What is a born again christian and can I be one?

[bling]

Yet the disciples of Yeshua were baptizing AT THE SAME TIME that John was John 3:22-23 and John 4:1

They were baptizing people with the baptism of John. John's disciples baptized and Jesus disciples would baptize for the same reason.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

They were baptizing people with the baptism of John. John's disciples baptized and Jesus disciples would baptize for the same reason.

Yet Yeshua was present. He forgave sin.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Using correct grammar Jesus said: “he has been speaking in earthly terms and not spiritual terms and they did not understand.

believed like all the Jews in the area that John the Baptist was from God and he had done nothing with that knowledge.

You did not answer my question. How are YOU, IF you say you are born again, fit YESHUA'S description of one that is born again???

 

[Kristen Davis]

Hello there,
In response to your current dilemma a born again christian is someone who is willing to submit to the word of god as one of his true followers. In order to do so you should try to look for compromises that give you a reason to use God to help you accomplish your goals. i.e. reading your bible each night and saying prayers before going to bed, going to a church sermon every Sunday and agreeing to keep what your learned at home with you when you cannot attend church.

 

[AlexDTX]

Hello there,
In response to your current dilemma a born again christian is someone who is willing to submit to the word of god as one of his true followers. In order to do so you should try to look for compromises that give you a reason to use God to help you accomplish your goals. i.e. reading your bible each night and saying prayers before going to bed, going to a church sermon every Sunday and agreeing to keep what your learned at home with you when you cannot attend church.

This is not the new birth. This is growth after the new birth. The new birth is the reception of the Holy Spirit into one's heart after one realizes one is a sinner in need of a Savior followed by believing that God became the man Jesus Christ to take our sins upon himself through death and resurrection.

 

[redleghunter]

This is not the new birth. This is growth after the new birth. The new birth is the reception of the Holy Spirit into one's heart after one realizes one is a sinner in need of a Savior followed by believing that God became the man Jesus Christ to take our sins upon himself through death and resurrection.

Indeed and mankind cannot 'bottle' born again and sell it in the pews. It's an action of God.

The Father draws us. (John 6:44). In Reformed theology this would be called "effectual call" as opposed to general call (hearing the Gospel).

 

[SpiritRehab]

Faith comes by Hearing the Word,
the Word is the Gospel Message,
the Gospel Message is God's Gratest Act of Love.

When you read or hear the Gospel Message and if you choose to confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness by Messiah's sacrifice for your sins, the Holy Spirit of God will then search your Heart, to determine if you really want Him and why you really want Him.
If the Truth is, you feel sick of being evil and want to be righteous and believe God must be the ultimate judge of what is good & evil and the ultimate source of help to overcome evil and be righteous, then He will accept your prayer and enter into you and you will be Born Again as a Son of God.

ps. Now where in the Bible does it teach we become Born Again Christians. 3 times in the Bible it mentions that we are called Christians:
1st. By the pagans of Antioch
2nd. By the pagan OT enthusiast King Agrippa
3rd. By mockers

But 72 times the NT testament refers to believers of Messiah as YsAReli; not IsRAeli which is a whole other can of worms.

Be Born Again, don't listen to Man. Ask God everything.

 

[Meowzltov]

This is not the new birth. This is growth after the new birth. The new birth is the reception of the Holy Spirit into one's heart after one realizes one is a sinner in need of a Savior followed by believing that God became the man Jesus Christ to take our sins upon himself through death and resurrection.

You take the evangelical view. But not all of us have this view. For some of us, being born again is a journey, a walk, something that happens over time.

 

[AlexDTX]

You take the evangelical view. But not all of us have this view. For some of us, being born again is a journey, a walk, something that happens over time.

My view might be Evangelical, but I speak from my own personal experience and 30 years of Bible study. Salvation is a new humanity. Christ is the first fruits of that new humanity, and the Holy Spirit, which gives the new birth, is the pledge that all who have received the Spirit will also be transformed into a sinless, glorified body just as Christ has now.

The journey is the walk with God through this fallen life. Does the new birth have to be sudden as it was in my case? I don't know. I knew two women who were Catholic in New Orleans. One was my employer and it was clear she knew the Lord. So I asked her once when she came to know the Lord personally. She said when she was 12 at her confirmation. The other woman was part of a home Bible group and she said that knowing Christ was a gradual process for her that occurred over a matter of years.

When I was 5 years old I had a Catholic friend of whom I asked who was Jesus, since my parents were atheists and I had never gone to church. At that time I cried out to Jesus to save me, but I had no training or knowledge of Christ. Although when I was 10 I remember speaking spontaneously in tongues, which totally surprised me. Nonetheless, I had no discipleship in Christ. It was not until I was 32 that a Messianic Jew asked me probing questions that moved me to pray with him to receive Christ. That was a Friday night, then Sunday morning I had a strong desire to go to church with them. I ran to the altar at the end and cried out to Jesus for him to save me in front of 500 people. The Holy Spirit came on me in a very profound way that caused me to weep for my sins for about 3 hours.

I share my testimony because it, too, had a "gradual" element to it. But what was gradual was my ignorance and humanist unbelief that hindered a full realization of the knowledge of God. For the second Catholic woman, I think it was her interest in God that was slow which caused the gradual realization of truth.

