My problem, personal yes problem with BORN again

[PinSeeker]

Alfred, the simple truth is that the Holy Spirit has not been in you since birth.

There's no way to know this. Even Alfred can't. It is possible; the Holy Spirit was obviously with John even before his birth (Luke 1).

He been with you since your rebirth.

This is true. If one is reborn of the Spirit, then yes, he or she has the Spirit.

I am one who believes it is possible very young children can be born again, possible even in the womb, based on John the Baptist leaping for joy in Elizabeth's womb.

Right. Agree.

Your rebirth took place the moment you trusted in the death and physical resurrection of Jesus as the payment for all your sin.

See but here, you're actually unintentionally refuting yourself, Ronald. We cannot know this, and neither really can Alfred. One's being reborn of the Spirit, given new birth in the Spirit, always ~ always, even if only momentarily ~ precedes our repentance and belief. Our repentance and belief is the inevitable result of having been born again of the Spirit.

For me, I have never known a day when I didn't know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Sometimes I have to remind myself just how much of a blessing this is, because I think it would be cool to have had a "mountaintop" or "mind-blowing" experience, or some kind of huge emotional moment to point back at and look back upon as my born-again moment. But then I have to remember that no matter how it happened, whether boring or exciting, that it is just utterly amazing. Here's one of my favorite hymns, very appropriate here:

How sweet and awesome is this place with Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays the choicest of her stores!

Here every bowel of our God with soft compassion rolls;
Here peace and pardon bought with blood is food for dying souls.

While all our hearts and all our songs join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues, "Lord, why was I a guest?"

Why was I made to hear Thy voice, and enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice, and rather starve than come?

'Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste, and perished in our sin.

Pity the nations, O our God! Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad, and bring the strangers home.

We long to see Thy churches full, that all the chosen race
May with one voice, and heart and soul, sing Thy redeeming grace.

[How Sweet and Awesome is this Place; favorite verses bolded]
​

Grace ~ amazing grace ~ and peace to all!

 

[dev553344]

I was raised in faith, so I don’t know a time that I didn't have faith.
There are events in my life that reinforced my faith.
There is an incredible event that wow how it reinforced my faith, if I have to point to a rebirth this one may be it, BUT
The Holy Spirit has been in me since birth,
Being more mature, being more experienced
Also seeing a lot of conceit around, I AM BORN AGAIN!
I have to ask what is truly being born again?
Because the event that reinforced me, this very spiritual uplifting, this mostly makes want to back totally away from proclaiming I am born again. Yes I am more comfortable than ever before talking Jesus as Lord and Savior. I no longer kringe at be asked to open up about Jesus and faith. More eager to step forwards and lead prayers

Paul a truly born again! Boasted of Jesus Christ, he turns aside any claim of born again as simply a gift ot him from God.

Paraphrasing Paul answer to what he became,
I am poor miserable sinner blest by God to do these things. TO GOD BE THE GLORY! AMEN

My life experience around Born Agains coupled with the result of the experience of faith makes ask where is the Christian HUMILITY in the Born Again boasted by many?

Asking in Christ

Alfredthefifth

@Alfredthefifth this concept of what people experience may have not developed the same for you. I think for people like me that lived a life of sin and then suddenly one day turned around and decided to actively seek God. Perhaps that for me is being born again. I however don't claim to be saved. I will let God decide that. And we all certainly await judgment.

But perhaps there is a difference in the concept of being born again and the churches that claim their members are saved now. I mean that is indeed quite a claim to make, that you join a church or do it's practices and are guaranteed salvation.

Now the concept of being saved opens the door to vast debate that I don't really care to engage in since I've already studied it and know what is right for me to believe. But there are scriptural support for both positions of being guaranteed salvation and losing ones salvation.

 

[ScottA]

I was raised in faith, so I don’t know a time that I didn't have faith.
There are events in my life that reinforced my faith.
There is an incredible event that wow how it reinforced my faith, if I have to point to a rebirth this one may be it, BUT
The Holy Spirit has been in me since birth,
Being more mature, being more experienced
Also seeing a lot of conceit around, I AM BORN AGAIN!
I have to ask what is truly being born again?
Because the event that reinforced me, this very spiritual uplifting, this mostly makes want to back totally away from proclaiming I am born again. Yes I am more comfortable than ever before talking Jesus as Lord and Savior. I no longer kringe at be asked to open up about Jesus and faith. More eager to step forwards and lead prayers

Paul a truly born again! Boasted of Jesus Christ, he turns aside any claim of born again as simply a gift ot him from God.

Paraphrasing Paul answer to what he became,
I am poor miserable sinner blest by God to do these things. TO GOD BE THE GLORY! AMEN

My life experience around Born Agains coupled with the result of the experience of faith makes ask where is the Christian HUMILITY in the Born Again boasted by many?

Asking in Christ

Alfredthefifth

Both glory and humility are attributes of being filled with the Spirit. Do not be one against the other, but rather, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." Romans 12:15

 

[Pearl]

I am born again. I don't boast about it though any more than I boast about my natural birth. Neither had much to do with me but everything to the ones who birthed me - first my mother and then 35 years later my God.

