How do you know you are a Christian?

[GodLovesCats]

It is easy to think you are a Christian, but really not be born again. have heard of "fake Christians" and people who say they left Christianity. I have read it is a one-and-done deal because God does not take your salvation away, but also that repentance is required for salvation.

How do you know you personally are born again and will go to heaven?

 

[BobRyan]

It is easy to think you are a Christian, but really not be born again. have heard of "fake Christians" and people who say they left Christianity. I have read it is a one-and-done deal because God does not take your salvation away, but also that repentance is required for salvation.

How do you know you personally are born again and will go to heaven?

Rom 8:
12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

A student in school who never gets his tests or quizzes returned to him - can go sit down with the teacher and have a 1-1 conference and get confirmation directly from the teacher as to his/her standing. Romans 8 tells us to do the same thing.

 

[timothyu]

A Christian, or more accurately a follower of Jesus, puts God's will ahead of their own which is to love/care for all as self. They believe in the counter-culture Kingdom of God over that of the world which we have made in our own image, and understand the difference between the two. They are not a threat to the secular society but show an alternate way, acting as comforters to those who fall or are oppressed by the insanity of the self serving ways of a mankind which has not yet seen the error of it's ways.

 

[bling]

The indwelling Holy Spirit is our guarantee.

 

[zelosravioli]

Pharisees, puritans, teetotalers, and parolees aside, as well as my opinions on calvinism, arminians and a burning in the bosom aside; I am always reassured and amazed by my own reaction to the 'cross' especially when I witness a movie or Easter rendition of the passion. I tear up without even knowing why (!?) it feels like something in side of me yearns for God somehow especially then - I trust God has forgiven me because of the greatness of His sacrifice, and I believe His Word for that - His Word is the best assurance I have.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

It is easy to think you are a Christian, but really not be born again. have heard of "fake Christians" and people who say they left Christianity. I have read it is a one-and-done deal because God does not take your salvation away, but also that repentance is required for salvation.

How do you know you personally are born again and will go to heaven?

No doubt.
Blessings.

 

[timothyu]

I have read it is a one-and-done deal because God does not take your salvation away, but also that repentance is required for salvation.

Salvation yes was a one time deal for all of humanity. That won't be taken away. Not to be confused where the individual is concerned however, where it is still up to us to accept salvation by rejecting and repenting of the self serving ways of man and holding true to that responsibility.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Romans 10:9-13

New International Version

​

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[a] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[b]

 

[2PhiloVoid]

It is easy to think you are a Christian, but really not be born again. have heard of "fake Christians" and people who say they left Christianity. I have read it is a one-and-done deal because God does not take your salvation away, but also that repentance is required for salvation.

How do you know you personally are born again and will go to heaven?

I don't know, and what's more, I'll definitely assert that I float epistemically between Paul the Apostle and Blaise Pascal when guessing that I am "born again."

By the way, have I ever mentioned that I'm an existentialist? Why yes, yes I have.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Salvation yes was a one time deal for all of humanity. That won't be taken away. Not to be confused where the individual is concerned however, where it is still up to us to accept salvation by rejecting and repenting of the self serving ways of man and holding true to that responsibility.

What I meant by "one time deal" is for the individual. God does not take away your salvation, but can you ever stop being a Christian by later making a choice to reject God? I think so.

 

[Blade]

He called we answered we are born from above/born again. What He starts He finishes. You find what you use to like you don't anymore and for some its quick others it can take time. Take me known the Father for over 55 years. I was in my 20's before I stopped listening to Acid Rock music. I remember the day at work ... for some reason I didn't like it any more. Other areas came really fast. I hmm well I would sneak out and do really bad things with friends. Then one day I would still sneak out but would not do any drinking or all the other things. Them one night just me and my best friend.. he came to Christ. I was like 16.

Were still human living in this flesh. We fall.. we just get up dust off and keep going. I always liked saying "I'm just a follower of Jesus Christ". How do you know your a Christian? One way is what do others see? I remember standing out side Collage (Eastern Washington Univ) they were playing some old BW movie. Some girl walks up says to me "your a Christian arent you?" I said "yes how did you know?" She said "theres just something about you". <---things like this.. after all this is over.. I like all of you will lay at His feet. For it was not me they saw.

 

[Lost Witness]

I awoke overflowing with LIVING WATER one morning after Praying to the LORD out of fear( I burnt for 3 days, the overall experience of burning and overflowing with living water lasted 3 days) (the night before) that I'd die from smoking and would leave my Boys without a Dad,
That same night I prayed to the LORD... I KNEW "it's Done" and he wrote a law on my heart that i would never smoke cigarettes' again, (hallelujah!)
I haven't smoked since,
But yes you can fall away,
i did and he called me back to repent (hallelujah!)

 

[d taylor]

It is easy to think you are a Christian, but really not be born again. have heard of "fake Christians" and people who say they left Christianity. I have read it is a one-and-done deal because God does not take your salvation away, but also that repentance is required for salvation.

How do you know you personally are born again and will go to heaven?

