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I know some born-again Christians who are not very good people. I can honestly say, they are MUCH better people than they were before they were born-again. Many were on a dangerous path before. Some were just rotten people before. I can't think of a single person I know who is a born-again Christian, and is not a better person than they were before God entered their lives or prioritized their lives.
I know some born-again Christians who are not very good people. I can honestly say, they are MUCH better people than they were before they were born-again. Many were on a dangerous path before. Some were just rotten people before. I can't think of a single person I know who is a born-again Christian, and is not a better person than they were before God entered their lives or prioritized their lives.
There are saints among them, too. I knew a woman who belong to a fire & brimstone fundamentalist church. She kept a schedule of visiting the poor sick and lonely people she knew. Brought them food and clothing paid for out of her own pocket. A true follower of Christ. She had a list of people she was praying for about 2 feet long. Amazing woman.
In your opinion, has being born again made you a better person, or does it just ensure your salvation?
The latter. Being born again has nothing to do with "becoming a better person." That's just a transformation of the flesh. Anyone can "become a better person" after the manner of men by putting his fleshy effort into doing so. An atheist can "become a better person" after the manner of men in so doing. This is so poorly understood it's astonishing. Man's natural birth is under the law, in bondage to the elements of the world, but his heavenly birth is apart from the law, which is what being born again entails (which is clearly explained in Gal 4:1-7). I am dead to the law. I am a slave of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 7:22). I can neither lose my eternal salvation nor relinquish it. I am sealed. I am born of God; no one (including myself) can ever pluck me from His hands (John 10:27-29).
Case in point, a relevant and misunderstood passage:
Ezekiel 37:26-27:
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
If you're interpreting the Bible carnally, then it sounds like behavioral changes. But when God says He will cause His people to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments, it means we will have received the Spirit's earnest (i.e., pledge) in our hearts (2 Cor 1:21-22) that we are sealed. This is the judgment that is being considered. This is the new heart that is given in Holy Spirit baptism. Jesus baptizes His people with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). It is also called, the earnest of our inheritance (Eph 1:13-14) or the witness of the Spirit (Rom 8:16, 1 John 4:13).
I understand your point of view; but it's just that - yours. I find the point of view of Ambrose, Thomas Aquinas, and Alphonsus Liguori to be more credible, weighty, reasonable, consistent, and just.
As long as you use our human concept of punitive justice as your standard, you will remain in ignorance of God's Divine Justice. We cannot achieve true justice so we resort to punitive justice. God has no such limitations.
I'm not confusing anything. This legalistic belief of yours is a protestant novelty from 16th century promoted heavily by Calvin, and other leaders of the new protestant sects.
The Orthodox church never taught such a thing. According to our RC posters their church doesn't teach such a thing. You're the one buying into innovations that have no basis in historical Christianity.
I’m just reading scripture. And I’m not a legalist nor a Calvinist.
As long as you use our human concept of punitive justice as your standard, you will remain in ignorance of God's Divine Justice. We cannot achieve true justice so we resort to punitive justice. God has no such limitations.
You have it backwards. Our human concept of justice is (or ought to be) derived from - or a reflection of - the justice of God, since all good things ultimately flow from God.
I’m just reading scripture. And I’m not a legalist nor a Calvinist.
The Ethiopian eunuch was reading Scripture too - a noble thing. You may not be a legalist or a Calvinist, but everyone has their own personal biases and presuppositions through which they filter and interpret the words of Scripture.
Who is qualified to authoritatively interpret the Scriptures?
Acts 8:30-31 "Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. 'Do you understand what you are reading?' Philip asked. 'How can I,' he said, 'unless someone explains it to me?' So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him."
The Ethiopian eunuch was reading Scripture too - a noble thing. You may not be a legalist or a Calvinist, but everyone has their own personal biases and presuppositions through which they filter and interpret the words of Scripture.
Who is qualified to authoritatively interpret the Scriptures?
Acts 8:30-31 "Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. 'Do you understand what you are reading?' Philip asked. 'How can I,' he said, 'unless someone explains it to me?' So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him."
As long as you agree this applies to you also. You’re a Catholic-I’m a Baptist. I think we both believe our church interprets scripture correctly.
You have it backwards. Our human concept of justice is (or ought to be) derived from - or a reflection of - the justice of God, since all good things ultimately flow from God.
God's Justice is the standard, not man's.
Our human concept of justice has no resemblance to the True Justice that God is capable of. We are impotent to balance the scales for everyone involved, perpetrators, victims, and those who love them. We are impotent to restore balance so we punish as a relatively ineffective deterrent and satisficer of wrath and vengeance.
God is NOT impotent and has no wrath and vengeance to satisfy. You denigrate God by assuming His Divine Justice is the same as our imperfect human justice.
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