RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-06-03	Have I Been Born Again?
		Spiritual rebirth occurs when a person places faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and receives God’s forgiveness of sin (1Pe.1:3; 1Jn.2:2). 1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Salvation is the state of being “born from above” or “born again”, as Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn.3:3). When someone is born again the Bible says they are a new creature (2Co.5:17). This does not mean we somehow look physically different. Being a new creature is an inward and spiritual reality. But how can we know that we have been spiritually reborn? Do we seek a certain experience? Paul asserts that we can and should test ourselves on whether we are in the faith (2Co.13:5). The apostle John said we can KNOW we have eternal life (1Jn.5:13). God’s Word gives believers the assurance of salvation and provides guidelines about how we can know we have been reborn. 1. You can know you have been born again if you have placed faith in Jesus Christ. Paul said, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Ro.10:9-10). The only requirement for salvation is faith in the work of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Jn.6:29). Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." Nothing and no one but Jesus can save, not even our own good works (Ac.4:12; Ep.2:1-10). Once a person is saved by placing faith in Jesus, then he or she can be assured of salvation (Jn.10:28). Joh 10:28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. This is the promise of God. To have faith in Jesus means to trust Him. We place our faith in Jesus when we recognize that we are separated from God and cannot resolve that problem ourselves. When we understand that God has provided the payment for our sins through Jesus’ death, then we turn to Him in repentance and belief. Faith in Jesus is not simply intellectual assent to the facts of His existence, His deity, His death on the cross, or His bodily resurrection. Rather, faith in Jesus is a heart-level trust that He is who He says He is and that He has accomplished what He says He has accomplished. It is belief that salvation is by God’s grace; it is reliance on the risen Lord for that salvation. 2. You can know you have been born again if you bear the fruit of the Spirit. Paul lists the qualities that believers will demonstrate because of being born again by the Holy Spirit (Ga.5:22-23). Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Thus, the work of the Holy Spirit in your life is evidence of being born again. 3. You can know you have been born again if you bear the marks of a changed life. People will notice a change in the life of the follower of Christ because life BEFORE salvation will look different from life in Christ. Those who have been born again will no longer want to live in sin. Instead, believers will seek to imitate Christ in their lives (1Jn.2:29). 1Jn 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. Believers are certainly not perfect and will sin. However, doing good works is evidence you have been born again (Ep.2:10). 4. You can know you have been born again if you demonstrate love for your neighbor. Jesus told His disciples that love would set them apart as His followers (Jn.13:34-35). Having love for fellow believers is a mark of a reborn person (1Jn.4:20). Showing love to others, including one’s enemies (Mt.5:44; Mk.12:31), is a quality of someone who has been born again. Many believers can recall a specific moment in time when they placed faith in Jesus, but for others arriving at the point of rebirth may have been a longer, more convoluted process. Regardless of whether we remember the exact day, month, and year of our salvation, we can be assured of being born again because of our trust in Jesus and His continued work in our lives. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

23304 E Wellesley Ave. Otis Orchards, WA 99027 Church Office: 509.926.9552 Church Cell: 509.342.9145 Pastor Cell: 509.828.8843 tomelseroad@gmail.com