Born Again

[IL_ray_phillips]

Lets do some studies. I like digging into the Word of God and finding truths. Anyone who has a topic they would like to dig into just post it up. Everyone post their view on the subject first without debating. Post up plenty of scripture to back your view. Then after we get ample interpretations we discuss all the different views. Here is one I would like to start with. I will wait for a few responses before I post.

What does it mean to be "Born Again" and how do you obatain it?

[Chuck7]

And i'll go after you brother Ray..save me alot of work..[ -;

[Kosherboy]

Originally Posted by Chuck7

And i'll go after you brother Ray..save me alot of work..[ -;

In Ezekiel 36:24-27, God says, "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." This is what it means to be born again; this is what it means to be saved. God must give you a new heart and put His Spirit within you; these are things which only God can do; THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD.

[Chuck7]

And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." This is what it means to be born again; this is what it means to be saved. God must give you a new heart and put His Spirit within you; these are things which only God can do; THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD.

Amen Kosherboy..

Romans 8:.14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
John 3;3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

: 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Straight from the Word of God.

[Snooky]

I agee with KB and Chuck in what they have said. Before we get into high gear with it, what are some other terms used in the scripture that might speak of the same experience? According to the scripture it is an absolute must for salvation and deserves all the diligence possible in an effort to find the FULL truth of its meaning. My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 Therefore study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of Truth. II Tim 2:15

[IL_ray_phillips]

Originally Posted by Kosherboy

In Ezekiel 36:24-27, God says, "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." This is what it means to be born again; this is what it means to be saved. God must give you a new heart and put His Spirit within you; these are things which only God can do; THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD.

That is a great scripture KB!

Hbr 8:10 For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
Hbr 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Hbr 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

[IL_ray_phillips]

This could get pretty lenghty!
Jhn 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jhn 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Being Born again is a very important part of the Christian faith. If you do not achieve this you will not see or enter in the the kingdom of God! Now we all hear, " I am a born again, tounge talking, demon slaying, healing, washed in the water, saved by the blood christian!" But are we really? This is something we have to be very honest with ourselves about! There is a process invloved in being born again! Not just getting dunked in the clorinated water either.
Mat 18:1¶At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Mat 18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
King James says unless you be converted. Converted was a very poor choice in wording and had an agenda! Whats the agenda? Well lets say this little prayer and ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins. Now lets dunk you in the oversized bath tub. Congratulations! You have now completed your conversiton to Christianity!This is wrong and it totally screws people up! You walk is not sealed after this!
strephō
1) to turn, turn around
2) to turn one's self (i.e. to turn the back to one
a) of one who no longer cares for another)
b) metaph. to turn one's self from one's course of conduct, i.e. to change one's mind

Turn is the word that should have been used! American Standard Version got it right!
Mat 18:3and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.
O.K. we see except ye turn. If you are turning from something what is it? French fries and cheeseburgers! No! If you are turning you are leaving the flesh behind and putting aside sin! There is another big word that follows turn. Do you see it? Its AND! Except ye turn and become as little children. This tells you two things must happen. You must turn from your sins and become as little children. But how do you become as little children? It means you become humble and obedient to God. How do you do this? By obeying the Word of God.
This is where people fail!!!!!!They just want go through the motions and the preachers are teaching them to do this! People cant humble themselves and obey they Word of God! All I hear is,"just an old sinner saved by grace, sinner till the day I die, Jesus died so I can have forgiveness." Some of these are true but spoken out of context! We make excuses not to turn and become as little children. Why? Pride! "No body is going to tell me how to live MY life!" Dont believe me!
Mat 22:14For many are called, but few chosen.
Everyone wants it to be easy but its not!
But I go to church and see signs and wonders!
Mat 7:21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?
Mat 7:23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
You see its not the ones who just call his name its those who doeth the will of the father! Those who turn and do not work iniquity! It says this everywhere we just cant see it on the pages because we are satified living in sin! But how do we know who is really hearing from God and who is a false Prophet if the guy a working wonders?
Mat 7:15Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16By their fruits ye shall know them. Do [men] gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
and here

Mat 12:33Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.
Mat 12:34Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mat 12:35The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Mat 12:36And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Mat 12:37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
What is fruit? It is the words that come out of a man. His teachings! If its of the truth its good fruit. If its blaspheme then its bad fruit. How can you tell if someone is teaching the stuff to get you born again?
Jer 23:21I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spake not unto them, yet they prophesied.
Jer 23:22But if they had stood in my council, then had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
When someone is teaching the truths it will cause people to turn from their sin! When they turn from thier sin and humble themselves to the Word of God they will be born again! We shouldnt focus on numbers, miracles, good speakers or fancy church buildings. They mean nothing!
2Cr 10:12For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.

