How do I know if I'm born again?

[Randy_Carson]

I’m glad you read it.
Chap 8 really sums it all up.
3 states we are all sinners(that is why we need to be born again)

As you have said, this tells “why” but not how.

4We are justified by faith

Sure…this explains justification. Is this how we are born again in your view? By faith?

5 Sin came from Adam. Grace comes through Jesus

No argument here. The Catholic Church has always taught that we are justified by Grace. Still, I’m not sure this is telling specifically how to be born again.

6 we put to death our sinful flesh become slaves to righteousness

Yes, we do this, but do we become “born again” only after we have done this? I think not.

7We are free from the law of sin and death. Paul talks about the war between the flesh and the spirit.

He sure does. What does this tell me about HOW to be born again?

8No condemnation for those walking in the spirit.

Amen! But of no value in terms of the “how”.

So, Romans 8 tells us a lot about life after we are born again, but Jesus explained how we become born again in John 3:5 - through baptism.

Open up a new thread and we could go into it deeper.

Thanks. I’ll pass. Since you are fallible, there is no reason to believe that your personal interpretation of scripture is any better than my own. And since you have rejected the Magisterium of the Church founded by Christ and led by the Spirit, I think I can do better studying other materials.

No offense intended. :tiphat:

 

[Randy_Carson]

Actually after searching around I found something somewhat explaining the state of children of believers. They are holy.
1cor7:14
It seems to suggest that the children are holy because of the belief of either parent. It does not say they become holy through a sacrament but throught the belief of the parent.

You’re kinda winging it here, aren’t you?

The Bible actually says:

Job 14:1-4
1 "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. 2 He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure. 3 Do you fix your eye on such a one? Will you bring him before you for judgment? 4 Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!

Psalm 51:5
5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

We are conceived in the iniquity of sin. This shows the need for baptism from the moment of conception.

Hope this helps. :tiphat:

 

[Randy_Carson]

But we can actually see the Holy Spirit descending on Him when as an adult He is baptized

Were you re-baptized when you left the Catholic Church to join whatever denomination or non-denomination you belong to today?

Why or why not?

Did anyone see the Holy Spirit descending on you in this fashion?

Or was this special sign given for the benefit of the disciples who were just getting to know Jesus?

 

[Randy_Carson]

At some point the baby has to make a conscious decision to accept Jesus. A person is not born again until he makes the decision for himself. parents can’t do it for him.
That is what I’ve been saying from the beginning.

The child can make a decision for himself at the age of reason, and this is commonly done through the sacrament of confirmation in the western Church.

However, this does not mean that the child was not “born again” or brought into the New Covenant when he or she was “baptized into Christ” as an infant.

The rest is YOUR addition to the gospel. There is no Bible verse that states what you assert above.

 

[Randy_Carson]

By circumcising their infants, Jewish parents everywhere, even Jesus’ own mother and foster father, forced them to be Covenant Jews. The nerve.

:clapping:

Pixie Dust 1, Misslollipops 0.

 

[Randy_Carson]

As I have said before Jews are Jewish from their bloodline. Circumsicion does not make a person Jewish.
You say baptism makes a baby catholic, not so with circumcision.

Gee, what about all the Gentiles who converted to Judaism? Weren’t they they were circumcised, too? :yup:

 

[misslollipops]

As you have said, this tells “why” but not how.

Sure…this explains justification. Is this how we are born again in your view? By faith?

No argument here. The Catholic Church has always taught that we are justified by Grace. Still, I’m not sure this is telling specifically how to be born again.

Yes, we do this, but do we become “born again” only after we have done this? I think not.

He sure does. What does this tell me about HOW to be born again?

Amen! But of no value in terms of the “how”.

So, Romans 8 tells us a lot about life after we are born again, but Jesus explained how we become born again in John 3:5 - through baptism.

Thanks. I’ll pass. Since you are fallible, there is no reason to believe that your personal interpretation of scripture is any better than my own. And since you have rejected the Magisterium of the Church founded by Christ and led by the Spirit, I think I can do better studying other materials.

No offense intended. :tiphat:

Ok you became born again when your parents made you get baptized. I am done.

 

[misslollipops]

To all who responded to this thread,

Thank you very much.
I have told the truth and used scripture to support my position.
You can either accept in or not.
I have no desire to repeat things over and over.
I will not be posting on this thread any further.

 

[Linnyo]

she was trolling!

 

[Teflon93]

Well, thanks for a great thread!

If you ever do feel the hankering to respond to the evidence we’ve presented and the questions we’ve asked of you, please feel free to revisit this thread.

 

[rlg94086]

I know that I am born again.
Each reader should ask themselves the same question. See?

