If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? 

Would your co-workers, friends, even casual acquaintances unhesitatingly testify that you are obviously a true believer? Not based on your own verbal declaration, but by the way you live your life?

Could it be said that you “wear your faith on your sleeve?” Or are you hesitant to say anything about your faith — a kind of “closet Christian?”

Last week, we considered the question, “Are You Born Again? How Can Anyone Know?” We concluded that the one-and-only bona fide proof a person is born again and bound for Heaven is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

As explained in Romans 8:9-11, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

Some folks can look like a Christian but in fact are just going through the motions. Others may think they’re Christians when they are not.

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 7:20-23: 

“So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

So, is there a test for the all-important presence of the Holy Spirit? Something like an MRI scan to “see” into a person’s heart? Or perhaps a spiritual Geiger counter that detects the unmistakable indications of a person who is born again?

Alas, no such physical system exists to detect spiritual reality, but there are numerous secondary indications that strongly point to true conversion.

Spiritual Litmus Test

Since a true Christian receives the Holy Spirit upon conversion, they have been given a new nature that is born of God.

However, their old nature remains, leading to their lifelong inner struggle as described by the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:21-23:

“I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts.”

Fortunately, we know that our new nature is infinitely more powerful than our old sinful nature and we are assured that IF we continuously surrender to God, we will experience God’s victory over sin in our lives.

There are unmistakable external signs of that new Nature from God that gradually become evident as a person surrenders more and more of their lives to the Holy Spirit’s control.

New Spiritual Nature

So, what might a born again believer expect to see as he or she yields to the Spirit’s influence in their daily life?

This is not an exhaustive list, but representative:

• Hatred for sin — Increasing dissatisfaction with sin in your life; it’s just not fun anymore
• Love for Jesus — He is no longer an arms-length acquaintance, but a personal friendship emerges
• Hunger for the Word — The Bible becomes more of a necessity for inner peace and joy
• The presence of God — He gives us a new sense of purpose and direction by God’s hand
• Growing family resemblance — An increasing desire to be with other Christians, like family
• Innate homing instinct — Always drawn back to God and His people, even after wandering
• Continuance/perseverance in faith — A persistent desire to please God and longing for His return

Bottom line, Jesus boiled down the life of faith into what we know as the Royal Law, as noted in Matthew 22:36-40:

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

How About You?

Stay tuned for next week’s Part III in which we will discuss how you, too, can enter into a relationship with the living God.

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