[IL_ray_phillips]

Page #2

Lets go back to this Scripture!
Jhn 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
We look at the word again in the greek.
anōthen
1) from above, from a higher place
a) of things which come from heaven or God
2) from the first, from the beginning, from the very first
3) anew, over again
We see if we are born again we are born from above or born of God! We looked at how we become born of God by turning and obey the Word of God but here is another scripture.
1Pe 1:22¶Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
We purify our souls in obeying the truth! If we obey the Word God it cleanses us from our sins! I thought we just asked Jesus to forgive us and it was done? More to it than that!
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,Here is your baptism people! This is why Christ gave his life! Here is where your sins are washed away. Take in the Word of God in truth and be sanctified!
1Jo 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
If I havent been shut out by now this is where it normally happens. People dont want to obey so they start falling back to the good ole excuses. Sorry people! Jesus died so you dont have any excuses and this will soon be clear to you! Not my prophesy it is clearly written. If you do not turn and become born again you will have a very hard time with what is in the very near future. What is coming will make people open their eyes and turn to God. So much written on the pages we dont see because we choose not to live for God. That is why its called the Mystery of Christ. Its written down in front of people but they cant see it because they havent really given themselves to Christ. Here is another scripture and it involves that big word again. I will highlight it for you!
2Cr 3:16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
When we turn to the Lord the vail will be taken away and we will see the truth!
O.K.! There is so much more but I am stopping with a couple last scripture! It pertains to americans and our lifestyle.
Luk 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Luk 18:26 And they that heard [it] said, Who then can be saved?
Luk 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
We in the US have it good. Even people in the US who dont have much are rich in the majority of the worlds eye. We have to give the Lord our heart soul and mind. When we do this we start the process. How many Christians in the USA if faced with the choice of going to hear the Word of God would rather go to a pro sporting event? How many would give up their house to keep a brother preaching the truth? How many would give a $100 bill to a person in need? We have become a self centered nation focused on personal gain even using scripture to justify it in our eyes. This makes it near impossible for a person to know God and be saved. But thanks be to God through him all things are possible!

[Snooky]

Bro Ray; As usual, plenty of scripture which is a great thing. I havn't read it all yet, but will comment and add my thoughts for or against as i read through itThe word "except" means without exception. So don't try to fool yourselves with easy believism and shaking the preachers hand, ect. Let me say that works are essential for the saved, but the sinner cannot influence God by "his own carnal works", or attempts to excape the penalty of sin.
Mat 18:3 Is a great study within itself. Luke 22:32 Peter had walked with The Lord for some time, yet Jesus says, "when thou art converted" as of a future time and new experience.
IMO Before one can be born again, he must FIRST bebegotten, 1 Cor. 4:15 " I have begotten you through the gospel". As with Gods only begotten, he was concieved, carried in the womb until the fulness of time was come! Then she brought forth her son. Do we think that God has something different in mind for his Spititual children? As soon as Zion travailed, She broug.ht forth her children.

Mat 7:23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
You see its not the ones who just call his name its those who doeth the will of the father! Those who turn and do not work iniquity! It says this everywhere we just cant see it on the pages because we are satified living in sin!

So true, and you cannot show one anything that he refuses to look at! People often say, "I don't care what the bible says, I know what is right"

When they turn from thier sin and humble themselves to the Word of God they will be born again!

BINGO!! Humble yourselves to the word, even when you don't understand why. We walk by faith, not by sight.

2Cr 10:12For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.


Correct, this isn't a popularity contest. It doesn't matter what the multitudes are doing, or have done in the past, What does God want from you right now?


1Jo 3:9Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.


Brother, you are not going to find many who will bite on that one, but it is still in the word of God. People simply don't understand the types and shadows of the Law. The don't understand that Jesus came as the anti type, fulfilling that which was being taught by the school master. Truth is thrown out the window, through the ignorance of unlearned men. False teachers have fough and taught against the truth every since there has been a church. It is no different today. Amos 8:11 My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.
The renting of The Vail from top to bottom takes place in the new birth. Spiritual life begain, and spiritual eyes see things differently than the old carnal eyes have seen them. The eyes of our understanding become inlightened. The True light now shineth, We no longer see through a glass darkly. The Spirit now leads and guides into all truth, and reveals even the hidden mysteries of God.
readers, follow Ezekiel and wade out a little deeper into the river of swimming waters.

[Kosherboy]

Bet ya , few knew "born again" was in the OT ! LOL