Featured Were Old Testament Saints Born Again?

Scripture tells us:

James 2:23: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Genesis 15:6. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

So we have an unregenerate man, one who is Spiritually dead, declared righteous and the Friend of God. Remarkable!

 

Please explain what is the PRACTICAL impact or application of POSITIONAL regeneration versus actual regeneration?

 

Paul says he was justified PRIOR TO being circumcised rather than "in" circumcision part of his life and that is a long ways BEFORE Pentecost.

 

I have no idea what point you are attempting to make. I did not mention circumcision which has nothing to do with justification!

 

Circumcision is an external type of the new birth. It is a divine ordinance or type, just as sacrifices were a divine ordinance or type. NEITHER obtained literal remission of sins and righteousness which are the essence of justification (Rom. 4:6-8) or the "blessedness" obtained by faith. Abraham was justified, his sins fully remitted and righteousness fully imputed by the object of his faith which is the promise of the coming Christ and it was obtained NOT IN CIRCUMCiSION or that part of his life occuring after being circumcised (Rom. 4:11).

Note the choice Paul provides "in circumcision" or "in uncircumcision" when actual justification was obtained (Rom. 4:9-10).

 

Jesus says the object of new birth is the "spirit" of man not the flesh. There was no quickening of the flesh in Ephesians 2:1! The body is not even mentioned in Matthew 19 where "regeneration" is found outside of "spirit" context. The scriptures call the change in the flesh as glorification and removal of "corruption" by putting on incorruption but not new birth.

Old Testament saints were born of the Spirit - meaning their spirit was quickened so they no longer in spiritual death or existing spiritually "in the flesh."

 

This is the Calvinist view, and is mistaken.

No verse or passage has been cited. The OT saints were not made perfect before Christ died on the cross. To be made perfect, i.e. holy and blameless, a person must be born anew in Christ.

Colossians 1:22, "yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—"

Hebrews 11:40, "because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they [OT Saints] would not be made perfect."

 

Close but mistaken. Abraham was not declared righteous. It was Abraham's belief in the LORD, i.e. his faith, that was reckoned as righteousness. So yes, Abraham was spiritually dead, yet put his faith in God.

If Abraham had been regenerated, then the blood of Christ would have removed his sin, and he would have been holy, blameless and perfect. Not how scripture actually reads.

 

As I said circumcision has nothing to do with justification!

 

Justification includes remission of sin or one cannot be justified before God and includes righteousness that the Law approves - imputed righteousness or they cannot be justified before God.

Have you read Romans 4:6-8 where in both remission of sins and imputed righteousness are contextually defined as inclusive of justification? Apparently not, because both David and Abraham are called "blessed" because they POSSESSED both. Abraham was "blessed" with remission of sins and imputed righteousness while he was "in uncirucmision" and that is something he already "HAD" Rom.( 4:11) long before the cross. Try reading these scriptures!

 

Yes it does. It proves that justification was in possession and already "had" (Rom. 4:11) while he was in "uncircumcision" proving justification was not only actually obtained prior to the cross but prior to any divine rites in the life of the justified before Calvary.