Many are complaining about the Church today because some of us who claim to be born again are not. Just a few weeks ago, a self acclaimed apostle made a confession at the Dunamis Church in Abuja that he had just been born again.
He said he experienced salvation at one of the services at the Dunamis Church years after he was ordained Apostle in another assembly.
He is not the only one in this dilemma. Several people who claim to be born again have not experienced the new birth. They claim to be born again because they were told by the preacher when they confessed Jesus that they had become born again. But in actually fact they did not experience the new birth.
What they know is the church language and perhaps some practices in the church, which make them think they are born again. But in the true sense of the word, they are not.
The new birth is an experience and not an activity. The confession in some cases is just a step to the experience. The individual who makes the confession knows in his heart if the confession is real. And there are clear signs we truly have experienced salvation.
We are discussing 10 of such signs. They are not exhaustive. But they will serve as a guide for those who don’t know what it means to be born again.
Joy
One of the very first signs that we have become born again is that we experience the joy of the Lord in our hearts. If anybody who claims to know God does not experience joy, that person is yet to know God. This is different from being happy. Happiness comes when something good happens to us. But joy comes when we experience transformation in our inner being. The joy is inexplicable It is something that goes on within a person. It is the energy of the believer. Joy stays with us even in the face of adversity and loss. It is the fruit of the spirit
Peace
The born-again person experiences the peace of God. We are stable and unshaken. The turmoil of the soul is no longer there. The anxiety about the future and where we will spend eternity is no longer there. The confusion about eternal destiny is no longer there.
Those who experience the new birth may not be sure of where their next meal will come from. They may even go to bed hungry. But they have this assurance that when they shed their mortal bodies, they have a home that is eternal in Christ Jesus.
The peace of God that passes human understanding guides the soul of the born again. That peace gives the believer the confidence to face tomorrow. If that peace is absent in us we can’t claim to have experienced the prince of peace. The kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and joy in the holy ghost.
Clear vision
At the point of salvation, a scale falls from our eyes and we can see clearly. The experience of Saul also known as Paul on the way to Damascus as recorded in the books of Acts is a clear example of a born again experience. The scale of religion and self-righteousness’ fell off the eyes of Paul at the point of being born again. Anybody who experiences the new birth can now make a comparison between being religious and having relationship with Christ.
The religious activity we used to do without Christ will now be done with better understanding. For instance, when we were in the world we fast to fulfill religious rites. But when we know Jesus, we fast not to get God’s attention or to fulfill a rite. We do so because we want to put yourself in a receptive mode. Fasting does change God, it changes us and enhances our flow with God. Also prayer is no longer mechanical but a delight. Going to church is no longer a ritual but a relationship platform.
Hunger
One of the early signs you have become born again is that you begin to have a hunger for more of God. Being born again is like being born into the world in the flesh. The only difference is that being born again is being born in the spirit. That is why Jesus says, what is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the spirit is spirit.
A newborn in Christ has a hunger for the word of God just as a newborn baby has hunger for breast milk. Peter admonishes us to desire the sincere milk of the word as newborn babies. If that hunger is not there at the point of being born again, we are yet to experience genuine salvation.
Hunger for more of God’s word, more of fellowship with the people of God increases unlike when we are yet to decide for Christ. At conversion Jesus fills that hunger. But we need to continually feed on him. As long as we are feeding on Jesus we will not go hungry spiritually
Desire
One of the things that the holy spirit tampers with at the point of salvation is our desire and ambition. Though we may have the ambition to become what the people of the world also want to become, our objective and purpose will change. We may still want to become medical doctors, lawyers, etc. But the reason for that goal is always altered by the holy spirit. We have a new reason for doing what we want to do. And it is to please the Lord.
The born-again person does not want to earn a PhD so he could be called Dr. He wants to earn a PhD because such pursuit will serve the purpose of God and enhance his effectiveness in the programme of God.
Such a person will always ask, to what purpose am I doing this? Our ambition to marry and have children will no longer be because others are marrying but because we know our marriage will further help to glorify God.
The born-again child of God is not afraid to do away with things that will not bring glory to God.
Delight
One of the early signs of being saved is that we have delight in the things of God. We are always delighted when it is about God and his kingdom. While on social media we are busy doing stuff that will bring glory to God.
When it is time for Bible study we are delighted. When it is time to pray we are delighted. When the Psalmist says we should delight in the Lord and then make our requests, he is giving us a template for answered prayers.
Having delight in the Lord helps us to appropriate the will of God in our lives and thus makes our desire align with God’s desire..
Relationship
The circle of friends of the believer is greatly altered at conversion. We can’t have people who don’t have relationship with God as friends. And if we already had them as friends, the relationship will no longer be like before because our language will no longer be the same.
And that does not mean they become our enemies. We pray for them and also relate with them on the surface and not in the sense of taking counsel from them concerning the issues of our faith.This is because the desire of unbeliever and that of a believer are no longer the same.
We love them, we pray for them. But we don’t join them in their ways of life. Paul even warned against having anything to do with a brother who is a fornicator.
Sin
At the point of salvation, something drastically happens that makes us see sin for what it is. We experience an immediate transformation that shows clearly that we are in a new world. The desire to sin dies immediately. Though a believer may still fall into sin after being born again, he no longer enjoys sinning.
The born-again person does not continue to sin and no longer has delight in sin. Jesus’ death and resurrection already puts an end to sin in man. When we get saved, experience the reality of what Jesus already did on the cross.
But because we are still in the flesh the tendency for the old man to come alive again is there if not put in its no place. As we continue to yield to the holy spirit and study the word of God we conform to the image of Christ.
Our consistent daily walk with God and His word in us helps keep the old man in check. That is where the sincere milk of God’s word comes into play. It’s like a growing-up child. The child will have to learn to walk with time. But his ability to walk depends on the child’s diet. Even at that, a child can experience a fall. It is part of the growth process.
Our growth in faith depends on the spiritual food we take. Some people are fed with spiritual junks. They are taught to deal with God with a reward mindset. They come to God for what they can get not for love for Him. Such people will not grow. They will continually remain babyish and carnal. But a believer who feeds constantly on the rightly divided word of God will grow in grace.
Mammon
One of the hallmarks of a truly born-again child of God is that the love of money is not found in such life. Whatever the person does is no longer influenced by what he can get but by the desire to truly make an impact. Jesus puts it succinctly, when he said we cannot serve God and mammon. Many will not serve Satan if Satan were to be physically present in this world. But Satan has subsumed himself in mammon. Many who claim to be born again are still worshipping at the Altar of Mammon. Such people can not claim to know the God of the Bible. It’s divided loyalty when we serve God and at the same time serve mammon. People who are still obsessed by the desire for money at the expense of their walk with God need to check again if truly God is living in them.
Affection
Finally, what marks you out as truly born again is your affection for the things above. You no longer want to invest in things that have no eternal value. You’re obsessed with your love for God and love for man. What informs your spending is if it will bring glory to God. You want to impact people with your resources. You see God in the lives of people and so want to impact them. Jesus made a profound statement. He says, I was hungry you did not feed me. I was naked you did not clothe me. And the people will ask when did we see you naked and hungry. And he would say to them as long as you do not do it to the least of my disciples you have not done it to me.
This tells us that the bank account of God is in our fellow brothers and sisters. It’s in the people we meet daily. If we want to give God money, we should give to the people who are in need by that we are giving to God. We should give to causes that promote His kingdom. By that, we are giving God. We no longer want to acquire more than necessary. We now desire to impact humanity and also make others come to the knowledge of Christ.
Check highlighted portions of the article for scriptural references