I Was Born A Christian

[crossnote]

Born a heathen.........funny

But to address my question..................???

My question is this: Do we, as believers, have an obligation to find a way to gently and loveingly explain to people who believe in this teaching that their belief is not in keeping with the Word of God? As well, what would be the best way to address this without causing anger or resentment in that person? This would also apply to those who choose to state their Spiritual Status as “unsure.”

I'll bring it to their attention and unless they protest or inquire I won't push the matter further except assume they haven't been born again until shown otherwise.

 

[Joshua_Generation]

careful, I dont follow Calvin... nor do i Have TULIP or whatever you are throwing at me.. Accusations reveal your fruit, but carry on ..... you realize there wont be Pentecostals in Heaven? nor a Full Gospel group? nor any kind of man made division of 'christ' so cleverly cut up.. what you will find is Blood Bought Saints, Purchased with His Blood from His Propitiation... Christ Crucified, some of you are 'staunch enemies' of the Cross of Christ, even though you claim Him, ye ar enemies of the Cross of Christ.. sorry..

When one is asked to clarify it is not an accusation. I see accusations alright but not coming from me

 

[AbbeyJoy]

yeah I hear that all the time. and I had a hard time explaing to some people that you cant be a christian just because your parents were christian or or if they were Pastors or something. you have to make a choice to accept Him in to your heart. BTW I like your pic P-Rehbien

 

[AuphirahQueen]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from mashach
Definition
anointed
NASB Translation
Anointed (1), anointed (34), anointed ones (2), Messiah (2).

How many times is the word Christian in the Bible? When was the word Christian first used? What was the name that Yahshua(Yehshua/JESUS) called HIS followers?

John 8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Truth and Freedom

30 As He was saying these things, many believed in Him. 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word,[i] you really are My disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”


Matthew 4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The First Disciples

18 As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for[j] people!” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.


Matthew 4 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”[a] 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.


Mark 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The First Disciples

16 As He was passing along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew,Simon’s brother. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.
17 “Follow Me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for[k] people!”18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in their boat mending their nets. 20 Immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.


Luke 5 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The First Disciples


5 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, He was standing by Lake Gennesaret.[a] 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake;[b] the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down[c] your nets for a catch.”
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I’ll let down the nets.”[d]
6 When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets[e]began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” 9 For he and all those with him were amazed[f] at the catch of fish they took, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.
“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people!”11 Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.



Acts 11 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)


25 Then he[h] went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 26 and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.



Acts 26 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?”

1 Peter 4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

16 But if anyone suffers as a “Christian,” he should not be ashamed but should glorify God in having that name.


I am a DISCIPLE of JESUS CHRIST(Yahshua/Yeshua) because those who follow Paul are called Christians. Show any where in the Sacred Word where JESUS CHRIST used the word Christian for HIS followers. Why did the word DISCIPLE changed when folks started following Paul(Old Saul) to Christian?

 

[atwhatcost]

I've had good table manners all my life.

Obviously, I haven't, since I'm pretty sure I ate like a slob as a baby, but my parents drilled in table manners from before my memory, so it feels like all my life.

In like kind, I've had the pleasure of knowing good men and women of God who truly raised their kids to fear and love the Lord. Maybe those kids don't remember their table manners from before they were like that. They always seemed to be like that from what I've seen of them. Now they have kids older than the first time I knew them.

No, we're not born into being Christians, but some of us were reborn before memory started. I assume that's what they mean by "all my life." (Until otherwise notified.)

The other choice is to assume God has some kind of age limits on rebirthing us.

 

[Bowhunter2394]

When one is asked to clarify it is not an accusation. I see accusations alright but not coming from me

I clarified Im not of Calvin, or any other sect division, denomination or group that has christ cut up... sorry.. you made it 'so' by your Assumption.. and your assumptins were WRONG.. so yes.. that is an accusation... careful! God hates a Presumptuous heart, filled with pride... sorry!

 

[SarahM777]

Lately I have noticed more than a few people who (on their Profile Page) make a statement such as: “I was born a Christian,” or “I’ve been a Christian all my life,” or “From birth,” and this truly saddens me.

I can not help but wonder if these people realize that one is not “born a Christian?”I know this is something they have been taught, but that does not make it right, and, in my opinion, it is a dangerous thing. For if one actually believes in this teaching, then they may never truly experience God’s saving grace through His Son Jesus Christ.

My question is this: Do we, as believers, have an obligation to find a way to gently and loveingly explain to people who believe in this teaching that their belief is not in keeping with the Word of God? As well, what would be the best way to address this without causing anger or resentment in that person? This would also apply to those who choose to state their Spiritual Status as “unsure.”

As I read Scripture, I don’t find where God allows one to proclaim “unsure” as a status. Jesus said he who is not for us is against us.

