The term " Born Again Christian " is unbiblical

[Guest BacKaran]

Christians are those who are born again committing their lives to Christ.

Easy enough.

I use born again vs Christian because many tares call themselves Christians when they have no idea what the new man is, the new creature or born again means.

[Willa]

Many people have been told by their church that they were born again at their infant baptisms, that they confess Christ at their confirmation, and each Sunday they confess their sins and ask forgiveness, so repentance and belief in Christ is supposed to be present since they are built into the rituals.  Unfortunately, the reality of the work of the Holy Spirit is not always present.  To some people it is just something that makes them feel good but they don't understand the meaning.  At least that in itself is some evidence of the Holy Spirit drawing them.  Yet for others the reality is there.  God has His remnant who have not bowed their knees to Baal, so to speak. 

I recall that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.  It was a term meant to sneer at them and means "little Christs".  And that is exactly what we should be, however imperfect we are.  We should be allowing Christ to live in us.  

So "born again Christian" may not be a phrase we find containing all three words in Scripture, but it is definitely an apt phrase and is totally Scriptural.  I prefer "sealed by the Holy Spirit" "or "Spirit of adoption" because fewer people are familiar with those phrases.  

[Your closest friendnt]

7 minutes ago, Willa said:

Many people have been told by their church that they were born again at their infant baptisms, that they confess Christ at their confirmation, and each Sunday they confess their sins and ask forgiveness, so repentance and belief in Christ is supposed to be present since they are built into the rituals.

Infant baptism, in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

What does that suggest, does is it suggest that the parents, and or the preist, are having the faith of Jesus Christ, and they want their new born to grow in the same faith by making sure, that they undertake the responsibility to educate their child in the Christian faith as themselves according to the costoms of their culture. 

 The same as to when Jesus was born and his parents perform

(not the ritual of bastism to him, which was not part of their culture but),

the ritual of sircumsition as an infant and dedicated him to the Lord.  

What do you think , about the children who were born in the Jewish faith; 

Were they born to the Lord? Were they the Lords from the moment they were born? 

This is for now till we have the answer to this question. 

Just to understand those who have the Christian faith but they are from a different culture. 

Hope that you don't feel that I am attacking you. 

God bless

I do believe that they were the Lords from the very first moment of their birth.

The same thing, that the children who are babtize in the Christian faith, they belong to the Lord Jesus Christ at the very first moment of their birth, and before the ritual of baptism and or  without it. 

 

7 minutes ago, Willa said:

 Unfortunately, the reality of the work of the Holy Spirit is not always present.  To some people it is just something that makes them feel good but they don't understand the meaning.  At least that in itself is some evidence of the Holy Spirit drawing them.  Yet for others the reality is there.  God has His remnant who have not bowed their knees to Baal, so to speak. 

I recall that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.  It was a term meant to sneer at them and means "little Christs".  And that is exactly what we should be, however imperfect we are.  We should be allowing Christ to live in us.  

So "born again Christian" may not be a phrase we find containing all three words in Scripture, but it is definitely an apt phrase and is totally Scriptural.  I prefer "sealed by the Holy Spirit" "or "Spirit of adoption" because fewer people are familiar with those phrases.  

 

[Willa]

Perhaps you can start another thread with this subject.

[Your closest friendnt]

2 hours ago, Willa said:

Many people have been told by their church that they were born again at their infant baptisms,

Those people who were infant baptized, they came into the world as the children from above, the children of Jesus Christ, 

They were born to Jesus Christ and will grow up learning about the one they belong to. 

They came into the world born from above because they were, (are), the seed of parents who are born from above. The need for them is to be informed that they are the children of Jesus Christ, and they have a place in Heaven in their name as long as they continue to believe in him. 

Does born from above, has the same meaning for you as the meaning of born again?  

Is it the same meaning? Can we use in the alternative either one of those two words, without altering the original message of Jesus, who was telling Nicodemus, that he is without a Heavenly Inheritance , unless he believes in him after he dies and raised from the dead. 

