The Narrow Gate: Only A Few

The Narrow Gate: Only A Few

The Worldly $$$ The Unholy

The Deceived The Compromised Liberalism
ved The Disobedient

The Un-Regenerate Bible???

The Pure The Legalist Nominal
The Holy
The Righteous NAR:Hillsong/Bethel The Moralist
The Obedient
The Faithful
The Persecuted

Born Again Believers

Christians

A Question For Christians: Are You Saved?

If you died tonight would you end up in heaven?

Did you know that most people in the church, those who claim to believe in Jesus, will not enter into heaven?

Why?

Find Out Inside

The Narrow Gate: Only A Few

By Bro. Andrew of India

Introduction

In response to some believers’ questions to Jesus as
to why they were not going to be allowed entrance
into heaven, Jesus simply said, “I never knew you.
Away from me.” These were people who claimed to
believe, who even did works in the name of Christ,
but were still not going to make it into heaven.

Why?

In short, because they were never born again, re-
born of the Spirit of God. They never truly repented
and fully surrendered their lives to Jesus. They had
only a form of belief, but it was false. There was
never a transfer in trust in themselves to total control
and trust in Jesus. Jesus never became Lord of their
life. They wanted to try and believe in Him as
Savior, but not Lord. They wanted the blessing of
eternal life, but were never willing to walk the
sacrificial life that Jesus calls of all His followers.
They never entered in through the narrow gate.

To be truly saved first requires that you be born
again. This means that you will be a regenerated
soul, born of the Spirit of God, totally transformed, a

completely new and different person, the “new
creation” as the Bible calls it. You will not be the
same, you will be different. You will be an entirely
new person, an adopted child of God. The new has
come and the old has gone.

Being born again begins with a truly repentant heart
combined with true faith in Jesus Christ. This true
faith is a full transfer of self to the transfer of your
entire life to Jesus, regardless of the consequences.
It’s a full forsaking and turning your back on the
values and systems of this world. This is what leads
a person to salvation, to being born again.

Unfortunately, most people in the church have not
been born again. They are false converts. They
think they are saved but they are not. And they are
in for a rude awaking when they face Jesus on
Judgment Day and He turns to them and says, “away
from me, you evildoers, I never know you.”

Most of the common ideologies of a false convert
fall into one or more of the following categories:
The Moralist: Just be a good person, do the best you
can and God will accept you. Wrong!
The Universalist: Everyone gets in so don’t worry
about it. Wrong!

The Legalist: Follow the rules of the religion, do
more good than bad, and you can earn your way to
heaven. Wrong!
The Agnostic: No one really knows for sure and no
one can ever know, so just follow your heart.
Wrong!
The Liberalist: Just include Jesus into whatever you
believe, create your own path and interpret the Bible
anyway you want. Wrong!
The Nominalist: Half-hearted faith. Believe in Jesus
and then go out and live any worldly way that you
want to live. Wrong!

People have to choose one of the above ideologies
because they have no other option because they were
never saved to begin with. They have an un-
regenerated spirit that won’t allow them to see the
Truth so they create their own way. It’s impossible
to follow God’s way if you haven’t been born again.
In fact, you will be totally blinded to being able to
see the Truth. The Bible calls this being spiritually
blind. You can’t see the Truth even though it’s right
in front of you.

The Bible says, “The man without the Spirit does
not accept the things that come from the Spirit of
God, for they are foolishness to him, because they
are spiritually discerned (blinded).”

1 Cor. 2:14

Following Jesus is hard in this life because you have
to go against all that the world is telling you to do.
It’s a total sacrifice of yourself and all your desires
when you follow Jesus. That’s why the gate is
narrow and so few make it in. They were unwilling
to totally let go of their lives.

Following Jesus is a call to suffer. It’s a call to total
self-sacrifice for Jesus and for others. It’s a call to
be persecuted because people are going to hate
you…it’s guaranteed.

Not only is the gate narrow, but so is the path in this
life. Once you enter in the narrow gate, the path is
so narrow that there is no room to veer off to the left
of the right. It is narrow because it is so opposite of
the world. It goes against all that the world has to
offer, all its lusts, its passions, sins and desires. You
have to walk in direct opposition to what the world
is telling you what is good.

And people will hate you for it. They’ll call you a
bigot, a racist, a hater, intolerant, narrow minded,
self-righteous, etc… When you walk the narrow path
you go against the grain of society, without
compromise and regardless of the consequence. The
Devil will come hard at you when you enter the
narrow gate and walk the narrow path.

You can say all you want about Jesus, your faith in
Him, or whatever, but if you have not be re-born of
the Spirit you will not be able to walk in the Truth of
God and you will not be saved.

There are signs that accompany a truly born again
person, one who is truly saved, one who has entered
in through the narrow gate. In this book are 25 signs
of someone who is truly saved. Read through to
make sure that your life lines up with what the Bible
shows us of someone who is exhibiting true
salvation in their life.

