Born again

[Unregistered]

I am recently new to understanding and accepting Jesus Christ as my savior. Now is it important to be born again, is every christian Born again. What does that involve? I have openly expressed that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that I have accepted the word, and have found God. The thing is I haven't found a "church" where I go all the time. I am still exploring. I have begun to read the New Living Bible, where somewhere on this board I read wasn't a word for word. I started praying as often as I can. I feel good and I have a sense of ....coming home as they say. I feel as though i have found what I have been searching for my whole life. I still have lots of questions, and am sort of afraid to ask because they are so ....simple, I feel as though I should know them. But I will start with the Born again one and see where that goes. Thank you.

[Ann]

Hello and welcome
This is the place for asking questions. :)
The expression to be born again is taken from the Gospel of John chapter 3, verse 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. " What this means is simply that to go to heaven a person must be born naturally (as when a mother's water breaks at birth) and born spiritually by accepting Christ as Savior. From what you posted I would say you have done both those things, is that correct? Every real Christian is born again. Some people call themselves Christians but have never really accepted Jesus as their Savior so of course they are not born again. My mother was like that before she was saved. If someone asked if she was a Christian she would get very angry and say "what do I look like some savage in the jungle?" But she was not really a Christian until she had Jesus in her heart.

Being part of a good church will help you a lot in growing in Christ. But belonging to a church is not what makes you a Christian. Ask Jesus to help you find the church He has picked out for you. He will do it. One way He may show you is through someone you know who walks with Jesus the way you would like to walk. Ask what church they go to and visit there a few times to see if it is the right place for you. You want a church where the main focus is on Jesus and they teach the Bible with love and with power and the people care about each other and make you feel welcome.

New Living Bible is what is called a paraphrase not a translation. That means it gives us the main ideas but as you said not a word for word translation. A paraphrase like that can be a big help when you are just starting to get into knowing what the Bible says. It lets you grasp main ideas quickly and see the themes of the Bible. As you grow in Jesus you will also want to read a Bible that is a real translation so you can see exactly what God is saying. Some people like the King James Bible, others like something that reads a lot more like we talk today. I like the standard King James but I also like the New King James. I sometimes read the same scriptures in several diferent translations to get a more full sense of what the Bible is saying. If you ever want to read the Bible on the net here is a link for you www.blueletterbible.org you can also use this link to help you look up what the Bible says about diferent things and to read teaching and commentaries on scriptures.

I am very glad you have come to know Jesus. The more you talk to Him in prayer the more He will talk to you in your heart. Please post anytime and see if we can help you with your questions.

[Unregistered]

Thank you so very much for you response. it was very honest and real, and I appreciate it very much. I have went and purchased both King James Version and the New King James Version. I must admit I was pretty frustrated with the King James Version. I am very excited to begin and very excited about my new found relationship with Jesus Christ.

[grandpa]

:angel: Hello: Grandpa Here: It is a wonderful thing to hear of a new Christian wanting more Bible Knowledge. Do this please. Read the gospel of John and ask the Lord for Wisdom to Understand. As long as we live, there is always something to learn. Jesus wants us to continuously be studying and learning.

A Blessing: May the Lord Sanctify and bless you. May He fill you with the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, Insight, and Understanding. May the Lord keep you safe and secure in these times.

Let us know how you are doing. Agape. GRandpa.:) :D :biggrin: :cool: