A person becomes born again when they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. After that Christ comes to live in them and begins the cleansing process all of our lives. Sometimes we mess up along the way but God will always bring us back to obedience. He is the One Who does all the work in us. The scriptures below answer all of this.
Christ saves us because we trust in Him for our salvation, for cleansing us from sin, and for sealing us with the Holy Spirit so that we will never lose our salvation. We cannot do it through our own works it is all Him. Once God works in us to be born again He does all the rest of the work in us until the day He takes us home.
John 3:1-13 "3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life."
Ephesians 2:8-10 "…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.…"
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 2:8-10 "…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.…"
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [b]believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
We are not called to accomplish anything to be saved, only to believe in Christ and He will do all the rest in us.
However, to grow in holiness and develop a closes relationship with Him we must read His word and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom. We can quench, or silence, the Holy Spirit when we do not listen to Him or seek Him for counsel.
If we mess up and do something in the flesh that dishonors Him, He will bring His child back to obedience by a conviction of sin and consequences in life. The Holy Spirit teaches, trains, and helps in everything, never leaving us. If we have trials He will go through them with us, we are never left alone, even if people leave us we still have the most powerful of all help, that is the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 "…18 Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not extinguish the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt,…"
After we are born again God no longer regards us as being in the flesh, we are in the Spirit as far as He is concerned. Our citizenship is in heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 "16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!…"
We no longer think the same way we did before, all things in us are brand new, but we must choose to grow in holiness through prayer and Scripture reading.
When we leave this world our body will be changed but our Spirit is changed at the moment of salvation.
Philippians 3:20-21
"20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
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