"Not everyone who calls out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your Name and cast out demons in Your Name and performed many miracles in Your Name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God’s laws.’ " Matthew 7:21-23
In that great and terrible day, there will be those white with shock when they find that they have depended on mental ascent to Christianity, instead of the miracle of the new birth. A.W. Tozer
In evangelical churches, people use phrases like “born again”, “saved”, or “beginning a relationship with God”. These Christian phrases are all speaking of the miracle of new birth described in the Bible. But how important is this new birth? Tozer shares more on this:
When Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” (1 Peter 1:3), he arrived at a major miracle of the New Testament! I don't mind telling you that it is my earnest faith that all that is worthwhile in Christianity is a miracle. The trappings and paraphernalia and our dressings of Christianity are unnecessary, and we could get along nicely without them. Supernatural grace has been the teaching of the church from Pentecost to the present hour. We believe that pure religion is a continuous perpetuation of a major miracle, and we cannot settle for just the mental quality of things. But the new birth is a miracle, a major miracle. It is a vital and unique work of God in human nature. It is the creating of a new man in the heart, where another man has been. It is the putting of a new man in an old man's place, and we are born anew! (1)
The new birth is the beginning of a person’s life of following Christ. They have died with Christ and have been raised to a new life!
But how can a person know if they have experienced this critical new beginning the Bible calls being born again? I am not sure there is any “checklist” that a person can complete that would give them this assurance of the new birth, but I do believe the Scripture tells us some things that are evidence of that new birth in a person’s life.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3
For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:4-6
(Jesus speaking) Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, My Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them. John 14:21
So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16
Four Points to Consider Carefully
Looking at Scriptures like the ones you just read can help anyone better evaluate if they have actually moved from being God’s enemy to being His adopted son or daughter. But what are some other ways that we can “examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5)?
As I was writing this post, God led me to a really good article on Desiring God’s website by a retired Pastor. In this post, this Pastor shared four questions that God can use to help anyone move toward really knowing if they have been born again. I encourage you to read the full article to make sure you are fully comprehending the four questions, but here they are:
Have you experienced real conviction?
Has something happened in your heart?
Is Christ more and more beautiful?
Has believing in Christ changed you?
I encourage you to ask the Lord to search your heart, and for the Spirit of God to bring comfort or conviction as you honestly answer them.
Final Words
I will close out this time of sharing with this from Stephen Cole:
The very first test given to a newborn in the delivery room is called the Apgar score. The test was designed to quickly evaluate a newborn’s physical condition after delivery and to determine any immediate need for extra medical or emergency care. It measures things like muscle tone, heart rate, reflexes, skin color, and breathing rate. Our second daughter came out of the womb with blue skin, and I was very alarmed. The doctor calmly cleaned the mucus out of her nose, and in a minute she was pink and crying. She didn’t get a very high Apgar score, but thankfully, she was alive. If she had not started breathing, we would have been overwhelmed with grief, not filled with joy. The vital signs of birth are essential!
A true child of God will have a spiritual Apgar score… If you claim to be born again, you may want to check your spiritual Apgar score. If the vital signs of new life in Christ are not there, you need to get down on your knees and plead with God to cause you “to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3). (2)
For Additional Reading and Study:
Desiring God Post Referenced in this article: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/am-i-truly-born-again
My Utmost for His Highest Post: https://utmost.org/the-evidence-of-the-new-birth/
The Gospel Coalition Article: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/born-water-spirit-mean/
Got Questions Post: https://www.gotquestions.org/new-birth.html
Written by Glen Solberg, Abiding Marriage, 2024. Send comments or questions to
Sources:
(1) Renewed Day-by-Day Devotional – AW Tozer
(2) Vital Signs of the New Birth from John 5:1-5 by Stephen Cole. Online link: https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-22-vital-signs-new-birth-1-john-51-5