@Ritajanice;
@Red Baker;
@JBO;
@Scott Downey ;
I have brought this subject forward in a stand alone thread , as suggested by Rita.....from
CALVINISM: The height of Spiritual depravity
as that one seemed to be off in a new direction from the OP.. and because Rita as we all have very individual specific ideas about this subject.... and each of the mentioned have contributed today.
While basic random thoughts I will kick things off with these. (Overly simplistic, but is a start.)
I asked the question, "Is the word Christian found in the Bible?" during the sermon a few weeks ago, and the answer I gave was, "Yes, two times." I realized a
sojournspearfish.com
Since we have these 3 examples of the word in the Holy Bible what do you believe a person who says they are Christian, or a Christian mean?
Born again shall be addressed whenever you want to put it in.
It is Jesus that frees us from sin indeed:
John 3:
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you,
‘You must be born again.’ ...
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
John 8:34-36
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever,
but a son abides forever. 36
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Hebrews 12:2
2 looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Being born again means our old nature is dead, and we possess a clean nature as well as the power of the Holy Spirit making us dead to sin and alive to righteousness.
Romans 6:5-7
(Jesus died for us so that we can be renewed sinless)
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be
in the likeness of
His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with
Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Romans 8:1-9
(No longer sinning so no longer under the law.)
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God
did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those
who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded
is death, but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind
is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
1 John 3:4-9
(The supernatural ability to be sinless of mortal sins unto death.)
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and
he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
1 John 5:18
We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the
wicked one does not touch him.
2 Peter 1:2-11(
After sinlessness for righteousness, Jesus works on us becoming holy and perfect through the fruit of the Spirit.)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that
pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound,
you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for
if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
John 15:1-4
(As you see, we are already clean when Jesus starts working on our fruit of the Spirit.)
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every
branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Watch out for doctrines of demons. Here is an important one to know about.
Revelation 22:11
We cannot wait until death to be free from sin. That will be too late, which is why those who believe sin is in our body believes a doctrine of demons.
11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”