I don't believe God's Spirit has been in me since birth but that he brought me to Jesus and from then on has dwelt in me.

 

[farouk]

I am born again. I don't boast about it though any more than I boast about my natural birth. Neither had much to do with me but everything to the ones who birthed me - first my mother and then 35 years later my God.

I don't believe God's Spirit has been in me since birth but that he brought me to Jesus and from then on has dwelt in me.

Hi @Pearl I love the verse at Philippians 1.6: "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ".

 

[PinSeeker]

...I think for people like me that lived a life of sin and then suddenly one day turned around and decided to actively seek God. Perhaps that for me is being born again.

I would submit to you, Devin, that you were born again before you made that active decision. Otherwise, you would have not made it; you would have remained in your decision otherwise.

I however don't claim to be saved.

Sounds to me like you have been saved. And ~ and ~ are being saved. Both seem to be true.

I will let God decide that.

Well, He did that before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). Before you had done anything good or bad, not because of works but because of God Who calls, so that His purpose of election stands (Romans 9:11).

And we all certainly await judgment.

Absolutely. Each of us will be judged according to what we have done, our works (Romans 2:6).

But perhaps there is a difference in the concept of being born again and the churches that claim their members are saved now. I mean that is indeed quite a claim to make, that you join a church or do it's practices and are guaranteed salvation.

Right. Big difference. The latter is pharisaical and is no kind of guarantee at all; only God can give that guarantee, and it's called 'faith.' (Hebrews 11:1)

But there are scriptural support for both positions of being guaranteed salvation and losing ones salvation.

Sure, there are many, even here in this forum, on one side of this "fence" or the other. But once God does His saving act, it cannot be undone. The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Nothing ~ absolutely nothing ~ will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39). And, as cited above, He Who began a good work in you/us will ~ will ~ bring it to completion at the Day of Christ (Philippians 1:6).

Grace and peace to you, Devin!

 

[dev553344]

I would submit to you, Devin, that you were born again before you made that active decision. Otherwise, you would have not made it; you would have remained in your decision otherwise.


Sounds to me like you have been saved. And ~ and ~ are being saved. Both seem to be true.


Well, He did that before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). Before you had done anything good or bad, not because of works but because of God Who calls, so that His purpose of election stands (Romans 9:11).


Absolutely. Each of us will be judged according to what we have done, our works (Romans 2:6).


Right. Big difference. The latter is pharisaical and is no kind of guarantee at all; only God can give that guarantee, and it's called 'faith.' (Hebrews 11:1)


Sure, there are many, even here in this forum, on one side of this "fence" or the other. But once God does His saving act, it cannot be undone. The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Nothing ~ absolutely nothing ~ will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39). And, as cited above, He Who began a good work in you/us will ~ will ~ bring it to completion at the Day of Christ (Philippians 1:6).

Grace and peace to you, Devin!

Thanks, if I understood that post correctly then it sounds like you're correct. Except what I consider saved is being resurrected and brought into heaven and given eternal life in the world to come. And I know God can save who he desires to save. John 10:28.

 

[PinSeeker]

...what I consider saved is being resurrected and brought into heaven and given eternal life in the world to come. And I know God can save who he desires to save. John 10:28.

Right, I agree, but I would submit to you that you have already been resurrected ~ experienced the first resurrection:

"They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years... This is the first resurrection... Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!" (Revelation 20:4-6)​

This is another way of describing our being born again, even raised from the dead and seated with Christ in the heavenly places:

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ ~ by grace you have been saved ~ and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith." (Ephesians 2:4-8).

"According to (God's) great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)​

Much of this people on this forum will contend with and disagree with, of course, but there it is. Again, grace and peace to you.

 

[ScottA]

 

[Ronald Nolette]

There's no way to know this. Even Alfred can't. It is possible; the Holy Spirit was obviously with John even before his birth (Luke 1).

that is not however a blanket statement to be all inclusive.

See but here, you're actually unintentionally refuting yourself, Ronald. We cannot know this, and neither really can Alfred. One's being reborn of the Spirit, given new birth in the Spirit, always ~ always, even if only momentarily ~ precedes our repentance and belief. Our repentance and belief is the inevitable result of having been born again of the Spirit.

For me, I have never known a day when I didn't know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Sometimes I have to remind myself just how much of a blessing this is, because I think it would be cool to have had a "mountaintop" or "mind-blowing" experience, or some kind of huge emotional moment to point back at and look back upon as my born-again moment. But then I have to remember that no matter how it happened, whether boring or exciting, that it is just utterly amazing. Here's one of my favorite hymns, very appropriate here:

Yes we can know this.

If you have never physically and verbally professed your trust in teh death and physical resurrection of Jesus for your sin debt and publicly proclaim HIm as Lord, you were never born again!

We are born as children of wrath- but we have to consciously make a desicion to be reborn. It does not happen by osmosis.

