And your opinion of them? (thoughtful, supported with references or something, and not offensive please!)
And for born-again Christians - why do you think it is necessary to be 'born again'? If people don't call themselves 'born again', can they still be 'born again'? Can you still entire the Kingdom of God after you die, without necessarily being a 'born again' Christian?
Where in the bible does it say we must be 'born again' Christians (as opposed to other types of Christians)?
And what are all the 'bits' that go with being a 'born-again Christian'? (like, do you have to support George Bush? Belong to an organised presbyterian church with 'youth' music? Be baptised with the holy spirit?)
This is just a genuine Q from a (non-born-again, I think) Christian - I just want to really understand the whole 'born again' Christian concept and what a 'born again' Christian looks like.
Also, it is different from being a fundamentalist Christian, isn't it? What's the difference?
2007-05-31 22:22:00 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Read John chapter 3. That should answer the first part of the question.
Also, if you look carefully in Romans 7, Paul goes into more detail about the concept of being born again.
Basically what it means is that our sinful behavior is put to death, and we start to lead more righteous lives. We accept that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and we ask Him to be our Lord and Savior. It doesn't mean that we won't sin; it simply means that we try not to.
When a person is "born again" they are "baptized" with the Holy Spirit, meaning that the Holy Spirit is able to guide them.
As for the rest of your question, every Christian is different. Some only listen to Christian music, while others listen to secular. Some attend church, others don't. Some support President Bush, others don't.
A "born again" Christian should exhibit all the fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
The rest doesn't matter so much.
A fundamentalist Christian is one who takes the entire Bible literally, i.e. Creation in six days. One who is born again can be fundamentalist and vice versa; it just depends upon a Christian's interpretation of the Bible.
If a person is truly a Christian, if they've truly asked Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior, and repented of their sins, then they are born again.
2007-05-31 22:53:29 · answer #1 · answered by The_Cricket: Thinking Pink! 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Born again is a term that has been associated with evangelical renewal since the late 1960s, first in the United States and then later around the world. Associated perhaps initially with Jesus People and the Christian counterculture, born again came to refer to an intense conversion experience, and was increasingly used as a term to identify devout believers. By the mid 1970s, born again Christians were increasingly referred to in the mainstream media as part of the Born Again Movement.
there is a quote "to entre heaven you must be born again" I cant find any reference to this in the bible. Born Again, Evangelical and Fundamentalists christians are very similar, if not the same.
They all push a narrow biblical view that marginalizes people who differ from their belief system.
My opinion of them - Unfortunately they are non thinkers who follow with blind faith.
2007-06-01 21:50:50 · answer #2 · answered by Sujatha 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The cricket and northstar have basically explained it.
Put simply, when you really come to know Jesus Christ you have a whole new spiritual level of life, like a quantum leap. This is being born again.
But the term has been commandeered by a certain set of (mostly) western, especially American, Christians who equate Christianity with their secular world view, and have brought the term into disrepute. So now we think you have to be a Genesis literalist, right-wing, anti-Catholic and every traditional denomination, anti-Christian unity, fearful of other religions and pagans, loving Bush and hating the Democrats (loving Reagan and Thatcher and hating Gorbachov and Mandela when I was first a Christian) to be born again. What nonsense.
2007-06-01 05:01:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The term born-again comes from the gospel of John 3:1-21. A pharisee named Nicodemus engages Jesus in a conversation about spiritual matters. Jesus informs him that to enter the kingdom of heaven he must be born-again of The Spirit. Thinking that the sinners prayer gets us born-again is a fad and a perversion from people who still have not experienced the kingdom of heaven within. Be smart, ask The Spirit of truth how to be born-again, She is the only one who knows.
2007-05-31 22:52:33 · answer #4 · answered by single eye 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus tells us of the necessity of being born again. In the Gospel of John we find:
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and 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."
In a fallen sinful world we are born physically alive but spiritually dead. We become alive spiritually when we are born again. This happens when we repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus to save us. He died on the cross for our sins, and indeed, for the sins of the world. Because He was blameless, death could not hold Him and He rose from the dead on the third day, victorious over sin and death so that all who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
When we are born again, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to live in us forever. He will lead and guide us if we let Him.
No, you don't have to support George Bush. You don't have to be a member of one denomination rather than another. Organ music is not required. The Bible does tell us that we should not neglect assembling together.
Hebrews 11:24 [L]et us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
2007-05-31 23:10:26 · answer #5 · answered by Northstar 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
A born again Christian is somebody who found direction in their life with Christianity. They tend to be so dramatic because most of the time their lives were so out of shape so they either think: a.) that everybody who is not a Christian is the same exact way they were or b.) are so afraid that their lives are going to go back to the way they were.
I don't like anybody who pushes their views on me. If they are born-again and they find comfort in religion that's fine, I support it whole heartedly! But when people try to tell me that my life is out of order and that I need to be 'saved' in order to have a normal and decent life is when they irritate me.
2007-05-31 22:29:02 · answer #6 · answered by Karma Police 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The trinity isn't a Catholic element in any respect, this is an element of virtually each and every Christian denomonation. Being 'born returned' is a extra person-friendly term between protestants. And in ordinary terms a observe to the guy who reported the King James Bible, i'm not sure the place you're getting your information from yet that version is turning out to be much less and much less person-friendly, maximum church homes at the instant use the NIV, and as for swearing on it, no person ought to truthfully swear on a Bible because of the fact the Bible itself says to no longer swear on something, "enable your confident be confident and your no be no".
2016-10-06 10:38:26 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Born again is a term that has been associated with evangelical renewal since the late 1960s, first in the United States and then later around the world. Associated perhaps initially with Jesus People and the Christian counterculture, born again came to refer to an intense conversion experience, and was increasingly used as a term to identify devout believers. By the mid 1970s, born again Christians were increasingly referred to in the mainstream media as part of the Born Again Movement.
there is a quote "to entre heaven you must be born again" I cant find any reference to this in the bible. Born Again, Evangelical and Fundamentalists christians are very similar, if not the same.
They all push a narrow biblical view that marginalizes people who differ from their belief system.
My opinion of them - Unfortunately they are non thinkers who follow with blind faith.
2007-05-31 22:36:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
A Biblical scriptural discussion on what it means to be Born Again is found here:
http://bythebible.page.tl/Born-Again.htm
Not all Christians are born again.
2007-05-31 23:26:25 · answer #9 · answered by Fuzzy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All it means is that you are baptised and believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins. That you are saved! For it is said that only those that are saved can get into heaven.
2007-05-31 22:28:08 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