How does one get born again?

[Waggles]

@Vincent
The truth of the gospel preached from the Day of Pentecost can only be experienced by believing the scriptures and embracing a genuine Bible obedient Pentecost
Fellowship - in which ALL are baptized by full immersion and are baptized in the Holy Spirit and ALL are confirmed by the Bible evidence of speaking in tongues
(equivalent to praying in the Spirit as the scriptures refer to: Ephesians 6:18 and Jude 1:20).

Unless one believes the very words spoken by Jesus himself in Mark 16 then I guess you will never never know nor experience the power and revelation of
God through receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit. And therefore many of the scriptures will remain a mystery to you.

You and others will spend all your time arguing and debating and challenging the Scriptures because the testimony of the saints who have embraced Pentecost,
with all of these signs shall follow, shall always be a thorn in the side of other doctrinal choices.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

 

[Vincent]

@Vincent
The truth of the gospel preached from the Day of Pentecost can only be experienced by believing the scriptures and embracing a genuine Bible obedient Pentecost
Fellowship - in which ALL are baptized by full immersion and are baptized in the Holy Spirit and ALL are confirmed by the Bible evidence of speaking in tongues
(equivalent to praying in the Spirit as the scriptures refer to: Ephesians 6:18 and Jude 1:20).

You still have not given a reason that Eph 6 and Jude 1:20 is talking about speaking in tongues. What is your reasoning for believing this? You also ignored my question about how you know you are speaking in tongues?

Unless one believes the very words spoken by Jesus himself in Mark 16 then I guess you will never never know nor experience the power and revelation of
God through receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit. And therefore many of the scriptures will remain a mystery to you.

Mark 16:14-18 (ESV)

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So why is speaking in tongues the only sign of the Holy Spirit? Why not casting out demons, pick up serpents, drinking poison and healing the sick not required as a sign? Have you drank deadly poison and lived?

You and others will spend all your time arguing and debating and challenging the Scriptures because the testimony of the saints who have embraced Pentecost,
with all of these signs shall follow, shall always be a thorn in the side of other doctrinal choices.

Acts 17 says the Berean's were commended for searching the scriptures and seeing what was true. Trying to reach real conclusions about scripture, asking questions is noble and not the same as challenging scripture to disprove it. I am not convinced that speaking in tongues is a required sign for salvation as I explained in an earlier post.

 

[Lanolin]

For those of us who have received and operate in the gifts, we KNOW the gift has been given because we speak in tongues we havent learned.

For those of you who think it hasnt been given, or ceased (stopped) have you actually asked for it? GOd might have given it to you but you just havent used it yet!

Please be open to receiving and having signs follow. I think God gives this to us so we know for sure its of Him and not ourselves. We cant boast of it and say well Im bilingual and leanred this language just cos Im so clever or my parents taught me. Its God given.

When It was given to me I didnt know what I was saying but someone else did and they said I was magnifying the Lord. And you can use it to pray and praise God because the spirit is speaking through you, you KNOW He is dwelling IN you.

 

[KingJ]

I am not convinced that speaking in tongues is a required sign for salvation as I explained in an earlier post.

Agreed. Evidence of being saved is being able to call Jesus Lord / believing Jesus is Lord.

1 Cor 12:3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

Matt 16:16-17 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

If one can truthfully call Jesus Lord, they are saved. If we curse Jesus / do not believe He is Lord, we are not saved. As, believing He is Lord is something God has to reveal to us. Something He does after we repent and are judged. Even Peter, who walked on water, needed this revelation from God.

Speaking in tongues can be a sign, but is not 'the' sign.

 

[Born Again 2004]

I agree King, speaking in Tongues is a definite gift but not , alone, a sign of salvation but an indication , as well are other gifts as God sees fit. According to St, Paul, it should not be done for self-gratification but rather for edification of others, in which case, if not understood, it is useless without an interpreter!! Paul was quite clear that he much preferred a Christian to edify the church though the word and the preaching that word as apposed to speaking in tongues!

 

[B-A-C]

John 3:3; Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 3:7; "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

John 3:6; "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

What does it mean to be "born of the Spirit"?

 

[Born Again 2004]

What does it mean to be "born of the Spirit"?

Jesus is spirit. To become a true Christian, is to have Jesus come inside you, that is the mystery that the Bible talks about. Having him inside you is why you are righteous and why you make it to heaven. It is not your righteousness but him who is in you and once he is in you, your are born again, not of flesh but now of spirit, just like the Bible says, and , hence, your are born of the spirit! This is your passage to God's realm. I believe with all my heart that you are forgiven and the only thing God looks for is the presence of his son inside you!

 

[KingJ]

What does it mean to be "born of the Spirit"?

Spiritual adoption by God. Eph 1:5 He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

 

[Hekuran]

To understand what the Bible means by being 'born again', we'd need to look at the original conversation in which Jesus introduced the phrase, and what it meant in the context of that conversation.

The conversation is between Jesus and a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a piety movement in the 1st century, and they believed that the way to respond to the their situation - Roman occupation - was to devote their lives to observing the Torah. Compared to other groups such as Essenes (withdrawal from society), Zealots (violent resistance), and Sadducees (collaboration with Romans) the Pharisees had more common ground with Jesus.

The passage in the Old Testament that resonates most strongly with what Jesus is says here is Ezekiel 36: 'I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.'

The basic message of 'being born again' to Nicodemus is that narrow observance of the law is inadequate. Rather, from Psalm 51 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. and 'For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Jesus is saying to Nicodemus: God is looking at your heart - being born of the spirit - not only how strictly you are following the rules.

We live after Jesus' death and resurrection, and have the advantage of understanding more of God's plan of salvation. But at the time of this conversation, Nicodemus had no way to understand any message along the lines of 'invite Jesus into your heart'.