Aaron, your reasoning is circular. You don’t have to be spiritually alive to be born again. You start out spiritually dead and when you enter into relationship with Christ you become more and more alive spiritually and you grow into that relationship.
Make sense?
Richard
You said: Aaron, your reasoning is circular. You don’t have to be spiritually alive to be born again. You start out spiritually dead and when you enter into relationship with Christ you become more and more alive spiritually and you grow into that relationship.
Aaron: Nooooooo! Being born again is being spirtually alive. You enter into relationship with Jesus Christ by going from spiritual death to spiritual life by faith. ( 1 John 3:14) When you are born again…your spirit is created in righteousness and true holiness ( Eph 4:24) You can’t become any more righteous or holy. It does not exist any other way, Richard.
You are spiritually dead unless your in Christ. You can only be spirtually alive by faith in Christ…So, to be in Christ by faith is to be spirtually alive or born again. To be spiritually dead is to be not in Christ and an unbeliever.
Make Sense?
God bless,
Aaron
Aaron, then we agree. You start out spiritually dead. You enter into relationship with Christ and you become spiritually alive. Right. That is what I believe, as well. May I ask, are you a universalist?
Richard
No sir, I’m a born again child of God. I do not believe the bible teaches UR. I believe the bible teaches that Jesus made provision for everyone to be saved, but to be a partaker of this salvation one must believe to receive it…or doubt it and do without it…pretty simple stuff.
God bless,
Aaron
Aaron, then we will just have to agree to disagree.
Love you just the same. 
Richard
Richard
One final thought. Why you think being “born again” is an ongoing experience and not received instantaneously by faith totally contradicts the bible. I leave you with the words of John inspired by the Holy Spirit:
1 John 5: 10-12 "10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
Verse 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
Verse 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Notice in verse 11 and 12 God tells us he has given us eternal life. We have this born again life when we have the Son. How do we have the Son? When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior by faith. Instantaneous, right now we have born again life. It is not an ongoing experience to get it. You have it now for all those who believe.
God bless,
Aaron
How strongly does one have to believe> Obviously faith or belief occurs in varying degrees. What about the individual who has serious doubts and reservations about the truth of the gospel but still wants a relationship with Jesus? Where does God draw the line? What level of belief or faith qualifies? Below is a link to a test you can take to determine your level of faith and belief. Where does one need to score on this test to consider himself born again?
I agree with most of what you said above. He who has the son has life. It’s just that I believe that salvation is a process. The more of the Son you have the more of his life you experience.
Here is the link:
Richard
The only part of salvation that is not a reality is wearing our redeemed, glorified bodies and experiencing heaven.( those are coming) The rest of our salvation is right now! Saved from what? Delivered from spiritual death, Delivered from sickness and disease, Delivered from poverty, Delivered from the power of the sin nature spiritually, physically/emotionally, and financially. Whether you walk in it or not is up to you. All these promises are paid for with the blood of Jesus!
Stop trying to rationalize faith, Richard. You come to Jesus with childlike faith to access his grace of salvation.
God bless,
Aaron
On this we both agree!
Blessings,
Richard
Richard
The only part of salvation that is not a reality is wearing our redeemed, glorified bodies and experiencing heaven.( those are coming) The rest of our salvation is right now! Saved from what? Delivered from spiritual death, Delivered from sickness and disease, Delivered from poverty, Delivered from the power of the sin nature spiritually, physically/emotionally, and financially. Whether you walk in it or not is up to you. All these promises are paid for with the blood of Jesus!
Stop trying to rationalize faith, Richard. You come to Jesus with childlike faith to access his grace of salvation
Aaron: Agree with all of it because it is written with the blood of Jesus whether you walk in it or not!
God bless,
Aaron
Sorry, Aaron
Those views don’t square with the scriptures and certainly not reality? When’s the last time you had a cold?
Richard
Richard
I did not say sickness and disease won’t try to invade your unredeemed body, I’m saying when it does you have the authority to rebuke it and not carry it because Jesus already bore it. No sense the two of us carrying it.
Paraphrasing:
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law!
Hebrews 9:12 We have a eternal redemption with Jesus’ blood!
Colossians 1:12-14 Explains accessing our inheritance (salvation) by being qualified. How? Being born again.
Matthew 8:17 Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses so you would not have to!
There are many,many more I can show you, but these do just fine.
Stop believing what religion has told you, Richard, and believe what God says!
God bless,
Aaron
We must tell that beggar in Calcutta just how great life is for you now that Jesus has solved all your spiritual, physical and financial problems. I’m sure he will be very happy for you. It’s great that you are so much farther along spiritually than he.
Richard
Richard
That is how Jesus sent the 12 and the seventy out… He said tell them the kingdom of heaven is at hand…Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils, raise the dead…freely give as you freely received. he has commanded us to do the same ( Mark 16:15-20).
You see, Richard, we are to demonstrate the gospel, not just preach in word only.
Btw, maybe you should ask God to send you to calcutta to preach the gospel to the beggar who you say don’t know God exits. Go on a missionary trip, Richard, intead of making excuses why culcutta don’t know Jesus…go…and let them hear, brother.
God bless,
Aaron
Richard
I lay hands on the sick all the time and they recover. I have seen backs, necks, acne, sinus infections, cancer,etc… healed by the power of God. I’m conforming to the image of Christ inside me everyday. I’m not walking in the fullness of Jesus, but I’m making progress and walking down that path to reach the fullness of ( Jesus’ life) in me.
1 John 4:17: As Jesus is, so am I in this world! Thank you Jesus!
The works I do you will do also and greater works you will do because I go to the Father. John 14:12.
God bless,
Aaron
You are a very gifted and amazing individual, Aaron.
I’m just a sinner saved by grace, and that’s enough for me.
Bye for now.
Richard
Richard
Nooo, your not just sinner saved by grace…you were a sinner saved by grace, but now ( if you are born again) your a New Creature with the life of God in your spirit. You are a totally different species…you are no longer in Adam but in Christ. You can lay hands on the sick and watch them recover, too…Jesus said all these signs will follow them that believe ( Mark 16:15-20).
Btw, maybe you should ask God to send you to calcutta to preach the gospel to the beggar who you say don’t know God exits. Go on a missionary trip, Richard, intead of making excuses why culcutta don’t know Jesus…go…and let them hear, brother.
God bless,
Aaron
Aaron,
I’ll email you from Calcutta. LOL
We’ll never agree on these issues, but we are, after all, still brothers in Christ.
Bye again,
Richard
Richard
Why can’t you believe with me on these issues? I have given you nothing but the truth from the Word of God. God says my people perish from the lack of knowledge. Don’t be robbed of your inheritance, walk in it. All things are possible to him that believe.
God bless,
Aaron