quote: Originally Posted by FirenzeVeritas:1. One must be born again in order to become a Christian. Agree?
2. Ergo, there are no Christians who have not been born again. Agree?
3. Ergo, the expression "born again Christian" is comparable to saying "My neighbor just gave birth to two twins." Agree?
Hi Firenze,
You have me! I agree with your thinking. I suppose my mind was a wee bit skewed, thinking of several events which happened before I became a Christian. My wife had given me a medallion from the Garden Grove Community Church (which became the Crystal Cathedral) and I wore it because she gave it to me -- not because I was a believer.
One day I was in the lobby of a company to make a sales call. While waiting, there was a lady talking with the security guard. When she saw my medallion, she got excited and said, "Oh, you are a born again Christian!" And, not really being a Christian, and believing this label "born again" was something the young 1960s Hippies For Jesus coined -- I declared, "No, just a Christian!" Actually, I was far from being a Christian then; but, in my confused mind at the time -- I related being born in Alabama, attending the Baptist church while in high school, and being a good guy (at least, in my eyes) -- related to being a Christian. Wrong!
Several times I did attend the Garden Grove Community Church and found that the number two pastor, Dr. Ledesma, was a very likable person. I respected him. Although I still was not a Christian.
Fast forward a year or two and I was on a flight from San Jose to Orange County -- and the lady I sat and talked with was Dr. Ledesma's wife. She, too, noticed my medallion -- and, I explained to her that I wore it only because my wife gave it to me -- not that I was a supporter of Robert Schuller.
As we were walking off the plane, she was behind me. The flight attendant noticed my medallion and said, "Oh, you are a Christian." I just smiled and walked off the plane. As we were walking across the tarmac to the terminal, Mrs. Ledesma smiled and told me, "As long as you wear that medallion, you are a witness whether you want to be or not."
Little did I know then that, about seven years later -- her prediction would turn into reality -- and I became a born again Christian with a strong desire to be a witness and share the Gospel with others. So, maybe God was using me, without my knowledge, during those years. After all, His thoughts are much higher than ours. So, the Bible tells us.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill