How can I know if I'm born again?

[Grandma J]

Sorry. I'm getting too wordy. Just going to quit posting for now.

 

[Grandma J]

So very true, and many of us have a similar history to tell, though might vary some. I always want to emphasize to seekers that belief as God shows in His Word is about a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, the Christ of God; and not just a belief. God says: "devils also believe and tremble" (and we well know there will be no devils in Heaven. Seekers need to know that the relationship goes beyond just believing about God (John 14 can show this).

So I guess my saying my experiences is useless, or of no value. Deleting my posts.

 

[April_Rose]

So I guess my saying my experiences is useless, or of no value. Deleting my posts.

No please don't, I was trying to understand them the best I could.

 

[Grandma J]

No please don't, I was trying to understand them the best I could.

I do get wordy. Sorry. It's the writer in me.

I think this sums up how to know you are saved:
You have come to realize that without a doubt you can never be good enough, perform enough good deeds or feed enough hungry children in Africa, for instance, to measure up to God's righteousness. You have come to understand that without the salvation that Jesus provides, you are hopelessly lost for all eternity, no matter how much of a good person you think you are. God knows you've tried hard to be good enough, all on your own, but you just can't do it. (It's the point I came to, prior to that "brick wall moment" I talked about.)

You know that the truth of who Jesus is - the Son of God seeking you, the lost one - is true. You believe it, even though you don't know how you know it's true, but you know it is. When that time comes, you make a conscious decision to follow only Him and let Him rule your life. You cling to Him, follow Him, and long to adhere to His teachings. This is how you know you are saved - if that's where you're at in your understanding.

If you're not there yet, ask God to show you the truth. That realization of your helplessness is true repentance, and it's where we need to be before we are able to believe and hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit teach you the ways of Jesus. The Holy Spirit shows us our helplessness, and we can, in pride, reject His call to Christ, or we can look even closer at the truth of it.

Be forewarned. Once you become a genuine and willing follower of Jesus, you will be led on a journey you are not going to believe. It will be exciting, hard, sometimes discouraging and difficult to endure. It will be a test of your endurance, your beliefs and your decision to follow Him. But don't give up. Each victory will draw you even closer to God. You will learn what it means to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. After all, is not life without Him just as challenging, but in different ways?

You are in a learning process, as you would be in any classroom. Tell Him where you're coming from and ASK Him for guidance, which He will provide. Spiritual maturity is evident within you when you choose to believe, no matter what is going on around you. That is true faith in God - choosing to believe and trust in Him despite the circumstances. He will develop that kind of faith in you as you proceed through anything that comes your way, in victory.

 

[April_Rose]

I do get wordy. Sorry. It's the writer in me.

That's okay I just have special needs.

 

[Grandma J]

Is what I just posted too much to read?

 

[April_Rose]

Is what I just posted too much to read?

Yes.

 

[Grandma J]

I would absolutely love to hear the rest! It's been a blessing so far!

Others aren't so keen on my posts, so stepping back and observing for a bit, rather than jump right in there and participate.

 

[Grandma J]

Yes.

Okeedokee, then. No more posts, other than to let you know I'm exercising extreme caution by not posting anything else.

 

[April_Rose]

Okeedokee, then. No more posts, other than to let you know I'm exercising extreme caution by not posting anything else.

Please don't,.. I like your posts and I really don't want you to stop posting altogether, just not as much so it will be easier for me to read.

 

[Grandma J]

Please don't,.. I like your posts and I really don't want you to stop posting altogether, just not as much so it will be easier for me to read.

Thanks for replying. I've been stuck in the house since late February, due to my church closing. Then two weeks later the pandemic stuff hit. So being elderly, I've been stuck inside, living alone and have had little Christian interaction with anybody. This was to be the place where I could be of service to the Lord, in some capacity, but I'm not so sure I'm in the right place, now.

 

[April_Rose]

Thanks for replying. I've been stuck in the house since late February, due to my church closing. Then two weeks later the pandemic stuff hit. So being elderly, I've been stuck inside, living alone and have had little Christian interaction with anybody. This was to be the place where I could be of service to the Lord, in some capacity, but I'm not so sure I'm in the right place, now.

