What does it mean to be "born again"?

[Taken]

1Co 15:50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

You must be Born again..... Possibly the Ressurection or changed when He returns. Jesus is the First Born from the Dead... Was He was born again?

Just a thought

Christ ( the Seed of God, the Power of God…)was Never Born, but was Revealed…

Gods Word, Jesus was Revealed, (or stretching / Born) the First time God Ever Spoke.

Gods Son, was A Declarative Title, Revealed IN a Body, God “Prepared” (with bones, flesh, blood) for human men TO SEE, hear, smell, touch.

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[PS95]

What does this term "born again" mean to you?

Born again means God's Spirit lives in you- you are now a child born of God. It's redundant to say Born again Christian. All are. If we don't have the Spirit how can we belong to Him? Christ in us- It's not anything we can do ourselves. It's God's gift that comes by faith in Jesus.
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 1 Jo 5:1
We are first born of the flesh and then spiritually reborn by God thru Christ. We were dead in our sins and now made alive. Eph 2:5

And how can you be sure you are "born again"?

It's not by what we do but God does. I think you just know. The Spirit speaking to you is one indicator. He guides, convicts, encourages, warns, reminds, protects and teaches us.. We walk in newness of life.- being changed as we go. The way we think begins to transform and what we want to do also changes. We can fight against this but it's not recommended.

How does "water and spirit" apply to your understanding of being born again?

We are first born by water-the flesh- then born anew again by God who gives us His Spirit. It is for all believers.

The term comes from the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3. What do you make of the fact that the rest of the chapter, immediately aftet this conversation, is focused on baptism?

Well, I think Romans chapter 6 is a beautiful picture of what it means to be born again.-and Paul does equate it with baptism there in a visual. We die to sin and walk anew. We die and go down under water (buried) and are raised up with Christ- I know people disagree with that but it's what Paul wrote.
I did not notice a difference at water baptism, although I know some people who did for sure. For me, the knowing - that came later. I don't think it is always exactly the same way for everyone, but to know is likely similar.
Just look at Acts- it wasn't always the same exact way.
There are different gifts but the same Spirit. You can pray for different gifts. Pray about all things. I don't think you always necessarily know immediately. I can only speak to myself and a few others. I also don't involve myself over the semantics of it all. I only know it is of God, and not from me. When the spirit is in control- there wont be bickering and nastiness. That's our flesh and we do battle. It's not something I have perfected. Sometimes, I know and sometimes it seems the Spirit left me for a time- but returns. It does seem to be like the wind in that way- I know He doesn't leave me totally but it feels that way sometimes. I am probably not the right one to answer this. I don't have the hang of it all. I only can say for sure that you do know when you know. When I take time to draw close to Him- He is there. Many days I fail to take the time and He is still there while other days I feel alone. Sorry if that's confusing. I'm a work in progress.
On occasion I have felt an extra fill of the Spirit and those were times when I was suddenly moved to give the gospel to someone. It's as if He carries me. I don't fight it. Once I speak the words- it's gone.

 

[Pierac]

Christ ( the Seed of God, the Power of God…)was Never Born, but was Revealed…

Gods Word, Jesus was Revealed, (or stretching / Born) the First time God Ever Spoke.

Gods Son, was A Declarative Title, Revealed IN a Body, God “Prepared” (with bones, flesh, blood) for human men TO SEE, hear, smell, touch.

Glory to God,
Taken

Mat 1:16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

Mat 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

Mat 2:2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

Luk 2:11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

I must have been mistaken.....

 

[Taken]

Mat 1:16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

Mat 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

Mat 2:2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

Luk 2:11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

I must have been mistaken.....

God IS a Spirit, without Beginning or Ending.
Angels ARE Spirits.
Humans HAVE a spirit.

God, Angels Have the POWER to “Appear” to human men IN ANY “Likeness”…
A human, an animal, a bush, a ghost, an alien…

Outer “Appearance” isn’t always what it “seems”… Angels appear to humans and the humans (unaware They are angels).

Men Appear as women, but are not what they APPEAR to be.

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[Pierac]

God IS a Spirit, without Beginning or Ending.
Angels ARE Spirits.
Humans HAVE a spirit.

God, Angels Have the POWER to “Appear” to human men IN ANY “Likeness”…
A human, an animal, a bush, a ghost, an alien…

Outer “Appearance” isn’t always what it “seems”… Angels appear to humans and the humans (unaware They are angels).

Men Appear as women, but are not what they APPEAR to be.

Glory to God,
Taken

Ok, so Jesus appeared as a baby, toddler, teenager, young adult, and then appeared to have died on the cross? That's how you read?

 

[1stCenturyLady]

The Holy Spirit is given to believers now as the beginning of God's work. He teaches, convicts, strengthens, and helps us obey Jesus, but we still struggle because our mortal nature remains. The complete fulfillment of Ezekiel 36, where God's people naturally and perfectly walk in His statutes, appears to belong to the Kingdom after Christ returns, when our hearts and even our bodies are fully transformed. At that time God's will shall truly be done on earth as it is in heaven, and His people will obey Him without the weakness of the flesh.

Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to guide His followers into the truth, not to replace His teachings but to help them understand and live them. Even so, Jesus also recognized the present weakness of our human nature when He said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41). Every believer knows this struggle. We desire to obey God, yet we still battle temptation, weakness, and the limitations of our mortal bodies.

In John 15:3-4 what do you think is "clean"? Here is 1-4 for context.

“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."

When Jesus said, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" was this before or after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?

When Paul said in Romans 6:5-7 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." What is the "old man that was crucified with Christ?

"The complete fulfillment of Ezekiel 36, where God's people naturally and perfectly walk in His statutes," is NOW. Romans 8:9 "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."

So think again.