Originally Posted by
ErikErik
I agree. dfoJC, thanks for your post. I have always found your posts to be consistent with the Scriptures.
On this thread we received lots of different answers. One said belief in the Resurrection is the only requirement. This is false. Others have said they were regenerated before they were spiritually born again and then in the next sentence said that regeneration and rebirth are one and the same thing.
Without the Holy Bible as our guide, we will not be consistent and end up having some false beliefs. I do not say this to be unkind.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit who prompts and convicts sinners. I totally agree with you. Head knowledge does not make one a Christian. It has to be a heart conviction. In order to have a heart conviction, one must have true faith. This faith is more than merely believing. Those who claimed to have been a Christian and then ended up joining a cult or not believing anymore, had only head knowledge. Because if they truly BELIEVED in the Gospel and the true Messiah, They would have been born again, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.
One thing I did notice that was missing from your post (although I know you will agree that it is important for salvation) is that you made no mention of the necessity of belief. One must believe on the Lord Jesus. If it were all God's doing and man only needs to sit back, then faith would be unnecessary. The Holy Spirit provides Illumination through the preaching of the scriptures. Faith comes by the hearing of the word. The next step is our response to that preaching. Throughout the NT whenever anyone asked what must I do to be saved, they were never told: "You can't do anything. Just sit back and let God do it all." Nor did the apostles ever say: If you were elected before the foundation of the world, you will be saved no matter what you do. But if God chose you for hell, sorry you are doomed and have nothing to say about it." This was the erroneous teaching of Augustine and Calvin. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ died for the WORLD, not just for some.
What the Scriptures DOES teach is that one must BELIEVE in Jesus Christ and confess with the mouth that He is Lord and Savior. This is a requirement for spiritual rebirth. I capitalized the word believe because it is more than mere belief, for even the devil believes and trembles. its a conviction of the heart and not the head.
I agree with you dfoJC, nothing more needs to said. I pray the lds reading this thread will receive some illumination and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit by giving their life to Jesus and make Him their Savior and not their church or their works.