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What Does "Born Again" Mean?
The Christian Post ^ | September 19, 2013 | James R. Aist

Posted on 09/19/2013 5:41:50 PM PDT by James R. Aist

Many in the Christian church today have, at best, a rudimentary understanding of what Jesus was talking about when he said "You must be born again." False teachers are often quick to invent their own concept of "born again" apart from sound biblical information, so be careful to compare what they teach to the Word of God. A good grasp of the biblical teaching on this subject is important to the understanding of how God saves people and transforms their lives – the very essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

(Excerpt) Read more at ipost.christianpost.com ...


TOPICS: Apologetics; Evangelical Christian; General Discusssion; Theology
KEYWORDS: bornagain; heartofflesh; humanspirit; pimpmyblog; salvation
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

And some of the peeps around here say I am harsh!! lol


41 posted on 09/19/2013 11:44:42 PM PDT by jodyel
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To: Revolting cat!

Egads, wouldn’t follow Camping anywhere!

We actually follow Christ, but sometimes the Catholics make it difficult to remember that. :)


42 posted on 09/19/2013 11:47:13 PM PDT by jodyel
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To: James R. Aist

Once your eyes are opened to the truth that Jesus is God, and confess your sins before man and be baptized, you will go under the water a sinner. You will come up re-born into a new understanding. That’s my take. It will be a new starting place on your journey.


43 posted on 09/20/2013 12:01:52 AM PDT by VerySadAmerican (".....Barrack, and the horse Mohammed rode in on.")
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To: jodyel
I believe we had this discussion on another thread, Thoughts, and Jesus did say “born again” in Aramaic. And since born again and born from above both mean being filled with the Holy Spirit, either term works. Born again...spiritual rebirth, not physical Born from above...spiritual rebirth, not physical

I think Bart made up that claim about a language barrier. The big problem is the instruction Jesus gave Nicodemus was not new and had nothing to do with some spirit filled thrill. Jesus was telling any who can and will read that only those that take this flesh journey can see and possibly enter into the kingdom of God. Nothing there about a 'spirit' filled emotion.

44 posted on 09/20/2013 12:07:52 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: SoConPubbie

bump


45 posted on 09/20/2013 12:23:42 AM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith....)
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To: James R. Aist

The surest sign is that you become totally obnoxious. You’re a baby in Christ, and you think you can just tell everyone about him. They look at you like you are wack. That’s the proof.


46 posted on 09/20/2013 12:26:52 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: Just mythoughts

It means both born again and born from above.

Here’s a link to a page showing the Greek.
http://biblehub.com/text/john/3-3.htm

Here’s a link to Strong’s for the Greek word *anothen*.
http://biblesuite.com/greek/509.htm


47 posted on 09/20/2013 12:28:43 AM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith....)
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To: Revolting cat!; Greetings_Puny_Humans
You will never understand spiritual truths with a natural mind. Of course it would seem like nonsense to someone without the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

48 posted on 09/20/2013 12:32:40 AM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith....)
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To: metmom

Why do those that claim Christ said something He did not, stop reading the instruction given to read with comprehension the instruction?

Only those ‘children’ who take this flesh journey will have opportunity to ‘see’ the kingdom of God. Those fallen angels nor the devil will take this flesh journey and none of them will exist long enough to see the kingdom of God.

The word ‘again’ in the sense of a ‘rebirth’ spirit or otherwise as was Nicodemus understanding is not what Christ was teaching.

I find it most curious given the first utterance made by Nicodemus to Christ in secret had nothing to do with the subject instruction given by Christ. There is a lesson here but it is not the doctrine of Nicodemus.


49 posted on 09/20/2013 12:35:06 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: Just mythoughts
Only those ‘children’ who take this flesh journey will have opportunity to ‘see’ the kingdom of God.

If someone doesn't exist in flesh, they don't exist. Your comment makes no sense.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh. We don't take a flesh journey because the flesh profits nothing. It's about becoming alive again spiritually.

When Adam sinned, he died spiritually. Now we need to be born again to see the kingdom. It's not going to happen in the flesh. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

50 posted on 09/20/2013 12:39:16 AM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith....)
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To: metmom
If someone doesn't exist in flesh, they don't exist. Your comment makes no sense.

Wrong. The flesh has a time expiration date. It is the soul/spirit intellect that gets placed into the flesh vessel at conception to take this flesh journey without any memory of what took place before (Ecclesiastes). And that soul/spirit intellect that existed and still exists and will not expire or live eternally until judgment day.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh. We don't take a flesh journey because the flesh profits nothing. It's about becoming alive again spiritually.

Yet the Adam was not living until the breath of life, which means soul was breathed into his nostrils.

When Adam sinned, he died spiritually. Now we need to be born again to see the kingdom. It's not going to happen in the flesh. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

When the Adam sinned his flesh got an expiration date. His soul/spirit intellect is still alive awaiting judgment day. And who knows if when Christ went to those spirits held back to the days of Noah, if the Adam repented.

The book of Ecclesiastes describes the flesh body and the spirit body. Once the flesh dies the soul/spirit intellect returns to the Maker that sent it.

But neither the devil nor those fallen angels will have the opportunity to make this flesh journey. They have already been judged to death. Christ did not teach a new thing.

51 posted on 09/20/2013 12:56:13 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: Just mythoughts; Elsie; jodyel; Greetings_Puny_Humans; metmom
The Adam??? ...And that soul/spirit intellect that existed and still exists and will not expire or live eternally until judgment day...

Your posts are incomprehensible and sound great, but display a deviant perception of what is commonly known. God has always existed. This idea that all of us existed before conception sounds familiar. Certainly God transcends time and space, but He established a natural order to the Earth. That He foreknows us is not a clear indication of pre-existence. It is only a demonstration of God's Omniscience.

That familiar demon is from Mormon theology!* They expand it into personal godhood!** They make about as much sense as you...

2 Corinthians 5: 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ...

*****

* ...Mormons have a unique perspective on the nature of God, the origin of man, and the purpose of life. For instance, Mormons believe in a pre-mortal existence where people were literal spirit children of God, and that God presented a plan that would allow his children to progress and become more like him. The plan involved the spirits receiving bodies on earth and going through trials in order to learn, progress, and receive a "fulness of joy". The most important part of the plan involved Jesus, the eldest of God's children, coming to earth as the literal Son of God, to conquer sin and death so that God's other children could return. ... -wiki-

*****

** Mormons believe that we are the children of Heavenly Parents, that our spirits lived with our Heavenly Parents before our mortal lives, and that we came to earth on the plan that we should gain experience through mortality and prepare to return to our Heavenly Parents. Like traditional Christians, Mormons believe that salvation from sin through Jesus Christ is what makes this return possible, but the kind of eternal experience the soul gets to share in and enjoy depends on his or her preparation. And it is a Mormon teaching that souls continue to grow, progress, and experience throughout the eternities, and that part of that expansive experience is to become like our Heavenly Parents. -AskMormonGirl

52 posted on 09/20/2013 1:24:18 AM PDT by WVKayaker ("The only place that the left hasn't placed the blame is on their agenda..." -Sarah Palin)
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To: WVKayaker
I would not know about Mormon theology.

Probably the most quoted Scripture in the past 100 years is John 3:16 ... For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever *believeth* IN Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Well how will the made up born again theology, which Christ never taught, claim they ‘believed’ in Him?

I will be more careful in my posts so that when you call something ‘deviant’ it will be plain you are on your own personal high.

When do you suppose the souls/spirit intellect were created. Why God Himself had Ezekiel pen Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

And here some seem to pretend there is a soul manufacturing plant in heaven.

53 posted on 09/20/2013 1:38:27 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: Just mythoughts
Well how will the made up born again theology, which Christ never taught, claim they ‘believed’ in Him?

Another incomprehensible post, but I will try and respond with a simple quote, to what I think you said, with Jesus telling us:

John 3: 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

*** and Paul telling us how!

Romans 10: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

You are not a winner this time. You may try again later...

54 posted on 09/20/2013 1:52:37 AM PDT by WVKayaker ("The only place that the left hasn't placed the blame is on their agenda..." -Sarah Palin)
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To: WVKayaker

John 3:13 And NO man hath ascended up to heaven, but He That came down from heaven, even the Son of man Which is in heaven.

This is the summation of the lesson. I will follow the WORD of Christ not that of the confused Nicodemus, which is what this born again theology is.

Winners will not be declared until Judgment Day, and you have no say about anyone else but yourself on that Day.


55 posted on 09/20/2013 1:58:03 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: Just mythoughts
I will follow the WORD of Christ not that of the confused Nicodemus, which is what this born again theology is.... ...Winners will not be declared until Judgment Day...

JESUS REPLIED!!! I can certainly see confusion, but it isn't in Nicodemus!

I have already been judged, FRiend, and found guilty. But, I have the Blood of Christ covering ALL my sins! I hope you can say the same, but your postings tells me you aren't really sure about that!

John 3: 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”...

John 5: ... 24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

56 posted on 09/20/2013 2:11:18 AM PDT by WVKayaker ("The only place that the left hasn't placed the blame is on their agenda..." -Sarah Palin)
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To: Just mythoughts

No emotion to it.

The spirit of God lives inside each believer, and when He enters the change is palpable. One knows when they have received the Spirit and it has nothing to do with emotion. One is changed dramatically and one knows it immediately.

That is the best way I can describe it.


57 posted on 09/20/2013 2:36:09 AM PDT by jodyel
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To: onthelookout777
Baptism is part of the Great Commission

The only correct thing you posted. The rest is the result of a too fruitful imagination.

58 posted on 09/20/2013 4:59:08 AM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: jodyel

You’ve parsed the Scriptures and left out a lot of the Bible. That’s how to come to a false conclusion. You can’t leave out the context or the rest of the Bible in your analysis.


59 posted on 09/20/2013 5:01:26 AM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: 1010RD; onthelookout777; jodyel
Well, instead of just saying *I'm right, you're wrong*, how about explaining where and why you think you're right and others are wrong.

Nobody is going to take your say so on the matter unless you have something, preferably Scripture, to back it up.

60 posted on 09/20/2013 5:23:28 AM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith....)
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