ARE YOU BORN AGAIN

This is one of the most important questions in religion. Jesus Christ says, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" — John 3:3.

Are you born again? It is not enough to reply, "I belong to the church; and I suppose I am." Thousands of nominal Christians have none of the marks and signs of being born again which the Scripture has given us.

Would you like to know the marks and signs of being born again? Give me your attention, and I will show them to you out of the first epistle of John.

First of all, John says, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;" and again, "Whosoever is born of God sinneth not." — John 3:9; 5:18.

A man born again, or regenerate, does not commit sin as a habit. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination, as an unregenerate man does. There was probably a time when he did not think whether his actions were sinful or not, and never felt grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. Now he hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, counts it his greatest plague, groans under the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be delivered from it altogether. In one word, sin no longer pleases him, nor is even a matter of indifference; it has become the abominable thing which he hates. He cannot prevent its dwelling within him. If he said he had no sin, there would be no truth in him (1 John 1:8). But he can say that he cordially abhors it, and the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts arising within him, and short-comings, omissions, and defects appearing, both in his words and actions. He knew, as James says, that "In many things we offend all" (James 3:2). But he can say truly, and as in the sight of God, that things are a daily grief and sorrow to him, and that his whole nature does not consent unto them.

I place this mark before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Secondly, John says, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God" — 1 John 5:1).

A man born again, or regenerate, then, believes that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour by whom his soul can be pardoned; that He is the divine person appointed by God the Father for this very purpose, and that beside Him there is no Saviour at all. In himself he sees nothing but unworthiness, but in Christ he sees ground for the fullest confidence, and trusting in Him he believes that his sins are all forgiven. He believes that for the sake of Christ's finished work and death upon the cross, he is reckoned righteous in God's sight, and may look forward to death and judgment without alarm. He may have his fears and doubts. He may sometimes tell you he feels as if he had not faith at all. But ask him whether he will rest his hopes of eternal life on his own goodness, his own amendments, his prayers, his minister, or his church, and see what he will reply. Ask him whether he will give up Christ, and place his confidence in any other way of religion. Depend upon it, he would say that though he does feel weak and bad, he would not give up Christ for all the world. Depend upon it, he would say he found preciousness in Christ, a suitableness to his own soul in Christ, that he found nowhere else, and that he must cling to him.

I place this mark before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Thirdly, John says, "Every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" — 1 John 2:29.

The man born again, or regenerate, then is, a holy man. He endeavors to live according to God's will, to do the things that please God, to avoid the things that God hates. His aim and desire is to love God with heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love his neighbor as himself. His wish is to be continually looking to Christ as his example as well as his Saviour, and to show himself Christ's friend by doing whatsoever Christ commands. No doubt he is not perfect. None will tell you that sooner than himself. He groans under the burden of indwelling corruption cleaving to him. He finds an evil principle within him constantly warring against Grace, and trying to draw him away from God. But he does not consent to it, though he cannot prevent its presence. In spite of all shortcomings, the average bent and bias of his way is holy—his doings are holy, his tastes holy, and his habits holy. In spite of all this swerving and turning aside, like a ship beating up against a contrary wind, the general course of his life is in one direction—toward God and for God. And though he may sometimes fell so low that he questions whether he is a Christian at all, he will generally be able to say with old John Newton, "I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be in another world, but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the Grace of God I am what I am."

I place this mark also before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Fourthly, John says, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" — I John 3:14.

A man born again, or regenerate, then, has a special love for all true disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven, he loves all men with a great general love, but he has a special love for those who are of one mind with himself. Like his Lord and Saviour, he loves the worst of sinners, and could weep over them; but he has a peculiar love for those who are believers. He is never so much at home as when he is in their company. He is never so happy as when he is among the saints and the excellent of the earth. Others may value learning, or cleverness, or agreeableness, or riches or rank, in the society they choose. The regenerate man values Grace. Those who have most Grace, and are mot like Christ, are those he most loves. He feels that they are members of the same family with himself. He feels that they are his fellow-soldiers, warring against the same enemy. He feels that they are his fellow-travelers, journeying along the same road. He understands them, and they understand him. He and they may be very different in many ways—in rank, in station, in wealth. What matter? They are Jesus Christ's people. They are his Father's sons and daughters. Then he cannot help loving them.

I place this mark also before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Fifthly, John says, "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world" —I John 5:4.

A man born again, or regenerate, does not make the world's opinion his rule of right and wrong. He does not mind going against the stream of the world's way, notions and customs. "What may will say?" is no longer a turning-point with him. He overcomes the love of the world. He finds no pleasure in things which most around him call happiness. He cannot enjoy their enjoyments: they weary him: they appear to him vain, unprofitable, and unworthy of an immortal being. He overcomes the fear of the world. He is content to do many things which all around him think unnecessary, to say the least. They blame him: it does not move him. They ridicule him: he does not give way. He loves the praise of God more than the praise of men. He fears offending Him more than giving offense to man. He has counted the cost. It is a small thing with him no whether he is blamed or praised. He is no longer the servant of fashion and custom. To please the world is quite a secondary consideration with him. His first aim is to please God.

I place this mark also before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Sixthly, John says, "He that is begotten of God keepeth himself" — I John 5:18.

A man born again, or regenerate, is very careful of his own soul. He endeavors not only to keep clear of sin, but also to keep clear of everything which may lead to it. He is careful about the company he keeps. He feels that evil communications corrupt the heart, and that evil is for more catching than good, just as disease is more infectious than health. He is careful about the employment of his time: his chief desire about it is to spend it profitably. He is careful about the friendships he forms: it is not enough for him that people are kind and amiable and good-natured; all this is very well; but will they do good to his soul? He is careful over his own daily habits and behavior: he tries to recollect that his own heart is deceitful, the world full of wickedness, and devil always laboring to do him harm; and, therefore, he would fain be always on his guard. He desires to live like a solider in an enemy's country, to wear his armor continually, and to be prepared for temptation. He finds by experience that his soul is ever among enemies, and he studies to be watchful, humble, prayerful man.

I place this mark also before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Such are the six great marks of being born again. Let every one who has gone so far with me, read them over with attention, and lay them to heart.

I know there is a vast difference in the depth and distinctness of these marks in different people. In some they are faint, dim, feeble, and hardly to be discerned. In others they are bold, sharp, clear, plain, and unmistakable, so that any one may read them. Some of these marks are more visible in some, and others are more visible in others. It seldom happens that all are equally manifest in one and the same soul. All this I am quite ready to allow.

But still after every allowance, here we find boldly painted six marks of being born of God. Here is an inspired Apostle writing one of the last general epistles to the Church of Christ, telling us that a man born of God, Does not commit sin, Believes that Jesus is the Christ, Does righteousness, Loves the brethren, Overcomes the world, and Keeps himself. I ask the reader to observe all this.

Now what shall we say to these things? What they can say who hold that regeneration is only an admission to outward church privileges, I am sure I do not know. For myself I say boldly, I can only come to one conclusion. That conclusion is, that only those persons are born again who have these six marks about them; and that all men and women who have not these marks, and not born again. And I firmly believe that this is the conclusion to which the Apostle wished us to come.

A man born again, or regenerate, does not commit sin as a habit. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination, as an unregenerate man does.

The kind of well-intentioned message can be discouraging and misleading. Some may mistakenly start looking at their own behavior (rather than the sure word of God) as the final arbiter as to whether they are saved or not.

There was a time in my life -- after I was saved -- that I went after sin about as enthusiastically as any unsaved man. There were probably many unsaved people living better than I was.

I had to learn later that my own behavior was a pretty unreliable place to look for any sort of assurance that I was saved. The only completely reliable and trustworthy place to look -- and trust --, I found, is God's word.

It was there I found that if I invited Him into my heart -- which I did -- He indeed came into my heart and saved me.

