10 Points To See If You
Really Are Born Again:
1st John 1:4 “And
these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
Every one of us should not only be
willing, but should be EAGER to
examine our own hearts to see if we really are saved. It’s an absolutely logical and sane thing to
do. WHY
would you risk not getting to Heaven? WHY would a person just assume that he/she is going to make it,
without examining themselves to see whether or not that is true? It is extremely foolish and dangerous not to
test one’s own heart. As a matter of
fact, we are commanded to do just that thing in the Scriptures:
2nd Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”
So we should EXAMINE our hearts to PROVE
to ourselves that we are indeed saved.
We should be willing to look inside to see if what we claim to be IS IN FACT what we are. Blindly plugging along in life, hoping that you will make it to Heaven
is foolish. We need to test ourselves.
There are several places in the
Scriptures that give us “signs” to
look for that show that we are born again.
There is the evidence of the Spirit of God in us, causing us to know God
as Father (Gal.
4:6). There is the “fruit” that is produced in our lives as
a consequence of the Spirit dwelling in us (Gal. 5:22-23). But the “test”
we want to take right now is found in 1st
John.
There are at least 10 different “signs” to look at in this Book. Each one is a test to see whether or not we
truly are born again. The purpose of
these “tests,” as explained by John in chapter 1 verse 4, is so that
our “…joy may be
full.” That joy stems from an
assurance of salvation. When a person KNOWS that they are indeed saved and
that they are bound for Heaven, joy is the natural outpouring of that
knowledge. So these tests will help to
assure you of your salvation (or to show you your NEED of salvation) and will produce an outpouring of joy. So if you’re ready, let’s take the “test.”
1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
1.
The first sign is: “A Desire for Fellowship.”
·
The verse says that IF we walk in the light, we HAVE
fellowship with one another. So the
question you need to ask yourself, as you examine your own heart is, “Do I desire to have fellowship with other
born again believers? Do I hunger and
thirst after fellowship with those people who emanate the Light of Jesus
Christ? Do I want to be around them?”
1:8 & 10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us….10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
2.
The second sign is: “Honesty in Our Sinfulness.”
o
How do you view yourself? Do you look into your own heart and see it
for what it really is? Do you see the
underlying sin lurking in your heart and motives? Do you see the selfishness, the greed, the
pride, the lust, the hate, etc.? Or do
you look at your outward appearance, and your efforts at living a “clean” life? Do you see your ACTIONS and say to yourself, “I
don’t steal, murder or cheat. I work
hard and provide for my family. I’m a
good person.” Or do you look deeper
and say, “I think evil thoughts. I do good for appearance, but inwardly I want
only for me. I am seeped in pride and
lust and hate and jealousy. I am a
sinner!” (Luke 18:10-14)
The
truth of the Scriptures is that we are ALL
sinners (Rom.
3:23; Ps. 14:3). Our hearts
are wicked (Jer.
17:9). Our vain attempts at
moral behavior do not disguise our hearts from the eyes of God. He sees all!
He KNOWS the thoughts of our
hearts. And this second test is one of
honesty. Do you look within and agree
with the Scriptures, or do you see yourself piously?
2:5 “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”
3.
The third sign is: “Treasuring His Word.”
o
How do you view the Word of God, the Holy
Bible? Do you hunger after It? Do you desire to read It and to hear It? Or is It dismissed by you? Do you CLAIM to read It but in actuality
never do? And when you do, it’s out of
forced obligation, not out of joy and excitement.
The born again know the Word of God as alive and
powerful. They have experienced It’s
power and hunger after it as Spiritual food.
They recognize the supernatural ability It has to feed the Spirit and
they DESIRE It, like a baby desires milk, or a grown individual desires
food.
2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
4.
The fourth sign is:
“Do
You Love the World?”
o
Verse 16
gives three things that define what is meant by the “world.” The lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Do lustful things of the flesh dominate your
life? Do the sensual things that feel good
(sex, drugs, and alcohol would fall into this category) dominate your
thoughts? Is that what you crave? Is that what you desire? Is that were your focus (your “love”) is?
Or what about the lust of the eyes? The things that appeal visually and look good? Do you SEE
things and crave after them in jealousy and covetousness? Do you pursue after things rather than God?
