Born Again All Has Become New

v Birthmarks of the Born Again Christian

Turning Point
2021 iv Dec

5 Birthmarks of the Born Again Christian

What is a Built-in Again Christian?

While the unabridged Bible stresses certainty and assurance for Christians who are born-again, there's one section of Scripture that stakes out this theme as its key focus—the letter of 1 John.

As we carefully read through one John, we notice a five-fold statement for the assurance of conservancy—five of the birthmarks of the Christian. These are characteristics and traits of someone who is born once again through faith in Jesus Christ.

"That which was from the kickoff, which nosotros have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which nosotros have looked at and our easily have touched—this nosotros proclaim apropos the Discussion of life. The life appeared; nosotros have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to yous the eternal life, which was with the Male parent and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you lot what nosotros have seen and heard, so that you too may have fellowship with usa. And our fellowship is with the Male parent and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete." 1 John ane:1-4

Permit'due south take a wait at the 5 signs of those who are born again Christians

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1. Born Again Christian: The Birthmark of Confession

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The first is the birthmark of confession, described in one John 5:1: "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Before you can take assurance of conservancy, you have to believe and exist saved. Yous have to confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Some people assume they are saved considering they grew upwards in a Christian civilisation, or they have gone to church all their lives, or they have been baptized, or they take tried to live a practiced life. Yet they've never distinctly and personally confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

The Bible teaches that we are sinners, separated from God by a sinful nature. Nosotros tin never earn, purchase, or climb our way into heaven. By our ain efforts or goodness, nosotros can never be saved. That's why God became a homo who lived a wholly righteous life, died on the cross, shed His blood for usa, and rose from the dead. He paid our penalty, took our judgment upon Himself, and He offers us the opportunity to be born once again.

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2. Born Again Christian: The Birthmark of Change

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If the first birthmark is our confession of Christ as our Savior and Lord, the 2d is a changed life, as nosotros see in i John 2:29: "Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him." When Jesus truly saves u.s.a., it makes a departure in how we think, act, speak, and conduct ourselves. The Bible says, "If anyoneisin Christ,he isa new creation; former things have passed abroad; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As nosotros brainstorm learning to do righteousness, our habits alter. Nosotros will not be sinlessly perfect while we're on this planet; but if we're Christians, we demand to behave like Christians. If we say we're saved but zip has inverse near us, something is wrong. Nosotros are not savedpastskillful works, but nosotros are savedforadept works, and the Gospel is a transforming agent in our lives.

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three. Built-in Again Christian: The Birthmark of Compassion

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Those who are truly saved also bear the birthmark of compassion. How tin you know that you are a Christian? By what yous believe, by how you live, and by whom you beloved. Love is a recurring theme in 1 John, and the apostle leaves no doubt about how it permeates the lives of truthful Christians. "Beloved," he wrote, "let us honey one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. . . . We know that we have passed from death to life, because nosotros love the brethren" (ane John iv:7; 3:14).

Do y'all honey your brothers and sisters in the family unit of God? Those who are truly saved are those who savour and bless the household of religion, the family of God.

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4. Built-in Once more Christian: The Birthmark of Conflict

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A fourth sign of beingness truly saved is conflict. Co-ordinate to one John 5:four, "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." The wordovercomeimplies a struggle. We're faced with an adversary whom nosotros must overcome. Our antagonist is identified in 1 John 2:xiv as the wicked one: "I have written to you lot, young men, because you are potent, and the word of God abides in you, and you lot have overcome the wicked one." John went on in the next verses to say: "Do not love the earth or the things in the world. . . . For all thatisin the globe—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the optics, and the pride of life—is not of the Father just is of the world" (1 John ii:15-17).

When you're genuinely born of God, you'll be growing to be an overcomer equally you deal with the temptations around you—the earth, the flesh, and the devil. You may not be victorious over every temptation every time, but you'll make progress in gaining more victories and losing less battles every bit you grow stronger in Christ and in the ability of the abiding Word of God.

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5. Born Once more Christian: The Birthmark of Conduct

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That leads to the last signal I want to make: We can run across evidence for the validity of salvation in our desire to conduct ourselves in a way that pleases God. According to 1 John three:ix, "Whoever has been born of God does non sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."

If nosotros're not careful, we might interpret this poetry to teach that anyone who is born of God never sins. That would disharmonize with other passages in the Bible that describe united states as fallible and oftentimes declining.

In 1 John 3:9, the word for sin is a present agile infinitive and information technology describes a continuous activeness. John is not saying that whoever sins once is non built-in of God. That would disqualify all of us. It would certainly disqualify me. Simply John is saying, in effect, "Whoever keeps on willfully sinning, violating God'southward police with stubborn disregard and ongoing wickedness, cannot have balls of salvation."

If we are truly saved, we will grieve over our sins, confess them, and seek God's grace to do improve.

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Yous can have balls of conservancy today.

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His grace is inexhaustible and His conservancy is irreversible. Make sure you accept confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and then trust Him with your eternal future. He volition never get out you or forsake yous. His Word was given that you might know Jesus Christ equally your Savior and that you lot might know that you have eternal life.

Article excerpted and edited with permission fromDr. David Jeremiah's volume, Ten Questions Christians are Asking.

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