I think that is funny. I “knew” I was born again as well (in the same way you believe it). Then, I fell away after the friend who brought me to church died. I alternated between atheist and agnostic for a while before I started to go to church again. It wasn’t until I converted to Catholicism that I really began to follow God. I still have a lot of work to do, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and a lot of intercessions I am hopeful to join Our Lord in heaven.

To say “I know that I am born again” sounds like you believe you will never have a crisis of faith. I hope you don’t, but you really should work your salvation out in fear and trembling like St Paul says to.

 

[Gamera]

To all who responded to this thread,

Thank you very much.
I have told the truth and used scripture to support my position.
You can either accept in or not.
I have no desire to repeat things over and over.
I will not be posting on this thread any further.

Thank you, as well. It’s always interesting to study God’s word with other Christians whose beliefs differ from our own. “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens the wits of another,” Proverbs 27:17. I don’t blame you for not wishing to continue in this thread, especially when not everything that’s been said to you has been charitable. But if nothing else, I hope we’ve persuaded you that there are Catholics who are sincere about building their lives on Christ and obeying His word.

 

[TobyLue]

To all who responded to this thread,

Thank you very much.
I have told the truth and used scripture to support my position.
You can either accept in or not.
I have no desire to repeat things over and over.
I will not be posting on this thread any further.

You have told what YOU think is the truth; which is only YOUR version (however, there is only one truth) and **twisted **scripture to support YOUR position (which is only your own personal interpretation) which no early church father nor early church teaching supports. We accept **not **YOUR position because it contradicts 2000 years of teachings.
We accept the position of the Church that Jesus founded.
God Bless you. I know many here, as well as I, will be praying for you.

 

[Mannyfit75]

To all who responded to this thread,

Thank you very much.
I have told the truth and used scripture to support my position.
You can either accept in or not.
I have no desire to repeat things over and over.
I will not be posting on this thread any further.

You are very much welcome. As you can see the Catholics here know their faith and can back it up with Scripture. We don’t adhere to Protestant theology of “OSAS” concept…

 

[Randy_Carson]

To all who responded to this thread,

Thank you very much.
I have told the truth and used scripture to support my position.
You can either accept in or not.
I have no desire to repeat things over and over.
I will not be posting on this thread any further.

You have told your opinion and used scripture to support your presuppositions.

So did the Arians, the Nestorians, the Albigensians, etc., etc.

But thanks for sharing.

 

[estesbob]

To all who responded to this thread,

Thank you very much.
I have told the truth and used scripture to support my position.
You can either accept in or not.
I have no desire to repeat things over and over.
I will not be posting on this thread any further.

Well let me think about it-I can accept you view based on nothing more than you opinion OR I can accept 2,000 years of teachings and traditions of the Church that Christ founded. Seems like an easy decision to me.

Guess you found that Catholics arent as ignorant of Scripture as your former Catholic frends , didnt ya? I supect when you tell someone to go read Romans you are not used to people coming back and saying it doesnt say what you says it does, are you?

 

[fellowChristian]

Well if anything maybe someone who just read the posts got alot of information.
Good work soldiers!
Carry on:thumbsup:

 

[krissy343]

Well if anything maybe someone who just read the posts got alot of information.
Good work soldiers!
Carry on:thumbsup:

For the most part, I’m a lurker so far because I am not yet strong enough to defend everything yet. But, I’m learning and I hope to “run with the big dogs” eventually I learned a TON from this thread, thanks guys and God bless!

Misslollipops, you are in my prayers. I hope you will really do some research with and open mind and an open heart. God bless!!

 

[Gamera]

Yeah, we Catholics made many good points here … so let’s not un-do whatever good we did by gloating or rubbing it in. That will not help to persuade Mislollipops or anybody else.

 

[misslollipops]

The HS is the Helper, imparted to you as a gift from God when you become born again.
My point is as an infant we cannot make a decision for Christ.
We cannot call on the name of Christ.
Our parents may desire that we live a Godly life. But they cannot force salvation on us. They cannot force us to put away our flesh and be renewed and be born again in the spirit. Nobody can do it for you.
Each person must accept Jesus as the Christ and repent. Then the helper will come.
This cannot happen at infancy.
Sure parents can offer their child to God when it is born, but the renewing of the mind, and putting to death of the flesh must be done by the individual. And this comes by hearing the word of God and accepting it.
One person(the parent) cannot bestow salvation,or the HS, or regeneration, or God’s grace,on another person(the child.)
Each must make his own choice to accept the truth.
Salvation comes by grace through faith. Eph2:8
Faith comes by hearing Rom10:17
Cannot happen as an infant.

bump