Born Into or Born Again?

[David101]

I'm curious to see if most of the young people here were born into their faith or found it later in life. I myself consider myself born again. I was raised a militant, religion hating atheist which led to me becoming a very hateful person in my youth. Thankfully at the beginning of this year my entire life and very being was flipped upside down from hatred to love, from misery to hope. Enough about me though, this is for testimonies if anything

I'm curious though, born into or born again?

 

[Quantrill]

I'm curious to see if most of the young people here were born into their faith or found it later in life. I myself consider myself born again. I was raised a militant, religion hating atheist which led to me becoming a very hateful person in my youth. Thankfully at the beginning of this year my entire life and very being was flipped upside down from hatred to love, from misery to hope. Enough about me though, this is for testimonies if anything

I'm curious though, born into or born again?

It doesn't matter if one is born into a Christian family or not. They still need to be born-again. They are no better than you because they were born into a Christian family. But neither are you any better than them because they are born into a Christian family and you were not.

Don't fall into the trap that because your situation is different than others then that makes you a better Christian. Every believer needed the blood of Jesus Christ to be saved.

Don't let your testimony be nothing but bragging about what a great sinner you were. I have heard them all before. I personally praise God for the believer that was raised in a Christian family and placed faith in Jesus Christ and did not stray. That is a glorious testimony to me. And in later years they will find that will reap much benefit in their walk with the Lord.

Quantrill

 

[Kaps89]

I'm curious to see if most of the young people here were born into their faith or found it later in life. I myself consider myself born again. I was raised a militant, religion hating atheist which led to me becoming a very hateful person in my youth. Thankfully at the beginning of this year my entire life and very being was flipped upside down from hatred to love, from misery to hope. Enough about me though, this is for testimonies if anything

I'm curious though, born into or born again?

Hello mate,

So I was baptised on September 30th after doing an Alpha course in the first half of this year. I've been in and out of church for years but it never really clicked. My family were not Christian and I didn't go to a faith school or anything. I actively hated religion and thought Christians were proper weirdos. When I was about 15 I got involved in the drug scene and ended up getting very heavily involved. I wound up addicted to multiple drugs and behaviours and ended up in a Christian rehab about 7 years ago. I literally had nothing, I'd lost everything. When I left there all I had was a bin bag full of clothes. I took me a few years but I ended up rebuilding my life but I kept going back to the drugs or the damaging behaviours.

I hated God. I hated myself. I hated everyone. I went to church sporadically and I prayed infrequently for years. The only thing that was stopping me from giving my life to Christ was that I couldn't forgive myself for everything that I'd done. And if I couldn't forgive myself how I was going to be forgiven?

Once I'd figured that out I said the prayer in the back of my Alpha booklet and for the first time in my life I felt different. I didn't have a miraculous salvation where the ceiling opened up and a light came through it but I felt different.

And here I am. With the greatest gift of all. I'm a changed man. I still struggle with some things. I still flinch and get nervous when I see the police. I'm still strengthening my walk with Christ and I'm still in the process of forgiving myself.

My entire life has changed. I've got an audio testimony somewhere I might post at some point but this is the short version.

God bless all

T

 

[David101]

It doesn't matter if one is born into a Christian family or not. They still need to be born-again. They are no better than you because they were born into a Christian family. But neither are you any better than them because they are born into a Christian family and you were not.

Don't fall into the trap that because your situation is different than others then that makes you a better Christian. Every believer needed the blood of Jesus Christ to be saved.

Don't let your testimony be nothing but bragging about what a great sinner you were. I have heard them all before. I personally praise God for the believer that was raised in a Christian family and placed faith in Jesus Christ and did not stray. That is a glorious testimony to me. And in later years they will find that will reap much benefit in their walk with the Lord.

Quantrill

In response to the first, I think you've looked too far into this and misread what I'm asking people. I wish to know if most teenagers on this site were born into faith or they came to it later. I could have phrased it better, I'll admit, but I think I explain myself well enough in the post above it.

I don't see myself as better or worse than any other Christian and it surely wasn't the purpose of this poll. I was curious to simply see how many teenagers are being brought into the faith through outside conversion and how many through family. I don't see where you got this high and mighty attitude from me, nor an attitude of being less than to other Christians.

 

[David101]

Hello mate,

So I was baptised on September 30th after doing an Alpha course in the first half of this year. I've been in and out of church for years but it never really clicked. My family were not Christian and I didn't go to a faith school or anything. I actively hated religion and thought Christians were proper weirdos. When I was about 15 I got involved in the drug scene and ended up getting very heavily involved. I wound up addicted to multiple drugs and behaviours and ended up in a Christian rehab about 7 years ago. I literally had nothing, I'd lost everything. When I left there all I had was a bin bag full of clothes. I took me a few years but I ended up rebuilding my life but I kept going back to the drugs or the damaging behaviours.

I hated God. I hated myself. I hated everyone. I went to church sporadically and I prayed infrequently for years. The only thing that was stopping me from giving my life to Christ was that I couldn't forgive myself for everything that I'd done. And if I couldn't forgive myself how I was going to be forgiven?

Once I'd figured that out I said the prayer in the back of my Alpha booklet and for the first time in my life I felt different. I didn't have a miraculous salvation where the ceiling opened up and a light came through it but I felt different.

