Diego1618:
I understand you are reading God’s word, I have the same NT and read the same things. THe question is what does it mean. THe Scriptures don’t say anything, in that the Bible is not a person that can speak. It is the inerrant word of God, but needs to be interpreted within proper hermaneutical principles and in light of what is the faith.
As a Catholic, I firmly believe in the passion of Christ [shed blood], his death, and resurrection. However, Christ being the “firstborn among many brethren” is a statement about what Christ’s passion death and resurrection does for fallen humanity, rather than saying that Christ was born again, which you stated earlier.
For example, St. Paul in 2 Cor 4:4 speaks of the risen Christ as being “the image of God” and just before that, he states that believers in Christ will be “transformed into that same image” (c.f. 2 Cor 3:18). In another passage, St. Paul states that “he [Christ] will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” (c.f. Phil 3:21).
These passages allow us to accurately understand what Pope Benedict states in “Introduction to CHristianity” (p.234) that Christ is the “Last Man”, that is the exemplary man that is being taught by St. Paul in (1 Cor 15:45), that CHrist, as risen and Lord, is the “Last Adam” which is the example of a new humanity perfected by God’s Grace, which was part of God’s original plan in creation when God created man in the “Divine image” (c.f. Genesis 1:26-28).
So, as Pope Benedict notes in “Jesus of Nazareth, p. 334), Christ comes from God and he is God, but that is precisely what makes him, having assumed human nature, the bringer of a true humanity.
So again, I would encourage you to see Christ as a Divine person, who took on a human nature, but always had a Divine nature, and thus a person was born of Mary in Bethlem, a person died on the cross, and a person rose from the Dead. This person is a Divine Person, Christ Jesus, with two distinct natures, Divine and Human, yet still One person, who is Christ.
So it was Christ who rose from the dead, his entire person, and at those those who die with Christ will be raised with him, and which points to the resurrection of the body [affirmed in both the Apostles and Nicene Creeds], a belief which rejects the Gnostic concept that matter [body], is evil, and spirit [soul] is good.
Christ via his incarnation, passion, death and resurrection, came to save human persons, which means the entire person, body and spirit, which is why all of the post resurrection accounts speak of Christ, not a spirit and why St. Paul in Phil 3:21 spoke of CHrist conforming us to his glorified body and why St. John stated that in heaven we shall be “like him” (c.f. 1 John 3:2). All of this speaks to Christ in his glorified state, which points to us being conformed into the image of the Resurrected and glorified Christ, who is and always is Christ, a Divine Person with a Divine Nature and human nature.
"Every Catholic is "born again" at their Holy Baptism." (Statement made in post #24)
Scripture disagrees with that statement and unless you live in "Rio Linda".....translation is very simple. Here it is:
[I John 5:18] Douay-Rheims [18 We know that "whosoever is born of God", sinneth not: but the generation of God preserveth him, and the wicked one toucheth him not.]
I then asked, "How do you square your statement with this scripture? Are all baptized Catholics non-sinners?"
That was the statement that brought me to the thread. It's incorrect....according to scripture. John, very explicitly says that anyone born of God cannot sin.....but yet a poster (of your faith) blatantly says "All Catholics" are "Born Again" at their baptism.
Scripture tells us that the process (at baptism) is a begettal of the Holy Spirit.....and yes, we will be born again at the resurrection. Flesh is flesh and spirit is spirit [John 3:6]. Our Lord, Himself was proclaimed by God as his only begotten son [John 3:16]. He was not yet born again.....but at His resurrection was made spirit.....and was indeed "Born again".
So again, I would encourage you to see Christ as a Divine person, who took on a human nature, but always had a Divine nature.
So....basically, you're saying, "He had a leg up"....an advantage which helped him get through humanity (life) without sinning. If that's the case, then his sacrifice really doesn't mean that much........according to your interpretation.
To say one is "born again" is like saying a caterpillar claims to be a butterfly. Eventually, a caterpillar will become a butterfly....but they are not butterflies.