 

[1watchman]

I would say that I personally haven't seen a dramatic change although at one point I did feel led to read his word more. Even now, I feel like I'm only following him because I'm supposed to not because I actually love him. It seems like I'm trying to save myself instead of trusting in him alone. I also tend to feel like if I stop reading his word or praying and let him take hold of the situation, then I wouldn't be interested in Christianity anymore and that's what worries me.

We need to take the Lord Jesus at His Word: "...lo, I am with you always" (Matt. 28:20), when we have truly received Him into our heart, and not just believe about Him. Its a RELATIONSHIP rather than an intellectual thought or reasoning. I often counsel people to make the Lord Jesus your best Friend and stay in communion with Him all day. That one will be sealed by the Holy Spirit as a "child of God". Reckon it so and go forth with Him! See John 14 for assurance too.

 

[yellowMan]

We make mistakes and will continue to do so because we are still in our earthly bodies. Read Romans 7 a few times to see how Paul was mad at himself for the same thing.

You are correct that we should be walking by faith not feelings or sight (2 cor 5:7). The crazy conversion experiences you read about in Acts were specifically for that point in time in history as there was a big transition happening (Holy Spirit wind, tongues of fire, etc) from Law to Grace. Acts is a very tricky book and you must be very careful when trying to take doctrinal application from it.

As for reading the bible, I didn't do it for years then something within me changed (can't explain it) and I got a passion for a few topics in the bible in particular. Perhaps it might seem like less of a chore if you could find a topic or two that interests you and study it out. Maybe end times prophecy or angels or even food for example.

 

[flowergirl67]

We make mistakes and will continue to do so because we are still in our earthly bodies. Read Romans 7 a few times to see how Paul was mad at himself for the same thing.

You are correct that we should be walking by faith not feelings or sight (2 cor 5:7). The crazy conversion experiences you read about in Acts were specifically for that point in time in history as there was a big transition happening (Holy Spirit wind, tongues of fire, etc) from Law to Grace. Acts is a very tricky book and you must be very careful when trying to take doctrinal application from it.

As for reading the bible, I didn't do it for years then something within me changed (can't explain it) and I got a passion for a few topics in the bible in particular. Perhaps it might seem like less of a chore if you could find a topic or two that interests you and study it out. Maybe end times prophecy or angels or even food for example.

Thank you! I have been recently looking into christian dreams/visions and encounters that people have experienced and I think that topic has gained my interest.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Thank you! I have been recently looking into christian dreams/visions and encounters that people have experienced and I think that topic has gained my interest.

I would recommend extreme caution here. I'm not going to try and say that all dreams and visionary experiences are wrong, or bad--but what they most certainly are is subjective. It is extremely dangerous to rely on subjective experience. It's why the Church has historically affirmed the authority of Scripture, affirmed the Creeds, etc. That we have objective baselines for theology and Christian practice, standards which the Church has more-or-less collectively agreed upon as more than just subjective experiences, but as universal standards of the Christian faith.

But, and even more important on a personal level, is the danger of relying upon subjective experiences rather than the objective word and works of God.

It's why we look to Christ, and what He has done, as the authoritative word on our salvation--Christ died for sinners, that's you and me. God's love is publicly declared through the crucified Jesus for the whole world. The Gospel is not a private experience of individuals, but the declared word of God in Jesus Christ for the world, that our sins are forgiven, that death has been defeated, that God has disarmed the powers of this world and all of our hostility by reconciling us to Himself in Christ. God gives us this objective word, and accomplishes this work objectively not through our personal experiences, feelings, etc; but through the concrete, solid, external reality of things like the preaching of the Gospel, in the water of Baptism, in the bread and wine of Holy Communion, etc.

You can know you have been born again because of your baptism. If you have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit then you are a born again child of God. It doesn't depend on you, and your experiences, or your performance, or your abilities, or how you feel--it depends exclusively on God's own word, work, and promise. God has said it, and God does not lie. God's word to you in Baptism is Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection. Which is why St. Paul says in Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:12-13, and still other places that we died with Christ, were buried with Christ, were raised with Christ, were clothed with Christ in baptism. This is something God has done for us, not something we needed to do for God. It is God's grace made manifest in real, concrete, external, matter--something you can cling to, rely on, believe in that does not depend on you having to figure out if you really are saved or not saved or what your standing before God might be at any given moment.

