Is it possible to be born again more than one time?

[Dave L]

I was sure you understood we need scripture to prove any claims,,,especially after what just happened.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” John 6:47 (ESV)

 

[Kenny'sID]

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” John 6:47 (ESV)

So one scripture falls apart an we just skip to another without a word?

That one's easy, and anyone that doesn't see if we stop believing we don't have eternal life, doesn't want to see it.

 

[Dave L]

So one scripture falls apart an we just skip to another without a word?

That one's easy, and anyone that doesn't see if we stop believing we don't have eternal life, doesn't want to see it.

What scripture?

 

[Kenny'sID]

What scripture?

lol

 

[Maria Billingsley]

What you describe is apostasy and there is no return. So someone cannot one day be saved, then unsaved, saved again, unsaved again, back to saved again as your theology teaches.

And Scriptures do not teach what you propose. Other than describing the difference between an adopted child of God and apostate:

Hebrews 6: NASB

7For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

Correct, an apostate is someone who turns away from Jesus Christ of Nazareth permanently. Correct salvation is a one time gift. There are those who quench the Holy Spirit and repent from their sins. They remain in the Kingdom.

 

[Dave L]

lol

If it's important, put it up with your comments.

 

[Kenny'sID]

If it's important, put it up with your comments.

Already did, and I'm not going to play any games here, when I was already clear.

 

[Dave L]

Already did, and I'm not going to play any games here, when I was already clear.

What post #?

 

[saynotoupgrade2019]

(other)this answer is not about being born again while still alive

you will be born again only one time after death for the judgement

 

[d taylor]

Good Day, d taylor

I can certainly attest to for my self that was not the basis of my conversion.... But never the less.

What John is describing is the effects of believing. We do know that even the believing is a gift granted by the hand of the Father:

Phil 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

You seem to suggest here that the act of believing is the cause of the Born again (effect)?
Is that your view?

In Him,

Bill

It is simple a person believes and is born again. A person is certainly not born again and then believes.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

The order is believe then pass from death to life.

You have a verse saying a person is born again and then believes, post it.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

The Bible refers as we know to be born again as to when a believer comes to saving faith in the living God. We also know that some believers lose their faith to later in life come to faith again. Does this mean such a person has been born again twice?

One scenario might be that the believer never was born again the first time. But then how do we know the second time is a true rebirth?

It may also be so that the first time was a real rebirth, but the Holy Spirit was quenched, and the person left Christianity practically, but still had faith somewhere down inside (possibly denied), and coming back to faith "again" was simply relighting the spark, the Holy Spirit that was there inside.

The third option is that the person was reborn, then lost his faith which got the Holy Spirit to leave, to later in life be born again a second time and once again receiving the Holy Spirit.

Can a person be born again more than one time? Please back up with scriptures (and, or with Church fathers).

Christ love,
P

Jesus was making an analogy of a believer's spiritual birth with that of a real world physical birth. Jesus made real world examples all the time to illustrate spiritual truth. If we are to follow the Lord's example on how he compared physical real world truth with spiritual truths, we have to conclude that there can be only one spiritual birth because there is only one physical birth for a person. That said, in real life: A person can die and be brought back to life, though. This means that a believer can backslide into a life of sin, and die spiritually unless they seek forgiveness with the Lord and forsake their sins (as long as they did not deny Jesus as their Savior). They can have life again. In the parable of the prodigal son: When the son came home, and sought forgiveness with his father, his father said that his son was "dead" and he is now "alive again." This parable is speaking in spiritual terms. The son was dead spiritually when he spent his inheritance on prostitutes. But he became alive again when he came back home and he sought his father's forgiveness. James 5:19-20 expresses a similar truth, as well. Jude talks about how there are those who are TWICE dead and they are plucked up by the roots. I believe this is in reference to those who were born again one time, and they fell away from the Lord for good. They were once dead prior to accepting Jesus, and then they became dead again by falling away permanently. For they were plucked up by the roots (See: Jude 1:12).

 

[redleghunter]

Like most Christians.

I get the feeling you are saying that never happens.

Didn’t say people live a Christian life never happens. But are we sure those we observe living a Christian life are truly born again.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

It's like when folks erroneously claim that we can become unborn. A person cannot become unborn but they can die and come back to life again.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Take for example the extended add on parable or real world example that the Canaanite woman gave about how even the dogs eat the crumbs from the table. Jesus accepted her added on parable about the dogs because it was based in reality or the physical world we know. She did not talk about some imaginary space dogs that can shoot lasers from their eyes and fly through the air. She talked about her real experience in knowing how dogs can eat scraps from the table.