The new birth may come without observation then become apparent suddenly. But without the reception of the Holy Spirit into one's heart, there is no new birth. He is the trans-formative agent.

 

[SpiritRehab]

You take the evangelical view. But not all of us have this view. For some of us, being born again is a journey, a walk, something that happens over time.

This isn't about our opinions. This is universal truth. It's what Yah's Word says. If we don't believe Him, we are just playing religion simulator.

Being Born Again is literally receiving the Spirit of God & being Resurrected when Messiah returns.

Of course Faith in Yah's Word comes only through receiving the Spirit of God.

 

[Meowzltov]

This isn't about our opinions. This is universal truth. It's what Yah's Word says

It's about your opinion about what God's word says.

 

[Meowzltov]

My view might be Evangelical, but I speak from my own personal experience and 30 years of Bible study.

And my view is Catholic, and I also speak from my own personal experience and around 40 plus years of Bible study.

 

[SpiritRehab]

It's about your opinion about what God's word says.

Matthew 4 - 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Mark 16 - 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

1st Corinthians 1 - 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Hebrews 4 - 12 For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Romans 8 - 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry,"Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

Romans 10 - 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

 

[Meowzltov]

Matthew 4 - 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Mark 16 - 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

1st Corinthians 1 - 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Hebrews 4 - 12 For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Romans 8 - 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry,"Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

Romans 10 - 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

And what do you think that all means? You must have quoted it for a reason.

 

[SpiritRehab]

Matthew 4 & Mark 16
Messiah didn't tell us to go have a spiritual journey of growth to become Born Again. He preached the Gospel and He told us to preach the Gospel and said He would return once the Gospel had been preached to the whole world.

1st Corinthians 1
Paul understood this and adds that the Gospel Message is the power of God; regarding salvation.

Hebrews 4
The Holy Spirit searches our Hearts to decide if He will enter into us or not.

Romans 8
IF He chooses to enter, it means we have been adopted.

Romans 10
Faith comes by hearing the word. Which word? Clearly the Gospel Message, as per Matthew 4 & Mark 16.

 

[Ancient of Days]

I watched a Louis Theroux episode, where he went to go find out what born again Christians in America are like. The episode didn't fully explain what one is, and I was left a little confused. Before watching this I had never even heard of a born again Christian and I think it expected me to have already heard about them. To be honest I don't think it was serious and probably aimed to take the Mickey out out of how crazy they can come across.
I was left rather impressed by how these people came across though, they seemed like the most happy and peaceful people ever. I was amazed at how sincere and devoted to Jesus they where. I can't help but want to share the same passion they have for Jesus and life!
One thing that really sticks in my head was seeing people "accepting Jesus" and then start having some kind of mad fit after a priest touched their heads.
I was baptised and raised Christian until I was about 12, then I converted to wiccan until I was about 17 when I started following the bible again. Dose this make me a born again Christian or do I have to go through some kind of ritual? I don't go to church but I feel very spiritual and try to find the time each day to pray to god and thank him for everything he made.
If I am not a born again Christian, then how to I become one? Do I have to go to church or anything special?

"I was baptised and raised Christian until I was about 12, then I converted to wiccan until I was about 17 "

You have a serious problem that needs to be addressed first because God has said:
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

"I was baptised and raised Christian until I was about 12, then I converted to wiccan until I was about 17 "

You have a serious problem that needs to be addressed first because God has said:
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

That's Hebrews 6 that says that you can't come again to the baptism of repentance but the whole book includes much more, you are to move beyond and not fall back to followinh Judaism (or perhaps in your case wiccan) Peter fell back to Judaism and got a lecture from Paul. But if he had remained there for awhile he would not have to be baptised again. Turn away from idols and turn again to God (where He is, not where He was) Further in Hebrews 10 there are those who have trampled Jesus underfoot and have scorned the Holy Spirit who will find themselves falling into the hands of the living God, they will not have Christ as their mediator. hth

 

[FireDragon76]

"Born-Again Christians" are "evangelicals" in the US. They are influenced a great deal by Puritanism and Pietism, both of which stressed an active appropriation of piety and devotion, as well as the religious experiences of conversion of life, being "born again", "deciding for Jesus", etc., as signs of being a "real Christian".

I think you have to be careful because the "sincerity" can be a pretense of piety that are learned behaviors to get along with the group. Some of these groups are capable of a great deal of hypocrisy and don't always value transparency and authenticity.

I think you should just consider yourself a Christian and you don't need a special label. You are taking your faith seriously which is a good thing.

I want to suggest a very different perspective to the "Born again" one . God accepted you at your baptism as his own child and you are now growing into what that means. We Lutherans view our personal salvation as a journey, not as something that happens at a specific period in our life, necessarily.

I cannot stress enough that piety is not a substitute for genuine good works. If you want to show more devotion to God, you need to look at the place God has called you to be in life, and to focus on your immediate circumstances presented to you to serve your neighbor and those in need. This is what we mean by sanctification, and that is the real Christian life.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

"Born-Again Christians" are "evangelicals" in the US. .

No one else is gone thru the rebirth that Nicodemus was told about? Only that one denomination ... interesting.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Read the entire account and you will see why no one has yet...