And here I am. With the greatest gift of all. I'm a changed man. I still struggle with some things. I still flinch and get nervous when I see the police. I'm still strengthening my walk with Christ and I'm still in the process of forgiving myself.

My entire life has changed. I've got an audio testimony somewhere I might post at some point but this is the short version.

God bless all

T

Thank you so very much for sharing! I'm helping with an Alpha Course now, they truly are an amazing project I wish to see spread around more because shown by you and many others, it works!

 

[Kaps89]

Thank you so very much for sharing! I'm helping with an Alpha Course now, they truly are an amazing project I wish to see spread around more because shown by you and many others, it works!

It is. I'm planning on helping with the one my church is running in the early new year. There's also a slim chance I might be doing my testimony for some of the course material too.

T

 

[David101]

It is. I'm planning on helping with the one my church is running in the early new year. There's also a slim chance I might be doing my testimony for some of the course material too.

T

Let's hope that slim chance changes to a large one but it's one that needs to be shared! They've done amazing work over at Alpha, I just think local churches need to give it a lot more support so we can reach more and more people. Particularly, and part of the reason I'm doing this post, I want to try and bring it into schools/colleges/universities where I think it would be most successful. But of course, anywhere the Gospel goes it is successful

 

[maxwel]

I wish to know if most teenagers on this site were born into faith or they came to it later. I could have phrased it better, I'll admit, but I think I explain myself well enough in the post above it.

Well it isn't possible for anyone to be born a Christian.

Someone can be born into a Christian family, and carry the label of Christian... but that doesn't make them a Christian.

Biblically, there are no Christians except those who are born again.
The whole concept of being "born again" comes with the inherent understanding that your first birth doesn't get you into heaven.
The gospel of John says we must be "born again" precisely BECAUSE the first birth can't make us right with God.
The NEED for a second birth is verification that the first birth isn't enough.

Anyone who believes the first birth made them a Christian... is not yet a Christian.

Therefore, it would be just as reasonable to start a thread titled, "Are you born again, or not born again."
That's all there is.
You've had the second birth, or you haven't.


...

 

[Poinsetta]

O.K. Conceived in sin made with love 9mos. Brought up to church later through time grew my faith more and more. Increase everytime.

 

[EmilyFoster]

Hi there. I’m a born again. I was born and raised in another faith but came to know about Jesus after marrying my Christian husband. Blessings to all of you!

 

[Demi777]

You cant just be born into it. Everyone must be born again.

 

[Kaps89]

You cant just be born into it. Everyone must be born again.

I believe what David is asking is whether people were born into a family with Christian parents and then chose to follow their faith or whether they were raised in a non-Christian household and then found their faith later on in life.

T

 

[Demi777]

I believe what David is asking is whether people were born into a family with Christian parents and then chose to follow their faith or whether they were raised in a non-Christian household and then found their faith later on in life.

T

Well in that case i grew up with my mom being Christian and my dad being a mage.

 

[danja]

My family is not christian. I came to open my heart to Christ when I was 23

 

[tourist]

My family is not christian. I came to open my heart to Christ when I was 23

...and you were very wise to do so.

 

[danja]

I thank God every day hugs❤️

 

[Solemateleft]

I'm curious to see if most of the young people here were born into their faith or found it later in life. I myself consider myself born again. I was raised a militant, religion hating atheist which led to me becoming a very hateful person in my youth. Thankfully at the beginning of this year my entire life and very being was flipped upside down from hatred to love, from misery to hope. Enough about me though, this is for testimonies if anything

I'm curious though, born into or born again?

Hmm... maybe there should be a third option; which would be both?
Is that not the dream that we christians would all pray for our own children, for their salvation?

 

[Xethea]

Born again. I was physically born and spiritually dead at my existence, then I was born again, made as a new person that my dead spirit had been brought to life by the Holy Spirit of the Lord.

My entire family claims to be Christians, yet they are all a mixture of Pentecostals, Baptists, Catholics, etc. I am the only one who doesn't view that I have a religion, or a denomination, I say that I believe in the Lord, not a denomination or religion, I have neither, I am of the Lord and follow the Lord and believe in the Lord. I believe the mass majority of my family are unsaved. So to speak, my parents were highly abusive, take the Lords name in vain constantly, attack each other, scream all day and night, threatened their children with a metal baseball bat, live for drugs, don't go to chapel services or pray or read scripture, yet they were born into a Christian family, my grandfather was even a Pentecostal pastor.
I find many of their beliefs false as well though. So they weren't probably growing up in a real saved Christian family, but rather a family who just followed traditions and religion. I think by what they grew up around, the Lord wasn't really there and clearly them being alive longer than 50 years and still living like that, never changing and never doing anything for the Lord, I believe they aren't Christians though they claim to be.

Still, even if I was born into a true Christian family, I would have to be born again.

 

[blessedmegs]

Here's my story, or a condensed version of it

I grew up mormon until I was about 7 or 8, I stopped going after that because I moved away from my great grandparents who were taking me. I never gave much thought until I was about 12, at which point I drank the Kool Aid my crazy mother was giving me and became a militant atheist. Some stuff happened in my life (don't want to go into it too heavily, basically - abuse) and I was left with decisions to make about who I was going to let heal me - the world, or God? Well, the world wasn't doing such a great job so far, so I chose to go with God. I finally gave my heart to Jesus at the age of 18 I know I made the right decision.