how can I be assured as a Christian that I am born again ?

[JesusistheKing]

from my understanding, being born again is having Jesus's holy spirit come live inside of you and being a new creation in Jesus, but how can I be sure that I am born again ? I am wondering if it happens in an instant moment as soon as you trust Jesus as Savior, or if it is a process, and what scriptures could help clarify this for me ? I am feeling pretty lost on this topic right now and would love to have a more educated understanding on how to be assured that you are born again in Jesus

 

[LearningToLetGo]

48 minutes ago, JesusistheKing said:

I am feeling pretty lost on this topic right now

You are not alone. Continue to pray.

[Waggles]

2 hours ago, JesusistheKing said:

being born again is having Jesus's holy spirit come live inside of you

Yes it is of the indwelling Holy spirit - the power of God transforming your heart and mind. Becoming a new person walking in love and manifesting fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life.

But the expression "born again" is a poor choice of wording - rather Jesus was talking about being "born from above" by the Holy Spirit.

John 3:3  Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 
4  Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 
5  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 
8  The Spirit breathes where it wishes, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

[Waggles]

Acts 2:36  Let all the house of Israel therefore know surely, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified. 
37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, [Men] Brethren, what shall we do? 
38  And Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 
39  For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. 

[Waggles]

Mark 16:15  And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 
16  Who hath believed and is baptized shall be saved; but who hath disbelieved shall be condemned. 
17  And these signs shall follow them that have believed: in my name shall they cast out demons, speak with tongues; 
18  and in their hands they shall take up serpents, and if they drink aught deadly, it shall in now wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 
19  So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 
20  And THEY went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. 

[Rapture Bound]

You asked, "I am wondering if it happens in an instant moment as soon as you trust Jesus as Savior, or if it is a process, and what scriptures could help clarify this for me ?"

It happens the moment you receive forgiveness of all of your sins [at your new-birth experience]. I cannot conceive of anyone being forgiven of every sin they have ever committed and not knowing that they have been forgiven. And yes, it is the indwelling Holy Spirit that provides us with that assurance that we have been justified or declared as righteous in the eyes of God. [Romans 8:16].

From my October 12th post ... <  https://www.worthychristianforums.com/topic/252136-the-warnings-found-in-the-new-testament-what-are-we-to-do-with-them/?page=21 - Have You Trusted in the True Gospel of Jesus Christ?... A Litmus Test :

 

 

2 Corinthians 11:3-4,"But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

 

Galatians 1:8,"But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-4,"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain."

 

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,"

 

2 Corinthians 5:21," For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

 

 

Unquestionably, the most important effect of placing our faith in Christ's substitutionary atoning work is "knowing", that is, having the assurance that we have been saved from the wrath to come and will spend eternity in Heaven. This assurance is directly contingent upon obtaining a proper understanding of the gospel and Christ's finished work on the cross.

 

Multitudes have mistakenly believed that they are presently justified (accepted in the eyes of God) without ever coming to the knowledge that they have in fact been forgiven of all their sins. In other words, there are many who profess to be followers of Christ that have never experienced the necessary regeneration that occurs at the new-birth which provides the assurance of their salvation. Plainly stated, they are attempting to maintain a salvation that they have never obtained, and therefore possess an illusory form of Christianity.

 

Possession or non-possession of this assurance is the ultimate litmus test which separates the wheat from the tares, the genuine article from the counterfeit. A litmus test can be defined as - a test in which a single factor (such as an attitude, event, or fact) is decisive. Unfortunately, this reality is not brought to the forefront in many churches for fear of man. Many church leaders are afraid to "go there" because they realize it will "step on the toes" of many, and carries with it the potential of causing "division" or losing members of "their" church. Others may not address the issue simply because they themselves are unaware of this reality or reject the scriptural truths associated with it.

 

Sadly, in my many years of walking with Jesus, I have personally witnessed this tragic reality of non-assurance in the lives of the majority of those who consider themselves as being Christians. Please don't misunderstand me, my intent is certainly not to stand as some type of all-knowing judge as to who the genuine articles are. Rather, it is to hopefully awaken some to the reality of their true standing before God from a Biblical perspective before it is too late. The truth of the matter is that those people I have spoken with have stated out of their own mouths that they have never had gained the assurance that they had been forgiven of all their sins and will arrive safely in Heaven one day.

 

The scriptures clearly teach that those who are genuine, blood-bought, Holy Spirit regenerate followers of Jesus can and will have assurance of their acceptance before God, and that all their sins have been blotted out through Christ's atoning work.

