Study 12
HOW DO I KNOW THAT I AM BORN AGAIN?
Before we begin this study, let us first come before our God and pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
I come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, please bless this time with You. Please open my eyes, ears and heart so I can know whether or not I am born again. Cause me to see my true state. In Jesus’ Name I ask.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
In the previous five studies we reviewed God’s provision for our new birth and its associated benefits. As one reflects upon all what we have learned one might wonder and be concerned about their eternal status. Or in other words; “How do I know that I am a child of God?” “How do I know that I am saved and will spend eternity with God in Heaven?” In other words; “How do I know that I am truly born again?”
To address these questions we will explore the following confirming characteristics of the born again Christian:
1. They believe that Jesus Christ is God Who came to earth as man and by Him all things were created.
2. They believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior of mankind and through His death and resurrection He saved us from our sins.
3. Through prayer, the born again Christian has asked Jesus Christ to save them from their sins and believe that their salvation is not based upon good works or deeds but solely upon God’s Grace and Mercy.
4. By faith the born again believer has given Jesus Christ control of their lives so that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are present and growing.
We begin our study by noting that,
THOSE WHO ARE BORN AGAIN BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS GOD WHO CAME TO EARTH AS A MAN
The first and foremost characteristic of a true born again believer, is that they truly believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and God of all creation. To see this truth, let us remember what Jesus once said to the Jews in,
John 8:23-24
"[23] … "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. [24] I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.""
In reflecting upon these words, one may ask; “What did Jesus mean when He said that He came from above?” Perhaps the best way to answer this question is by reading the account of Jesus’ birth as given in the Gospel according to John. It begins with,
John 1:1-4
"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men."
And now let us read from,
John 1:14
"[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
In Study 4 we discovered that the name “Word” is another name for Jesus (Revelation 19:11-13). Thus, Jesus Christ was/is true God and true man. In addition, by Him and for Him all things were created. To expand upon this we go to,
Colossians 1:15-19
"[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. [19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,"
According to the Bible, those who do not believe these things are motivated by the spirit of the anti-Christ. To see this, consider the following Scriptures,
1 John 4:1-3
"[1] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
And again,
2 John 7
"[7] Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist."
The Bible also teaches us that,
THE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER BELIEVES THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONE AND ONLY SAVIOR OF MANKIND
To see this truth we must first recognize that there is only one God. We find this by reading what God had to say about Himself in,
Isaiah 44:6
"[6] This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God."
In addition, the Bible also teaches us that there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. We find this in,
1 Timothy 2:5-6
"[5] For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all men …"
Let us notice the following verses,
5a … There is only one God and one Mediator or Savior. To expand upon this let us read from,
[12] Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
And that name is Jesus Christ.
Let us now return to 1 Timothy chapter 2 and explore verse,
6 … In Jesus’ role as mediator, the born again believer believes that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and to deliver us from the power of our sinful nature. Thus, we believe that by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection we have been reconciled or at peace with God. This truth is revealed in,
Colossians 1:21-23
“[21] Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. [22] But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—[23] if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”
Let us notice the following verses,
22 … Because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins we are forgiven and considered by God to be without blemish that is perfect. In addition, we are free from accusation, which means free from any wrong doing. Wow!
23 … To remain in this state, we must continue in our faith and belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
However, it does not end here because,
THE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER ALSO BELIEVES JESUS IS NOT DEAD BUT IS NOW ALIVE WITH GOD THE FATHER
Because death could not hold Him, we know that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to save us from our sins was accepted and that Jesus is truly the Son of God. In other words, the born again believer recognizes and believes that Jesus was literally and physically raised from the dead. To understand the importance of this belief, let us read an excerpt from Peter’s sermon during the Feast of Pentecost.
Acts 2:22-24
""[22] Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. [23] This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. [24] But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."
Let us notice the following verse,
24 … He was raised from the dead, that is Jesus Christ’s physical body is no longer in the tomb. Notice the authority or power of Jesus. Specifically, death could not hold Him! Just as Jesus told Martha, "He is the resurrection and the life." (John 11:25)
To insure that this very important truth is clear, Peter continued to explain that Christ’s resurrection was foretold in the Old Testament. To do this Peter first quoted from Psalm 16:8-11.
Acts 2:25-28
"[25] David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. [26] Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, [27] because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. [28] You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”
Peter then explained that the above passage of Psalm 16:8-11 was not about King David but foretold the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:29-33
[29] "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. [30] But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. [31] Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. [32] God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. [33] Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear."
