Thankyou my Brothers for the Letter!

HEADER FOR Expressions

(Click picture to go back to Table of Contents)

Welcome

Enjoy... But remember
"Don't give in to winning the argument
and losing one of your eternal crowns..."

God bless you...

Thankyou my Brothers for the Letter!

Forum: Theological Expressions
Re:

Letter to a Roman Catholic
Date: 2001, Jul 05
From: Emmanuel

Have you ever had an Evangelical Christian come up to you and ask, "are you born again?" Then this same person will read from their Bible: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). If a Catholic knows what to say in such a situation they can make the evangelical speechless or maybe even a convert. In order to discuss this subject one must first know what being born again means? When a Catholic says they have been born again, they are referring to the forgiveness of sins and grace bestowed upon their soul during the sacrament of baptism. The Evangelical means that all one has to do is accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and they have been "born again." They now think they are saved and will go to heaven no matter what. But is the Evangelical view of being born again what the Bible teaches? The answer is No! One key Scripture verse ignored by the Evangelicals is (John 3:5) where Jesus states: "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit." This verse is ignored by them because it throws a monkey wrench into their theory of being born again. Jesus is clearly talking about baptism in this verse. In order to defend their claim, they will say the water is the preached word of God, but read (John 1:32) just before Jesus teaches Nicodemus about being born again. In this verse Christ, Himself was baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus goes down into the water and is baptized, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove. Christ did not have to be born again but He showed us what we must do in order to inherit the kingdom of God. The only logical conclusion one can make from the Biblical evidence is being born again is when one is properly baptized. A Catholic must remember that an Evangelical thinks baptism is only a symbol. They do not believe baptism forgives sins or permanently marks the soul with a sign of God's grace. It seems funny that so-called Bible christians that pride themselves for following the Bible to the letter ignore the verses that clearly state the saving grace of baptism. Catholics should remember the following verses because they clearly refute the Evangelical position : "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of the Father who is heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 7:21) and "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." (James 2:24) So the answer to the question, Are Catholics born again? is YES! Since all Catholics have been baptized. Doesn't it make sense to follow the Roman Catholic Church with almost 2,000 years of knowledge and insight than some evangelical church that has been at it only a few years. So Catholics should ask Evangelicals, "Are you born again according to the Bible?" If they have not been properly baptized, then they have not been born again according to the Bible, no matter what they may think. In His Glory, Emmanuel