NOT EXACTLY CORRECT. That is a false assumption, when in reality they were never really Born Again (eternally spiritually alive). Look at these verses and you will find that the human spirit is dead from natural birth on because of the inherited sinful nature from Adam, until hopefully the Holy Spirit finds fertile soil in that heart and births that human spirit into eternal life:
John 3:5-7 (NASB)
[SUP]5 [/SUP] Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (natural birth) and the Spirit (spiritual birth) he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
[SUP]6 [/SUP] "That which is born of the flesh is flesh (natural birth), and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (spiritual birth).
[SUP]7 [/SUP] "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Colossians 2:13-14 (NIV)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
[SUP]14 [/SUP] having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
1 John 2:19 (NKJV)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
[SUP]21 [/SUP] "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
[SUP]22 [/SUP] Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
[SUP]23 [/SUP] And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
THAT I never knew you is a reference, that moment the Holy Spirit comes into your heart birthing your human spirit into ETERNAL LIFE, and it is not Eternal if you can lose it.
John 3:36 (ISV)
[SUP]36 [/SUP] The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.
The verb tense of "disobeys" implies a continuous lifestyle of disobeying, for GOD knows none of us are perfect. By the same token, the one who continually strives to obey, does so because that obedience is spawning out of the LOVE OF GOD that was poured into our hearts, the moment the Holy Spirit entered our hearts, enabling us to genuinely BELIEVE.
John 5:24 (ISV)
[SUP]24 [/SUP] "Truly, truly I tell you, the one who hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Romans 5:5 (ISV)
[SUP]5 [/SUP] This hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
The definitive difference between a genuine Christian and one who only thinks he is, is that LOVE OF GOD HIMSELF, being in our hearts, which produces an ON GOING DESIRE TO OBEY HIM. NO, IT IS NOT OF OUR WORKS, IT IS A WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR HEARTS.[/QUOTEs up to have a moment of faith God is working in us before we even know he is. I think scripture says something about knowing us in the womb, I think God is planning our lives long before we know it. Setting us up to have a faith experience before we know it.He is looking out for our Good. How could we ever find God unless he reveals himself to us?