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Answer
Spiritual rebirth occurs when a person places faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and receives God’s forgiveness of sin (1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:2). Salvation is the state of being reborn, as Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” «Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. », John 3:3. Being reborn spiritually is like a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis and emerging from a chrysalis as a new creature. Salvation is a spiritual metamorphosis with radical consequences, transforming believers’ lives. When one is born again, he or she is a new creation in Christ «Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. », 2 Corinthians 5:17.
But how can we know that we have been spiritually reborn? Is there a certain experience we should seek? A certain feeling we should have? What’s the proof of the new birth?
Paul asserts that we can and should test ourselves on whether we are in the faith «Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? », 2 Corinthians 13:5. John says that we can know that we have eternal life «These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. », (1 John 5:13). God’s Word provides believers with the certainty of salvation and offers guidance on how we can be certain that we have been born again.
You can be certain that you have been born again if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9–11 states, “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. 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. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’” The sole requirement for salvation is faith in the work of Jesus’ death and resurrection «Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. », (John 6:29). Nothing and no one else can save, not even our own good works (Acts 4:12;Ephesians 2:1-10). Once a person is saved by placing faith in Jesus, then he or she can be assured of salvation «and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. », (John 10:28). This is the promise of God.
To have faith in Jesus means to trust Him. We place our faith in Jesus when we acknowledge that we are separated from God and unable to solve that problem ourselves, when we realize that God has provided the atonement for our sins through Jesus’ death, and when we turn to Him in repentance and belief. Faith in Jesus is not merely agreeing intellectually with the facts of His existence, His deity, His death on the cross, or His bodily resurrection. Instead, faith in Jesus is a deep trust in our hearts that He is who He claims to be and that He has accomplished what He says He has.
Salvation is accomplished. It is believed that salvation is by God’s grace; it is reliance on the risen Lord for that salvation.
You can know you have been reborn if you bear the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22–23 lists the qualities that believers will demonstrate as a result of being reborn by the Holy Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (NLT). The work of the Holy Spirit in your life is evidence of rebirth, as the Holy Spirit indwells you (John 14:16-17;1 John 4:13) and controls you «But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. », (Romans 8:9).
You can know you have been reborn if you bear marks of a changed life. People will notice a change in the life of the follower of Christ because life before salvation will look different from life in Christ. No longer will the person reborn by the Spirit want to live in sin; children of God do not desire to habitually and without remorse partake in the deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:5-8;1 Thessalonians 5:5). Instead, believers will seek to imitate Christ: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” «If ye know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does righteousness is born of him.», (1 John 2:29, ESV). Of course, no one is perfect this side of heaven, but Christians have been saved to do good works for the Lord, and those works are one evidence of their rebirth «For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, wWhich God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” , (Ephesians 2:10).
You can know you have been reborn if you demonstrate love for your neighbor. Jesus told His disciples that love would set them apart as His followers (John 13:34-35). Having love for fellow believers is a mark of a reborn person “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” , (1 John 4:20). Showing love to others, including one’s enemies (Matthew 5:44;Mark 12:31), is a quality of someone who has been born again.
Many believers can recall a specific moment in time when they placed faith in Jesus, but for others arriving at the point of rebirth may have been a longer, more convoluted process. Regardless of whether we remember the exact day, month, and year of our salvation, we can be assured of being reborn because of our trust in Jesus and His continued work in our lives. Because He never changes, Jesus can be trusted as the means and assurance of salvation “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” , (Hebrews 13:8).