This is why beliefs such as Calvinism and or Eternal Security don't work because they cannot be illustrated by way of real world example successfully. We have to distort or twist reality in order to make such beliefs work. Yet, the Lord made real world examples to illustrate spiritual truth all the time with his parables.

 

[Al Touthentop]

I believe quoting verse 26 undercuts your argument. Notice whose righteousness God is referring to in that verse.

re considered righteous and it is each individual who is responsible. And what does he say is the result of a person's own righteous obedience or iniquitous disobedience, are either life or death. He labels a man righteous himself there. So if he sees a man as being righteous, why would you call it into question?

"When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. "

Peter tells us we must "work out" our own salvation. Jesus called Abel righteous and he taught his disciples and anyone who would listen that obedience to God was our calling. This doesn't mean that we save ourselves, it means that by doing what God commanded, we do the things which save us. We didn't invent the works that God prepared and created us to walk in. But do them we must if we want to become righteous in his eyes.

 

[Al Touthentop]

Of course he wasn't troubled. My point is, there are Jewish writings that are extrabiblical that you the phrase "born again" outside of the spiritual usage in John 3. Perhaps that is why Nicodemus was confused for a moment because, perhaps, he was attempting to apply the more secular meaning of "beginning anew" to a spiritual aspect he hadn't applied it to before. The phrase, like I said, was not unique to the NT, it was a cultural phrase being applied in a spiritual manner.

Remember, Yeshua spent a great deal of time revealing the spirit of the law which was derived from the letter of the law. Don't kill and not hating were tied together as was no committing adultery and lusting in the heart (and many other examples I can share). Nicodemus was probably stuck in his mind, using the more secular letter of "born again" and was confused when it was being used for this spiritual purpose by Yeshua.

Jesus conversation with Nicodemus did not make reference to things outside the Bible. He was making reference to what any Rabbi ought to know about the teachings of the Law and Prophets.

When the children of Israel were brought out of bondage, Moses raised his "serpent" and the waters parted, and Israel was saved through water. They were born again as free people, released from bondage and baptized into the name of Moses. There are plenty of illustrations of this in the Old Testament. Naaman, who was baptized in the Jordan, became a prosthelyte and worshiped God in his own temple. He was healed of his leprosy and born again or converted into Judaism.

Jesus didn't make reference to every born again experience written in the Old Testament, he merely chastised Nicodemus, a person who would have had the entire OT memorized, that he shouldn't be perplexed about the term he used, "born again." It's all over the scriptures from Genesis to Malachai.

 

[Al Touthentop]

It's part of not being able to habitually live in sin.

The word habitually is never used there. That is a human addition by doctrinaire's who try and convince people that sin isn't that big a deal under the New Covenant. The way they do this is to take the case and mood of that word sin in the Greek and say that it represents continuous action.

The problem with that is that John makes it clear earlier that any sin, any darkness, takes us away from the fellowship of God. We are not in relationship with him when we sin. Then he further goes on to say that if we want to restore our relationship, we simply repent, confess and pray for forgiveness and he is "faithful to forgive us." Repentance isn't used, but it is clear that we must cease from sin, because sinning is walking in darkness. And if we walk in darkness we're not in the light anymore. There is no darkness in God.

 

[Dave L]

The word habitually is never used there. That is a human addition by doctrinaire's who try and convince people that sin isn't that big a deal under the New Covenant. The way they do this is to take the case and mood of that word sin in the Greek and say that it represents continuous action.

The problem with that is that John makes it clear earlier that any sin, any darkness, takes us away from the fellowship of God. We are not in relationship with him when we sin. Then he further goes on to say that if we want to restore our relationship, we simply repent, confess and pray for forgiveness and he is "faithful to forgive us." Repentance isn't used, but it is clear that we must cease from sin, because sinning is walking in darkness. And if we walk in darkness we're not in the light anymore. There is no darkness in God.

John say "if" we sin we have an advocate, not "when we sin".

 

[Al Touthentop]

John say "if" we sin we have an advocate, not "when we sin".

Forgive my ignorance but I don't see how this relates to what I wrote.

 

[Dave L]

Forgive my ignorance but I don't see how this relates to what I wrote.

It applies to not habitually sinning.