That is by believing in him after the Cross, he will have a Heavenly inheritance because he will be a heir of Heavens together with Jesus Christ, he will be considered as born from above. 

 

 

[Willa]

Born from above, born again, born anew, born of the Spirit, born of God all mean the same thing.  

The way to become a child of God, born into God;s kingdom is to receive Christ. 

Joh 1:12  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  Joh 1:13  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  [believe means to trust in, rely upon, cling to, adhere to],  The just shall live by his faith.  Romans 1:17

This is an act of receiving Him for whom He says He is:  The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, Immanuel (God with us) the I AM, the Messiah, the One who has power to lay down His own life and take it up again--the all powerful One, the Creator of the universe and everything in it, Son of God and Son of Man,  the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Way the Truth and the Life, the One Who was God and existed with God in the beginning, The Word.    By receiving Him and trusting in His name we are given the authority to become  born of God and children of God.  While personally believing and receiving cannot be done by an infant, we are told that a person, spouse or child, is sanctified by a believing spouse.  1Co 7:14 NKJV For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.  This means they are set aside for God's use just as Hannah dedicated her son to God and later presented Samuel at the temple.  Many churches dedicate children to God.  This is what I consider infant baptism to be:  dedicating a baby to God and promising to raise it in the faith.  But I don't believe they are reborn till they personally repent and receive Christ, and understand that He is God the Son who was crucified for their sins, buried and rose again from the dead.   An infant can't do that.  But an infant can be sanctified to God and set apart from the world to God.  

[Willa]

I believe that the original sin of Adam separated mankind from God.  Our Spirits  that allow us to have fellowship with God died.  This is why we need to be born again to become children of God.  The natural man or baby has a sin nature, the nature of Adam, the old man.

Rom 5:12  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—Rom 5:13  (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

Rom 5:15  But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. Rom 5:16  And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.

Rom 5:17  For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

Rom 5:18  Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.  Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.  Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,

Rom 5:21  so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[Your closest friendnt]

On 11/5/2016 at 2:58 PM, Willa said:

Born from above, born again, born anew, born of the Spirit, born of God all mean the same thing.  

Born from above:

Born from the Spirit of God:

Born of God: 

These statements are made reference to God, 

(Not just to any God, because there are many Gods, and anyone can be born to any Of these Gods, by accepting these Gods as their believe and guidance),

The reference to God in these scriptures is made to the Heavenly God, these scriptures are spoken to people who believe in the Lord God the creator of all. 

They and their Lord God were spiritually separated, they must be in distance from one another, they can not be one with their God, they were not the same.

That can be view in many different ways.

They were the children of The Lord God, but without a Heavenly inheritance.

They had a Heavenly blessing but their inheritance was an earthly one while they lived and their inheritance when they die was not going above, but of going below. 

Jesus is informing Nicodemus that this is about to change, that he Jesus as the Christ will bring this change.

He Jesus made clear to Nicodemus that for this to happen he must die first. 

This new world won't come to pass unless he dies first.

Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus that those who believe in him after his death will inherit this new world, they will be the children with the Heavenly inheritance, and that can be possible because by faith alone in him they will be one with the Heavenly God, born from above, having an inheritance above, and be born of his Spirit , not separated from him, now they can be one with him, they division between God and people is put aside by believing in Jesus Christ. 

If we look very carefully there is nothing mentioned about morality and repentance of anything pertaining to repentance from unjust living, to the contrary Jesus Christ is commenting Nicodemus for been upright in everything the Law of Moses asked and their strict very strict culture.

Jesus is addressing Nicodemus in the culture he is, as he is, he is telling him that for him to be part of this Heavenly inheritance he must believe in him not just at that time before his death and with thoughts that Jesus won't die and he is going to be the King of the knew Jewish Earthly Kingdom.

That's why Jesus is telling him that he Nicodemus can not see Jesus Heavenly Kingdom , because he wishes and he expects the Christ to bring an eartly  inheritance, because that what all the Jews hope for, and they can not see the Heavenly inheritance, they wanted the Christ to defeat the Romans, the way the Egyptians were defeated in the past.

Jesus is talking to Nicodemus about Heavenly things, which they were not understood by the Jews that time. 

The Gospel was given first to the first generation , those who heard the Gospel first they did not have Christian parents. 

They all come from deferent background, mainly the Jews who had rejected Jesus as the Christ, because he did not give them their freedom from the Roman captivity .

But to those Jews and all the others who received Jesus as the one who brings freedom from the captivity of the Human race, being Jew or not, and the one with the Heavenly Kingdom, and the Heavenly inheritance, the most important, and the earthly blessings too, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Whether or not understand how can that happens , and how that is made possible.

Just by calling upon his name that Jesus is indeed the Christ, without mentioning anything else, those just calling upon his name, this is the first generation and they were the first ones to believe, they had to decide whether Jesus is the Christ as adults.

Today this still happens to people who are born and grown up in other religions, and as adults hear the Gospel for the first time.

This can not apply to children born from Christian parents.

This situation should not be confused, with those who here the Gospel as adults for the first time.

Those children are born from parents who are the seed of Jesus Christ. 

And before even are born, even before that, even before they are conceived, their parents ask Jesus to bless them with children, and pray to him and bless their unborn children in the name of Jesus Christ , dedicating them to him.

This is made obvious b the way the plan their arrival  in this world , and the external signs of announcing their arrival , showering them with gifts with a religious message, all bearing the sign of the Cross, How Jesus was also borned in this world, and how his mother took care of him and loved her baby, and that's how the parents promish to love their baby, and gifts with the message of the Holy Spirit, and other things according to their culture.

Also by planing a big and pompous baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and asking the Lord to bless them and protect in their life. 

Putting guardians , the God- parents, to look after the bringing up of the children to Christian faith as a mentors, in case something happen to the parents.

Those children grow up to believe in jesus Christ, they were born to him. 

Jesus accepts them as his own. 

(When they grow older, and what path they may choose to follow, to remain in the Christian faith or not, thats it is their own prerogative)

( how active to be or not to be in matters pertaining to their faith, it's up to them) ..

Jesus said even faith in him as the size of a mustard seed, ( and I may add even (microscopic faith), 

can remove the mountain of being separated from God, and be born from above, from the Spirit of God, and be together with him for ever, the mountain has been removed . 

On 11/5/2016 at 2:58 PM, Willa said:

The way to become a child of God, born into God;s kingdom is to receive Christ. 

Joh 1:12  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  Joh 1:13  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  [believe means to trust in, rely upon, cling to, adhere to],  The just shall live by his faith.  Romans 1:17

This is an act of receiving Him for whom He says He is:  The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, Immanuel (God with us) the I AM, the Messiah, the One who has power to lay down His own life and take it up again--the all powerful One, the Creator of the universe and everything in it, Son of God and Son of Man,  the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Way the Truth and the Life, the One Who was God and existed with God in the beginning, The Word.    By receiving Him and trusting in His name we are given the authority to become  born of God and children of God.  While personally believing and receiving cannot be done by an infant, we are told that a person, spouse or child, is sanctified by a believing spouse.  1Co 7:14 NKJV For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.  This means they are set aside for God's use just as Hannah dedicated her son to God and later presented Samuel at the temple.  Many churches dedicate children to God.  This is what I consider infant baptism to be:  dedicating a baby to God and promising to raise it in the faith.  But I don't believe they are reborn till they personally repent and receive Christ, and understand that He is God the Son who was crucified for their sins, buried and rose again from the dead.   An infant can't do that.  But an infant can be sanctified to God and set apart from the world to God.  

 

[thilipsis]

On Monday, August 24, 2015 at 5:37 AM, robin hood said:

Too often I come across the term " Born Again Christian " .

The term will not be found in the Bible .

The term is actually theological nonsense......Just think about it......it doesn't make sense.....it was never used by Jesus .

