It is clear you did not see the connection of God communicating that He would put His Spirit and cause one to walk in His statutes, with “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.”
Christ explained to Nicodemus clearly born of the Spirit is an action of God not man.
The dialogue in John 3 confirms the promise of Ezekiel 36.
What is the official interpretation of the Catholic church for these passages?
And what do you have to refute my original point that God promises to cause one filled with His Spirit to walk in His statutes?
It is clear you did not see the connection of God communicating that He would put His Spirit and cause one to walk in His statutes, with “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.†Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them;and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Christ explained to Nicodemus clearly born of the Spirit is an action of God not man.
and yet the Evangelical model for this seems to me to be the Sinner's Prayer or the Four Spiritual Laws. Do you deny the Sinner's Prayer and Four Spiritual Laws are how Evangelicals tell people to be born again ?
The dialogue in John 3 confirms the promise of Ezekiel 36.
The writers of the New Testament did not cite the passage in Ezekiel to which you refer. The promise in Ezekiel is to the house of Israel.
What is the official interpretation of the Catholic church for these passages?
I find this reference in The Catechism of the Catholic Church
In the Old Testament the prophets announced that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on the hoped-for Messiah for his saving mission.91 The descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at his baptism by John was the sign that this was he who was to come, the Messiah, the Son of God.92 He was conceived of the Holy Spirit; his whole life and his whole mission are carried out in total communion with the Holy Spirit whom the Father gives him “without measure.â€93 (702-716)
1287 This fullness of the Spirit was not to remain uniquely the Messiah’s, but was to be communicated to the whole messianic people.94
94 Cf. Ezek 36:25-27; Joel 3:1-2.
And what do you have to refute my original point that God promises to cause one filled with His Spirit to walk in His statutes?
Post 103: " I believe a lot of the answers you seek to questions posed can be found in Ezekiel 36. This is where God promises to indwell a believer, put His statutes on their heart and cause them to walk in them. Jesus was teaching this to Nicodemus in John 3. "
The scripture reference is covering - The house of Israel, not a believer.
- Neither faith, nor repentance are listed as preconditions for being born again.
- The heathen (Gentiles) will learn from this that the LORD whose name was profaned by the dispersion of the house of Israel is sanctified in the regathering of the house of Israel to the land of Israel.
- After the LORD restores them to the land of Israel, the LORD sprinkles clean water on them to wash away all their filthiness, and they are clean. Do you think this is Believers' Baptism ?
- This sprinkling seems closer to the Catholic view of Baptism :
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),4 and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.â€5
I. What Is this Sacrament Called?
1214 This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out: to baptize (Greek baptizein) means to “plunge†or “immerseâ€; the “plunge†into the water symbolizes the catechumen’s burial into Christ’s death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as “a new creature.â€6 (628)
1215 This sacrament is also called “the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,†for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one “can enter the kingdom of God.â€7 (1257)
1216 “This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding....â€8 Having received in Baptism the Word, “the true light that enlightens every man,†the person baptized has been “enlightened,†he becomes a “son of light,†indeed, he becomes “light†himself:9 (1243)
Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift.... We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship.10
The scripture in John - makes no reference to Ezekiel
- elevates the Son of Man
- requires faith to have everlasting life