[Adullam]

NIGHTMARE, on May 24 2008, 03:56 PM, said:

blessedinva, on May 24 2008, 03:40 PM, said:

Yes, we certainly must be born from above- reborn spiritually in order to receive truth. This happened to me in 1999 to my shock as I had gone to church all my life before then.

We have all been born from above -- this means born out of a womb... To be born of spirit is believing Christ as your Lord....
But there are some who choose not to be born from above, and they choose to come to earth without being born of woman....

born out of the womb is born of water, born of the flesh

The spiritual birth is being born again, born from above (heaven) , born of the Spirit.

John

This post has been edited by adullam: 24 May 2008 - 04:11 PM

[C]

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

There are a few views in Christendom about this verse. Here is another, which is how I see it:

Jesus is talking about entering the kingdom here , so everything He is saying is relating to how to enter it. Seeing that being born in the natural is not going to get us in (flesh cannot enter) He is not talking about the physical birth here when he talks about the water. I understand it to be the water of baptism and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. We first have to die (crucified with Christ) to be born into Christ (Water) and then we have to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Both these are necessary to enter into the kingdom.

C

[Adullam]

NIGHTMARE, on May 25 2008, 11:17 AM, said:

adullam, on May 24 2008, 04:06 PM, said:

NIGHTMARE, on May 24 2008, 03:56 PM, said:

blessedinva, on May 24 2008, 03:40 PM, said:

Yes, we certainly must be born from above- reborn spiritually in order to receive truth. This happened to me in 1999 to my shock as I had gone to church all my life before then.

We have all been born from above -- this means born out of a womb... To be born of spirit is believing Christ as your Lord....
But there are some who choose not to be born from above, and they choose to come to earth without being born of woman....

born out of the womb is born of water, born of the flesh

The spiritual birth is being born again, born from above (heaven) , born of the Spirit.

John

Think you might have it a little backwards--Born from above is born through woman.... You were a soul/spirit that was in heaven, God put you in a womb, thats being born from above.... Born of spirit is accepting Christ...

If you stop using the term born again it will be easier for the scripture reads 'Born From Above' there no such thing as being born again...

N. are you are a Mormon or come from a Mormon background? I don't know if you are aware that you hold a Mormon belief about pre-existing spirits.

John

This post has been edited by adullam: 25 May 2008 - 11:23 AM

[C]

Many think that this is a one time happening, but Christians are constantly being born from above. We die daily and we are changed by the renewing of our minds. The spirit of Christ, without which no one can belong to God (not the Holy Spirit, but the spirit of Christ) is constantly being strengthened within us as we read the Word (partake of His flesh)
As the old man gets weaker and weaker, the new Man (Christ in us) gets stronger and stronger. That is being born from above.


Joh 3:30 He must increase, (born form above) but I must decrease. (death to self)