You must be born again!

Originally posted by KellyJay
..What do you think Jesus meant when He said you must be born again?
Kelly

TO be born again is to be changed in heart and mind.

Christ spoke or being born again of water and of the spirit. To be born again is no guarantee that the person will enter into Gods Kingdom as some can and do fall away as clearly stated, even though they formerly received the Holy Spirit etc.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
Who decides what is right or wrong? You? Who says it would be heartless? You? Are you now the judge of right and wrong in a godless society?
What happened to live and let live?

You confirm my first reaction, you imply you would be one of those people who, seeing a rape in progress, would rather hold up your smart phone, videotape the whole thing and put it up on youtube rather than actually taking a two by four to the cretin doing the rape.

Exactly what has religion got to do with a situation like that?

You go, what would Jesus do, then do nothing because you don't believe?

You just went down a few notches in my book.

Originally posted by Rajk999
TO be born again is to be changed in heart and mind.

Christ spoke or being born again of water and of the spirit. To be born again is no guarantee that the person will enter into Gods Kingdom as some can and do fall away as clearly stated, even though they formerly received the Holy Spirit etc.

Truly a one-trick pony.

This is what happens when your entire doctrine is only a couple of chapters of one book of the Bible.

Have you ever heard of "To the repairman with only a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"?

Why merely assume, without knowing anything about them, that everyone, except you, of course, has fallen away? Not a lot of love for your Christian brother there, is there?

Originally posted by sonhouse
You confirm my first reaction, you imply you would be one of those people who, seeing a rape in progress, would rather hold up your smart phone, videotape the whole thing and put it up on youtube rather than actually taking a two by four to the cretin doing the rape.

Exactly what has religion got to do with a situation like that?

You go, what would ...[text shortened]... s do, then do nothing because you don't believe?

You just went down a few notches in my book.

I am merely giving you a scenario. The depth of a godless man's depravity. All it takes is a little demonic influence.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
If I did not believe in God, what difference would good works do for me? I would live for myself, look out for #1.

You have a peculiar notion of people who "do not believe in God". I have met countless people who "do not believe in God" who "look out for" not just themselves, they "look out for" their children, their spouses, their families, their neighbours, their colleagues, their communities, they may well "look out for" strangers in need, they may well even "look out for" the poor and the sick far away from their own communities and countries, maybe in difficult conditions and for low pay..

Originally posted by Rajk999
TO be born again is to be changed in heart and mind.

Christ spoke or being born again of water and of the spirit. To be born again is no guarantee that the person will enter into Gods Kingdom as some can and do fall away as clearly stated, even though they formerly received the Holy Spirit etc.

Changed in the heart in mind, as in what does that mean? You repent, so it
is just you stop doing bad stuff and do good, OR you get a make over by
God who changes you completely? What do you mean, is it something else
completely?
Kelly

Originally posted by checkbaiter
I am merely giving you a scenario. The depth of a godless man's depravity. All it takes is a little demonic influence.

You are part of the problem. Your premise is anyone who doesn't believe in YOUR god is demonic or some such, as if a non believer could never figure out it is wrong to rape, kill, or rob. That is such a line of BS and it pervades the religious world. You and your buddies ARE the problem. You can't trust anyone not in your club.

Originally posted by sonhouse
You are part of the problem. Your premise is anyone who doesn't believe in YOUR god is demonic or some such, as if a non believer could never figure out it is wrong to rape, kill, or rob. That is such a line of BS and it pervades the religious world. You and your buddies ARE the problem. You can't trust anyone not in your club.

You are putting words in there I never said. I did NOT say all godless men are that way, but they have the potential to become that way. As I stated, all it takes is a little demonic influence. They have no power over demons, since they belong to Satan in the first place.

Everyone serves either God or Satan. The people that serve Satan are not all aware that they do. He does not care if you serve him directly or indirectly. Serving yourself is what most do, and it is doing the will of the devil whether you believe it or not. He just wants you to stay away from God, the bible, or better yet, hate God and Christians.

Originally posted by FMF
You have a peculiar notion of people who "do not believe in God". I have met countless people who "do not believe in God" who "look out for" not just themselves, they "look out for" their children, their spouses, their families, their neighbours, their colleagues, their communities, they may well "look out for" strangers in need, they may well even "look out for ...[text shortened]... r away from their own communities and countries, maybe in difficult conditions and for low pay..

I have many friends who are just as you say. They are good people (in their eyes) they care about their loved ones, etc. But they miss the boat because they refuse to come to Jesus.
Many of them live "normal" lives and enjoy their lives, until the end when they struggle with mortality and the unknown.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
I have many friends who are just as you say. They are good people (in their eyes) they care about their loved ones, etc.

What a pity it is then that, if you were like them, you would live for yourself, and just look out for #1, as you put it. What a pity that you are not more like them or more like my friends.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
Many of them live "normal" lives and enjoy their lives, until the end when they struggle with mortality and the unknown.

Both you and I will die regardless of what just so happens to be in your imagination regarding "the unknown". Having said that, I truly believe that your hopes and fears ~ and your coping mechanism ~ is "normal".

Originally posted by FMF
What a pity it is then that, if you were like them, you would live for yourself, and just look out for #1, as you put it. What a pity that you are not more like them or more like my friends.

That is not me, as I stated it was an example...

Originally posted by FMF
Both you and I will die regardless of what just so happens to be in your imagination regarding "the unknown". Having said that, I truly believe that your hopes and fears ~ and your coping mechanism ~ is "normal".

Yes we will all die, I agree. But for people like myself and many others we have a hope that is guaranteed, a promise from God himself.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
That is not me, as I stated it was an example...

What do you mean "that is not me"? You said "If I did not believe in God, what difference would good works do for me? I would live for myself, look out for #1." Now you claim the "I" was somebody else?

Originally posted by KellyJay
What does that mean, do good works?
Kelly

To be born again mean that in addition to the natural life you were born with, one day, God imparts the divine life of God into you.

God has the ability to plant Himself as Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit right into the innermost spiritual being of a human being.

So you are reborn. Or you receive another life implanted INTO your natural life. It is miracle, I think.

Jesus Christ Himself blends in so seamlessly, smoothly, and comfortably into a person that at first she hardly detects any difference. Yet the receive KNOWS that SOMETHING has changed.

As one cooperates that life begins to grow, and spread, and permeate, and flavor that person's personality. This is something like a tea bag flavoring a cup of water. The water is gradually changed to tea- water. Or we call that simply tea.

Being born again or regeneration is not receiving tea but receiving Dei. Then through cooperation the reborn ones becomes flavored with Dei.