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NASB | Acts 8:22 "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 8:22 "So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this thought of your heart may be forgiven you. |
Bible Question:
Everybody in the Church a belong to claims to be 'born again'. My understanding of the term "born again' is that Yes, we all have to be born again before entering the presence of God. That will happen at the return of Christ ‘at an instance we will all be changed’. 1 Cor 15 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." My conversion to faith in Christ was not instantaneous like for example Paul’s. For me and I believe for many others it is a constant process of growing in Christ. At His return we all will have to be changed or reborn – born again. “we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3, He (I believe) spoke not of a change of attitude or believes but a rebirth, something that cannot be overturned. This cannot be said about my fellow Christians. Sadly some will not always walk in the way of the Lord but will on occasions reverse to sin. How many times do we have to die and been born again ? |
Bible Answer: Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Acts 8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 "You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." 24 But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." There's not many examples of christians sinning after becoming a christian but all we need is one. Simon above was definitely a christian, not a very mature one but a christian nonetheless. 1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I should stress all of these epistles were written to christians and we all know we sin daily, either the sin of commission or omission. So the bottom line is that when we sin AFTER becoming a christian, we just repent of that sin to God and maintain that cleansing relationship with Jesus' blood. Public sins should be repented publically while private sins could be repented in private. Being born again to become a christian should only happen once in each person's life. Even the vilest sinner on earth like those described in the Corinthian letters can and did need repentance on a daily basis just like most modern Americans. God bless. --Rowdy |