What is the objective test for being regenerate?

persaverance!

 

Jesus loves, me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
John 3:16.

 

The scriptures give us some help:

Matthew 7:16 By their fruits you shall know them.

I John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

I John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (ESV)

 

Exactly Tom, the scriptures testify to persaverance. Amen!

 

The scriptures testify to perseverance in SAVING FAITH and they challenge the believer to persevere in FAITHFULNESS and teach that true children of God persevere in the desire to be FAITHFUL but do not guarantee anyone will persevere in FAITHFULNESS all the time or any prescribed period of time but the scriptures do guarantee that true believers will persevere in the Romans 7:14-25 contradiction effect.

Rom. 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Perseverance in SAVING FAITH obtains entrance into heaven

ERRATIC FAITHFULNESS obtains present eratic experiential salvation benefits and future rewards in heaven and provides evidence of justification before the court of human judgment.

CHASTENING for ERRATIC UNFAITHFULNESS provides demonstratable evidence between true and false professing Christians.

 

I said the very reverse! We are not saved by faithfulness at all but by perseverance in saving faith which is a GIFT of God and produced by the POWER of the Indwelling Spirit of God.

In regard to your second wrong conclusion read 2 Thes. 2:13 about whom God loved or his "beloved."

 

It all depends on your perspective of persaverance, I'll side with God's perspective.

 

Here's another scripture:
1 Pet 1:5 "...who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation...."

The Bible makes several things clear.
1. Believers are kept by the power of God, and not their own.
2. They are kept through faith.
3. That faith is a gift of God. Philippians 1:29 It has been granted unto you to believe.
4. Perseverance is required, but perseverance is guaranteed. I John 5:4 This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

 

Try these. I hope they'll be helpful.

http://marprelate.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/new-birth-8-results-of-the-new-birth/
http://marprelate.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/new-birth-9-evidences-of-the-new-birth/

Steve

 

"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 1 John 3:14"

- Peace

 

You asked....What is the objective test for being regenerate?

Who do you say Jesus is?

If your truthful answer from your heart is "He is the Messiah, the CHrist, the Son of the Living God", then you are regenerated. Thus, the Holy Spirit testifies with your spirit that you are a child of God. A child of God hears what God says about His Son.

:jesus:

 

The objective evidence is God's Word on the subject. His word is better than your word on the subject or my word on the subject. God's Word defines "saved" and defines what are the objective evidences of being saved.

Your issue is with God's Word not with us.

 

Actually, I think billwald's issue is with your opinion/interpretation of what God's Word actually means. That is my issue as well, and I suspect it is thus for a great many who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.

WM

 

Hmmm.... seems like one must love in order to be saved. Well, I guess we have to DO something after all.

WM

 

Works and perserverance.

 

the problem with sentiments like this:

Is that they are subjective not objective. So for an objective perspective it must be aprehended by more than intellectual assent. Thus works and perserverance.