FreeWill

[Guest clancy]

@Selah7.....in your own words...what is a “ born again “?

What did Jesus say to Nicodemus ?

[Selah7]

6 minutes ago, clancy said:

@Selah7.....in your own words...what is a “ born again “?

What did Jesus say to Nicodemus ?

Note:  “born again” can/should be translated as “born from above.”

The New Birth

3 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 and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you,unless one is born [a]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, “Most assuredly, 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 the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should [c]not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Edited June 20, 2021 by Selah7

[Guest clancy]

4 minutes ago, Selah7 said:

 

The New Birth

3 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 and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you,unless one is born [a]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, “Most assuredly, 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 the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should [c]not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

I am now asking,”you” in your own words...what is a born again?

How does one know they have received new birth/ reborn?....regenerated?

Edited June 20, 2021 by clancy

[Selah7]

1 minute ago, clancy said:

I am now asking,”you” in your own words...what is a born again?

How does one know they have received new birth?

Knowing that Jesus Christ was crucified for you. 

[Guest clancy]

1 minute ago, Selah7 said:

Knowing that Jesus Christ was crucified for you. 

How would one know that?

Would it be through the word?

Or could it come directly to you, straight to your spirit, when the spirit testified to your spirit that you are his child?

[Selah7]

1 minute ago, clancy said:

How would one know that?

Would it be through the word?

Or could it come directly to you, straight to your spirit, when the spirit testified to your spirit that you are his child?

I can’t answer that.  This would be between you and the LORD.  

[Guest clancy]

1 minute ago, Selah7 said:

I can’t answer that.  This would be between you and the LORD.  

I asked you, how would you know that Jesus was crucified for you?

[johnthebaptist]

3 hours ago, clancy said:

Once we are born again.

We still have free will?

I know this will probably open up a can of worms.

i would like to explore the meaning of free will....once we are born again?

Discuss?

Yes, we have free will, but we also have commandments to obey. The commandments are not burdensome.

[OneLight]

39 minutes ago, clancy said:

Interesting....so “ we” decide if we want to be like Jesus....

my question to you is....how can we not grow to be like Jesus ,if he indwells us?

 wouldn’t we be grieving the Holy Spirit who indwells us...if we didn’t grow to be like Jesus ..?

we have been regenerated, therefore a new heart...a relationship with God?

Yes, which is the basis of our relationship.  God created us with the ability to make choices.  he did not create us to be robotic like, programmed to be or become a certain way.  Because of our ability to choose, we enter into a relationship.  If there were no choice, how will our love for Him become voluntary and not just another activated program by design?  All through scripture we find the ability to chose.

I've not yet met a brother or sister that has rejected the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives at least once.  Face it, we are not perfect as He is perfect.  Each time the Holy Spirit guides us one way and we take another way, or tells us go and we don't, or stay and we go, by that decision we have chosen not to be like Christ in that one part of our life.

The regenerative process is a life long process.  It's not like when you flick the light switch you have light.  It's more like when you start a fire, there first is a spark to ignite the tinder, then as the flame becomes stronger, more wood is added and pretty soon, you have a nice strong roaring fire.

[OneLight]

24 minutes ago, clancy said:

How does one know they have received new birth/ reborn?....regenerated?

I need to see things to better understand them, just the way I learn, so I took an inventory of sorts.  In one column I wrote all the things I liked to do before being saved, in another column I wrote all the things I like to do now, and in another column I wrote all the things from the first column that I despise now.  All this is from the heart by recognizing our true desires ... what has changed over time?  Realize, before being saved we were a natural person.  After salvation, we became a child of God.