 

[Scott Downey]

2 Timothy 1
Not Ashamed of the Gospel

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Be Loyal to the Faith
13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

15 This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; 17 but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. 18 The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.

The DAY is the DAY of the LORD at His returning. For the believer that is a salvation from the current, present evil day in which we currently reside. But we are also eternally saved when we believed.

 

[Scott Downey]

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Their Good Example
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

 

[Scott Downey]

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Fast
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

God loved and chose YOU from the beginning of time, before the earth existed to be saved. Which is why you are saved, all the works of God like this, were finished from the foundation of the world.

 

[Scott Downey]

Hebrews 4
1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”

although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

 

[PinSeeker]

...that is not however a blanket statement to be all inclusive.

I'm... not sure what you're talking about here, but I made no all-inclusive statement.

Yes we can know this.

We cannot know whether a baby has been born again of the Spirit, because the baby is not able to verbally affirm this (obviously), either from inside of the womb or outside.

If you have never physically and verbally professed your trust in the death and physical resurrection of Jesus for your sin debt and publicly proclaim Him as Lord, you were never born again!

No, this it tantamount to saying ~ is saying, actually ~ that it depends not on God's mercy/compassion, but on man's will. And that's exactly opposite to both of the following:

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:6-8)

"What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, Who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.' So then He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills." (Romans 9:14-18)

We are born as children of wrath...

Yes, dead in our sin. Spiritually dead, Ronald.

...but we have to consciously make a decision to be reborn.

Dead people cannot do anything, Ronald. Likewise ~ and much more relevant here ~ we have to be made spiritually alive... we have to be born again of the Spirit... to be able to see and perceive spiritually and then ~ THEN ~ to make a conscious decision. We can certainly make any number of conscious decisions about earthly things before being born again of the Spirit, but not the one in question, the spiritual one, because before we are born again of the Spirit, we are spiritually dead.

It does not happen by osmosis.

Ha!!! I agree.

Grace and peace to you.

 

[Scott Downey]

Right, I agree, but I would submit to you that you have already been resurrected ~ experienced the first resurrection:

"They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years... This is the first resurrection... Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!" (Revelation 20:4-6)​

This is another way of describing our being born again, even raised from the dead and seated with Christ in the heavenly places:

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ ~ by grace you have been saved ~ and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith." (Ephesians 2:4-8).

"According to (God's) great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)​

Much of this people on this forum will contend with and disagree with, of course, but there it is. Again, grace and peace to you.

By definition resurrection though means to be incarnated again into a new living body of some kind like He has, not just a spirit.
What Does Resurrection Mean? (biblestudytools.com)
So that we shall all be changed is the resurrection moment, when the dead are raised up.
The resurrection is not past, it is still in the future, as is also the final judgement.

Even though our spirits are alive now after believing in Christ, our bodies God says are still dead in sin.
The resurrection gives us a new living body.
Romans 8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

1 Corinthians 15
A Glorious Body
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Our Final Victory
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

 

[Scott Downey]

So you see that resurrection so that we have a new glorious body happens at the last trumpet on the last day.

The resurrection, as in our own, is not past, and is still in the future.
Luke 14:13-15
New King James Version
13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Luke 20:34-36
New King James Version
34 Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

John 5:28-30
New King James Version
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

John 11:23-25
New King James Version
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

1 Corinthians 15

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

 

[Phoneman777]

The Holy Spirit has been in me since birth

Wouldn't that make the new birth unnecessary? After all, "born again" means being made alive in the Spirit through Christ, right?

 

[Ronald Nolette]

No, this it tantamount to saying ~ is saying, actually ~ that it depends not on God's mercy/compassion, but on man's will. And that's exactly opposite to both of the following:

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:6-8)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.


9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If one has never called on teh Lord in faith- one is not saved! Yes the Spirit comes and goes wherew it wills, but as for saving people- it is to bring them to a faith confession!

 

[michaelvpardo]

I was raised in faith, so I don’t know a time that I didn't have faith.
There are events in my life that reinforced my faith.
There is an incredible event that wow how it reinforced my faith, if I have to point to a rebirth this one may be it, BUT
The Holy Spirit has been in me since birth,
Being more mature, being more experienced
Also seeing a lot of conceit around, I AM BORN AGAIN!
I have to ask what is truly being born again?
Because the event that reinforced me, this very spiritual uplifting, this mostly makes want to back totally away from proclaiming I am born again. Yes I am more comfortable than ever before talking Jesus as Lord and Savior. I no longer kringe at be asked to open up about Jesus and faith. More eager to step forwards and lead prayers

Paul a truly born again! Boasted of Jesus Christ, he turns aside any claim of born again as simply a gift ot him from God.

Paraphrasing Paul answer to what he became,
I am poor miserable sinner blest by God to do these things. TO GOD BE THE GLORY! AMEN

My life experience around Born Agains coupled with the result of the experience of faith makes ask where is the Christian HUMILITY in the Born Again boasted by many?

Asking in Christ

Alfredthefifth

"but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 9:24
Salvation is knowing God and nobody knows Him unless they know Jesus.