| | "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and ''of'' the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." <ref>John 3:5 [[King James Bible]] <br>[http://biblehub.com/john/3-5.htm See multiple versions of John 3:5]<br>also [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/3-5.htm multiple commentaries on John 3:5]. </ref> | | "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and ''of'' the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." <ref>John 3:5 [[King James Bible]] <br>[http://biblehub.com/john/3-5.htm See multiple versions of John 3:5]<br>also [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/3-5.htm multiple commentaries on John 3:5]. </ref> |
| | + | The words '''γεννηθή''' ''gennethe'' and '''γεννηθήναι''' ''gennethenai'' in the Greek New Testament text of John 3-5 mean to ''procreate, regenerate, bear, beget, be born, conceive'', a variation of '''γένος''' ''genos'', meaning ''born, offspring, generation, stock''.<ref>See Strong's numbers [http://biblehub.com/greek/1078.htm 1078], [http://biblehub.com/greek/1079.htm 1079], [http://biblehub.com/greek/1080.htm 1080], [http://biblehub.com/greek/1081.htm 1081], [http://biblehub.com/greek/1083.htm 1083], [http://biblehub.com/greek/1084.htm 1084], [http://biblehub.com/greek/1085.htm 1085].</ref> This "born" (as being literally generated/regenerated) is the ordinary word "born" used in '''Matthew''' 1:16; 2:1, 4; 11:11; 19:12; 26:24; '''Mark''' 14:21; '''Luke''' 1:35; 7:28; '''John''' 1:13; 3:3-8; 8:41: 9:2, 19-20, 32, 34; 16:21; 18:37; '''Acts''' 2:8; 7:20; 18:2, 24; 22:3, 28; '''Romans''' 9:11; '''1 Corinthians''' 15:8; '''Galatians''' 4:23, 29; '''Hebrews''' 11:23; '''1 John''' 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18.<br>In 1 Peter 1:23 '''άναγεγεννηθήναι''' ''anagegennethenai'' "born again", "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." <ref>See Strong's number [http://biblehub.com/greek/313.htm ''313'' '''άναγεγεννάω''' ''anagegennao'' to ''beget'', or ''bear'' (again).]</ref> <br>Compare [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/1-13.htm the interlinear text of John 1:13]. This "word" is understood by pedobaptists (infant baptizers) as a direct reference to the doctrine of Ephesians 5:25-26, where Paul says, |
| | + | Credobaptists (believer baptizers) understand being "born again by the word of God" in 1 Peter 1:23 as actively hearing, understanding and believing the message of the Gospel and consciously responding by having a living, active faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, a living conscious faith which does not require any works or sacrament of baptism by water and the Spirit in order to be born again, and enter into the kingdom of God by simply having the free gift of justification unto righteousness imputed by faith, the faith of Abraham, a conscious faith which is required in order to be able to believe the word of salvation and be saved by faith. Righteousness is not imputed to one who is passive, who personally has no faith and does not understand and does not believe. |
| | + | Righteousness is imputed '''λογισθήναι''' ''logisthenai'' (credited) to the active faith of the one who believes God in Romans 4:11, imputed '''έλογίσθη''' ''elogisthe'' in Romans 4:22-24 and is imputed '''λέγουσα''' ''legousa'' in James 2:23 <ref>See Strong's numbers [http://biblehub.com/greek/3049.htm 3049], [http://biblehub.com/greek/3050.htm 3050], [http://biblehub.com/greek/3051.htm 3051].</ref><br>See the interlinear texts of [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/romans/4-11.htm Romans 4:11]; [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/romans/4-22.htm Romans 4:22]; [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/romans/4-23.htm Romans 4:23]; [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/romans/4-24.htm Romans 4:24]; and [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/james/2-23.htm James 2:23]. |