How many times can you be born again

[Walt1093]

Jesus Christ preached repentance, not self-righteousness. He placed no limits on how many times a person can surrender themselves to God and be saved. 

Edited July 31, 2013 by Walt1093

[Rex11]

I have another view, I find in Matthew 25:31 the parable of the sheep and the goats. There are 3 distinct groups of people the sheep, the goats and the bretheren.

Some of the Apostles in there letters referred to themselves as bond servants to the Lord Jesus. I hope that maybe the doctrine of OSAS becomes clearer as well as the desire to have ones ear pierced. But maybe those that served under the Master and chose to go are not lost there sheep. but will gathered back, they simply choose to spend there time being concerned with the ways of the world. The latter is what is found mostly today, people born and following the spirit but never truly being able to let it all go, and experience having their ear pierced for life. I find it interesting that the sheep didn't apparently recognize the brethren, perhaps the did after they were formally introduced. 

 

1 Simon Peter, a bond servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

 

 

If you don't know the law concerning a bond servant or how a bond servant is made, you might want to look at Deuteronomy 15:12

 

The Greek word used for "servant" here is the word doulos, which literally means, "bond-servant." It's not a hired servant, someone who serves because that's their job. It's an expression of an idea that God gave in the Law of Moses, back in Deuteronomy 15, starting in verse 12. Let's all turn there.

If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. ¹³And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. ¹⁴Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing-floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. ¹⁵Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.

 

You can all see clearly that God is not talking about hired servants here. If someone sells himself, like it says in verse 12, that's called being a slave. We're talking about a Hebrew who chooses to sell himself into slavery to another Hebrew, probably to raise money to pay a debt. And a slave doesn't have the same rights as a hired servant, does he? Can he quit if he doesn't like the work? Can he protest to the Labor Board if he doesn't think his working conditions are right? What rights does a slave have? None. He sold them away.

God permitted people to be slaves at that time. But God's Law didn't allow His people to mistreat slaves. The way it was practiced in our Southern states was completely against the principles of the Word of God. I could show you other passages that protect slaves, but the one we need to look at is this passage we just read. God is guaranteeing that slavery, for a Hebrew, is not permanent. It's not for life. The longest time a Hebrew could be kept in slavery was six years, and when he was set free in the seventh year, he was to be sent out with livestock and food. Why? So he wouldn't have to turn around and sell himself again the next day so he could get a bite to eat.

But now look at verse 16:

But if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, ¹⁷then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant.

[Sevenseas]

Once.  As in originally believing and accepting Christ, once.  Born again suggests new life...no new life, perhaps no new birth but that's prob another thread

[rjp34652]

i know you will say once but why once, its twice why twice, if n-times then why n-times

****

Jesus said one must be born again, not again and again and again and again.

 

The second birth is a fusion of the Holy Spirit and the spirit of man, thus creating a new spiritual entity - a new creature in Christ.   It is EXACTLY the same as when a man and a woman create a baby.   The Holy Spirit and the spirit of man join to create a new spiritual creature - an eternal creature.

 

The old is passed away forever.  The new is come and it is precious in the sight of God.   This is not mere words, it is the creation of an entirely new thing in heaven and earth - a new creature!  A new spirit resides in the old man (and does battle with the flesh within which it finds itself.)  The born again Christian is no longer entirely human.  The spirit of Christ actually joins with the spirit of man - FOR REAL.  It is not myth and it is not empty words.  It is spiritual reality.

 

It is the ultimate act of redemption and the greatest miracle in the pages of the Bible.  Not even the promised resurrection can surpass the enormity of the second birth, for without it there would be no resurrection for man.

 

Jesus stated that unless a man was born again he could not see the kingdom of heaven.   The entire NT talks about the nature of this new creature!  Read it again for the first time!  Do you think the apostles were just uttering platitudes when they wrote these things?  They were writing about something incredibly real.   They were talking about the new covenant between God and man.  They were writing about the miracle the second Adam has wrought, a new man, a creature reborn of the Holy Spirit and the spirit of man.

 

Will you attempt to undo the greatest miracle and gift of God to man?   Moses parting the Red Sea was child's play compared to this.

 

One cannot be unborn again any more than a man can reverse engineer his own DNA, separate his father's sperm from his mother's egg and return to the oblivion from which he came.  It simply cannot be done.  

 

NT scripture speaks at length (read the book of Hebrews from beginning to end) about the priesthood of Christ done once for all time for us and for all men.  READ IT.  And when you're done reading it, read it again.  Memorize key verses.  It's worth the time and a good study.

 

Those who have accepted Christ into their lives and have known the second birth are sealed unto the day of redemption.   You cannot unstick divine glue and you cannot subvert God's promises.   It is once done and forever.

 

If a man is born again, the Holy Spirit becomes one with him forever - IT IS NOT A WEEKEND VISITOR.  You can't kick it out.  It is part of you and you are part of it.  The entire remainder of your life will be spent learning how to live with the situation.

 

And that is the most noble pursuit a man can embrace.

 

and that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

[NeedYouLord]

My my...Keep Hollering...In The Name of Jesus!  

[Willa]

We are born once of the flesh, and once of the Spirit. We can backslide and rededicate our lives to God, but we are just a prodigal and still a son. or daughter. And no one can take them out of God's hand. We are eternally secure as long as we want to be.

Yet there are many warnings about leaving God. Should we totally reject our salvation, reject the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit saying it is of satan, go into idolitry or some other heathen religion or otherwise renounce the work of Christ on the cross, we are warned against having our name blotted out of the Book of Life or becomming a reprobate. That sounds pretty final. By that time we would not even care. God will try to reclaim His lost sheep till our dying breath, is my personal belief. Some of these people have gone on to form cults and create false doctrine to deceive others. Some say they were never God's to begin with, which is probably true. Those who endure to the end shall be saved. Still, we are warned not to do these things. From our perspective we should be vigilant, to not let ouselves become luke warm, to beware of false doctrine, and to work out our own salvations with fear and trembling.