I believe that being born again is quite literal. You literally become a different person when the Holy Spirit is in.
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"The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person."-1 Samuel 10: 6
See? The Spirit doesn't birth a literal entity when you are born again. It births a new and refreshed 'you', a different person with different thoughts, different ambitions, a new and different mind set (Romans 8:5). And it is quite literal. It's literally the birth of a new mindset, not a literal birth of a baby.
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"6The mind governed by the flesh is death (the old you), but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace (the new you)."-Romans 8:6
When you understand this it is easy to see how the Spirit can simply leave you and you just go back to your old mindset, the old you.
Your interpretation flies in the face of other Scriptures.
Namely, Jesus says we must be born again and compares our fleshly birth with it, but also the numerous Scripture that say we become like children, infants, and talk about needing to grow up in Christ. Or Paul praying for the spiritual eyes of their hearts to be opened...
If you continue in Romans 8 you’ll see Paul’s argument, is that if we are in Christ we are not governed by the flesh but by the Spirit. But this is even deeper that that, because it’s Paul renewing their minds to what’s available in Christ.
I’m not sure why I get in these discussions, I usually leave them feeling not much had happened. Ultimately, we end up just proving ourselves more right.
I dont have an issue with why you’re teaching people can lose their salvation, I get it. If we keep people fearful they will continue to believe. Unfortunately in my experience it doesn’t work. It doesn’t create true from the heart lovers of God or His people. It doesn’t fully allow people to embrace His forgiveness, His nearness, or the power of what Christ did in a very literal sense. People are rooted by false wisdom from a sense lead reality when you neuter the spiritual this creates double mindedness. Not faith.
Unfortunately to many people God is a Book and a Guy who lived 2000 years ago, who is waiting in Heaven to judge them if they are going to hell or not. And this loses the beauty of so many things in Christ. I have seen the power of the true transformative gospel change lives! People love more, enjoy His Scriptures, help homeless, pray for sick, etc. Real transformation!
And inversely I have gone toe to toe with people who refuse to embrace a higher truth, who in the background are struggling with addictions, anger, and so many other things, not that you are, but it saddens me that people struggle with these things that Christ paid for. I’m happy to say this particular guy a few years later came to me to share he encountered by God and set free, his entire life was changed by the power of the gospel.
But when we say things like oh God simply have you a new mindset or things like you better keep believing because at heart you’re still that same wicked sinner... so you better self-discipline yourself... it’s just simply religion. May we both be lead by the Spirit of God into His full freedom body, soul, and spirit. And our lives invite others into the same.