Some Scriptures to consider………

John 3:3 .) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
5 .) 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.
6 .) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 .) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

14 .) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 .) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 .) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 .) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 .) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Romans 10:8 .) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 .) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 .) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 .) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 .) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 .) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 .) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 .) And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

There are many, many more Scriptures, but I know some may want to quote a few as well, so I will allow these to support my belief that one is not born a Christian.

God bless

Was John the Baptist Born again before he was born?

Luke 1

[SUP]11 [/SUP]Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. [SUP]12 [/SUP]When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. [SUP]13 [/SUP]But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. [SUP]14 [/SUP]He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, [SUP]15 [/SUP]for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. [SUP]16 [/SUP]He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. [SUP]17 [/SUP]And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”


Jesus said this

Mark 9

[SUP]42 [/SUP]“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

Jesus clearly says little ones CAN BELIEVE in Him. If they believe in Him are they BORN AGAIN even though they are very young?

 

[breno785au]

Born a christian? That's a new one. Is that like when some people are raised in catholic homes and later in life identify themselves as catholic even though they arnt practicing?

 

[Blain]

If you are Genuinely His.. you WILL at some time, KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN predestined by Him, and He will make your Calling and Election .. sure.. there is No Doubt , in a Genuine Believers Mind, that they are Called by Him and Predestined by Him, and Elected by Him.. HE WILL REVEAL THAT TO YOU.. for some its later, for some its earlier, as Ye walk in Him. and He if Faithful to 'keep' you and 'preserve you'...

for example, I have some who make it their job and duty here, to come and question me. 'how do you know your still 'saved'? these from a very large pentecostal group, whose salvation is man based and man worked.. I tell them , its the Witness of the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth that tells me this, confirms it In His Word, Its about God .. keeping me, not about me keeping myself .. Salvation is about God.. not me... then I usually tell them the Scripture how GOD IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU.. then the conversations ends.. Truth always will make the devil turn and flee! indeed

Predestination? Oh boy....

 

[Bowhunter2394]

Predestination? Oh boy....

It is what it is... lolz.. and no I'm not of Callvin...., or the 'other group' which fights 'calvin' vice versa lolz... nor apart of any group or sect denomination that has christ cut up... sorry..

 

[Blain]

It is what it is... lolz.. and no I'm not of Callvin...., or the 'other group' which fights 'calvin' vice versa lolz... nor apart of any group or sect denomination that has christ cut up... sorry..

I never said you were anything I don't know you well enough to even consider what kind of denomination or belief system you have I just know the whole predestination doctrine when i see it as it is a highly heated debated subject

 

[Bowhunter2394]

yep no problem on my part, I dont want to derail your thread.. God Bless You....

 

[passing_through]

Are you a Christian?

Duh, I go to church!

Etc, Etc, Etc.

 

[p_rehbein]

Was John the Baptist Born again before he was born?

Luke 1

[SUP]11 [/SUP]Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. [SUP]12 [/SUP]When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. [SUP]13 [/SUP]But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. [SUP]14 [/SUP]He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, [SUP]15 [/SUP]for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. [SUP]16 [/SUP]He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. [SUP]17 [/SUP]And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”


Jesus said this

Mark 9

[SUP]42 [/SUP]“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

Jesus clearly says little ones CAN BELIEVE in Him. If they believe in Him are they BORN AGAIN even though they are very young?

John the Baptist was a very different person from all other men. He was prophesied of and was created to be the Forerunner of Jesus Christ. He was a very special and blessed person unlike all other men that have ever lived. John the Baptist was the Forerunner of Christ. One has to understand the implications of this to understand how he differs from all of us.

As for suffering the little children to come unto Him, Jesus is not saying they are believers as in being Christians/disciples of Him. What He is saying is that they are blameless in His sight for they have not yet reached the age of accountability. Knowing right from wrong, good from evil, and that should they die in this state, they would surely be with Him in heaven for He lays no blame at their feet. This does not mean that they heard the Gospel, realized their sinful nature, repented, confessed their sins and asked Jesus to come into their lives as Lord and Saviour, and became disciples of Christ, ergo, Christians...........Big difference.

The Scriptures I offered show this fairly clearly.........and there are others as well. They are not "born again" for Jesus Himself says that being "born again" is as becoming like a new baby.............innocent and trusting......When we are first saved/born again, our spirits are born anew in Christ and we become babes in Christ. That is why a new believer is fed with milk........until they grow in understanding and are able to feast on the meat of His Gospel. Just as children are first fed on milk until they mature and are able to feast on meat.

One is not born a Christian. Jesus never says they are, nor did any of the Disciples. God's salvation plan for mankind is laid out in detail throughout the Bible.