And finally is the pride of life. Do you see yourself and your possessions as a
sign of superiority? Do you like to “show off” your things? Your home, your car, your family, your
clothes, etc.
If these things are the focal point of your
thought life, your inner man/woman, then it seems reasonable to say that you
“love” the world.
2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
5.
The fifth sign is:
“Who
is Jesus Christ to You?”
o
When you think about Jesus Christ, what do you
think of? Is He some obscure
unknown? Do you offer Him lip service as
“God,” but that really has no significant meaning to you? Or is He your Creator? Your Maker?
Your Master and Ruler? You Savior
and God? Your Sovereign? The Almighty in control of your life? What you make of Jesus is a BIG sign of whether or not you are His.
3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
6.
The sixth sign is:
“Are
You Anxious To Be With Him?”
o
When you look into your heart, do you anticipate
Jesus Return and the end of the world with excitement and joy? Or is it a gloomy and depressing thought to
you? Those who are born again desire to
be with Jesus. Death is no longer a
fearful thing and neither is the end of the world, because they mean that we
will finally be with Jesus Christ.
3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
7.
The seventh sign is:
“Do
You Practice Lawlessness?”
o
What are your thoughts on sin? When you sin, how do you feel about it? Does it grieve you? Do you mourn that you have offended God? Does it cause you to sorrow? Or do you dismiss sin as “no big deal?” Do you spend your days in pursuit of sin
without it bothering you that you are doing these things to God? Can you lie, steal, cheat, and hate, without
it breaking your heart because you are aware that you have hurt God?
If you can live in sin, that is, you can practice
sin on a daily basis without any sense of remorse and Godly sorrow (2nd Cor.
7:10), then you are in trouble.
Examine your heart and see if you are “living” in sin.
3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
8.
The eighth sign is:
“Love
of the Brethren.”
o
What are your thoughts toward the born
again? How do you feel about those who
exhibit the attributes of Christ? Are
you drawn to them? Do you love them and
feel a bond with them? Or are you
indifferent, or even worse, hostile, towards them?
Do you hold grudges against them? Do you hate them? Do you have unforgiveness towards them? When they weep, do you weep? When they rejoice, do you rejoice? (Rom. 12:15) Are you jealous and bitter towards them? Or do you want their best and sacrifice your
own pride, needs, and desires for them?
How you respond to believers is a major sign.
4:6 “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
9.
The ninth sign is: “Do You Love True Biblical Teaching?”
o
How do you feel about
sound Biblical teaching? Is a Bible
study boring to you? Or do you get
excited about the prospect of learning about the Scriptures and Jesus
Christ? Do you love to hear the Word of
God spoken and taught? Do you enjoy
expository preaching? These are things
that you need to examine your heart for.
5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
10.
The tenth sign is: “A Believer Overcomes the World.”
o
A test for your heart is
how do you respond to the world? A true
believer is in a daily war and is acutely aware of it. The believer SEES the sin that tugs at
his/her heart. The believer is aware of
the “pull” the world has on us. And
he/she wages war and OVERCOMES!
So, how do you respond to the
war? When sin “gets its licks in” and
causes us to stumble, do we throw our hands up in defeat? Do we say, “Oh well, I guess this is just who
I am?” Or do we get up, brush ourselves
off, and keep fighting? Do we continue
to wage war against each and every sin in our lives until we see Christ get the
victory?
For the believer does not stop
when the struggles get hard. The
believer never completely gives into his/her sin and says, “Oh well, this is
how I am going to be.” NO! The believer struggles on. The believer KEEPS repenting, KEEPS falling
to their knees in sorrow, KEEPS pleading with God for help, and NEVER
surrenders. And God CONQUERS these sins
in our life one by one. We overcome!
So, that is the test from 1st John. Examine your heart. Look honestly and deeply within yourself to
see if these attributes apply to you. If
they do not, SEEK GOD! Chase after Him
with all your heart, mind and soul.
Pursue Him. Cry out for Him. And you will find Him. (Jer. 29:13)
If you “pass” the test, then
REJOICE! These things were written that
your joy may be full! Knowing Jesus
Christ is the ultimate purpose of all of life.
So fulfilling. So
satisfying. And if you examine yourself
and find that you do indeed know Him, THEN BE FILLED! BE SATISFIED!
Be joyful!
1st John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Galatians 4:6 “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Psalms 14:3 “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
2nd Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
