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Change of Allegiance  /  Two Kingdoms: An Anabaptist Perspective on Warfare  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 6
Taylor argues that being “born again” is not a trite slogan but necessary to even “see” and “enter” the kingdom, and he says Jesus’ teachings may sound like nonsense if you’re not seeing the kingdom; how do you discern the difference between (a) struggling to obey Jesus because of weak faith and (b) not actually being reborn into the new humanity “born…of God”?
Another way to ask: Taylor says you must be “born again” to even see God’s kingdom, and Jesus’ teachings won’t make sense otherwise. How can you tell the difference between weak faith that struggles to obey and not truly being reborn?

Direct Answer From the transcript, Taylor’s main discernment test is whether you can “see” the kingdom at all—whether Jesus’ teachings register as real, authoritative, and meant to be practiced, not merely admired or explained away. Weak faith still treats Christ’s words as true marching orders; not being reborn may show up when they remain “nonsense” because you’re not living as someone “born…of God.”

Support from Transcript:

  • Taylor says being born again “means that you are born of the Spirit of God,” and “if you don’t get that, you’re not going to get the teachings of Jesus.”
  • He quotes John 1:12–13: believers become “sons of God… born… of God,” describing a “new humanity.”
  • He quotes John 3:3: “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” tying understanding to new birth.
  • He adds John 3:5: unless born “of water and of the Spirit,” one “cannot enter” the kingdom.
  • He directly challenges hearers: “Perhaps the reason why they seem like nonsense… is that you’re not seeing the kingdom of God.”
  • He stresses these teachings “cannot” be had unless you are “a new creature in Christ Jesus.”
Discussion Follow-ups The transcript doesn’t give a step-by-step self-exam, but it does press a question: do you mainly wrestle with obedience, or do you mainly reinterpret Jesus so you don’t have to obey?

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