How to Tell If You Are Born Again
First, let’s define “born again.”
You may recall that “There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” (John 3:1-4)
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:6-8)
Clearly, the Lord Jesus was saying to Nicodemus that what was needed was not another physical birth.
Being descendants of Adam, and because of sin, we are born into this world spiritually separated from God. Remember Adam tried to hide from God after he sinned in eating the forbidden fruit? Our spirit is dead. Once we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are “born again,” given “newness of life” and our spirit is made alive so that we can enjoy fellowship with God!
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Romans 8:16).
The Bible says to “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove (or test) yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Sometimes a doubt comes in that causes us to question whether or not we truly are born again.
To help answer that, I would suggest that we ask ourselves some questions:
Do we have a desire to
Read the Bible?
Pray?
Be with the Lord’s people?
Meditate upon and study the scriptures?
Tell others about the Lord Jesus and share the gospel with them?
The Lord said, “For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also” (Matthew 6:21).
That begs the question, “Where is our treasure?”
Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus – “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20)
“Will you set your eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” (Proverbs 23:5)
Should not, then, our “treasure” be in heaven, where our Lord Jesus Christ – the Lord of Glory, is?
Paul, the apostle, says, “Since ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead (to this life), and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3)
We need to judge ourselves – to examine ourselves – as to whether we are showing evidence of “new life” by some of the things mentioned above, to answer, if indeed, we are genuinely “born again.”
In the end, “…The Lord knoweth them that are His… (2 Timothy 2:19).
