How do you know that you are truly born again?

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Permalink Reply by Seek on September 24, 2014 at 2:20pm

Janie says above:  Its been a few months or more but I believe there was a couple times I did feel His presence. One of the times I hadn't even been reading on AAG or even thinking about God. I remember I ws walking into another room and I remember I stopped and raised my hands in praise I could feel the spirit. It was like my person was doing this without my mind thinking to do it...

This was done in the privacy of her own home, without thought, where no one could see.  If one did that, I couldn't see that they were just attempting to praise but that it was actual true praise.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on September 24, 2014 at 2:28pm

The question is not regarding what a person attempts to do, but whether God receives praise from an unbeliever (the spiritually dead). We can shout, jump up and down or do whatever .... but that means nothing to God if we do not know Him. True worship is clearly described in John 4 and when we understand the Spirit of God's relationship with humanity as described in Romans 8 we know that God does not accept the worship of the unsaved.

This leads to a second question. Is Janie really saved and was what she did acceptable to God?

Lord Bless,

LT

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Permalink Reply by Seek on September 24, 2014 at 2:49pm

I would think only God knows that.  She says she believed in the past.  Did she TRULY believe?  Then she was saved.  And that then goes to your favorite...what are the essentials?  Is once saved always saved or one can become unsaved an essential? ;-)

Permalink Reply by Leonard T on September 24, 2014 at 3:39pm

Yes, only God knows that and He has revealed to us that true worship is in Spirit (only a born again person can experience this) and truth (only those enlightened by God can do this). A spiritually dead person cannot worship God in Spirit and truth. This is not an essential, but is non-negotiable.

John 4:24 NIV84  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

What Ribbon experienced I cannot say, but the Word tells me that God only received what was taking place as worship if in fact she is a child of God.

Permalink Reply by ribbon on September 25, 2014 at 9:11am

I agree with LT that if someone isn't born again and don't Know Him , I believe He doesn't look upon sin and if we are unclean He doesn't see us no matter what we do in appearance. That's why I feel stupid when I pray but I normally will ask a Christian to pray. However, The precence I delt that day seemed recognizable to me... it reminded me when I loved the Lord. But, also it reminds me of mormans telling me that the Holy spirit leads them into knowing there belief is truth. I don't dare say it wasn't the Holy spirit with me in the kitchen that day nor will I say it was for sure. All I know is I went from same ole same ole daily routine to in an instant having tears flow from my eyes in praising God and having such a peace surround me. Its all confusing to me.

Permalink Reply by thewatchman on September 22, 2014 at 9:58pm

How do you know that you are born again?

By the way you live.

Anyone here who once felt they were saved but then later they knew they were not? Me

I've gone through this....I was at a church, they were a non-denominational church, I thought because of that it would be good.  I felt good, I tried to act good, I tried......I wasn' t saved.  I was mimicking a false salvation as many do.  I was trying to do and feel all the right things while slapping a Christian sticker on my life...it didn't work.  I failed, I was empty, I was lost.  So one day, stopped going to my non-denominational church, opened up the Bible and found all kinds of Truth.  I sat out back probably most of my day from morning till night reading.  I didn't start where my "church" told me to start, I started in Hebrews, then Romans, then John, then Matthew...guess I had it all backwards since the beginning?  But it changed my life.  It struck daggers inside of my heart, the pain was deep, I can't explain it, but I knew then the difference.  

The transformation is nothing that can be explained, but it's soooooo much more than you'd ever beleive.  It's a NEW LIFE, 

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Permalink Reply by ribbon on September 22, 2014 at 10:28pm

thank you Watchman and seek for yalls replies. 

Please pray that I will stop being so foolish by not reading the bible and that I start reading it. thank you in advance.

Thank you for sharing this watchman.... I would love to have this new life you speak of

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on September 23, 2014 at 11:41am

Janie,

I am sure that others here as myself will continue to pray that our Lord gives you the will and the doing of eating the bread of life. God often gives us the will, but we don't follow up with the actual doing. I myself, like many, ask God for hunger for his word, so it can become a good habit in my life. A habit that brings much needed strength and joy to my life, as my mind is renewed by it. God answers and gives us the hunger, yet, we procrastinate and don't obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

When I noticed that happening I started asking not only for the hunger but also for the actual doing. It also takes, denying the flesh, knowing that there are truths to be learn which will set us free as they break strongholds in our lives by the renewing of our mind. 