 

Subjectively speaking, this "knowing" or assurance is seen in Romans 8:16, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,"

 

The objective truth is found in 1 John 5:12-13, " He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

 

How incredibly priceless are these dual realities! Associated with this is [a very critical question to ponder], a question that is derived from a Molinist perspective : "If any genuinely regenerated (and therefore justified) person will ever fall away and lose their salvation or "place in Heaven" one day, then how can any individual ever be certain that they will not be counted among those who will lose out on Heaven being their eternal abode at some point subsequent to their new birth experience?"

 

It surely appears to me that any person who believes that there will be some (or even one regenerate person) who will lose out on Heaven cannot claim with certainty that they will enter Heaven ... assurance for them becomes a logical fallacy.

 

Are you trusting in Christ's righteousness for your salvation, or your own? Do you possess a "know so" salvation? :

 

no assurance = no salvation

 

know assurance = know salvation

 

"Assurance (of Your Salvation)" - Robert Breaker - May 24,2019 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TATUl0h2qZ8

[Rapture Bound]

What is the test of genuineness?... in other words, What is the evidence that a person is a true believer (that they have truly been born again - John 3:3-8)? The following is certainly not a comprehensive listing, but a brief overview of the critical characteristics that true followers of Christ possess :

(1) A love for, and longing to be with other believers. (1 John 4:7-8,20).

(2) A hunger for, and ability to understand the Bible. (John 6:33-35; Matt.5:6; Ps.119; 1 Cor.2:14-16).

(3) A desire to see others receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior (and rescued from eternal destruction). (Rom.9:1-3; Jude 1:23).

(4) A repulsion or abhorrence towards sinful behavior. (Ps.45:7; 97:10; Proverb 8:13;
Heb.1:9).

(5) A supreme love for God (Matt.22:37-38; 1 John 4:19), and desire to please and obey Him. (1 John 2:15; 1 John 2:5; John 14:21-25; Ps.119:47-48).

(6) An assurance of being a child of God, and experiencing a future reception of the
heavenly inheritance. (John 5:24; 6:40; 10:28; Rom.8:16,38-39; 2 Cor.5:4-5; Eph.4:30; Phil.1:6; 1 Pet.1:23; 1 John 3:14,19,24; 5:11-13).

After a person has experienced regeneration by the renewing work of the Holy Spirit [Titus 3:5] along with it 's effects ... the assurance of right-standing before God, a believer will most likely experience (to one degree or another) lapses in their assurance due to different factors. Although it may certainly be possible for a regenerated person to never experience a doubt or fear subsequent to their justification ( I certainly do not say that it is unattainable by any means), it is most likely not the general experience of those who have been justified [i.e. - saved] IMHO. Subsequent doubts may come, but a core conviction remains.

[Waggles]

Galatians 5:16  But I say, Walk in Spirit, and ye shall in no wise fulfill the lusts of the flesh. 
17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary one to another; that ye may not do what things ye would. 
18  But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under law. 
19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 
20  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, divisions, heresies, 
21  envyings, drunkenness, revelling's, and the like of these; of which I forewarn you, as also I did forewarn, that they who practise such things shall not inherit God’s kingdom. 
22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness 
23  gentleness, self control; against such there is no law. 
24  And they of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts. 
25  If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. 
26  Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another. 

[johnthebaptist]

21 hours ago, JesusistheKing said:

from my understanding, being born again is having Jesus's holy spirit come live inside of you and being a new creation in Jesus, but how can I be sure that I am born again ? I am wondering if it happens in an instant moment as soon as you trust Jesus as Savior, or if it is a process, and what scriptures could help clarify this for me ? I am feeling pretty lost on this topic right now and would love to have a more educated understanding on how to be assured that you are born again in Jesus

 

I wouldn't make too big an issue of whether or not you are "born again." The issue is doing what the Lord told us to do. If you are doing what the Lord told us to do, what is there to worry about?

[Dennis1209]

21 hours ago, JesusistheKing said:

from my understanding, being born again is having Jesus's holy spirit come live inside of you and being a new creation in Jesus, but how can I be sure that I am born again ? I am wondering if it happens in an instant moment as soon as you trust Jesus as Savior, or if it is a process, and what scriptures could help clarify this for me ? I am feeling pretty lost on this topic right now and would love to have a more educated understanding on how to be assured that you are born again in Jesus

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the question you are asking is: I'm having Salvation doubts, how do I confirm I am saved? Many Christians have and do experience the same questions and doubts. I'm short of time before Sunday School and church, but I'll try to address my thoughts and experience later today.