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NASB | John 3:7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:7 "Do not be surprised that I have told you, 'You must be born again [reborn from above--spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].' |
Subject: reincarnation or not? |
Bible Note: Beanyboy :: In a pinch perhaps Legumelad would do as an ersatz name for Beanyboy, but never would reincarnated do for being born again in the sense that Jesus used it in His discourse with Nicodemus, recorded in John 3. ...... It's always desirable to have a knowledge of the meanings of English words before one uses them, and this becomes especially important when one uses theological terms, which almost always have a very precise meaning. So let's take a brief look at two words, reincarnation and regeneration. ...... Reincarnation -- not taught in Scripture (see Job 14:10; Hebrews 9:27) -- is the belief in the birth and rebirth of a person's soul over and over again in different bodies which can be human, animal, vegetable and even inanimate objects, e.g., a stone). It has close ties to the Hindu concept of Karma. ....... Regeneration -- definitely taught in Scripture (see John 3:1-17; 2 Cor. 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29) -- is the act of God by which He renews the spiritual condition of a sinner. It is a supernatural spiritual change wrought by the Holy Spirit. It means to be born again or born from above, which is precisely what Jesus said in His discourse with Nicodemus. ....... To read more go to carm.org, a handy web site which includes a concise but helpful theological dictionary, written from a reformed perspective, which I have found to be quite orthodox in my estimation. ...... In summary, reincarnation and regeneration are terms that ought never be used interchangeably, because they are by no means synonymous. --Hank |