Talk:Born again

If you are asking if a man chooses God before he is born again both choice and birth are part of a process. It is clear God has granted man the power of some choices or there would be no need for instruction.  Acts: 17. 30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Repentance by its nature is a choice which usually involves letting go of wrong ideas that are not in conformity to the teachings of Christ.

Man must first choose to repent which is a changing of what or the way he is thinking then he can be born again which is why we are told: Acts: 3. 19. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; " How do you know if you repented? How do you know you are born again? We are saved by grace through faith. How do you even know you have real faith or if you are just fooling yourself? Do you believe in the real Jesus or an image of Jesus constructed in your mind by the vanity of the mind? Is it not what you do that reveals if faith is alive in you or is dead?

 Acts: 8. 22. "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee."

Repentance should produce works that are not works of iniquity.

 Acts: 26. 20. "But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance."

We know the apostles say that covetous practices is contrary to righteoysness and faith. We are warned to, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Revelation: 2. 5.

The phrase "born again" mentioned in John 3:7 is a metaphor of that state where God is writing on your heart and mind by the Holy Spirit. It is simply being born of Spirit as it goes on to states in verse 8. It is when you are walking in the spirit with God as we did before we chose to decide for ourselves what is good and evil by vainly eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

 John: 3. 8. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Many people today are still eating of the tree of their own vain knowledge instead of simply conforming to Christ.

Being born of the spirit is a gift.  Luke: 11. 13. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? " To "Ask" is a choice just like repentance. While repentance is choosing to change the mind but the Holy Spirit must direct that change. How do you know some one is born of the Holy Spirit? By what they do or do not do?

Titus: 1. 16. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.