I'm sure this has been addressed repeatedly but I wanted to toss my two cents worth in. Being 'born again' is an expression used throughout the New Testament and embodies the core of the Apostolic witness regarding being part of the body of Christ. You must be born of the Spirit (Jn. 3:3,5,7), which is the nature of Christ (1 Jn. 4:7),your born by faith in Christ. (1 Jn. 5:4). John tells us in the opening verses of his Gospel account who have received Christ by faith he gives the right to be the children of God. (John 1:12,13).

This is identical to Peter's description of being born of incorruptible seed (1 Pet. 1:23) as well as Paul who discusses being marked with the seal of the Spirit by believing the Gospel. (Eph. 1:12)

The reason being born again isn't used in connection with believers being called Christians is because they didn't call themselves Christians. The term is only used once in connection with the church in Syrian Antioch. It was there Scripture tells us that believers were first 'called' Christians and it's the only time that word is used in the New Testament. 

I ran into something like this in a study of Revelations, I keep calling the beast from the sea, the little horn, the white rider ... etc. the antichrist. Someone pointed out to me that he is never called that in the Revelations. John only uses the term in his epistle.  Looking a little closer I started to wonder if John's discussion of the antichrist isn't more likely to be the false prophet, aka the beast from the land.

Edited November 26, 2016 by thilipsis

[Your closest friendnt]

18 hours ago, thilipsis said:

I'm sure this has been addressed repeatedly but I wanted to toss my two cents worth in. Being 'born again' is an expression used throughout the New Testament and embodies the core of the Apostolic witness regarding being part of the body of Christ. You must be born of the Spirit (Jn. 3:3,5,7), which is the nature of Christ (1 Jn. 4:7),your born by faith in Christ. (1 Jn. 5:4). John tells us in the opening verses of his Gospel account who have received Christ by faith he gives the right to be the children of God. (John 1:12,13).

This is identical to Peter's description of being born of incorruptible seed (1 Pet. 1:23) as well as Paul who discusses being marked with the seal of the Spirit by believing the Gospel. (Eph. 1:12)

 

Jesus is telling Nicodemus, that anyone who believes in him after his death on the Cross, will have a Heavenly inheritance together with him, he must earn the Heavens first , he must die on the Cross first, give himself up as the Attoning sacrifice for all people . 

Jesus was telling Nicodemus that he is the Christ, and if he did not become the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the Heavens will remain close and everyone that had died before him, including those who were the children of the Lord God, will remain in Sheol for ever. 

Jesus is telling that one of the reasons to die is so he can go down to Sheol, for he must go to the place of the dead first, in Sheol and descent in the lowest part in the earth, and that for more than one reason , one is to shaw himself to every one, for everyone must see him, every power of the Devil must see him, and found them selfs unable to take him as their prisoner and keep him there, the way they had taken anyone else before. 

(The same thing that happen with Moses when God sent him to deliver the captives out of Egypt.

Moses obey God to go to Egypt , and he show him self to Farrow and to his priests and the captains of his army, and his great warriors but no one could put their hand on Moses),

(Moses declare to Farrow and enyone else that God sent him to free the captives of Farrow and that what he did and Farrow could not stopped him. 

Mosses did not leave Egypt alone, but together with the people of God)

The same thing happen with Jesus Christ, he went to Sheol and declared the Gospel to all who had die before him, from the very begging that God sent him to free all the captives who will believe in him that he is the Christ and God sent him to take them out from there and into the new Heavenly inheritance.

And that's what happened, Jesus ( like Mosses in Egypt  ) did not leave Sheol alone , but together with everyone who believe in him, that God had sent him to free the captives of the Devil and take them out from their to their new abode their Heavenly inheritance.

That what Jesus said to Nicodemus that Nicodemus and anyone else who believes in him will be born from above and will have a Heavenly inheritance together with him and God, but first he had to be lifted up on the Cross , the way Moses lifted up the Serpant in the dessert.

These are the children of above, those with a Heavenly inheritance, together with Jesus Christ.

Take notice that children of those who were free from Egypt they were not born as captives to Egypt but as unto the Lord.

They did not go back to Egypt give birth there, then leave their children there as captives to Farrow , and then ....strange as that sounds, many suggest , as an aligory that what happens to the children of believers in Jesus Christ.