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Behold

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The new birth is brought to pass through "incorruptible seed, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever" (I Peter 1:23) and the Holy Spirit accomplishes the miracle of regeneration. (Titus 3:5)

When a person gives God their Faith in Christ, then God accepts their faith, as "faith is counted as Righteousness"..."justified by faith"..
He now uses the BLood of Jesus as the blood atonement to deal with ALL your sin.
He then imparts the new birth. This is when the Holy Spirit of God, BIRTHS the spirit in a person INTO the Holy Spirit of God.
This is to become 'ONE with God" as God is "A" Spirit.
This is to become, Spiritually, born again as a "new Creation IN Christ".
 
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Ronald Nolette

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Yes I agree. That is what I keep, telling you.
But the Holy Spirit acts in Baptism
As Jesus said
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" John 3:5
As Jesus also said: "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved"
As Peter wrote "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you"

You need to start believing scripture and being obedient to Jesus.


Baptism is an act that someone who is already saved does! It is a public act signifying they have already been saved!

Born of Water and the Spirit is not baptism. It is natural and spiritual birth as Jesus went on to define it in the very next verse!

Ephesians 2:8-9
King James Version

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.


Baptism is one of two ordinances Jesus gave to the church and must be done. But it is not necessary for salvation, but growth and maturity.
 

Behold

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Baptism is an act that someone who is already saved does! It is a public act signifying they have already been saved!

Of course.

Nicodemus said.... (paraphrase) .....>"how can i go back inside my mother" .... as he understood the natural birth, or "born of water".

Jesus didnt correct him...instead he showed Nicodemus the distinction, between the earthly birth, and the Spiritual Birth.

This is why Jesus said.....>you......must........be......born........again.

As in " you have already been born once......of water........now, you must be born AGAIN = Spiritually.

This does not happen in the Baptismal pool.
It happens inside you when Christ joins your spirit to His, and you become by the power of the new birth, through the Holy Spirit...."ONE with GOD".
That's spiritual union between your born again spirit and God's Holy Spirit.

Water cannot cause this, because = water has no part in this Spiritual Regeneration.
 

Ronald Nolette

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Of course.

Nicodemus said.... (paraphrase) .....>"how can i go back inside my mother" .... as he understood the natural birth, or "born of water".

Jesus didnt correct him...instead he showed Nicodemus the distinction, between the earthly birth, and the Spiritual Birth.

This is why Jesus said.....>you......must........be......born........again.

As in " you have already been born once......of water........now, you must be born AGAIN = Spiritually.

This does not happen in the Baptismal pool.
It happens inside you when Christ joins your spirit to His, and you become by the power of the new birth, through the Holy Spirit...."ONE with GOD".
That's spiritual union between your born again spirit and God's Holy Spirit.

Water cannot cause this, because = water has no part in this Spiritual Regeneration.

Interesting history. In Judaism, a man could be born again up to six times! HIs Bar Mitzvah, marriage, becoming a rabbi, becoming a chief rabbi, a gentile converting and being anointed king! Nicodemus knew the term, and counted and knew he was born again all teh ways Judaism said He could be! so his only other thought was to go back to the womb! That is when Jesus told Him the unheard of prior concept of being born of the spirit!
 

Mungo

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We read in scripture where "water" is used as an emblem of the word of God, and in such uses it is associated with cleansing or washing. (John 15:3; Ephesians 5:26) When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begets new life, so that we are said to become "partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4) The new birth is brought to pass through "incorruptible seed, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever" (I Peter 1:23) and the Holy Spirit accomplishes the miracle of regeneration. (Titus 3:5)

Only in your mind.

Listen, Jesus said..>"now you are CLEAN through the WORD i have spoken to you".

See that?... You would think this is water......A.) Water cults obsess on water.

Listen,
The spirit that is born again, is inside you.
Water only touches the body.
Try to realize that when the Comforter came, during Acts 2, at Pentecost... no one in the upper room was water baptized, nor was Peter.
Yet, all were filled with the spirit.

It is poor exegesis to take a metaphor from one part off scriptuire and ap[ply it to another to make scripture fit your theology.

A text should be taken at its literal meaning unless there is a good resason from the context to do otherwise.

As I showed there is good reason to take bath/washing in a literal sense meaning water is involved in both Ti 3:5 & Eph 5:26.

But as I keep saying to Behold but he just ignores it, the water is real but the spiritual cleansing that it signifies is performed by the Holy Spirit.
 
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Mungo

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The washing of regeneration is certainly not accomplished by water baptism. The word "washing" in the Strong's Greek Concordance with Vine's Number 3067 - (Loutron) "a bath, a laver" is used *metaphorically of the Word of God, as the instrument of spiritual cleansing,* (Ephesians 5:26; and Titus 3:5), of the "washing of regeneration." Washing refers to spiritual washing or purification of the soul, accomplished by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.

I agree that the spiritual cleansing is performed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. That moment is when we are obedient to Jesus and are baptised.
 

Mungo

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@Behold
"He who believes and is baptized shall be saved"
"Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you"

If you keep ignoring inconvenient scriptures you will never reach the truth.
Here is another text that shows that baptism is salvific
"Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day. ……. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. "(Acts 2:41….47)

There are many text that implicitly say baptism saves us.
"Or are you unaware that we who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection."
(Rom 6:3-4)

"But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1Cor 6:11)

“Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (Jn 3;5)

There are also text that link bap[tism to some aspect of salvation
"Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." (Acts 2:38)

"Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptised and your sins washed away, calling upon his name". (Acts 22:16).

"let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb 10:22)

"You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead (in) transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions" (Col 2:11-13)

"all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ". (Gal 3:27).

Baptism brings us into the body of Christ (the Church).
"As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptised into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit." (1Cor 12:12-13).
This text also shows this: "one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;" (Eph 4:4-5)

Through baptism we are brought into the new covenant
“In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Col 2:11-12)
This clearly links a “spiritual circumcision” with baptism, a link from baptism to the covenant, not through physical circumcision (as in the Old Covenant) but a spiritual one.

"For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise."(Gal 3:26-27)
Paul tells us in Romans 9:8 “That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.”
It is in baptism (with water) that we become children of the promise; we are made children of God.
 

Ronald Nolette

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It is poor exegesis to take a metaphor from one part off scriptuire and ap[ply it to another to make scripture fit your theology.

A text should be taken at its literal meaning unless there is a good resason from the context to do otherwise.

As I showed there is good reason to take bath/washing in a literal sense meaning water is involved in both Ti 3:5 & Eph 5:26.

But as I keep saying to Behold but he just ignores it, the water is real but the spiritual cleansing that it signifies is performed by the Holy Spirit.

One mistake. Paul defines the water as the Word of God!

Ephesians 5:25-27
King James Version

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

You are correct in the use of metaphors wrongly applied.

However symbols are consistent in Scripture unless otherwise noted by Scripture itself.

Oil is the symbol of the Spirit!

However, being born of water as Jesus defined, is a euphemism for natural birth. Just look at the context and how Jesus defines it.

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Water= flesh, Spirit=Spirit. Jesus never says born of water is a baptism. Baptism is a requirement for believers, not to become a believer.