Not By Works
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I ask you again. What does Born Again mean to you ? ? ?
And if you decide to answer, How do you know it really happened ? ? ?
John 3:3-7 (HCSB)
3 Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 “But how can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked Him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again.
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (NIV)
10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:
16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
And hopefully, you saw that's what I was saying in that post.
That's what makes salvation the gracious and merciful thing that it is.
Even though you do the trusting, you can't do it without God's merciful and gracious intervention.
I believe that.
I think I said that as early as just yesterday, except I include the scenario where the word becomes more firmly rooted and established as the believer grows up. But certainly, the depth to which the word is rooted in your heart determines your perseverance. 4th type of soil is where Jesus speaks of the perseverance of the word in the soil. Until you, or I, or any believer gets there the potential for the word becoming uprooted in unbelief remains. God has mercy on whom he will have mercy.
We agree that Christ does the sustaining by providing the exact conditions for you to continue your believing.....if you want to continue to believe. And that is where we diverge. You say the true believer will always continue to believe no matter what. I say if that were true there would be 1) no passionate exhortations in scripture for believers to keep believing, and 2) no examples in our Bibles of the Galatians and Corinthians turning away from the gospel Paul preached to them, and the potential of the Hebrews turning away.
That's what makes salvation the gracious and merciful thing that it is.
Even though you do the trusting, you can't do it without God's merciful and gracious intervention.
I believe that.
I think I said that as early as just yesterday, except I include the scenario where the word becomes more firmly rooted and established as the believer grows up. But certainly, the depth to which the word is rooted in your heart determines your perseverance. 4th type of soil is where Jesus speaks of the perseverance of the word in the soil. Until you, or I, or any believer gets there the potential for the word becoming uprooted in unbelief remains. God has mercy on whom he will have mercy.
We agree that Christ does the sustaining by providing the exact conditions for you to continue your believing.....if you want to continue to believe. And that is where we diverge. You say the true believer will always continue to believe no matter what. I say if that were true there would be 1) no passionate exhortations in scripture for believers to keep believing, and 2) no examples in our Bibles of the Galatians and Corinthians turning away from the gospel Paul preached to them, and the potential of the Hebrews turning away.
So you get the broken record? 
I could only think of Joe Biden's reference to the 'record player' in one of his massive <cough> rallies.
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Okay, cool.
We're good.
Sometimes it's hard to tell if someone is simply reaffirming what was said or attempting to correct it.
We're good.
Sometimes it's hard to tell if someone is simply reaffirming what was said or attempting to correct it.
Have you had a previous account on christianchat at any point in time?
(if so what was the screen name/ account name)
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Ask the Galatians.
Yes, definitely.
We see in Galatians that Paul says they are known by God, but Paul seems to suggest they do not know God well.
I know from observation that people who fail in their faith were weak.
Not unbelieving, just weak for whatever reason.
You know, type 2 or 3 soil.
Yes, definitely.
We see in Galatians that Paul says they are known by God, but Paul seems to suggest they do not know God well.
I know from observation that people who fail in their faith were weak.
Not unbelieving, just weak for whatever reason.
You know, type 2 or 3 soil.
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This is not on topic, this is my current wallpaper, but look at this boat ramp and the surf coming in.
How would you like to be in an aluminum flat bottom, trying to get out in that surf ?
REMINDS ME of the time, when I lived in Crescent City, CA. I went out on the ocean with Pastor Terry, and he only had an aluminum flat bottom. On top of it, he decided to go out following the Top Cat, a big fishing charter boat. All the way to where the Top Cat was fishing out of sight of the land. The fog drifted in, and when it was time to head back, he said, "You listen for the fog horn, because I cannot hear with this motor." He did not know I had a partial hearing loss!
How would you like to be in an aluminum flat bottom, trying to get out in that surf ?
REMINDS ME of the time, when I lived in Crescent City, CA. I went out on the ocean with Pastor Terry, and he only had an aluminum flat bottom. On top of it, he decided to go out following the Top Cat, a big fishing charter boat. All the way to where the Top Cat was fishing out of sight of the land. The fog drifted in, and when it was time to head back, he said, "You listen for the fog horn, because I cannot hear with this motor." He did not know I had a partial hearing loss!
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I have never once side stepped a question to you and am very direct about what I believe...🤔
If I used a poor choice of words or you just happened to misunderstand, I would definitely take the time to try and reword whatever confused you....
I would like to know though ...
Have you had a previous account on christianchat at any point in time?
(if so what was the screen name/ account name)
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