Since this subject of knowing whether or not we are truly born again is so vitally important to our eternal destiny, let us summarize what we have covered thus far. To do this let us read from,
Romans 10:9
"[9] That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
With all this in mind, we now come to the question of; “By just knowing these things, does that save me from my sins?” Perhaps put another way; “Is salvation strictly based upon my knowledge of these things?” No!
THE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER PRAYED TO JESUS TO SAVE THEM
To see this, let us begin by reading the following passage,
Romans 10:13
" … "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.""
It is pointed out that when the Scripture says the name of a person it means the person himself. Thus, when the Scripture says to call upon the Name of the Lord, it means to call upon the Lord, Himself.
As we reflect upon the above we find that our salvation from our sins is not based upon our good deeds or works, but is totally based upon God’s Grace and Mercy. It is God’s free and unmerited gift to you and me. To more clearly see this, let us prayerfully read from,
Ephesians 2:4-10
[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. [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 for us to do."
Let us notice the following verses,
4 … It is out of God’s great love for you and I that He sent Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to save us from our sins.
5 … It is by God’s Grace, which is His unmerited favor towards us, that we are saved from the penalty and power of our sins.
8 … Even the faith that we have in Him is His gift to us. How can we ever thank Him?
9 … No one can boast or say that it was because of their good works or deeds that they earned their eternal salvation. We can only boast about God's love, mercy and grace.
Now we might be thinking to ourselves, Lord Jesus Christ I believe all these things. I believe in who you are and I have called upon You to save me. In fact, I have even been baptized. How do I know that my faith and belief are real? How do I know that I have not deceived myself and I am truly yours? The key to answering these questions lies in the last verse we have just read. Specifically,
Ephesians 2:10
"[10] For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
In other words, the last characteristic of the born again believer in Jesus Christ is that,
THE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER HAS THE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PRESENT AND GROWING IN THEIR LIVES
To see this we will,
1. Find that faith without works is dead.
2. Discover the believer must produce good fruits.
3. See that our good works must be motivated by love.
4. Discover the Holy Spirit will testify to our spirit we are a child of God.
FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD
This truth is illustrated to us by the Holy Spirit in the following portion of the letter written by James,
James 2:14-26
"[14] What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? [15] Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. [16] If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? [17] In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. [18] But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. [19] You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. [20] You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ? [21] Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. [23] And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. [24] You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. [25] In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? [26] As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
Let us notice the following verses,
17 … Faith by itself is dead. In other words, if I claim to have faith or belief in something and that faith or belief does not produce its associated benefit, then I really do not have the faith and belief that I claim to have. For example, even though it is sunny and clear, if I believe and have faith in the weather forecast that outside my house the temperature is freezing. Therefore, when I go outside I would dress warmly. However, if I continually go outside in my swimsuit, then I never really believed or had faith that outside it was freezing. Thus, my actions or deeds bear witness to the true state of my faith and belief.
19 … Just believing there is a God does not save you. As the Bible says, even the demons believe that.
24 … In other words, even though I am saved by God’s Grace, as shown earlier in Ephesians 2:8, it is the works produced by faith in Him that bears witness to the fact that my faith is alive and well.
26 … Just slowly read this verse again.
To illustrate this point our Lord Jesus Christ compares those who do or do not follow what He says to wise and foolish builders.
Luke 6:46-49
""[46] Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? [47] I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. [48] He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. [49] But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.""
Let us pay particular attention to the following verse,
46 … If I call Jesus Lord and do not do what He says, then is He really not my Lord? Looking at it in another way consider this; If I accept Jesus as my Lord, that is my King and Master, I would do all that He asks me to do.
We are now at the point of the acid test of our Christian faith. Namely, it is not merely what I say or profess; it must also be what I am or do. In other words, if I have been born again, my life must change. Let us not forget what we learned in previous chapters. Specifically,
"…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Now we may be saying to ourselves yes Lord, I have changed; I am doing what You asked. I have witnessed to the unsaved, I exercise spiritual gifts and I participate in Christian activities. Thus, all is well with me.
