Efficacious Grace

msortwell

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Mar 9, 2004
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Born again, born of God, born of the Spirit and born of Him(Jesus) are all synonyms. We know when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus that he was not born again. Jesus told him of his need to be born from above.

John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

John 3:6
6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

1 John 2:29
29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1 John 3:9
9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him;

1 John 4:7
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

1 John 5:1
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

1 John 5:4
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.

1 John 5:18-19
18 We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:23-25
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.

James 1:18
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.
None of which establishes the indwelling as synonymous with the rebirth. So . . . the only point that you made was that Nicodemus was not born again - another unsubstantiated assumption. What we know is that Nicodemus did not understand the second birth. Understanding of the second birth is not necessary for justification. Which is why your confusion on the matter is no indicator that you and I are not brothers in Christ.
 
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