saying that he is a youth pastor, thus confessing himself to be a pastor and proving that the One I hear from is correct not matter how much we get blown around.

The point is that we can hear from God. He can and does talk to us. Yeah- the Holy Spirit is not the only spirit around, but leaning on your own understanding does not make you more correct. Now I explained to the man that God had told me that he was a pastor, and indeed He was. Yet even after that encounter was that pastor going to start listening to the Lord for himself?

I don't always listen to the Lord for myself!! I go in and out of that. The Lord gave me the freewill do decide which I want. I can harden my heart against hearing from Him, and just make it about leaning on my own understanding. Or I can choose to spend time with Him and hear Him by faith. He is the door, and I can go in or out. Because I am a person, I can harden my heart, or I can also just get busy and not listen to Him.

So how important is this "Born Again" thing? You either decide to let Him in or not!! the 'Born Again' was to point out to people - like in the case of Nicodemus - that they have not ever let them into their lives. That was also the case with the Lord giving me a word of knowledge about that Pastor- youth pastor. The whole purpose was to get him to consider seeking the Lord our God who is there to talk to us people!!! And you can be a Pharisee, Pastor, or just a youth pastor and still need that pointed out to you!!!

 

[Behold]

I hear varied opinions about what it means to be 'born again'

I have several questions to kick this off.

1. Is it necessary for salvation ?

2. Does it involve a surrender of the will to Jesus ?

3. Can it be reversed ?

4. Does being born again require repentance ?

5. Does it guarantee eternal life ?

6. When were the apostles 'born again' ?

These matters address issues central to our faith.

1.) If you are not born again, then you are not in Spiritual Union with "God, who is a Spirit".... So yes, being born again is the Spiritual Fruit of the Cross of Christ and the only certain proof that a person has become a real CHRISTian.

2.) God who is Christ, "would that all would come to the knowledge of Salvation", and "you must be born again".

3.) Can you stop being born? ?.... Can you stop being born again?? ... Only if you caused it.

4.) Begin born again, is the result of : "repenting from Unbelief to Faith in Christ", and then your "Faith is counted as righteousness by God".

5.) Jesus IS Eternal Life. So, if He is in you, then you are joined spiritually to Eternal Life, which is the same as becoming : "One with God".

6.) I teach my students that the Apostles were born again, in John 20:22-24. And the reason i do is because Paul teaches that : "he that hath not the Spirit of God (in him) does not belong to God".. And in John 20:22-24, we read that Jesus gave them the Spirit., telling them to " receive" it... And they did.
Later, in Acts 2:38, you have the imbuement of Power (the special anointing) that was given to Peter, during Pentecost, when the Comforter (Holy Spirit) was poured out, and you have... "tongues are for a sign to the JEWs", 1 Corinthians 14:22 and 1 Corinthians 1:22.... being given to the Disciples in front of a large group of Jews who saw all this, heard it, and 3000 JEWS believed in Jesus The JEW, and were later water baptized.

 

[amigo de christo]

One becomes Saved, or “Born Again” the Instant That they put their Complete Trust in Jesus , and Him ALONE , to Save them....Practically speaking, it’s Believing Paul’s Gospel Of Grace Found In 1Cor 15:1-4, the one revealed to Paul by Jesus personally....It’s all about what God has done for Sinful, Lost men and NOT what man does for God.....
If you have “ changed your mind” ( That is the True Repentance required for Salvation , From the Greek Word ‘ metanoia’) about Paul’s Gospel , going from ignoring it to Trusting In it as the only means to be Saved in this present Age of Grace , you have done ALL of the Repenting that you ever need do.....

A wise person will “ surrender to the Will Of Jesus” , But it is not part of the Gospel ....it is not Essential for Salvation...
It is absolutely necessary ....” It is “ Foolishness to those that Perish” and it is what God is going to Judge you by when you stand before Him so one had best get familiar with it....
If it is not a “ Guarantee” Of Eternal Life , Both Paul and Jesus are Liars....”By which YOU ARE SAVED”.....

The Apostles were Saved by Believing in Who Jesus *WAS* ( Their Promised Messiah) .....They were unaware of the “ Mystery” That Jesus revealed to Paul.....The Plan Of God for Salvation was transformed from “ Who” Jesus was to “What” Jesus accomplished —— What He “ accomplished” by the Finished Work Of The Cross”......Trying to ADD to what Jesus did by Dying for our Sins and by Rising from the Dead—— THAT will cause one to “ Fall From Grace” .....That May or May Not be tantamount to losing ones Salvation...The Jury’s out on that one...

Then help me expose this lie that mathew is teaching . Folks call me the heretic , yet by grace all i do is point to JESUS .
This mathew fellow is preaching and giving folks a false hope . As for me , I SAY BELIEVE IN JESUS
AND , AND if one dont , they will be damned .

 

[Enoch111]

I have several questions to kick this off.

