I am a Christian who has not hit rock bottom and claimed to be born again. I have not lowered myself to qualify to be born again...lol.
I am sincerely glad to hear that!
who has not hit rock bottom
Do you mean by man's standard, ie lying in the gutter drunk 24/7 and selling you body to buy crack cocaine?
I would suggest that all non-regenerate souls have hit rock bottom by God's standard, and we are the dry bones in that valley in Ezekiel 37:
1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Breath to enter? Sinews and flesh to come upon you? Bones that were lying piled in a valley? Sounds like the teaching of the word of the Lord caused those bones to be regenerated, or born again!
Not convinced about the state of the nonbeliever? Ephesians Chapter 2 teaches that before we came to faith we were dead, until God brought us back to life, or born again:
2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
And consider Nicodemus who asked Christ what he must do to be saved. Nick, like you and I, had to be born again, and that comes from above:
John 3 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
All Christians are born again. Not in the TV evangelist way, but in the way that comes only from above.
Why, dear Fawn, does someone have to hit rock bottom to be born again? That seems like an odd thing to say.