Are you born again?
“Unless you are born again, you can not see the Kingdom of God”
– Jesus
If we are born again…
1) Our view of Jesus will change: He is the Creator, the Everlasting God, yet became human, lived sin free, died a crimes death on the cross and then rose from the dead. He now reigns in Heaven & will return to bring all of creation under His rule.
2) We will be Convicted of Sin: Instead of thinking we are good, God will open our eyes to understand that we are saturated with sin, opposed to Holy God, under His wrath and in desperate need of a Saviour. We can then put our trust & hope in Jesus, genuinely asking for forgiveness.
3) We will experience Genuine Repentance: Not the same as being religious, repentance is not just saying a prayer and continuing in sin. Nor is it just trying harder to ‘be good’.
Repentance is both God changing us to hate what He calls sin and us turning away from sin.
4) We will be Transformed: Transformation in some areas happens instantly, in others it will be a process – it is different for everyone. But a few that should be evident are:
– sinning less & being grieved about sin
– a lifestyle of being obedient to Jesus’ commands
– being assured that you are actually saved
– understanding that you have been adopted by God
– genuine selfless love for other Christians and eventually for everyone (including enemies!)
– desire to be discipled and disciple others, sharing the Gospel with others
– experiencing peace despite the trials and suffering we go through
– forgiving others becomes possible and even natural
If you have not experienced these things, it would indicate you have not been born again.
Please, pay urgent attention to this: consider reading the more in-depth version of this assessment found HERE
Lord, have your Way in me, convict me of sin, open my eyes to who You are and the horror of my sin. Please forgive me for all I have done and change me so I want to follow you and do good. Thank You for Your love.