Who you are before God is found in Jesus Christ, your Savior. Who He is, what He has done, what He says--that's what matters.

The Christian life, and all its struggles, are a life that is found here in the shadow of the Cross and Empty Tomb of Jesus, which is where you are and who you are in relation to God on account of what God gives you, and has done for you.

This entire Christian life and all its hope and the confidence that we have from Christ is summed up in a very simple statement, "I am baptized".

You belong to Jesus Christ. That isn't a guess, or a swing in the dark, or mere wishful sentiment; it is the absolute, objectively true, irrevocable truth of God.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[flowergirl67]

I would recommend extreme caution here. I'm not going to try and say that all dreams and visionary experiences are wrong, or bad--but what they most certainly are is subjective. It is extremely dangerous to rely on subjective experience. It's why the Church has historically affirmed the authority of Scripture, affirmed the Creeds, etc. That we have objective baselines for theology and Christian practice, standards which the Church has more-or-less collectively agreed upon as more than just subjective experiences, but as universal standards of the Christian faith.

But, and even more important on a personal level, is the danger of relying upon subjective experiences rather than the objective word and works of God.

It's why we look to Christ, and what He has done, as the authoritative word on our salvation--Christ died for sinners, that's you and me. God's love is publicly declared through the crucified Jesus for the whole world. The Gospel is not a private experience of individuals, but the declared word of God in Jesus Christ for the world, that our sins are forgiven, that death has been defeated, that God has disarmed the powers of this world and all of our hostility by reconciling us to Himself in Christ. God gives us this objective word, and accomplishes this work objectively not through our personal experiences, feelings, etc; but through the concrete, solid, external reality of things like the preaching of the Gospel, in the water of Baptism, in the bread and wine of Holy Communion, etc.

You can know you have been born again because of your baptism. If you have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit then you are a born again child of God. It doesn't depend on you, and your experiences, or your performance, or your abilities, or how you feel--it depends exclusively on God's own word, work, and promise. God has said it, and God does not lie. God's word to you in Baptism is Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection. Which is why St. Paul says in Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:12-13, and still other places that we died with Christ, were buried with Christ, were raised with Christ, were clothed with Christ in baptism. This is something God has done for us, not something we needed to do for God. It is God's grace made manifest in real, concrete, external, matter--something you can cling to, rely on, believe in that does not depend on you having to figure out if you really are saved or not saved or what your standing before God might be at any given moment.

Who you are before God is found in Jesus Christ, your Savior. Who He is, what He has done, what He says--that's what matters.

The Christian life, and all its struggles, are a life that is found here in the shadow of the Cross and Empty Tomb of Jesus, which is where you are and who you are in relation to God on account of what God gives you, and has done for you.

This entire Christian life and all its hope and the confidence that we have from Christ is summed up in a very simple statement, "I am baptized".

You belong to Jesus Christ. That isn't a guess, or a swing in the dark, or mere wishful sentiment; it is the absolute, objectively true, irrevocable truth of God.

-CryptoLutheran

Thank you!

 

[1watchman]

Much good counsel has been shown here, except I cannot say that: 'if you are baptized you know you are saved' as one said herein. Scripture only shows that baptism is 'taking a stand with the Lord Jesus against the unbelieving world', and it honors God. SALVATION is in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, and not just trying to follow His teaching. It is not about what we do, but what be believe in having that personal relationship with our Savior (note John 3 and 1 Jn. 5:10-12).

 

[1watchman]

Thanks for replying. I've been stuck in the house since late February, due to my church closing. Then two weeks later the pandemic stuff hit. So being elderly, I've been stuck inside, living alone and have had little Christian interaction with anybody. This was to be the place where I could be of service to the Lord, in some capacity, but I'm not so sure I'm in the right place, now.

You are in the right place, dear sister, and we are glad for your thoughts! Write me personally if you wish, and we can chat as oldies. - 1watchman

 

[1watchman]

Duplication --cancelled.