You must be born again to be saved?

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

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"Born again" just means you need to accept the Lord as your Savior.

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

Click to expand...

dreadnought said:

"Born again" just means you need to accept the Lord as your Savior.

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Well, you want to repent of your sin, also.

Born again means to be born from above. If you trusted Christ in faith as a sinner, then you are born again. It may have been experiential. It may not have been. But as long as you are trusting in Christ righteousness and not any of your own, then your faith is real.

HereIStand said:

Born again means to be born from above. If you trusted Christ in faith as a sinner, then you are born again. It may have been experiential. It may not have been. But as long as you are trusting in Christ righteousness and not any of your own, then your faith is real.

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Not necessarily...

dreadnought said:

"Born again" just means you need to accept the Lord as your Savior.

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I respectfully disagree. The new birth is a gift of God Who gives us faith so that we become new creatures in Him. We can't give ourselves faith. We can't accept Christ without being instilled(quickened) with the gift of faith.

Ephesians 2
1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

2 Timothy 2
24And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Colossians 1
13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

We can't deliver ourseves from Satan. Without the Spirit, we are captives.

Romans 8
9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

1 Corinthians 2
10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Titus 3
3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

As the apostle Paul explained:

1 Corinthians 15
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

If anyone has faith, they received it from God.

God bless us! All glory to Him!

1stcenturylady said:

Not necessarily...

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Because...

Phoebe Ann said:

I respectfully disagree. The new birth is a gift of God Who gives us faith so that we become new creatures in Him. We can't give ourselves faith. We can't accept Christ without being instilled(quickened) with the gift of faith.

Ephesians 2
1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

2 Timothy 2
24And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Colossians 1
13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

We can't deliver ourseves from Satan. Without the Spirit, we are captives.

Romans 8
9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

1 Corinthians 2
10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Titus 3
3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

As the apostle Paul explained:

1 Corinthians 15
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

If anyone has faith, they received it from God.

God bless us! All glory to Him!

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Different people have different experiences with the Lord. I never heard the expression "born again" until many years after I began my walk with the Lord.

dreadnought said:

Different people have different experiences with the Lord. I never heard the expression "born again" until many years after I began my walk with the Lord.

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I didn't understand that my love of God came from him!

HereIStand said:

Because...

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You didn't say anything about 'obedience' or love. A true Christian does not commit willful sin.

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

Click to expand...

The phrase "born again" is not some kind of special extra something-or-other. The new birth is what it means to be made new in Christ, and this is by God's grace. Are you a baptized Christian? Then you have been born again.

-CryptoLutheran

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

Click to expand...

If you have been christian your entire life that means you were born again many many years ago. Those who say you need to be born again even though you have been christian forever were secularists and atheists and drug addicts who all of a sudden "found God". If you have been a christian your entire life you never lost Him.

Dear mathinspiration. In Matthew 22: 35-40; Jesus tells us: The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all thy hearts, with all thy souls, and with all thy minds. The second is like it: love thy neighbour as thyself. Simple and straightforward. God is Love, and God Loves us. Jesus died, that we might live. The Bible tells us: give up all your selfish and unloving thoughts and words, Love God first, and love each other as God Loves you, with heart, soul and mind. In Matthew 7: 7-10: we are told : Ask and you shall receive. We ask God for Love and thank God Jesus, told us.The first and great Commandment is: Love God, and love thy neighbour. We Love God with heart, soul, and mind, and love our neighbour: all we know and all we meet as we love ourselves. Jesus died that we might live, and now Jesus is waiting to lead us back to God again, we must be Born Again, God wants loving and caring sons and daughters. Give up all selfish thoughts and wishes. We follow Jesus back to God, God is our Heavenly Father, and we are His sons and daughters. Love God and love each other, that is what God wants from us. I say this with love, Math. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

Click to expand...

Much is written about the gift of God and the Fathers promise Jesus spoke of.
Jesus=>And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--(Christ in us) A NEW creation.

If you do not not have the witness of the spirit in you to your spirit you can ask the Lord for that GIFT. And like Jacob if I were you I wouldn't let go of the Lord until the Lord blesses you. Its that important.

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

Click to expand...

That is true, unless a man is born-again, they cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-7)

What would make someone a Christian, is that they are saved and now are born-again, meaning they are now walking with a new identity with Christ and not under their flesh. We were born in sin, meaning our flesh was our authority. So we have to be born-again through faith by grace, to have Christ as our authority.

When we are saved, we have made accepted Jesus as our Savior, when we turn from our own ways and follow him, we make Jesus our Lord.Those things happens stimutaneously through a heart of repentance. So they are distinct events that happen under the same process, but not to be treated separately. Both have to happen.

Some think its enough to just believe he is there, but don't need to follow him. Are they truly saved? And then some, who practice the ritualistic teachings, and seem right in their eyes, and seem like a Christian, but God knows the heart. If He saw their heart, do they really believe in Jesus? Not really, in both cases, because they would still be operating under the authority of themselves, and not Christ.Gotta make Jesus Lord AND Savior.

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

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There is lots of discussion, here, on what it means to be saved and a Christian.

What did you do before in order for you to believe that you are a Christian?

In my book, only those who are saved and similarly "born again" and call Christ their savior.... are Christians.

So, if you are not saved, IMO, your not a Christian.

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

Click to expand...

Yeah, Christianity isn't a religion where you can be born into it, or simply convert. God needs to transform you from the inside so you are His child.

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

Click to expand...

1 John 5:1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." That means "born again."
TD

You cannot be born again without first believing in Jesus.

mathinspiration said:

I have been a Christian all my life but now people have been saying you need to be born again to be saved.

Click to expand...

Couple things here. Born again is an illustration. The Apostle Paul uses the term born again differently than all the other NT writers. Paul uses it to describe a new christian along with Greek words that describe natural growth like teenager and fully grown . Jesus and the rest of the Apostles used it differently though. The Word is planted in the heart of the human. In time it gives birth to mature Christianity. Huge difference in the way this illustration is used and it causes a lot of confusion. That is why John says he that is born of God sins not. Well new Christians sins a a lot. See the confusion?

So experience are are people talking about when they say born again? The divine enlightenment that occurs when someone first truly submits themselves to the Holy Spirits witness about the Gospel. Your now reconciled to God and their is a bit of a supernatural, (supernatural to us) kick inside our spirit and its perception.

Obviously different degrees of that and that does not mean you got all of it you can get at that point. I can see how someone who has been a Christian all their lives may not have a recognizable point in their lives when they were reconciled to God by the spirit. Since they always were int he first place. Doesn't mean there are not further baptisms of the Holy Spirit out there for you though.

ViaCrucis said:

The phrase "born again" is not some kind of special extra something-or-other. The new birth is what it means to be made new in Christ, and this is by God's grace. Are you a baptized Christian? Then you have been born again.

-CryptoLutheran

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I was baptized 3 different times during the first 30 years of going to church unsaved. But it wasn't until I actually truly repented that I was filled with the Holy Spirit, and my nature was completely born again from carnal to Spirit-filled.

It is not about the ritual! It's about the heart.