THE EVIDENCES OF REGENERATION

THE EVIDENCES OF REGENERATION

                        If Regeneration is only known by effects, how can I know? Others know?

             Internal Evidences

                        1 John 5:1 - Faith in Christ "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him." NAS
See note at bottom on a dead man and what he cannot do.
                        John 8:42 - Love for Christ  "Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me."
"Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me; for I came forth and am come from God; neither have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do ye not understand My speech? Even because ye cannot hear My word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father thereof. But because I say the truth, ye believe Me not. Which of you convicteth Me of sin? If I say truth, why do ye not believe Me? He that is of God heareth the words of God; for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God."
 The clarity of this answer of Jesus leaves no room for doubt about these matters. First, mark His claim; "If God were your Father, ye would love Me." It was at this point when Philip said, "Show us the Father," He replied, "Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." Imagine anyone else saying a thing like this, If you knew God you would love Me. That is what He said to them with perfect clearness. Then He told them what lay at the back of that deafness and dullness, their blindness and denseness; they were of their father the devil; their spiritual relationship was a relationship with hell.
                         Rom. 8:16 - Witness of the Spirit "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."
Because of the neuter pronoun here, some have wrongly concluded that the Holy Spirit is merely an influence, rather than a person. However, the Scriptures clearly teach that the Holy Spirit is as much a person as either the Father or the Son. He speaks (e.g., Acts 13:2), teaches (John 14:26), reproves (John 16:8), regenerates (Titus 3:5), baptizes (1 Corinthians 12:13), leads (Romans 8:14), produces fruit (Galatians 5:22), empowers (Acts 1:8), and does many other things that require personal action, including “bearing witness,” as noted. A very real evidence that we have indeed been saved is this inward witness in our hearts that we are truly born again into God’s family. However, it is possible for the believer to quench this witness through willful rejection of His leading (see 1 Thessalonians 5:19), even though His presence still remains.
                        1 John 3:14  - Love for the Brethren  "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death."
 John gives three characteristics of true love for our brethren: doing righteousness (1 John 3:10); willingness to die for them (1 John 3:16); willingness to share our possessions with them. (1 John 3:17).

            External Evidences

                        1 John 2:29 - A life of practical righteousness  "And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming."
This is the first of seven occurrences of the phrase “born of God” or “born of Him” in 1 John, each giving a descriptor of those who are truly born again. The others are 1 John 3:9 (twice); 4:7; 5:1,4,18.
                        1 John 4:7 - Love for one another  "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."
                        1 John 5:4 - Overcoming the world. Only one kind of Christian.  "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith."
"Genetos" Grk. translated also begotten of God. This new birth results in:
-doing righteousness 1 John 2:29
-in not sinning John 3:7; 1 John 5:18
-in being able to love 1 John 4:7
-in overcoming the world 1 John 5:4
-in faith in Jesus as the Christ 1 John 5:1
-in the security of the believers 1 John 5:18
                        1 John 5:18  - Can't continue in a life of sin. "We know that no one who is born of God sins (present tense); but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him."
“Keepeth” is used in the sense of “guardeth.” The born-again Christian will (or at least should) guard himself against the deceptions of Satan by constantly availing himself of “the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-18), by consciously resisting the devil steadfast in the faith (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9), and by following Christ’s example in silencing him with appropriate Scriptures (Matthew 4:1-11). To the extent we thus guard ourselves against the wiles of the devil, that “wicked one” cannot touch us, for “greater is He that is in [us], than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

            Notes: a. This external evidence not recognized by the world. 1 John 3:1  "See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."
 The matter of importance here is not the English word but the Greek word of which it is a translation. The Greek word in English letters which is translated manner is the word <potapos>, which really means "whatever," but always in the interrogatory form, that is, in the form of a question, so that what John really meant here was this, "Behold, whatever love is this that the Father hath bestowed on us?" It is as though he said, "What possible sort of love is this?" It is an exclamation of wonder and excitement. That is the real value of this word "manner."

                        b. People argue we cannot know we are born again until the effects begin to appear. But cf. 1 John 5:1. Faith is the first effect. "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him." 
A dead man cannot believe unless God intervenes (is born of God). He does for the sinner what he cannot do for himself, he is dead in his trespasses and sins. A sinner believes because God has given him life to believe (is born of God). He does not believe to receive life. He believes because God has given him life and then he believes.
Love is absolutely wedded to truth.
                        c. Don't let anyone teach you this - to wait for a "feeling"