The New Birth

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The key which unlocks all the promises of God is this, Jesus taught that a man must be born again. The following statements came from the lips of Jesus:
  1. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ( John 3:3).
  2. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God ( John 3:5).
  3. Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven ( Matt. 18:3).
  4. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish ( Luke 13:3, 5).
The New Birth is a necessity to being saved. Through the New Birth you come into the right relationship to God. The New Birth is necessary before you can claim any of the benefits of the Bible.

The New Birth is not: confirmation, church membership, water baptism, the taking of sacramemnts, observing religious duties, an intellectual reception of Christianity, orthodoxyy of faith,going to church, saying prayers, reading the Bible, being moral, being cultured or refined, doing good deeds, doing your best, nor any of the many other things some men are trusting in to save them.

Nicedemus whom Jesus addressed concerning the New Birth, possessed most of the qualities we just listed, but Jesus said to him, ye must be born again ( John 3:7).

The thief on the cross, and others Jesus forgave while on earth, were saved without these things. They simply did the one necessary thing, they accepted Jesus Christ by repenting and turning to God with the whole heart as a little child. 👍👍
Peace, Golfjack
 
I can answer this and have many times. Here’s My Testimony.

I wrote these two articles for my blog to explain why I reject the oversimplified different Gospel that is being preached in many Christian faith communities outside of the Catholic Church.

How Is A Catholic Saved?
Who REALLY Preaches “A Different Gospel”?

I have no doubts at all that I am a born again believer. I simply refuse to follow the errant modern new winds of doctrines of men that are prevalent in many n-C faith communities.

There are several good articles in the Catholic Answers online Library that will further clarify what the Gospel is.

  1. There are also several other very good articles in the archives of This Rock magazine that will also help.
 
John 3:5
Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of **water **and Spirit.

KJV ofJohn 3:5 if you prefer
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of **water **and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
 
Joh 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Joh 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
 
golfjack said:
The key which unlocks all the promises of God is this, Jesus taught that a man must be born again. The following statements came from the lips of Jesus:
  1. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ( John 3:3).
  2. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God ( John 3:5).
  3. Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven ( Matt. 18:3).
  4. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish ( Luke 13:3, 5).
The New Birth is a necessity to being saved. Through the New Birth you come into the right relationship to God. The New Birth is necessary before you can claim any of the benefits of the Bible.

The New Birth is not: confirmation, church membership, water baptism, the taking of sacramemnts, observing religious duties, an intellectual reception of Christianity, orthodoxyy of faith,going to church, saying prayers, reading the Bible, being moral, being cultured or refined, doing good deeds, doing your best, nor any of the many other things some men are trusting in to save them.

Nicedemus whom Jesus addressed concerning the New Birth, possessed most of the qualities we just listed, but Jesus said to him, ye must be born again ( John 3:7).

The thief on the cross, and others Jesus forgave while on earth, were saved without these things. They simply did the one necessary thing, they accepted Jesus Christ by repenting and turning to God with the whole heart as a little child. 👍👍
Code: 
    Peace,   Golfjack
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I can accept that the thief was saved because Jesus said that he would be in Paradise. What evidence, from the Bible, exists that any of those to Whom Jesus said “Your sins are forgiven.”, or “Go and sin no more.” were ultimately saved? This seems to be a possibility, not a probability.
 
I do not wish to diminish the importance of repentance and conversion of heart. They are necessary prerequisites for the New Birth but they do not ordinarily cause the New Birth, as you suppose. The New Birth is ordinarily* caused by water baptism. Thus, Sacred Scripture mentions “the washing of New Birth” (Titus 3:6) and Jesus says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16) and Peter says, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you.” (1 Peter 3:21)

One feature of the New Birth is the forgiveness of all past sins, which Sacred Scripture associates with water baptism. (Acts 2:38; 22:16) Another feature of the New Birth is that it begins our “walk in the newness of life,” which does not begin until we have first died in water baptism. (Romans 6:2-4)

*The Catholic Church recognizes that the New Birth can occur in extraordinary circumstances apart from water baptism: when an unbaptized person suffers martyrdom for Jesus Christ or when an unbaptized person manifests perfect love of God (so-called baptism of desire), 1 John 4:18. Although the sacraments, such as baptism, are efficacious signs of God’s grace, God is always free to bestow His grace apart from the sacraments upon whomever He chooses.
 
The Word of God is the water referred to in John 3:5. Just look at Eph. 5:26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it ( the church) with the washing of water by the word.

One must believe what the Word of God says about man, that man is a sinner and that Christ died to save him from all sin. Then if man will confess his sins to God and turn from sin with a whole heart and believe the Gospel, he is conforming to the Word of God. 👍
Peace, Golfjack
 
golfjack said:
The New Birth is not … water baptism
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Water, Water Everywhere
Taken from: blog.catholic-convert.com/?p=238
  1. Code: 
      The first creation came from the earth which was covered with WATER and the SPIRIT hovered over the waters and from the water emerged land and man and God's first creation (Gen 1:1-2).
  2. Code: 
      A new humanity was started with Noah through WATER and SPIRIT. The ark went through the water and a dove (representing the Spirit) hovered overhead with an olive branch. Peter said this represents baptism which "now saves us" (1 Peter 3:18-21).
  3. Code: 
      The nation of Israel was created through the WATER of the Red Sea (baptism) with the cloud and fire of the Holy SPIRIT overhead — my, oh my, again we have water and Spirit (Ex 14).
  4. Code: 
      Ezekiel then describes what the New Covenant will look like and he said we will be sprinkled with clean WATER and his SPIRIT will be placed in us (Ez 36:25). Born again, I suspect.
  5. Code: 
      Then Jesus, right before saying you must be born of “water and the Spirit” had just gone down into the WATER of the Jordan and the SPIRIT came down and landed on his head. Again, water and the Spirit (Mt 3:16; Jn 1:29).
  6. Code: 
      Jesus teaches Nicodemus that he must be born again, or from above which is accomplished through “WATER and the SPIRIT.“
  7. Code: 
      When Jesus finished these words what was the first thing he did? He went down and baptized people in the Jordan with his disciples (Jn 4:1-2).
  8. Code: 
      At the first Holy Ghost Gospel Revival meeting Peter stood up at Pentecost and said, “Repent, and be baptized (WATER) every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy SPIRIT“ (Acts 2:38).
  9. Code: 
      Peter also says “Baptism now saves you“ (1 Pet 3:18), and Paul is told “Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16), and Paul writes that we are saved “by the washing of regeneration (WATER) and renewal in the Holy SPIRIT“ (Titus 3:5).
Water baptism was prefigured in the OT and brings about the forgiveness of sins and regeneration of the soul.

1 Corintians 10:1-4
“I WANT you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”

This is an abundantly clear OT prefiguring of baptism and being saved by baptism. The Israelites were baptized into Moses by passing through the water of the Red Sea; we are baptized into Christ by passing through the water of the baptismal font.
 
golfjack said:
The Word of God is the water referred to in John 3:5. Just look at Eph. 5:26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it ( the church) with the washing of water by the word.
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The literal translation of Eph. 5:26 is, “that he might sanctify it, having cleansed [it] with the bathing of the water in the saying,” which sounds more like water baptism, which is done while saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” as per Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 28:19.

Judging by the other reference to “water” in John 3, namely John 3:23, context better supports the opinion that the water mentioned in John 3:5 is real water (H2O), the water used in baptism.
 
golfjack said:
The Word of God is the water referred to in John 3:5. Just look at Eph. 5:26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it ( the church) with the washing of water by the word.

One must believe what the Word of God says about man, that man is a sinner and that Christ died to save him from all sin. Then if man will confess his sins to God and turn from sin with a whole heart and believe the Gospel, he is conforming to the Word of God. 👍
Code: 
  Peace,   Golfjack
Click to expand...
Golfjack,
Just to be clear, Catholics believe that we have to believe in Jesus and the gospel to be saved, and that we need God’s grace to be saved.
However, we believe, and I think that the bible is crystal clear, that the act of being born again (or born from above) and everything that comes along with it occurs at baptism through the action of the Holy Spirit.

It seems like some Protestants believe that the sacraments are some sort of neopharisaical system where Catholics earn there way to heaven by participating in the sacraments, but never having any real relationship or faith in Jesus, or having a repentant heart. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The sacraments are avenues of grace which God uses to draw us nearer to him.
 
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