The BIG Picture (Q&A)

SOCIAL MEDIA STATEMENT AND QUESTION: John 3:7 paraphrased - “… I said unto you that everyone must be born again”. Everyone is everyone - not just Jews being born again. Remember what Jesus said in 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.” Here Jesus is talking about the “kingdom of God”. So, is this a Jewish kingdom or a heavenly and eternal kingdom of God message? MY REPLY: Everyone must be saved, yes. But we must understand the different plans of salvation in the Bible. The earthly ministry of Jesus was only to the Jews. In the KJV the word “Ye” is not a reference to 'everyone' (as you suggest), but a reference to Israel exclusively. Jesus never addressed Gentiles , Matt.15:24. Prophecy even dictates that it is Israel first that must be saved so that they would be a light unto the Gentiles. This is the reason why Jesus said to that woman, Matt.15:26 “But he answered and said, it...

Yes. That is correct for that time. Joh 3:5 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. The advice Jesus gives Nicodemus does point to water baptism, and spirit baptism. There were conditions for salvation in the Kingdom gospel. In Acts, we see Peter preaching the same thing, Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So, for salvation in the Kingdom gospel, it required faith in Jesus as Messiah and also to be water baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. These were requirements to enter into the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus would come again in the Second Coming. The reason for these requirements is because of their significance for Israel. In Deut. and Lev., priests were washed to cleans them of sins before the ministered to God on behalf of the people....

Asking for forgiveness... There is nothing wrong in asking for forgiveness if you know you have fallen into sin or had a moment of weakness. It is completely natural to want to apologize for your wrongdoings, but, realize that this does NOT ever affect your positional stance with God. Through a faith response to the grace gospel of Jesus Christ, and His cross work, you are once and forever cleansed from sin. As grace believers, our sins have been nailed to the cross of Christ, and we have, by the grace of God, received in its place, the imputed righteousness of Christ. Nothing can change our position in Christ and before the Father, so asking forgiveness, or not asking forgiveness, does not change or affect our standing before God. The grace believer's salvation is forever secure and they are "sealed with the Spirit." (Rom. 5:1-2, 8:29-39, 6-8; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30; Phili. 1:6; 2Tim. 1:12). "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of ...

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 grace dispensation? You might be very surprised at the findings. In the scripture passage below, Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus. We are all familiar with this well-known piece of dialogue as Jesus mentions to Nicodemus that to enter the Kingdom, one must be born again . As always, it is crucial to read and understand any scripture in a rightly ...