Bible Question:
Were the disciples saved, Born Again? |
Bible Answer: Immanuelsown Question - how could it be possible for the disciples to go out and do the works of Jesus if they were not already saved? It takes the power of God to perform healings, cast out demons, perform the miracles, which the twelve, and then the seventy, were sent out to do, and did accomplish. Many will want to argue or dispute that the disciples were saved before Jesus went on to the cross. But how would it be possible for them to to do the works of God without the power to do so? All people are either in the kingdom of the devil, or in the kingdom of Jesus. All people either operate by the power of the devil, or by the power of Jesus. Once you believe in Jesus and get saved you come out of the kingdom of Satan, no longer held and operating by its power and are in the kingdom of Jesus, of God. Jesus says to Nicodemus in John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." How does one become born again? One is born again of the water and the Spirit. You have to be naturaly born first and then spiritualy born second in order to be "born again". John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Ephesisans 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. According to Paul as soon as you hear the message of your salvation, and you believe, you receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus said you have to be born of water and of the Spirit in order to be born again. Some confuse the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to confer power to witness the gospel and to start the church with the activity of the Holy Spirit to save souls. The term "born again" that Jesus uses is Jesus saying, you were born once through your mother's womb (by water), now you have to be "born again" a second time by the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Not everyone agrees that water here refers to the water of the womb because of Acts 2:38, but one is not saved by being baptized, so it is unlikely that Jesus was referring to being baptized by water to be saved. It is also unlikely because Jesus did not come to baptize with water, He came to baptize with the Holy Spirit. John 13:10 Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." This was to signify that Judas was unclean, but that the rest were clean. Many take this to mean that the disciples were clean of sin, saved, born again. blessings abound, bowler |