Are you born again<\/u>?<\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
\n\u201cUnless you are born again, you can not see the Kingdom of God\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
– Jesus<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
If we are born again\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
1)\u00a0Our view of Jesus will change:<\/strong> He is the Creator, the Everlasting God, yet became human, lived sin free, died a crimes death on the cross and then rose from the dead. He now reigns in Heaven & will return to bring all of creation under His rule.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2) We will be\u00a0Convicted of Sin:<\/strong> Instead of thinking we are good, God will open our eyes to understand that we are saturated with sin, opposed to Holy God, under His wrath and in desperate need of a Saviour. We can then put our trust & hope in Jesus, genuinely asking for forgiveness.<\/p>\n
3) We will experience\u00a0Genuine Repentance: <\/strong>Not the same as being religious, repentance is not just saying a prayer and continuing in sin. Nor is it just trying harder to \u2018be good\u2019.\u00a0
Repentance is both<\/em> God changing us to hate what He calls sin\u00a0and<\/em> us turning away from sin.\u00a0<\/p>\n4)\u00a0We will be Transformed:<\/strong>\u00a0Transformation in some areas happens instantly, in others it will be a process – it is different for everyone. But a few that should be evident are: <\/p>\n
– sinning less & being grieved about sin
– a lifestyle of being\u00a0obedient\u00a0<\/strong>to Jesus\u2019 commands
– being a<\/strong>ssured<\/strong> that you are actually saved
– understanding that you have been adopted<\/strong> by God
– genuine selfless love<\/strong> for other Christians and eventually for everyone (including enemies!)
– desire to be discipled and disciple<\/strong> others, sharing the Gospel with others\u00a0
– experiencing peace<\/strong> despite the trials and suffering we go through
–\u00a0forgiving others<\/strong> becomes possible and even natural<\/p>\nIf you have not experienced these things, it would indicate you have not been born again.<\/p>\n