Why is this so hard to understand?

I usually do not read all the threads and post...don't have time.
But I noticed this question was brought up. What does it mean to be born again?

Since the thread took a turn down a rabbit hole. I thought I would try to keep it on track. Here is my post.


Being born again has nothing to do with works or our behavior. It has to do with God coming to LIVE IN us. Being FILLED with the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus told Nicodemous he must be born again he meant he must have a new nature...his spirit was dead, he and all of us are born spiritualy dead and only God make his spirit alive again, by faith in Christ.

 

The work of the Holy Spirit is still the same before Pentecost and after....Old Testament and new. To REKNEW a dead spirit.

In the OT the Holy Spirit came and went as God felt lead. People were saved by FAITH in the OT and NT.

I am sure Nicodemus was still alive at Pentecost and was filled with the Holy Spirit...the Holy Spirit isn't what saved him it was his FAITH. We are only talking about, maybe a three year period when Christ spoke to Nicodemus and the time of Pentecost. The truth still remains, put your faith in God and what Christ was going to do or did on the cross and your dead spirit will be made ALIVE.

It was a good question, but it doesn't change the truth of what being born again means...making a dead spirit alive by the Holy Spirit through faith.

 

Scarlett do you have the LINK where you got your info from? Looks like it came from a search. I'd like to see it, thank you. Seems I was writing as you were posting...same time.

Good points that agree with what i said.

 

Well then kudo's to you. It was so well done and had underlines that I assumed it was from an article...sorry *blushing* what you wrote made lots of sense.

 

I guess what I believe the bible teaches, is that when one not just intellectually understands his need of a savior, and that he is a sinner and when he calls upon the LORD Jesus to be Lord of his life...is when one becomes saved. It is placing trust in yourself over to the Lord.

When this happens only God really knows, since he is the only one who really knows mans heart, not even man knows his own heart.

For me it was when I said I couldn't be in control of my life and asked Jesus to take over and guide me in all things and repented of all my sin. The filling of the Holy Spirit happened immediately and right away I had a new spirit and mind. I constantly thought of God, I thought of good and evil, I quit doing things that were bad, I wanted to pray and read God's word. All these things to me were evidence of being BORN AGAIN! It wasn't a process and it never leaves either...the Holy Spirit that is.

I have been saved 22 years and though I still sin, now I feel bad and want to do what is right unlike before.

 

This is an often misunderstood understanding of scripture. The church STARTED with Jesus Christ and his disciples. The word church in the Greek Ekklesia means Called out assembly of believers. So even before Pentecost, where there was any kind of assembly of believers there was a CHURCH.

When did Jesus begin his church "ekklesia"? When did He begin to call it out and assemble it? We read in John 1:35-51.

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples:
36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, what seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, where dwellest thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They come and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two which heard John, speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him. We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Here was the beginning of Christ’s calling out His assembly