John 3:1-11[1] 1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How
Introduction It is written in the gospel of Matthew that John the Baptist came preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[1] And, if you turn the page in the same gospel, you can read that after Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan, and subsequently led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, he too began to preach saying: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[2] “Repent” –
Preface For the believer, the subject of faith contains several aspects which could discussed at length. However, here I am examining the subject of faith and the non-believer. Unless one is purposely preparing for a debate, most people do not spend much time studying something contrary to what they currently believe. We only seek something different when we have become dissatisfied with our current belief system. So, quite likely, non-believers may not be motivated to take time to read a
Are there biblically-based affirmations as to the authenticity of one having been regenerated by the Holy Spirit?[1] I’d like to list some indicators from the Bible that I believe point to the reality of having been born of the Spirit because they indicate the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit in one’s life experience. This is something that Jesus said about the Holy Spirit in John 16:8: “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and
Regeneration as a spiritual experience is represented in a multifaceted way in the Scriptures. It means “believing in” and “receiving” Christ and “becoming a child of God”.[1] It means being “saved by grace”.[2] It means “passing out of death into life”[3], that is, “having eternal life and not coming into the judgment” (of the sentence of death)[4]. It means passing out of the state of spiritual death (which is separation from God because of sin) and “being made alive together
18 “To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ 19 “For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but continually proclaimed to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they are to repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.” Acts 26:18-20 This passage of Scripture
