Why Do Born Again Christians Think Their Way Is Best

5 Birthmarks of the Born Again Christian

Turning Indicate
2021 4 Dec

What is a Born Again Christian?

While the entire Bible stresses certainty and assurance for Christians who are built-in-again, in that location'due south ane section of Scripture that stakes out this theme as its primal focus—the letter of the alphabet of 1 John.

As nosotros advisedly read through 1 John, we detect a five-fold argument for the balls of salvation—five of the birthmarks of the Christian. These are characteristics and traits of someone who is born again through faith in Jesus Christ.

"That which was from the beginning, which nosotros take heard, which we take seen with our optics, which we have looked at and our easily have touched—this we proclaim apropos the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and prove to it, and nosotros proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to united states of america. Nosotros proclaim to you what nosotros accept seen and heard, so that y'all likewise may take fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Male parent and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete." ane John 1:1-four

Let'south take a look at the five signs of those who are born again Christians

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1. Born Once again Christian: The Birthmark of Confession

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The starting time is the birthmark of confession, described in 1 John 5:i: "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Before you tin can have balls of salvation, yous take to believe and be saved. You lot have to confess Jesus Christ every bit Lord. Some people assume they are saved considering they grew up in a Christian culture, or they have gone to church all their lives, or they have been baptized, or they take tried to alive a practiced life. Even so they've never distinctly and personally confessed Jesus Christ every bit their Savior and Lord.

The Bible teaches that we are sinners, separated from God by a sinful nature. We can never earn, buy, or climb our way into heaven. By our own efforts or goodness, nosotros tin never be saved. That'southward why God became a homo who lived a wholly righteous life, died on the cross, shed His blood for u.s.a., and rose from the expressionless. He paid our penalty, took our judgment upon Himself, and He offers us the opportunity to be born again.

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ii. Built-in Again Christian: The Birthmark of Modify

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If the first birthmark is our confession of Christ equally our Savior and Lord, the second is a changed life, as we see in i John 2:29: "Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him." When Jesus truly saves us, information technology makes a difference in how nosotros think, act, speak, and conduct ourselves. The Bible says, "If anyoneisin Christ,he isa new creation; onetime things take passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As we begin learning to practice righteousness, our habits change. We will not be sinlessly perfect while we're on this planet; but if we're Christians, nosotros need to carry like Christians. If nosotros say we're saved but nothing has changed well-nigh us, something is wrong. We are not savedbyskillful works, but we are savedforgood works, and the Gospel is a transforming agent in our lives.

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iii. Born Once again Christian: The Birthmark of Pity

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Those who are truly saved as well bear the birthmark of pity. How can you know that yous are a Christian? By what y'all believe, by how you lot live, and by whom you honey. Love is a recurring theme in i John, and the apostle leaves no dubiousness almost how it permeates the lives of true Christians. "Honey," he wrote, "allow u.s.a. beloved one another, for honey is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. . . . We know that nosotros have passed from expiry to life, because nosotros love the brethren" (1 John four:vii; three:14).

Do yous dearest your brothers and sisters in the family of God? Those who are truly saved are those who enjoy and bless the household of faith, the family of God.

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four. Born Once more Christian: The Birthmark of Conflict

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A 4th sign of existence truly saved is disharmonize. According to 1 John v:iv, "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." The discussionovercomeimplies a struggle. We're faced with an adversary whom we must overcome. Our adversary is identified in ane John two:14 as the wicked 1: "I have written to you, immature men, because you are potent, and the word of God abides in you, and y'all have overcome the wicked i." John went on in the side by side verses to say: "Do not love the earth or the things in the world. . . . For all thatisin the world—the animalism of the flesh, the animalism of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Male parent just is of the world" (1 John 2:15-17).

When you're genuinely born of God, you'll be growing to be an overcomer as you deal with the temptations effectually y'all—the world, the flesh, and the devil. Yous may not exist victorious over every temptation every time, but you'll brand progress in gaining more victories and losing less battles as you grow stronger in Christ and in the ability of the abiding Word of God.

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v. Born Again Christian: The Birthmark of Conduct

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That leads to the final point I want to brand: We can see prove for the validity of salvation in our want to conduct ourselves in a way that pleases God. Co-ordinate to ane John 3:nine, "Whoever has been built-in of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."

If we're not careful, we might interpret this poesy to teach that anyone who is born of God never sins. That would conflict with other passages in the Bible that describe united states of america as fallible and often declining.

In 1 John 3:9, the word for sin is a nowadays agile infinitive and it describes a continuous action. John is not saying that whoever sins one time is not born of God. That would disqualify all of us. It would certainly disqualify me. But John is saying, in effect, "Whoever keeps on willfully sinning, violating God'southward law with stubborn disregard and ongoing wickedness, cannot take balls of salvation."

If we are truly saved, we volition grieve over our sins, confess them, and seek God's grace to do better.

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Y'all tin can have assurance of salvation today.

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His grace is inexhaustible and His salvation is irreversible. Make certain yous have confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and then trust Him with your eternal futurity. He will never leave you lot or forsake yous. His Word was given that you might know Jesus Christ every bit your Savior and that you might know that you take eternal life.

Article excerpted and edited with permission fromDr. David Jeremiah's book, Ten Questions Christians are Asking.

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