Actually, in Christianity this refers to the double Baptism quite specifically:
Now there was a Pharisse named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.' Jesus answered him, 'Very Truely, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can anyone be born again after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?' Jesus answered, 'Very Truely I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit. (John 3.1-6)
You can see this supported by anecdotes from Acts, where both forms of Babtism are necessary. Interestingly enough, this passage preceeds the "And the Lord so love the world..." one which is so popular, which itself preceeds the paasage about those who
choose darkness over light (for those not so familiar with scripture, we are talking about all of John 3 here.
Now, how does this relate to free will in a Christian context, beginning with what I said in my previous post about an unlimited God, consider that God sent Jesus to all the world. In Christianity the relationshipwith God is percieved as a two way one, God reaches down and man reaches up. I would contend that is man's choice to reach up, and the act of reaching, which is transformative, not God's reaching down.
If it is the reaching of man that is transformative then God offers salvation to all and hummanity chooses individually whether to accept God or not. In this case we have free will. If it is the reaching of God which is transformative then God chooses the living and the dead and man has no free will. His will is subordinate to the will of God.
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