That is a very simple question to answer.
But first being a christian is not exactly being a born again child of God. Christian is simply define as follower of The Christ. Many people may be following Jesus but they may also have never trusted in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life. So there are people who are following Jesus, like a person may follow buddha, mohammad, baal, science or any other false object/god.

So a believer may be a christian (a follower of Jesus) but also a christian may or may not be a believer.

But back to the original question about how do you know you are a born again child of God.

Because the testimony, promise of God, that anyone who trust in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life has received God's free gift of Eternal Life and is a born again child of God forever for eternity. .
Verses that states this truth, promise, testimony of God are:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believe in Me has everlasting life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Assurance Made Simple – Grace Evangelical Society

 

[Soyeong]

It is easy to think you are a Christian, but really not be born again. have heard of "fake Christians" and people who say they left Christianity. I have read it is a one-and-done deal because God does not take your salvation away, but also that repentance is required for salvation.

How do you know you personally are born again and will go to heaven?

A Christian is by definition someone who seeks to follow what Christ taught. In Matthew 4:17-23, Christ began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, and the Law of Moses is how his audience knew what sin is (Romans 3:20), so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message. Furthermore, Christ set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses, and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22) and that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way he walked (1 John 2:6). So Christ spent his ministry teaching his followers to obey the Law of Moses by word and by example, which means that the biggest sign that someone is a Christian is that they are following the Law of Moses.

Likewise, in 1 John 3:4-10, sin is the transgression of the Law of Moses and those who do not practice righteousness in obedience to it are not born again as children of God. Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and again the Law of Moses is how we know what sin is, so someone living in obedience to it is the biggest sign that they are being saved from not living in obedience to it. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said that only those who do the will of the Father will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Father has straightforwardly made His will known through what He has commanded in the Law of Moses (Psalms 40:8). Furthermore, Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him His way that he might know Him and Israel too, and in Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so knowing God and Jesus is the goal of the Law of Moses, which is eternal life (John 17:3).

 

[GodLovesCats]

A Christian is by definition someone who seeks to follow what Christ taught. In Matthew 4:17-23, Christ began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, and the Law of Moses is how his audience knew what sin is (Romans 3:20), so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message. Furthermore, Christ set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses, and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22) and that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way he walked (1 John 2:6). So Christ spent his ministry teaching his followers to obey the Law of Moses by word and by example, which means that the biggest sign that someone is a Christian is that they are following the Law of Moses.

Likewise, in 1 John 3:4-10, sin is the transgression of the Law of Moses and those who do not practice righteousness in obedience to it are not born again as children of God. Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and again the Law of Moses is how we know what sin is, so someone living in obedience to it is the biggest sign that they are being saved from not living in obedience to it. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said that only those who do the will of the Father will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Father has straightforwardly made His will known through what He has commanded in the Law of Moses (Psalms 40:8). Furthermore, Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him His way that he might know Him and Israel too, and in Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so knowing God and Jesus is the goal of the Law of Moses, which is eternal life (John 17:3).

This contradicts the whole point that you can't earn your way to heaven, which comes from Jesus Himself.

I guess I am not a Christian then because I never repented my sins and continue to sin.

 

[Soyeong]

This contradicts the whole point that you can't earn your way to heaven, which comes from Jesus Himself.

I guess I am not a Christian then because I never repented my sins and continue to sin.

I said nothing about earning our way to heaven. The fact that we do not earn our way to heaven by obeying God does not mean that we are not still required to obey God.

Here are some verses that speak against earning our justification/salvation/eternal life as a wage: Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:28, Romans 4:5, Galatians 2:21, Titus 3:5.

Here are some verses that show that our justification/salvation/eternal life requires us to choose to be doers of the law: Ephesians 2:10, Romans 2:6-7, Romans 2:13, Romans 3:31, Romans 6:19-23, Titus 2:11-14, Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 19:17, Luke 10:25-28, Hebrews 5:9, and Revelation 22:14.

So there must be reasons why our justification/salvation/eternal requires us to choose to be doers of the Law of Moses other than in order to earn it as wage. If you have not repented from your sins, then you are welcome to do so in accordance with the Gospel.

 

[Clare73]

A Christian, or more accurately a follower of Jesus,

Or more accurately and necessarily born again of the Holy Spirit. . .

puts God's will ahead of their own which is to love/care for all as self. They believe in the counter-culture Kingdom of God over that of the world which we have made in our own image, and understand the difference between the two. They are not a threat to the secular society but show an alternate way, acting as comforters to those who fall or are oppressed by the insanity of the self serving ways of a mankind which has not yet seen the error of it's ways.

 

[timothyu]

Or more accurately and necessarily born again of the Holy Spirit. . .

As I said... They believe in the counter-culture Kingdom of God over that of the world which we have made in our own image, and understand the difference between the two.

 

[Clare73]

As I said... They believe in the counter-culture Kingdom of God over that of the world which we have made in our own image, and understand the difference between the two.

And as NT apostolic teaching says: necessarily born again of the Holy Spirit (Jn 1:12-13, Jn 3:1-8, 1 Pe 1:23).

 

[timothyu]

Sam

And as NT apostolic teaching says: necessarily born again of the Holy Spirit (Jn 1:12-13, Jn 3:1-8, 1 Pe 1:23).

Same thing