Tony Cruz
Full Member
Be on fire for God and people will come out to see you burn!
Posts: 107
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Post by Tony Cruz on Apr 10, 2006 21:41:26 GMT -5
What is the difference from being converted and being born again? Can someone be a convert yet not be born again? Can someone experience a conversion by repenting and placing their trust in Jesus and not have the born again experience by their lifestyle not drastically changing?
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Apr 10, 2006 22:42:57 GMT -5
Being born again is being converted and being converted is being born again. It is when you leave your sin behind and find grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. When you can truly say, "The old has past. Behold, all things have become new" and you begin walking in "newness" of life.
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Tony Cruz
Full Member
Be on fire for God and people will come out to see you burn!
Posts: 107
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Post by Tony Cruz on Apr 11, 2006 5:38:23 GMT -5
Okay, so does a person experiences the newness of life right away or does he still struggle in some areas as he becomes transformed. The reason for this question is that i know someone who has been converted and i have seen the change in his life but admits to this certain sin in his life he struggles with, and i can tell he hates the sin and feel really sorrowful when he does; he says. And he said he doesnt commit the sin everyday but when it comes up to be tempted he falls and to make it clear what that sin is in his life is lusting.
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Post by Miles Lewis on Apr 11, 2006 22:08:54 GMT -5
Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
A man must turn from all known sin. To give in to sin is a sure way to give the devil a foothold and the possibility is great that he will fall away from the faith. In the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus described this process...
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Post by Jules on Apr 15, 2006 14:21:05 GMT -5
some people confuse sanctification with regeneration though. they look at salvation as a moment in time in the PADT, when faith is an active tense verb, present tense, TODAY. If you ask people about their faith, most reply with some sort of testimony involving the past, nothing about today. I doubt the validity of such claims of being in Christ. Enduring faith, not past tense faith. Of course it has to start or begin at some point, but this should never be our "claim" to salvation.
Regeneration IS the new birth when God breathes life into us as we are dead in our sins. Then sanctification is the working out of the salvation promised to us in Christ, by grace, through faith, kept by the power of God, with hope of our salvation to come. Abiding in Him. I know you know all this already, but for those who might read this and think salvation is a one time event in the past, I wanted to share some thoughts about how dangerous that line of thinking is and how it can result in lukewarmness, hypocrites, and abusers of grace.
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Post by darcfollowingjesus on Apr 25, 2006 19:05:58 GMT -5
I agree with all the posts before mine, especially yours jules. I know what you are saying about those that hang their hat on some day "26years, 10months and 14hours ago I was saved" When they say that to me I ask them but how close are you with the Lord Jesus today? Are you close enough that if you were to die in an accident today you'd go to heaven? It gets some good responses.
I agree with the sanctification process after justification and we also need to be very careful here, too. Because like this friend of yours Tony, if a person has truly repented then their will not be the propensity to sin as before. We will hate sin and strive and strain with everything in us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to not ever sin again. It is a life style of repentance not simply a one time event, it is a continual turning away or abstaining from those sinful desires as spoken of in 1 Peter 2:11.
Let me share a short testimony of my own walk. Right before I repented and came to faith I was heavily into porn, prostitutes and a lot of sexual immorality of every sort. Under much conviction by the Holy Spirit I repented of these sins, which literally took numerous days of turning from each new sin revealed to me in this area as well as with other sins. God revealed the truth of Matt. 5:29,30 to me. This a repentance scripture for sure. That cutting off was a lengthy process from the places I went, to the people I used to hang out with, to TV, etc., etc.. The point is like brother Miles said "No man can serve two masters" (Matt. 6:24a). It's a drastic change.
"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." (Matt 5:29,30)
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