I was emailing a friend that I haven't talked with in quite some time. I know that he definitely has a type of dispensational theology, although he really doesn't know it. We were talking about what it means to be "Born Again" and I mentioned Ezekiel 36:26-27 and his response was:
My reply was meant to be brief and to the point:
To which he replied as follows:
Has anyone heard anything like this from dispensationalists?I would not label him charismatic. He usually attends non-denominational baptist churches. Is this an injection of dispensationalism? Thoughts?
Just a surface observation, I am not sure the Ezekiel reference is a good [sic] to describe post Pentecost being born again. The process of being born again, is the process of a spiritual rebirth. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit it spirit. I do not wish to technically [sic] this, but my rebirth came upon my receipt of the Holy Spirit. There obviously was a process that occurred before that to where I turned from the things of self, and the things of this world, and had longing for the things of God and a relationship with Him. That journey is going to be different for all of us, and I don't pretend to totally understand all that is going on. I know there are great spiritual battles going on between the enemy and His heavenly hosts, the enemy trying to take my fleshly desires and turn me away from God (both before and after being born again), and but after being born again, He that is within me is greater than he who is in the world.
My reply was meant to be brief and to the point:
Here in the reference to Ezekiel 36:26-27 it not only expresses a new spiritual birth (I will... "put a new spirit in you") but also a change of heart ("I will give you a new heart"), one that loves God, is no longer at enmity with Him, and desires to follow His commands. Man would no longer be a slave to sin or dead in sin and it is by God's Spirit that we persevere ("I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you
will be careful to observe My ordinances."). Pre- or post-Pentecost, what is the difference? Does the Pentecost change something?
To which he replied as follows:
I said I was not sure if the Ezekiel passage was a good one to describe being born again. You could also read that I am not sure it is not a good passage as you have used it. Just giving you my immediate reaction, not a result of study. If it is a prophetic of what it means to be born again after Pentecost, then perhaps it is. I just don't know that it is. Otherwise, the old testament saints did not experience being born again. I am not speaking as being knowledable in Ezekiel, but I suppose I felt that most of its prophecy is concerning the nation of Israel, and not the individual members of the Church. Again, just talking from a general understanding, so don't take my words as a disagreement, more just a wondering if that passage can be applied to a new testament Saint.
Has anyone heard anything like this from dispensationalists?I would not label him charismatic. He usually attends non-denominational baptist churches. Is this an injection of dispensationalism? Thoughts?