These activities are all good and of value; however, they are not the fruits that determine whether or not we are His. As we read the Scriptures we discover that it is the fruits of our life that determine whether or not we are His. In particular, the Bible teaches us that,
THE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER BRINGS FORTH GOOD FRUITS
To see this, let us begin by reading a parable that Jesus once gave relative to a tree and its fruit. It is recorded in,
Matthew 7:15-23
""[15] Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? [17] Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree can not bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Therefore by their fruits you will know them. [21] Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. [22] “Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” [23] “And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
Let us notice the following verses,
15-20 … A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. In other words, Jesus is teaching us that we can determine our state by examining the fruits of our lives.
21 … Here Jesus is telling us that by just calling Him Lord does not save us or guarantee us a place in Heaven. We must submit to Him and bring forth good fruit. In other words, we must do the will of God.
22-23 … Jesus now teaches us that activities such as the exercise of spiritual gifts or ones that relate to external religious activities, such as choir, ministries, etc., are not the fruits that determine whether or not we are His.
If my performance of spiritual or religious activities is not the true measure or product of my faith and belief in Jesus Christ, then one is left with the question; “What are the fruits I am to bring forth?” First of all,
THE WORKS OF THE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER MUST BE MOTIVATED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT’S LOVE
To see this let us read the following instruction the Holy Spirit gave to the very spiritually gifted church in Corinth,
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
"[1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
Let us notice the following verses,
1-2 … If I exercise spiritual gifts or am active in various religious or church activities, but I do not have love I am nothing.
3(a) … If I give away all my material things, do all kinds of charitable activities but do not have love, I gain nothing.
3(b) … Even if I am martyred for my faith but do not have love, I gained nothing.
In other words, what the Holy Spirit is telling us is that even though the external religious or church activities that I do are good and important, the issue is, “Why did I do them?" Was it out of love? Or, "Was it for some other reason; like it is my duty or to look good to others or to justify myself to God?”
We must remember that Jesus made it very clear how we can determine who His disciples are. We find it in,
John 13:34-35
""[34] A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.""
It is noted that the love Jesus is talking about here is the love that comes from the Holy Spirit.
To see this let us read the definition of the type of love that Jesus is talking about. As we read it, notice how different it is from the love that this world promotes. We find God’s definition of love by reading,
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"[4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
As we reflect upon this passage, we come to realize that this kind of love is beyond our human capability. This type of love is the love that is produced by the Holy Spirit. Thus, illustrating the necessity to be born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
In addition to love the other fruits of the Holy Spirit should be present in our lives. To read what these fruits are we go to
Galatians 5:22-25
"[22] … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
Let us notice the following verse,
24 … As we read in Studies 5 and 7, this means that those who belong to Jesus Christ live by faith in Him to bring about, through the Holy Spirit, these fruits from within our lives. Specifically, the true believer lives by faith in Jesus Christ and not in themselves.
Does this mean that I must be living a perfect loving and faithful life? No! However, it does mean our selfish and sinful ways should be diminishing and the fruits of the Holy Spirit should be increasing. When this occurs then,
THE HOLY SPIRIT BEARS WITNESS TO THE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER’S SPIRIT THEY ARE A CHILD OF GOD
To see this, let us begin by reading the instruction that the Apostle Peter gave to the church relative to the fact that God has given the born again believer everything they need to live a life pleasing to Him. This instruction can be found in,
2 Peter 1:3-11
"[3] His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. [5] For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. [10] Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, [11] and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Let us notice the following verses,
3-4 … God has given us everything we need to live a life pleasing to Him.
5-7 … These are the qualities He wishes us to have in our lives, that is this is the Father’s will for us.
8 … Notice that the Scripture does not say that we should have these qualities in a perfect condition. Instead, it says that they should exist and be increasing (or) as some translations state, “multiplying.”
9-10 … With the above in mind, the Bible now instructs us to check ourselves out to see if the above fruits are present in our lives and are growing.
As we check ourselves out, we may find sin and unloving attitudes in our lives. Does this mean that I am not saved? No! It does not necessarily mean that. First, we must never forget that we are not saved by our performance. We are saved through the atoning and redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, we are saved by His death and resurrection. The second point to remember is that the above Scripture does not say that these fruits are perfected; it says they must be present and growing.
However, as we become aware of areas of sin in our life, the Bible teaches us that we must confess them and desire that the Lord will remove them, which is to put them to death. Consider,
Proverbs 28:13
"[13] He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."
When we live our life in this manner, in the will of God, we will find that the Holy Spirit will bear witness with our spirit that we are His children. To see this, let us read from,
Romans 8:12-16
"[12] Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. [13] For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, [14] because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [15] For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
Blessed be the Lord Forever!
Amen and Amen
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