God bless

(edited to say)

We must remember if it were possible for us to be born Christians/disciples of Christ, then that makes His sacrifice on the cross of no avail. There would have been no need for Him to have come down in the form of man, suffer all He did, be crucified, buried and resurrected.

 

[p_rehbein]

I've had good table manners all my life.

Obviously, I haven't, since I'm pretty sure I ate like a slob as a baby, but my parents drilled in table manners from before my memory, so it feels like all my life.

In like kind, I've had the pleasure of knowing good men and women of God who truly raised their kids to fear and love the Lord. Maybe those kids don't remember their table manners from before they were like that. They always seemed to be like that from what I've seen of them. Now they have kids older than the first time I knew them.

No, we're not born into being Christians, but some of us were reborn before memory started. I assume that's what they mean by "all my life." (Until otherwise notified.)

The other choice is to assume God has some kind of age limits on rebirthing us.

And the other choice is what is taught in Scripture. How does an infant child recognize its sinful nature, its sinful life, and the need for Christ? How does this infant child recognize that it is to repent, and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour? How does this infant child manage all of this when it can not even care for itself? Can not feed itself, dress itself, anything. It is completely dependent on its parents for all life sustaining needs. Just as is the new believer dependent on Jesus Christ when reborn............. If a child is not mentally capable of realizing the difference between good and evil, right or wrong, how does that child recognize the need for repentance?

Now as to a hard line specific age? No.........it varies........but we are not born Christians.

God bless

 

[p_rehbein]

I am a DISCIPLE of JESUS CHRIST(Yahshua/Yeshua) because those who follow Paul are called Christians. Show any where in the Sacred Word where JESUS CHRIST used the word Christian for HIS followers. Why did the word DISCIPLE changed when folks started following Paul(Old Saul) to Christian?


Honestly..............sigh............

 

[SarahM777]

John the Baptist was a very different person from all other men. He was prophesied of and was created to be the Forerunner of Jesus Christ. He was a very special and blessed person unlike all other men that have ever lived. John the Baptist was the Forerunner of Christ. One has to understand the implications of this to understand how he differs from all of us.

As for suffering the little children to come unto Him, Jesus is not saying they are believers as in being Christians/disciples of Him. What He is saying is that they are blameless in His sight for they have not yet reached the age of accountability. Knowing right from wrong, good from evil, and that should they die in this state, they would surely be with Him in heaven for He lays no blame at their feet. This does not mean that they heard the Gospel, realized their sinful nature, repented, confessed their sins and asked Jesus to come into their lives as Lord and Saviour, and became disciples of Christ, ergo, Christians...........Big difference.

The Scriptures I offered show this fairly clearly.........and there are others as well. They are not "born again" for Jesus Himself says that being "born again" is as becoming like a new baby.............innocent and trusting......When we are first saved/born again, our spirits are born anew in Christ and we become babes in Christ. That is why a new believer is fed with milk........until they grow in understanding and are able to feast on the meat of His Gospel. Just as children are first fed on milk until they mature and are able to feast on meat.

One is not born a Christian. Jesus never says they are, nor did any of the Disciples. God's salvation plan for mankind is laid out in detail throughout the Bible.

God bless

(edited to say)

We must remember if it were possible for us to be born Christians/disciples of Christ, then that makes His sacrifice on the cross of no avail. There would have been no need for Him to have come down in the form of man, suffer all He did, be crucified, buried and resurrected.

So if the little ones that believe Him and REMAIN and TRUST in Him aren't they born again? Isn't being born again an act of God or an act of man? And if it is an act of God can God do that or not?

 

[SarahM777]

And the other choice is what is taught in Scripture. How does an infant child recognize its sinful nature, its sinful life, and the need for Christ? How does this infant child recognize that it is to repent, and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour? How does this infant child manage all of this when it can not even care for itself? Can not feed itself, dress itself, anything. It is completely dependent on its parents for all life sustaining needs. Just as is the new believer dependent on Jesus Christ when reborn............. If a child is not mentally capable of realizing the difference between good and evil, right or wrong, how does that child recognize the need for repentance?

Now as to a hard line specific age? No.........it varies........but we are not born Christians.

God bless

Is being born again an act of God or an act of man?

 

[p_rehbein]

Is being born again an act of God or an act of man?

Being born again is an act of God........however, man must repent and turn to God to be born again......God does not new birth those who are unrepentant, those who deny Him. Read John, Chapter 3 for clarification.

 

[phil112]

So if the little ones that believe Him and REMAIN and TRUST in Him aren't they born again? Isn't being born again an act of God or an act of man? And if it is an act of God can God do that or not?

Being born again is a choice. Little ones that haven't reached the age of accountability, that die as youngsters, are welcomed to eternal security.

To fail is a conscience decision. Choose to succeed. Choose God.