Talk:Born again
We should probably mention Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus. -- Ed Poor
- I agree. I don't have time to go in to it, but this topic should be connected with Baptism, pedobaptism, believers baptism. The phrase as used by evangelicals often refers to believer's baptism; churches with a tradition of pedobaptism look at the passage a bit differently, but of course still affirm being born again, since the phrase itself is scriptural. --Wesley
An anoymous user made a very large edit which was reverted. I have saved their version at Born again/Alternative version. The Anome 12:32 Dec 16, 2002 (UTC)
This is a POV sermon from an Anon User who has also made a number of other major revisions to articles regarding Christianity User contributions:80.116.222.134 and created several more that have since been deleted. I don't believe it belongs in Wikipedia. Mintguy
His/her contributions are certainly coherent, if enormous and non-NPOV. I'd like to give this person an opportunity to work with us in the NPOV process, if they want to. Otherwise, if they will not cooperate, we should treat them as a vandal. The Anome
To the author of the deleted material:
We did not delete your material because we disagree with it. We deleted it because it did not fit our neutral point of view policy, where all views are given as opinions, rather than as facts (even if we feel personally that they are facts). This enables people with multiple points of view to write articles that they can all agree on.
Would you like to work with us? The Anome 12:45 Dec 16, 2002 (UTC)
=====Below removed for work. (shortening) We might already have enough Christian explanation on this. Its entirely possible that the below is repetitious of the other... etc...
Regeneration is the impartation of a new and divine life; a new creation; the production of a new thing. It is Gen. 1:26 over again. It is not the old nature altered, reformed, or re-invigorated, but a new birth from above. This is the teaching of such passages as John 3:3-7; 5:21; Eph. 2:1, 10; 2 Cor. 5:17.
By nature man is dead in sin (Eph. 2:1); the new birth imparts to him new life--the life of God, so that henceforth he is as those that are alive from the dead; he has passed out of death into life (John 5:24).
In the new birth we are made partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). We have put on the new man, which after God is created in holiness and righteousness (Eph. 4:11; Col. 3:10). Christ now lives in the believer (Gal. 2:20). God's seed now abides in him (1 John 3:9). So that henceforth the believer is possessed of two natures (Gal. 5:17).
Thus regeneration is a crisis with a view to a process. A new governing power comes into the regenerate man's life by which he is enabled to become holy in experience: "Old things are passed away; behold all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). See also Acts 16:14, and Ezek. 36:25-27, 1 John 3:6-9.
The necessity is universal
The need is as far reaching as sin and the human race: "Except a man (lit. anybody) be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, cf. v. 5). No age, sex, position, condition exempts anyone from this necessity. Not to be born again is to be lost. There is no substitute for the new birth: "Neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature" (Gal. 6:15). The absolute necessity is clearly stated by our Lord: whatever is born of the flesh, must be born again of the Spirit (John 3:3-7).
John 3:6 -- "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" -- and it can never, by any human process, become anything else. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). "They that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8); in our "flesh dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18). The mind is darkened so that we cannot apprehend spiritual truth; we need a renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2). The heart is deceitful, and does not welcome God; we need to be pure in heart to see God. There is no thought of God before the eyes of the natural man; we need a change in nature that we may be counted among those "who thought upon His name." No education or culture can bring about such a needed change. God alone can do it.
If without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14); and if holiness is not to be attained by any natural development or self-effort, then the regeneration of our nature is absolutely necessary. This change, which enables us to be holy, takes place when we are born again.
Man is conscious that he does not have this holiness by nature; he is conscious, too, that he must have it in order to appear before God (Ezra 9:15). The Scriptures corroborate this consciousness in man, and, still further, state the necessity of such a righteousness with which to appear before God. In the new birth alone is the beginning of such a life to be found. To live the life of God we must have the nature of God.
We are "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). It was of His own will he begat us (Jas. 1:18): Our regeneration is a creative act on the part of God, not a reforming process on the part of man. It is not brought about by natural descent, for all we get from that is "flesh." It is not by natural choice, for the human will is impotent. Nor is it by self-effort, or any human generative principle.
Nor is it by the blood of any ceremonial sacrifices. It is not by pedigree or natural generation. It is altogether and absolutely the work of God. Practically speaking, we have no more to do with our second birth, than we had to do with our first birth.
The Holy Spirit is the Divine Agent in our regeneration. For this reason it is called the "renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Tit. 3:5). We are "born of the Spirit" (John 3:5).
John 1:12 and 13 bring together these two thoughts--the divine and the human in regeneration: Those who received Him (i. e., Christ)....were born of God. The two great problems connected with regeneration are the efficiency of God and the activity of man.
God begat us by "the word of truth" (James 1:18). We are "born again," says Peter (1 Ep. 1:23), "of incorruptible seed, by the word of God." We are "begotten through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15).
These scriptures teach us that regeneration takes place in the heart of man when he reads or hears the Word of God, or the Gospel message, or both, and, because of the Spirit working in the Word as well as in the heart of man, the man opens his heart and receives that message as the Word of life to his soul. The truth is illuminated, as is also the mind, by the Spirit; the man yields to the truth, and is born again. Of course, even here, we must remember that it is the Lord who must open our hearts just as He opened the heart of Lydia (Acts 16:14). But the Word must be believed and received by man. 1 Pet. 1:25.
This is the clear teaching of John 1:12, 13 and Gal. 3:26. We become "children of God by faith in Jesus Christ." When a man, believing in the claims of Jesus Christ receives Him to be all that He claimed to be -- that man is born again.
Man therefore is not wholly passive at the time of his regeneration. He is passive only as to the change of his ruling disposition. With regard to the exercise of this disposition he is active. A dead man cannot assist in his own resurrection, it is true; but he may, and can, like Lazarus, obey Christ's command, and "Come forth!"
Psa. 90:16, 17 illustrates both the divine and human part: "Let thy work appear unto thy servants," and then "the work of our hands establish thou it." God's work appears first, then man's. So Phil. 2:12,13.
====Moved by -Stevert Be well.
The opening paragraph is, I feel, a little disingenuous. The original usage of this phrase was Christian, and the primary usage is still Christian. As far as I am aware other uses to refer to similar experiences, religious or otherwise, are derivative from the Christian usage. No objection to referring to the other usages (which are much wider than implied - e.g. born again Cowboys fan, born-again Democrat, born-again Choccolate lover), but the Christion meaning should get a mention. DJ Clayworth 17:38, 10 Nov 2003 (UTC)
If the article says whether it applies to Orthodox, or to Catholics, or to some of the various denominations, sects, cults, whatever of Protestantism, or who knows, to Monophysites, I sure missed it. This article sounds more like a sermon than a discussion of what different people believe, or do they really all believe the same thing? 209.8.184.25 04:35, 3 Jan 2004 (UTC)