Seeking God

It's not 'born anew', it's born from above, as in born of the Spirit, born of God, child of Zion whose mother is Jerusalem above. Isaac was a child of Zion just as we.

26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother. Gal 4

1 A Psalm of the sons of Korah; a Song. His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah
4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me: Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: This one was born there.
5 Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; And the Most High himself will establish her.
6 Jehovah will count, when he writeth up the peoples, This one was born there. Selah
7 They that sing as well as they that dance shall say, All my fountains are in thee. Ps 87

7 `Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above;
8 the Spirit where he willeth doth blow, and his voice thou dost hear, but thou hast not known whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; thus is every one who hath been born of the Spirit.` Jn 3 YLT

 

Notice the pattern of personal attack, deliberate misrepresentation, and endless off topic questions? The gang of Calvinists use this ploy to obfuscate and derail discussion of biblical truth.

 

The Greek word means "born anew." The cause of the being born anew is God, thus from above.

 

In a recently closed thread, the claim was made that no one seeks God unless drawn by the Father. John 6:44 says no one can come to Me (Christ) unless drawn by the Father. The question then arises, why did the OT Saints have to wait in Abraham's bosom, until the New Covenant was inaugurated. If they had "come to Me" (Christ) they would have been made perfect with the blood of Christ. So under the OT, saints came to "God" but not to the future Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. Thus scripture teaches people can seek God without being drawn to Jesus.

Can they seek God without God revealing Himself? Of course not. Can anyone be made perfect without being drawn to Christ? Of course not, that is why the OT Saints had to wait to be made perfect. Can people seek God through works rather than faith? Yes, Romans 9. Does that obtain salvation? Nope

So seeking God, even the God of the OT, does not require being drawn to Christ. But obtaining salvation, eternal life with God, does require not only being drawn (attracted) by the Father, but having their faith, as worthless as it may be, credited by God as righteousness.

Does God allow people to seek God and put their trust in Christ? Yes, usually, but not always. Romans 11 teaches God does harden the hearts of some people for His purpose. Ditto for Judas who was not allowed to "come to Jesus." (John 6:65)

 

2 Chronicles 11:16
Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers.

 

There are plenty of false religions, including ones calling themselves "Christians", that claim to be seeking God. However, they are not truly seeking God in the way in which Christ has provided by His life, death, and resurrection, as only those whom God effectually draws to Himself, the elect, do so.

 

All of those whom God regenerates seek after God and all of these come in repentance toward God and faith toward Christ.

Acts 20:21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Those OT Saints that obtained approval through faith clearly were truly seeking God...
Yes, you are correct, the OT saints were not seeking God in the way in which Christ has provided... That is why they had to wait in Abraham's bosom...

 

Your statement is false as I already showed in post #2 in this thread.

 

I have already shown the OT saints were not regenerated, made alive from the dead, because Christ was the first born...

 

I was agreeing with your statement in post #70!!

 

Do you believe that Christ did not exist until He came out of Mary's womb?

Christ is God, Christ is eternal, Christ is a member of the Godhead - Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

 

The Greek word is 'anothen' ( from above, from a higher place, of things which come from heaven or God, from the first, from the beginning, from the very first, anew, over again) can mean 'anew' or 'over again', but that's not what Christ meant, thus His further explanation in answering Nicodemus's unenlightened question in the next verse:

5 Jesus answered, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God;
6 that which hath been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which hath been born of the Spirit is spirit. Jn 1 YLT

Christ wasn't speaking of an earthly physical birth which Nicodemus wrongly perceived, He was speaking of a spiritual birth FROM ABOVE.

"Born from above" syncs with a large amount of other scripture, old and new, and is consistent with the apostle John's (James also) intended use of the word anothen:

3 Jesus answered and said to him, 'Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;' (YLT)
7 'Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above; (YLT)
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly , and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. Jn 3

11 Jesus answered , Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout . Jn 19

As is the case with James:

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Ja 1

15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure , then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Ja 3

YLT conveys a 'celestial motif' in the dialogue (yea, the entire chapter) between Christ and Nicodemus that the rendering 'born again' misses:

2 this one came unto him by night, and said to him, `Rabbi, we have known that from God thou hast come -- a teacher, for no one these signs is able to do that thou dost, if God may not be with him.`
3 Jesus answered and said to him, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;`
7 `Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above;
21 but he who is doing the truth doth come to the light, that his works may be manifested, that in God they are having been wrought.`
27 John answered and said, `A man is not able to receive anything, if it may not have been given him from the heaven
31 he who from above is coming is above all; he who is from the earth, from the earth he is, and from the earth he speaketh; he who from the heaven is coming is above all. Jn 3 YLT

Born again, or born anew gives all you free willer enemies of sovereign grace 'wiggle room' to lay claim or take credit for something you had zilch to do with. You were 100% totally passive in the birth from above:

13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Jn 1

 

See post #63

 

I find it interesting that you refuse to answer simple questions that any Biblically-sound person could answer immediately.

 

The Greek word means "born anew." The cause of the being born anew is God, thus from above.

Note that Nicodemus understood "anothen" to mean born anew, because he asked about entering his mother's womb again...

 

Note the pattern of personal attack...

 

Notice how this poster calls asking questions a "personal attack". Telling. Quite telling.

 

God first sought them

 

"taint so"