As a long-time discipler, I have encountered certain concerns and questions from new/immature believers over and over again. The most common concern/question, though, is: How do I know I'm really saved? Am I truly born-again? How do I tell if I am?
No one wants to get this bit wrong. No one wants to think they are saved when they really aren't. No one wants to be the person surprised by Jesus's words to them at the Final Judgment: "Depart from me. I never knew you." Yikes. What an awful thought!
In recognition of this terrible possibility, many new believers go through a time during which they repeatedly pray for salvation, making sure they "did it right," that they were sincere enough, and confessed everything, and followed all the biblical prescriptions for salvation precisely. For many new believers, this period is quite nerve-wracking, the question "Am I in or out?" gnawing at them all the time.
A big part of the problem, of course, is that the new believer doesn't have much experience with God under his/her belt (so to speak); there just aren't many (or any) concrete interactions between them and God upon which to rest their confidence in their salvation. Usually, they expect they should feel something, that God will move upon them in a way that their physical, fleshly senses can detect. This is, after all, how they navigate reality in every other instance and so this is how they approach God, too. But, the Christian believer is called to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), to trust the promises of God, to trust the proclamations of His word, entirely apart from a sensual, or sensory, validation of them.
Certainly, this is the case with salvation. Initially, it is entirely an exercise of faith; we are all saved by grace, through faith. (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:9-10) And so, the very first lesson the new believer learns is that faith - belief, trust - is essential to walking with God. For a time, they must simply trust God's word, without any of the usual physical sensory supports upon which they normally rely to navigate reality validating their adoption into God's family and kingdom.
As time passes, however, spiritual "fruit" will appear in the life of the new believer. The new believer will be able to look at his/her life and stack it up against the standard which Scripture establishes for determining genuine spiritual conversion. And there is such a standard; no guesswork is required in determining if one is really saved or not, which is why the apostle Paul wrote,
2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB)
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
So, then, by what biblical criteria can one measure if one is indeed saved? Well, the simplest way is to look for the work, the fruit, of the Spirit in one's life, as described in the Bible. It is by his presence within a person that they are saved, empowered spiritually and transformed. (Titus 3:5-8; Romans 8:9-11; 1 John 4:13, etc.) The Spirit makes a "temple" of the born-again believer (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19), shaping in them the character of Christ and in so doing fitting them for effective service as his servants and ambassadors. What, then, are the common indicators of the Spirit within?
1.) The Spirit convicts the born-again believer of sin, illuminates/teaches God's truth, and glorifies God in the minds and hearts of all believers.
John 16:8-15 (NASB)
8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. (See also: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; 1 John 2:27)
2.) The Spirit strengthens the born-again believer in times of trial and temptation.
Ephesians 3:16 (NASB)
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
Philippians 2:13 (NASB)
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Romans 8:13 (NASB)
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NASB)
3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
3.) The Spirit "bears fruit" in the character and conduct of the born-again believer.
Galatians 5:22-24 (NASB)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Ephesians 5:8-9 (KJV)
8 For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth
4.) The Spirit leads the believer.
Romans 8:14 (NASB)
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
5.) The Spirit causes the born-again believer to love the Christian brethren.
1 John 3:14 (NASB)
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
Here, then, is a short list of the most common traits of a person who is really saved. There are other characteristics evident in a person who is truly born-again that the Bible describes, but the ones I've listed are, I think, the most readily observable in one's life (and the life of others claiming membership in God's family).
What does it mean if the things listed above are not in evidence in your life? There are two basic possibilities:
1.) You are not truly born-again.
2.) You are immature, ignorant and weak in the faith (these three things generally go together) and so labouring under a load of spiritual compromise and sin that hinders one's spiritual life. (Psalms 66:18; Isaiah 59:2; 1 Peter 3:12)
Happily, both of these conditions can be remedied:
Repent (Luke 13:3), confess (1 John 1:9), and believe (Romans 10:9-10). And then, be discipled.
No one wants to get this bit wrong. No one wants to think they are saved when they really aren't. No one wants to be the person surprised by Jesus's words to them at the Final Judgment: "Depart from me. I never knew you." Yikes. What an awful thought!
In recognition of this terrible possibility, many new believers go through a time during which they repeatedly pray for salvation, making sure they "did it right," that they were sincere enough, and confessed everything, and followed all the biblical prescriptions for salvation precisely. For many new believers, this period is quite nerve-wracking, the question "Am I in or out?" gnawing at them all the time.
A big part of the problem, of course, is that the new believer doesn't have much experience with God under his/her belt (so to speak); there just aren't many (or any) concrete interactions between them and God upon which to rest their confidence in their salvation. Usually, they expect they should feel something, that God will move upon them in a way that their physical, fleshly senses can detect. This is, after all, how they navigate reality in every other instance and so this is how they approach God, too. But, the Christian believer is called to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), to trust the promises of God, to trust the proclamations of His word, entirely apart from a sensual, or sensory, validation of them.
Certainly, this is the case with salvation. Initially, it is entirely an exercise of faith; we are all saved by grace, through faith. (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:9-10) And so, the very first lesson the new believer learns is that faith - belief, trust - is essential to walking with God. For a time, they must simply trust God's word, without any of the usual physical sensory supports upon which they normally rely to navigate reality validating their adoption into God's family and kingdom.
As time passes, however, spiritual "fruit" will appear in the life of the new believer. The new believer will be able to look at his/her life and stack it up against the standard which Scripture establishes for determining genuine spiritual conversion. And there is such a standard; no guesswork is required in determining if one is really saved or not, which is why the apostle Paul wrote,
2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB)
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
So, then, by what biblical criteria can one measure if one is indeed saved? Well, the simplest way is to look for the work, the fruit, of the Spirit in one's life, as described in the Bible. It is by his presence within a person that they are saved, empowered spiritually and transformed. (Titus 3:5-8; Romans 8:9-11; 1 John 4:13, etc.) The Spirit makes a "temple" of the born-again believer (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19), shaping in them the character of Christ and in so doing fitting them for effective service as his servants and ambassadors. What, then, are the common indicators of the Spirit within?
1.) The Spirit convicts the born-again believer of sin, illuminates/teaches God's truth, and glorifies God in the minds and hearts of all believers.
John 16:8-15 (NASB)
8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. (See also: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; 1 John 2:27)
2.) The Spirit strengthens the born-again believer in times of trial and temptation.
Ephesians 3:16 (NASB)
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
Philippians 2:13 (NASB)
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Romans 8:13 (NASB)
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NASB)
3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
3.) The Spirit "bears fruit" in the character and conduct of the born-again believer.
Galatians 5:22-24 (NASB)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Ephesians 5:8-9 (KJV)
8 For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth
4.) The Spirit leads the believer.
Romans 8:14 (NASB)
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
5.) The Spirit causes the born-again believer to love the Christian brethren.
1 John 3:14 (NASB)
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
Here, then, is a short list of the most common traits of a person who is really saved. There are other characteristics evident in a person who is truly born-again that the Bible describes, but the ones I've listed are, I think, the most readily observable in one's life (and the life of others claiming membership in God's family).
What does it mean if the things listed above are not in evidence in your life? There are two basic possibilities:
1.) You are not truly born-again.
2.) You are immature, ignorant and weak in the faith (these three things generally go together) and so labouring under a load of spiritual compromise and sin that hinders one's spiritual life. (Psalms 66:18; Isaiah 59:2; 1 Peter 3:12)
Happily, both of these conditions can be remedied:
Repent (Luke 13:3), confess (1 John 1:9), and believe (Romans 10:9-10). And then, be discipled.
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