The BIG Picture (Study)

Only Israel is 'Born Again' Today, we are familiar with the term, 'born again'. We hear it often in evangelical messages or when speaking of people who are saved. One might say he is a 'born again' Christian, or on this day and in this circumstance I came to the Lord and was 'born again'. But is this term being used accurately according to biblical context. Are you and I, today, under the dispensation of grace, really 'born again'? Let's look at the first time it was used in the King James bible. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of God. ... 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ... 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.   It would be natural to assum

OBS: God's Word is a Progressive Plan (Part.5.2) This is  Part 5  of the Series Click here for  Part 5.1 (Point #1) TWO interesting points that required a 'CHANGE IN COMMUNICATION' Point #2 I'd like to expand on a piece of information Peter mentions in the second scripture in Part #1 . The scripture in focus is the following, 1 Peter 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten [born, birthed] us again  to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Peter mentions the fact that 'us', in reference to the Jews (Israel) have been begotten (or birthed) AGAIN! Born again? Firstly, what exactly does Peter mean by this, and second, does it line up with what the modern church and many Christians say today? So, in other words, what does 'born again' REALLY mean in the true biblical context, and does it REALLY have any significance in this

What does it REALLY mean to be 'In Christ'? According to 2 Corinthians 5:17 , when you hear the Gospel and respond positively to the faith that wells up inside you, and you call upon God, ---in that moment you are sealed into the body of Christ (in Christ) by the Holy Spirit ( 1 Cor.12:13 ) and you become a new creation ( or a new creature, KJV  2 Cor.5:17 ). But, notice the word "if" in the verse. This makes it conditional! It is only if we are in Christ that we are a new creation ! In order to understand what " a new creation " means, we need to dig into what is means to be " in Christ ". Note these two Key Concepts ( *positional reality and *description ) Being "In Christ" is a positional reality . When you respond to the grace gospel and become 'saved', in that instant, you are created as a new being and are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and are perfect before God. Being "In

Points to note regarding the above quote: We are placed 'in Christ' when we respond in faith to the grace gospel and are saved. This quote only references who we are 'In Christ' (which defines our perfect positional stance before God). This quote does not reference our earthly condition, in our flesh, which is still under sin. This is where 'Christ in us' systematically sanctifies us, transforming us daily by His Word and Spirit to increased righteousness and holiness. We deal with this detail in other posts. Click here for more on the topic