Born Again

I almost missed this, but it deserves to be highlighted. There's an awful lot of truth to this statement, and it's not just a Christian belief. To many it comes across as paranoia, but those of us who have 'been there and done that', know better.

 

OK...you've got me digging through my NIV. I came across this reference to the Book of John, chapter 3. Someone may have already made reference to this before but here goes.....

Born Again
A man named Nocodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council was questioning Jesus along these same lines (John 3:4) "How can a man be born when he is old"? vs. 5 Jesus "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to the flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again. 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".
Born again also means born from above and is consistent with Jesus'redeeming work. Also Titus 3: 4-8


Saved
Also from the NIV in reference to Isiah 64:5
"You come to the help of all those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
Bit when we continue to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved."
Saved here means being "delivered" from Gods wrath or anger.

Mark 16:15, 16
He (Jesus) said unto them.
"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
Saved here means being delivered from Gods final judgement. Lots of other references to being saved are found in the Old and New Testaments.

I hope that this helps in some way. These are very good questions muff and I aint the best with words and all.

 

These are some of the areas where I disagree with my own understanding of Catholic philosophy and practice (which admittedly, I don't have a really strong grasp of). From what I've seen and heard of Catholicism, it seems as though the church tries to get its parishioners to 'behave' their way into believing. Start cleaning up your act and the better you are, the closer you'll be to God. The problem is, many people get frustrated and discouraged by all the rules and hoops they have to jump through to get to God, and they quit without ever experiencing Him for themselves. To make matters worse, Catholicism uses the fear tactic of telling its people that if they leave, they're doomed and lose their salvation. I really hope I'm wrong on that, but that's what I've gathered so far, and it would seem to fit your question.

The good news is, that's not what the Bible teaches at all. The Bible says to humble ourselves and seek a relationship with Jesus Himself first. Get to know Him by studying the Bible, through prayer, and by just looking for His influence in the world around us. As that relationship builds, He will gradually change us from the inside out supernaturally. And the more we allow Him to change us, the more we will think and act like Him. It's a snowball effect, really, just like any other relationship. The more time and effort you put into it, the better it gets. And the better it gets, the more time and effort you want to put into it.

Being born again has absolutely nothing to do with church. It's a transaction that happens between the individual and God alone.

 

Yes. Born again people are saved. But according to what Jesus said in the passage I quoted above, no one is saved without being born again.

No one can 'earn' a place in heaven, according to the Bible.

Romans 3:10
"As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one...'"

Correct. Being born again is a transaction; an event, not a rule.

 

Being 'saved' is claiming Jesus' promise that His sacrifice on the cross has saved you from being judged for your own sin. It is the belief that He has already taken your punishment for you. That is what grace is.

Christian faith is a trust in both what God has done, and what He will do. Jesus promised to give His followers 'life in abundance'. That life starts when we're born again. For me, it started Thanksgiving Day, 1999. He has 'saved' me from things in this life, but I'm still waiting for Him to save me from His judgment because it hasn't happened yet. You could say that being born again happens now, and being saved happens later, in the eternal sense.

But that hardly means it's inconsequential. Being born again and living out that belief opens up a whole new life for all of us. It's a rich life full of purpose and meaning, love and friendship, acceptance and encouragment. I firmly believe it's a life that cannot be found by any other means.

 

Shoot. I knew and accepted that Jesus died for our sins as a little lass. Was I saved back then? Since I don't follow religion anymore and live my life as I know it was intended, am I no longer saved?

Confusion again. VI said earlier "I know people who were raised in the church and been "saved" all their lives." You say it comes later.

It's a rich Christian life is what you meant to say. I'm sure there are millions of non-Christians that have a "rich life full of purpose and meaning, love and friendship, acceptance and encouragement".

It's inconsequential in that no matter what a human might think or feel or believe, the decision on whether the person is "saved" is up to God.

 

You're doing great VI. I didn't know it would get this indepth when I asked the question. It's all a bit confusing to me and I never really understood the whole concept. The Christian religion I was raised in didn't use the terms "saved" or "born again". Even after you, Rob, and Hasbeens explaining, I still don't have a good grasp of it.

 

i think she's meaning to say, you can get the same satisfaction outta life from just differing your perspective.

But then again...if the roadwarrior says it, it must be true.

 

Almost certainly.

Being saved means you're depending on Jesus to save you from judgment through a relationship with Him. Jesus said He will not save those He does not know. So the question to you is, do you still know Him? Are you still pursuing a relationship with Him?

 

Some people choose a Christian life and are fostered in it from the earliest ages. As soon as they're aware enough to make a choice for Jesus, they make it. My wife made that choice at 9 years old and never looked back. From the time she could walk and talk, she's always gone to church, always prayed and since she could read it, always read her Bible. She hasn't always been saved in the technical sense, but at the same time she's never known the life that VI, Rob, and you and I have -- a life lived without God in it.