How can we know if we are born again?

[bèlla]

What I mean by a "loaded question" was that I had a purpose in asking the question to see if you were going to mention the written Scriptures as the bottom line of your faith in Christ.

When I address my faith I don't speak in the manner you desired. I bring the holy down to earth and make it easy to digest. Quoting scripture is of little consequence to someone devoid of light. Christ's sacrifice rests on the same principle. Love. That's what won me to God and to Christ.

True conversion involves a thorough transformation of the heart away from selfishness and sin and toward faith and dependence on Christ. You certainly have demonstrated that without a doubt!

Thank you. It prepared me for the call that would follow. He's sending me into depravity and darkness. I need a root that will not buckle and a heart that's wedded to Him no matter what. I've been tried. I won't recant. God willing, others will say the same.

 

[ViaCrucis]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

Remember your baptism.

"Jesus replied, 'I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.'" - John 3:3-5

"He saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit," - Titus 3:5

"[Christ sanctified] her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word," - Ephesians 5:26

Trust in God's promise to you which He has made in your baptism, by which you were born again, received the Holy Spirit, were adopted into the household of God, made an heir of God the Father and joint-heir with Christ. You are a child of God, a child of promise, by the irrevocable and indelible work and promise of God that is yours in Christ. Forever.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Zetetica]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

You can know that you have faith by the fruits of it.

 

[BobRyan]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

You tend to "talk about the bike" rather than "riding the bike".

Why not ask "tell me about the best way to ride the bike.. I am riding my bike but want to improve"??

Someone on another thread just said they don't believe in free will because they choose God but God does not accept them. they still feel lost.

I say - "taste and see" that the Lord is good. Ps 34. It is not a "talk a lot about it" thing. it is a "ride our bike a lot" thing.

My suggestion to him was that he start with one of the Gospels - like the Gospel of John. read from it every day and in a week it will be done. If that is too hard then read this commentary on the life of Christ.
The Desire of Ages, by Ellen G. White. Table of Contents

You won't get through reading that book before you are certain that you are a born again Christian.

Romans 8:16 says that the assurance of salvation comes to those who ask - "The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we ARE the children of God" -- but it says more than that - read it to find out how it says that will happen.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

The desire to walk with God through His Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit that appears during our walk and the endurance to stay the course are usually the signs of a regenerated person known as a Christian and more Spiritually; considered being "born again".
Blessings

 

[Mark Quayle]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

Don't know if you believe the Bible or not, but it tells a couple of ways to be confident about it. Spirit witnesses with our Spirit. And there's Obedience.

Yeah, I think a lot of us have been fooling ourselves.

 

[Toro]

Not exactly:

"17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Matthew 7:21-23 Disagrees with you.that that is the sole sign of ones salvation.

If that were THE sign that one were saved, why would Christ deny knowing them?

Relationship to Christ, is the sign one is saved, growth in that relationship is sign that one is saved.

 

[Foxfyre]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

We believe because we have a relationship with the Living Christ. We believe because He sees us through even when we don't feel secure, our faith is weak, and we doubt and wonder. Just as sometimes we aren't feeling the love from our friends or family that we love. We work through it. The dark times pass.

There is a reason for the story of Job in the Bible whether we take it literally or as allegory/parable. Even Job, a righteous man, had his doubts. He suffered and his days were dark and full of despair. But ultimately He trust the Lord and the Lord saw him through it.

I imagine all Christians at times pray something to the effect: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."

He always does as long as we respect Him to determine the how and when.

 

[Not David]

You are born again by getting baptized.

 

[aiki]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

Because you will act in accord with what you believe.

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

Your consciousness cannot manufacture the conviction, illumination, strengthening, comfort, transformation and provision of the Holy Spirit.

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

??? Language changes constantly. Words take on new meanings over time all the time. This isn't the work of the devil, but the normal evolution of language.

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

If by "rationalist" you mean "radical skeptic," it is bad. Too much skepticism becomes self-defeating, you know.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

For me, there was no turning back. Once, I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior I was forever changed. I could not go back to the way that I was before. It would have been impossible. I came to Christ via a tract called "This Was Your Life."

Chick.com: This Was Your Life

 

[JohnB445]

For me, there was no turning back. Once, I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior I was forever changed. I could not go back to the way that I was before. It would have been impossible. I came to Christ via a tract called "This Was Your Life."

Chick.com: This Was Your Life

Mines did too, and I didn't even know or expect it to happen upon having faith.

But I can't feel the supernatural things anymore. How can I know if God is there without the supernatural feelings I once had?

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

Basically this question is epistemological in nature, and biblical epistemology is revelational, that is God revealing knowledge to man.

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

Because the new consciousness and results thereafter are contrary to and opposed to the old consciousness and experiences. With being made alive to and in Christ comes new desires, changed desires which are opposed to the old natural self. Maybe a question to ask is why would anyone want to be a Christian? Why go against the flow of the flesh and the world and be a subject of scorn and persecution? Rationally it makes no sense to be at war with oneself, to "take up the cross" and submit to God so the mind is "renewed daily". Why would we want to be different, it is not the natural inclination.

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

Logic and reason are good tools and part of the image of God and reflect the perfect logic from the mind of God. With that said, rationalism as epistemology, can be bad, unless perhaps a distinction is made between Christian rationalism and non-Christian rationalism. However there is an issue with Christian rationalism which became evident to me many years ago now. It has to do with faith and reason or faith in reason and the role of each in Scripture. I'd just like to encourage you to read Scripture, and consider whether the writers wrote as doubters or believers. If their faith were in their own abilities to reason, they would have wrote as doubters, but they did not write in relativistic shades of might or maybe, they wrote from the perspective of faith in God, a revelational epistemology of unshakable faith.

 

[DonaRosita]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

And how do we know if the dictionary and definitions have been changed by satan or someone?

Is it bad that I am such a fierce rationalist, like Rene Descartes?

 

[DonaRosita]

I knew I am born again by faith, I believe implicity in God's love for me, I choose Jesus, I choose to side up with God, I made sinless choices daily: to salute and pray and praise God when I wake up, study my Bible by myself, later my Sabbath school lesson, my devotional, and a book in the evening, I repeat Bible Verses every moment, why? In my heart I cherish Thy Word not to sin against Thee. Psalm119:11

 

[football5680]

Baptism.

 

[Anthony2019]

How can we know if we actually believe and it's not just a mere profession of faith held in our neurons?

How can we know we truly experienced the Holy Spirit and not our consciousness making the experience?

Since I came to faith, I've been aware of God's presence in a number of ways:
1) Changes in circumstances which have required very little effort on my part - it is as if I have been carried to where I am meant to be. No need to struggle to make things happen, they just seem to happen.
2) Words of wisdom, healing, and encouragement spoken by others - the feeling that God has spoken directly into my situation and understands what I need.
3) The feeling that God is more distant when I disobey Him and the feeling of being embraced by Him again when I turn to Him and say sorry.
4) The feeling of being comforted during the times I have been upset or depressed.
5) The feeling of joy when I recognise what I have done has been a blessing to another person.

 

[Athanasius377]

Easy, remember your Baptism.

 

[Legroom]

Not exactly:

"17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

That's nonsense added to the Bible by a fanatic.

 

[Legroom]

Some people had faith all along, it continues to grow.
Some people experience a "spiritual birth" like Paul.
For others the spirit birth is gradual, looking back to one stage in your life compared to the present you can detect the change.

If you surch for God with all of your heart then you will find him, because he's also searching for you.