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To: firebrand

To 195:

John 3 defines born again as being baptized: born of the water and spirit. There is no mentioning of age.

Now, baptism is salvific, like the Eucharist, until such time that it is followed by a mortal sin. Naturally, many people regardless of the age of their baptism commit sins and need absolution in order to be restored to the state of sanctifying grace.

To 197:

The concept of being saved by a single proclamation of faith regardless of other works, is what is presumptious. I am just pointing it out.


199 posted on 05/06/2008 4:56:40 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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To: annalex
Re: 195:

A moment's honest reflection will show you that you cannot be born again of the spirit when you are six weeks old. What do you think salvation consists of? A magical state of worthiness, conferred through others in infant baptism? It is something the individual human being must experience and take part in, the pivotal and defining moment of a person's life.

Re: 197:

There is, of course, backsliding, and your eternal salvation can be lost if you throw it away, after being saved, in this fashion and never return to the Lord. On this issue we seem to be a bit closer than on what it means to be born again.

Yet it's always a good idea to remember that he is omniscient, his mind is not completely knowable to us, and his mercy is greater than our mercy. So we ought not to judge others, as it says, especially with arbitrary rules and schedules.

201 posted on 05/06/2008 6:26:22 PM PDT by firebrand
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