Much love to you :)

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Permalink Reply by ribbon on September 23, 2014 at 6:00pm

Thank you for praying David. :-D .... when I pray I will ask these things and work on doing..... I hope I am not lying , it is deliberate if I am 

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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on September 23, 2014 at 1:17am

To directly answer your question: "How do you know that you are truly born again? " I see that your emphasis is on knowing. I didn't see that anyone has answered this from Paul's thesis on the inner witness, the Spirit of God. Much of what we think about someone being saved is by looking at the outward appearances. Yet, you will find many who are not saved that have a great outward appearances. Many of whom are very much lost can put on a great performance - to be seen; but their inner life is filled with pride and self significance, having no presence of the Spirit of God. 

I know many devout people who seek God (apart from Christ), who live very circumspect and moral lives, who talk a lot about faith, who are also very very lost. But, Jesus and the Apostles gave us no such outward witness as confidence in our relationship to God. Jesus said of the Pharisees that they were like white washed tombs, that is they were pretty on the outside yet filled inwardly with death and rot. Very pretty, and very empty of life. Jesus said "wash the inside of the cup and the outside will be clean". 

Paul gives us an explanation for how we can be confident in our relationship to Christ in Romans 8:9-17 where he said "...The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God...". Now, some will say that the "evidences" of you living a moral life are the things that should give you confidence. Yet, in the previous verses in Romans 8, Paul warns us to put no confidence in the flesh. He himself had lived a rigorously moral life, keeping the law as perfectly as any man could. Yet, he said that he counted his previous works as "dung" compared to the surpassing glory of knowing Christ. 

So, how do we know if the Spirit is bearing witness with us that we are the children of God? In verse 15, Paul says that if we "received the Spirit of adoption (of sonship) ...we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' ” 

The question should never be "am I living a good enough life?" or "am I backslidden?". You are never going to be good enough. You will backslide. Heck, you'll probably backslide daily. That is why Paul warns us to put NO CONFIDENCE in the flesh.

Yet we must put all confidence in Jesus. If you are looking to Jesus alone as the author and finisher of your faith, if you recognize that He alone makes you worthy and righteous, if you seek to please His father out of gratitude for your salvation by living a life pleasing to Him, then you will have an on-going relationship where you are empowered by His grace to live a life pleasing and honorable before Him. Yet, that will not be your focus - your focus will be to know Him in your spirit. 

The Spirit will keep you, sustain you, fill you, as you seek Him by faith knowing that your flesh can never make you right with God. And the Spirit will make you clean, inside and out. This Spirit who comforts, guides, teaches, convicts and strengthens you to live for God as a child. Not as a slave. The Spirit cries out from within you "Daddy!! Father!!". 

The lost person can never do that, seeking rather to justify themselves by their performance. God takes no pleasure in that - because it only leads to pride. Put your confidence in Christ. See Him as the ever-present light within you that is seeking the Father's will every day. Let go of your own strength and take hold of His. He gives it freely. And He gives you confidence in your inward person that you are a child of God. 

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Permalink Reply by ribbon on September 23, 2014 at 3:39am

thank you scribe for your reply. I will rereread and resond later on... I appreaciate yall taking yalls time for my questions they are important to me.

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Permalink Reply by ribbon on September 23, 2014 at 8:41pm

 Much of what we think about someone being saved is by looking at the outward appearances. Yet, you will find many who are not saved that have a great outward appearances. Many of whom are very much lost can put on a great performance - to be seen; but their inner life is filled with pride and self significance, having no presence of the Spirit of God. 

I understand what you are saying about some looking saved but who are most likely not.  Me not thinking I am saved isn't just because of my outer appearance but because of the last sentence you wrote....but their inner life is filled with pride and self significance, having no presence of the Spirit of God. ..

I know many devout people who seek God (apart from Christ), who live very circumspect and moral lives, who talk a lot about faith, who are also very very lost.

I think the above may be what I am doing . Except I have a vicious cussing mouth if someone crosses the line with me or mine. So I guess I am not living much of a moral life

The question should never be "am I living a good enough life?" or "am I backslidden?". You are never going to be good enough. You will backslide. Heck, you'll probably backslide daily. That is why Paul warns us to put NO CONFIDENCE in the flesh.

Maybe I backslid and maybe I just wasn't saved like I had believed. I know I was or I think anyway that I was put through a devastating test and I failed and been running backwards ever since.  Doesn't the bible speak of when a backslider returns they escape death... or something like that. I will look. My mind is very fixated on "only the chosen".  and also "only a few" will make it. I have way too much guilt and shame to deal with and some of that guilt are things I did against God.  I will reread what you wrote again and I hope that what I did respnd to is what you were meaning. Thank you again for your comment.

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