And God's word -- not behavior, not goodnesses or such -- is the only place anyone will ever get assurance they are saved -- assurance that will last, and not rise and fall with fickle feelings or one's sanctimonious piety on any given day.

Mark(s) or no mark(s) (and I strongly urge you all to read the article I linked in #35), what Christians should always be about is building up the body of Christ. That means, among other things, developing the grace to give the other person the last word, even - no, especially - if you disagree with what was said, and an understanding of forgiveness that forgives before grace is requested.

Well I was just going to tell you how much I like Schaffer....and thanks for the link to a wonderful piece.

One of the markers of the church I attend is how they love each other...We lost a 38 year old husband and dad in an auto accident the day before Thanksgiving. He was taken,and his wife just inches away was left completely unharmed (a few cuts). God called this godly man home, and left mom to raise the baby. Most of my church traveled hours to the service in his home town. At church last night Pastor taught on the scripture on taking care of widows....a fund has been set up for her..another young widow is coordinating a group to help her in both the short and long term. We are small in numbers 150 ...but we know that the mark "by this will all men know you are my disciples,that you have love for one another"

It doesn't matter whether you believe you are dead or not.

As a sinner, you were born dead: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned - Romans 5:12

You will remain dead unless you are "born again": Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. - John 3:3

If you are not "born again", you will suffer the "second death": And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. - Revelation 20:14,15

Jesus saves: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:4-10

I don't hate you, Brother! I'm trying to get you to realize that there is much, much more to being a Christian than either your or my individual view of it. Nor am I taunting you; although I am pointing out your behavior, which is highly defensive, to say the least. I also read the sermon, Brother, but I'll bet you haven't read the one I linked.

Now, even though I really hate "dueling Bible verses," this one time I would like to point your attention in another direction.

I Cor 8:1a-3, 9-12...we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge, but anyone who loves God is known by him. [snip] But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

Surely you don't think Paul was talking about only food, do you? But just in case you do think that...

Matt 18:6-7."If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!"

And I'm sure you realize that "little ones" may be "young in the faith" as well as children.

Sorry, but these threads where Christians do nothing more than beat up on other Christians are a stumbling block, not only to unbelievers, but to Brother and Sister Christians.

Let's build up the body of Christ instead of spending so much time tearing it down.

Peace.

"The problem with this sort of writing is that an unbeliever who is convicted and might be actually on the verge of seeking God, reads this and is beaten before they start."

If they are truly convicted by God's Holy Spirit, they will be saved by the power of His Holy Spirit. How can you say that they are "beaten before they start" when God has ...chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love (Ephesians 1:4)?

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ - Philippians 1:6

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Hang in there, you are not the first, nor will you be the last to be beat up for using the word of God in your argument.

The Lord Yeshua bless you and give you strength, may He shine His face upon you and be with you and yours always.

Alas

I'm always somewhat wary of over-reliance on John, as opposed to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Remember that John's words came long after Jesus's death, and therefore there's reason to believe that he had other influences, such as the society of the time.

Perhaps you might wish to keep this in mind:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 2 Timothy 3:16

Just a thought,

Alas

I'm born again every Sunday when I sanctify myself before our Lord and take Eucharist.

Luke 22:18-20
Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you."

1 Corinthians 23-29
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgement on himself.

Who do you think Ryle's audience was? I believe it to be the "seat-in-the-pew" church goer who is "at ease in Zion". I believe that Ryle wanted to shake them out of their complacency. Are we any different today? Nope, our churches are full of "chaff" who are there for all the wrong reasons. The average church goer needs to be told, in no uncertain terms, that it is only the new birth that saves them.

However, I am reminded of one encounter in the life of D.L. Moody. Moody once asked a stranger on the street "Sir, are you born again?". The startled stanger responded with a curt "Mind your own business!". Moody's response? "Sir, that is my business." At which point, Moody shared the message of salvation and the man was born into the Kingdom of God.

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