1. Is it necessary for salvation? ABSOLUTELY

2. Does it involve a surrender of the will to Jesus? ABSOLUTELY

3. Can it be reversed? NO

4. Does being born again require repentance? ABSOLUTELY

5. Does it guarantee eternal life? ABSOLUTELY

6. When were the apostles 'born again'? When they received the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who supernaturally produces the New Birth. Thus "born of the Spirit" (John 3:5-8)

 

[Carl Emerson]

Then help me expose this lie that mathew is teaching . Folks call me the heretic , yet by grace all i do is point to JESUS .
This mathew fellow is preaching and giving folks a false hope . As for me , I SAY BELIEVE IN JESUS
AND , AND if one dont , they will be damned .

Who is the Mathew you refer to ???

 

[amigo de christo]

Who is the Mathew you refer to ???

Mathew G , he has done some posts .

 

[Carl Emerson]

OK so far so good...

Here is a few more questions.

This is a focus on what happens when we are born again.

1. What becomes 'new' ???

2. What happens to our sin from that point on ???

3. Is our salvation 'recorded' ???

4. What is our new spiritual status ???

5. What keeps us saved ???

6. Should we be immediately baptised ???

7. What does baptism achieve that being born again didnt ???

 

[Carl Emerson]

Mathew G , he has done some posts .

OK thanks...

 

[Carl Emerson]

Just to explain, I think that a good understanding of what happens at rebirth may help to solve the OSAS issue.

A pivotal point is the surrender of the will to Jesus.

I have come to the conclusion that at rebirth we give Him ultimate control of our lives from that point forward.

Folks who think they are saved without ever surrendering their will may have to reconsider.

Comments on this appreciated also....

 

[MatthewG]

1. Is it necessary for salvation ? I believe that is part of accepting Salvation in acceptance of the death, burial and resurrection.

2. Does it involve a surrender of the will to Jesus ? I believe that when the holy spirit, and the spirit of Christ comes into a persons life, they have a choice when confronted with a situation. To abide in Christ in the spirit of Christ - or to abide in their flesh. So the choice, to do my own will, or to do the will of God by allowing the Spirit to come through. (Praying does help in this endeavour asking God to help you by the spirit - JEsus talks about asking the Father for help by the Spirit)

3. Can it be reversed ? Yes, one can have the holy spirit, the spirit of Christ leave them if they become hardened in their heart no longer believing, they can repent and turn, but sometimes it can be hard for them to do as freewill choices and everything. All of us are responsible for ourselves, and ones relationship with God - or to not have God in their relationship.

4. Does being born again require repentance ? Repenting is turning around - So from not believing - to believing is a turn around. Acceptance of the death, burial and resurrection is where Jesus baptizes you in the holy spirit and fire. The Holy Spirit comes from God through Jesus by accepting in Faith what Jesus had done for all the world.

5. Does it guarantee eternal life ? Faith in the only begotten Son, the Lord Yeshua Christ is where everlasting bread, everlasting waters, and everlasting life is found.

6. When were the apostles 'born again' ? They were fleshly, until the holy spirit from on high had been sent, and they were indeed born from above, being part of the bride of Christ, and they had Apostolic Apostleship over the first-fruit bride of Christ in that day in age.

 

[Carl Emerson]

I should add that I think it is quite common for folks to be afraid of total commitment and that is why the surrender of the will is a problem for some.

I have to say that there is resistance to accepting this requirement because some hold 'free will' as sacrosanct.

Yet giving up our free will to Loving Father who knows how to order our lives better than we ever could should not be an issue.

 

[Pearl]

1. What becomes 'new' ???
We become NEW creations in Christ.
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[fn] The old has gone, the new is here!

2. What happens to our sin from that point on ???
It is forgiven and "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12

3. Is our salvation 'recorded' ???
Yes, written in the Lamb's book of life.
Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

4. What is our new spiritual status ???
Born again into God's family. Children of God.
Jhn 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[

5. What keeps us saved ???
God does.
1Co 1:8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

6. Should we be immediately baptised ???
As soon as we can. It's not always possible immediately.
Act 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'

7. What does baptism achieve that being born again didnt ???
It is a sign of new life after dying to self. Also it can mean the washing away of sin.
Rom 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

1. What becomes 'new' ???
We become NEW creations in Christ.
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[fn] The old has gone, the new is here!

2. What happens to our sin from that point on ???
It is forgiven and "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12

3. Is our salvation 'recorded' ???
Yes, written in the Lamb's book of life.
Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

4. What is our new spiritual status ???
Born again into God's family. Children of God.
Jhn 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[

5. What keeps us saved ???
God does.
1Co 1:8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

6. Should we be immediately baptised ???
As soon as we can. It's not always possible immediately.
Act 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'

7. What does baptism achieve that being born again didnt ???
It is a sign of new life after dying to self. Also it can mean the washing away of sin.
Rom 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Carl Emerson]

Regarding the issue of OSAS Paul is clear that yes we have to make good choices but this does not dictate our ultimate destination.

The verse below lays this out -

Here are the points.

1. focus on the good.

2. Your old self is dead and cant dictate your ultimate outcome.

3. God has hidden the real you with Him in eternity.

4. You WILL appear with Him in Glory.

Col 3 2-4

2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.