Born again - Before, or After, the Call?

[JBO]

St. SteVen said:
What is your definition of repentance? (process or one-time event?)

Does spiritual rebirth come before or after repentance?

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After.

 

[Lambano]

Does spiritual rebirth come before or after repentance?

It depends on who you ask. One size does not fit all.

I'm not talking about the Calvinist vs. Arminian ordo salutis. I'm talking about people's actual testimonies. And many (if not most) can't even identify a place and time when they experienced "spiritual rebirth", whatever that is. But of course, both sides think their experience is normative and there's something wrong with the other guy's.

 

[Ritajanice]

St. SteVen said:
What is your definition of repentance? (process or one-time event?)

Does spiritual rebirth come before or after repentance?

[

It comes after repentance..that’s my belief.

What do you believe?

I know exactly where I was when my spirit was birthed into Christ...I will NEVER forget Spirit gives birth to spirit, as long as I live....it “ blew my mind”....still does...33 years on.....I still can’t believe that God recognises me as his spirit child....the Spirit indwells little old me....beyond my comprehension how God did it..,it’s amazing how our spirit recognises his Spirit immediately......he just knows how to reveal himself to our spirit/ heart....His Love completely overwhelmed my heart, I fell immediately in love with the Spirit Of God....I believe I’d been waiting for his true love all of my life...I often wondered as a non believer that I was once....what it was like to be truly in Love.....well, here I am am ,truly in Love and besotted with the Living Spirit Of God...

No man has ever been able to love me like God...I’ve never been in Love....that was, until the Spirit Of God came along...my testimony and belief.

 

[Lambano]

It comes after repentance..that’s my belief.

@Ritajanice, that answer surprises me. I was thinking of your testimony when I wrote, "one size does not fit all". My understanding is that you were born again first, then you were given faith. (With my unstated assumption that "repentance" comes from faith. I can explain that more if needed.) Could you elaborate on why you think repentance come first, then being born again?

 

[JBO]

It depends on who you ask. One size does not fit all.

I'm not talking about the Calvinist vs. Arminian ordo salutis. I'm talking about people's actual testimonies. And many (if not most) can't even identify a place and time when they experienced "spiritual rebirth", whatever that is. But of course, both sides think their experience is normative and there's something wrong with the other guy's.

Your thoughts here are probably all wrapped up in the phrase there, "spiritual rebirth", whatever that is. Anyone does not know what spiritual rebirth is cannot even properly discuss it.

 

[St. SteVen]

St. SteVen said:
What is your definition of repentance? (process or one-time event?)
Does spiritual rebirth come before or after repentance?

After.

But you agreed that repentance is a process.
How long until spiritual rebirth occurs?

[

 

[St. SteVen]

It comes after repentance..that’s my belief.

What do you believe?

J. Preston Eby states that spiritual rebirth comes first.
But I don't want to put God in a box.
I can see it happening either way.
@Lambano nailed it in post #122.

Humans have a natural tendency to want to clean up up their lives before they come to God.
But is that true repentance, or a fleshly desire to behave properly?

[

 

[Lambano]

Your thoughts here are probably all wrapped up in the phrase there, "spiritual rebirth", whatever that is. Anyone does not know what spiritual rebirth is cannot even properly discuss it.

Feel free to offer your definition. Or to testify to your experience with "spiritual rebirth".

 

[Ritajanice]

Humans have a natural tendency to want to clean up up their lives before they come to God.

That’s true...I was like that..my life was such a mess...i was really searching from within myself...then along came God like a bolt of lightning ( you know what I mean by that) the rest is history.

Praise God that he has done so much healing in me ...and is always helping me work on my behaviour..

My Son doesn’t recognise me....he asked where the old me went...LOL.

 

[Ritajanice]

@Ritajanice, that answer surprises me. I was thinking of your testimony when I wrote, "one size does not fit all". My understanding is that you were born again first, then you were given faith. (With my unstated assumption that "repentance" comes from faith. I can explain that more if needed.) Could you elaborate on why you think repentance come first, then being born again?

I would rather steer away from explaining why I believe repentance comes before faith...God brought me to repentance...plus..as you know there have been heated discussions on a thread.....I really don’t want to open myself up to arguing..I’m not saying that you will argue...I would just rather pass on it, if that’s ok.

Yes. Please explain in more detail that repentance comes from faith..I’m all ears....to be honest I can’t even remember that part, only that God brought me to repentance...and I remember my spirit birth like it were yesterday.

 

[Lambano]

I would rather steer away from explaining why I believe repentance comes before faith..

You mean repentance comes before being born-again, right? That was @St. SteVen's question.

Yes. Please explain in more detail that repentance comes from faith..I’m all ears.

The subjects are interrelated, so I'll try to touch gently.

Why did you repent? What led you to change your mind about how you were living? Was it because you believed you were doing things that God didn't like? Was it because "I was like that..my life was such a mess" and you knew God could do something about it? Or did you change your ways because "His Love completely overwhelmed my heart, I fell immediately in love with the Spirit Of God."

There are no wrong answers. This is YOUR testimony.