Am I A Born Again Christian?

To answer the question "Am I A Born Again Christian?" is really quite straightforward, but I'm going to dig deeper, consult Jesus as He is the ultimate authority, and make sure you are convinced.

To Be 'Born Again' in Christ is simply a matter of the choice that you have made to BELIEVE in Jesus and Follow His perfect example as best you can in all that you do in your life. Now, many people may claim they had an event in their lives that changed them into believers and this can be true and it can also be quite dramatic - it was for me. But being born again is ultimately the conscious decision to follow Him and to look to Him for your salvation and you may have arrived at this decision in a more subtle way - this is also perfectly fine.

So Let's dig deeper and guess who we will consult? Yes, most times the ultimate answers can be found in the words of the Master - we'll ask Jesus if you're born again...

The Born Again Interview

John 3:1-16

1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him,
Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God:
for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him.
3 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.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born
when he is old? can he enter the second time into
his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence
it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one
that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can
these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a
master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we
do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye
receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe
not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly
things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he
that came down from heaven, even the Son of man
which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.

Now you have to understand that Nicodemus was a religious scholar - a pharisee (a more enlightened one than the rest) AND he was a member of the San Hedrin. The San Hedrin was like the Supreme Court and made rulings about any disputes among the people. So, when Jesus gets a little surprised with him for not understanding, it is because Jesus is referring to Old Testament prophesies ABOUT Himself and Nicodemus should understand...

Jesus says that "except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." He was referring to the Old Testament, specifically Ezekiel...

EzeKiel 36:25-27

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and
ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and
from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new
spirit will I put within you: and I will take away
the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause
you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgments, and do them.

This was counter to the beliefs of the Pharisees, including Nicodemus, even though it is right there in the scriptures. The Pharisees believed their religiosity and strict adherence to traditions was their ticket into the kingdom of God.

Lifted Up Like A Serpent

The other main point that Jesus brings up is also about Him indicating the manner in which He would be sacrificed when He says "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:" This is also referring to Old Testament scripture from Numbers...

Numbers 21:6-9

6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people,
and they bit the people; and much people of Israel
died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We
have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord,
and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take
away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the
people.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery
serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come
to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he
looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon
a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had
bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass,
he lived.

This is a situational prophecy about the coming of Jesus that God provides us an example for so to is Jesus lifted up on the cross and we look to Him to live, to have eternal life.

Do You BELIEVE?

So long as you accept that Jesus died for your salvation so that you would no longer be cursed before God for your sins, but will be resurrected into Glory in the kingdom of Heaven on the last day and you believe in trying to follow in Jesus' example to live a decent, kind to others life then you are a Born Again Christian. This is known as Christian justification because you are forgiven for your sins and justified before God because of Jesus and it is immediate because you BELIEVE.

Christian sanctification is the next step and takes your whole life to achieve by studying the Gospel - Jesus' ministry and perfect example and the example of the apostles, going to a bible-teaching church, praying to the Lord, repenting for any evil you have done, being baptized and living your life in accordance with the perfect example of Jesus as best you can.

Christian glorification comes when Jesus returns in His full glory, calls His church to Himself (every believer still living on earth) and resurrects the dead either to God's judgment and punishment or for committed believers to live eternally in the kingdom of God fully justified in the eyes of God because of Jesus.

So, Do You BELEIVE? The choice is yours and no one is going to make you believe, not God and no Christian will make you believe. Some say because God is invisible, He doesn't exist, but gravity is invisible and you see the evidence of it all around you. The evidence for Christ is all around you also from many many Old Testament prophecies about Him to the Gospel itself - Jesus' perfect ministry. If you're having trouble believing consider the multitude of miracles Jesus performed, even Jesus said, "If you do not believe me, you should at least believe my deeds, which the Father has given me."

Your Born Again Christian To Do List

1. Find a decent bible-teaching church in your area to attend regularly.

2. Get Baptized.

3. Study the Bible.

Being a Christian isn't so hard and besides the ultimate reward of eternal life you will also come to know the peace and joy of the Lord, comfort for your hardships, fellowship with other believers, a moral compass you can really rely on and the peace that you are justified before God because you have accepted His greatest gift.

I hope this answers your question "Am I A Born Again Christian?" to your full satisfaction and if you're a new believer or want to become one - welcome, there exists no better club on earth.

God Bless You

The Grim Reaper Preacher says, "Try reading the Bible from cover to cover - you'll like it."