25 Signs of Salvation

How do you know if you are saved? How do you
know you will be allowed entrance into heaven
when you die? What are the signs of a truly saved,
born-again, baptized in the Holy Spirit, person?
What does the typical life of this person look like?

Unfortunately, too many people in the church today
are going to find out at the end of their lives that
they didn’t make it to heaven. These are people who
claimed to believe, people who called themselves
“Christians”, people who went to church their whole
lives, people who even served the church and led
very good and moral lives. Yet they will not be
saved.

Why? Simply because they never knew and
followed Jesus. They never truly repented and
followed the Lord wholeheartedly. They were never
born again, re-born of the Spirit of God. They never
fully surrendered their lives to God. They never
entered into that deeply close and personal
relationship with the Savior for which we were
created for. Their relationship with God remained
broken the whole time, and the consequence of that
will be eternal separation from God outside of
heaven.

They wanted it their way. They wanted their own
religion, thinking that just by being inside the church
that they were safe. They wanted their own will be
done. They didn’t want to trust solely in the work of
Jesus’ death on the cross for the forgiveness of their
sins. They didn’t want to believe that Jesus was the
only way and that they had to be totally obedient to
Him in every area of life to show their faith and trust
in Him. They wanted to include their own works to
get to heaven, or they just wanted to flat out live in
disobedience.

“Just be a good person, and all will be well with you
in the end,” is a common thought from these people.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth and is one
of the great lies of today that the Enemy of God has
gotten into the minds of people in the church.

This type of thinking is actually a great offense to
Jesus, the thinking that says good works and/or good
behavior is what counts for salvation. This type of
thinking fully takes away the grace of God and
negates the work of Jesus on the cross. For if God
had said that you could earn forgiveness and
salvation by being a good person, then Jesus would
never have had to come and suffer and die like He
did for us.

Statistics have shown that 85-90% of people who
attend church are not saved…they don’t exhibit true
saving faith in their lives. Other statistics claim as
high as 98% of the church is not saved. This is truly
sad, and we can be sure that Jesus is grieving over it.

So what does it mean to be “born again”? This is so
critically important to understand because Jesus
made it very clear in John chapter 3 that the
requirement to enter into the kingdom of heaven is
that one must be “born again.” Simply put, if you
are not born again of the Holy Spirit, you will not be
saved. You can do all the good works you want, be
as good as a person as you can be, believe whatever
you want to believe, even believe in Jesus and the
work that He did for you on the cross, but it will all
count for nothing unless you have been re-born of
the Holy Spirit.

What does the life of a fully regenerated soul look
like, one who’s relationship with God has been fully
restored because they have been born again? We
know from following the lives and examples of
Godly men and women, both from the Bible and all
throughout history, what true saving faith looks like.
There are a number of consistent signs that a
believer will exhibit in their life if they have been
born again of the Holy Spirit.

If you claim to be a believer, claim to be a
“Christian”, then please read through this booklet
and check to see if your life matches up to one who
is truly saved. Make sure you are the one who hears
from Jesus on the day that you die, “well done good
and faithful servant, welcome into my kingdom.”
Don’t be one who says, “but Lord, I believed and
served in your name,” and He turns to you and says,
“away from me, I never knew you,” and shuts the
doors of heaven on you.

Know that this isn’t some checklist of actions that
you check off at the end of the day in order to earn
favor with God, as if to try and earn forgiveness and
salvation through your own good works. These are
just the traits that those who are truly saved will
naturally show in their lives.

Just to be sure then, know this: Going to church
doesn’t save you or do anything for your soul.
Being a good person will not save you from God’s
punishment. Calling yourself a Christian, even
believing in Jesus, won’t save you from God’s
coming judgment. In fact, by doing these things you
may be unknowingly storing up eternal punishment
against yourself.

Nothing breaks God’s heart more than seeing those
who claim to be of the faith yet not living it out in
their lives.

As you read through this, lets also be clear that it is
faith and faith alone that saves a person, because of
the grace of God. It is simple faith that is all this is
required to have your sins forgiven and be saved into
the kingdom of heaven when you die. This is why
Catholics won’t make it to heaven and all will be
separated into Hell when they die because they
didn’t believe what the Bible said about salvation
and created their own way that is outside of the
Bible, a way that is actually opposite of what the
Bible says.

So this isn’t about some works-based trip, about
things you must “do” to be saved. However, simple
faith begins at the point of being born-again. Being
born of the Spirit is what allows a person to have
true saving faith. And true saving faith will be
proven by the way that we live. It’s really to show
whether or not you have this saving faith in Jesus.
These are the signs of one who has this type of faith.

Who is this book for?
-People who believe and are sincerely seeking to live
for God in this life but need some guidance and
encouragement.
-People who say they believe but are unsure of their
salvation.
-People who know people who say they believe but
are not truly walking in the faith.
-A workbook or manual for the church for
discipleship.
-Anyone who desires to know what it means to walk
in the Spirit.

The Bible tells us to “examine yourselves to see
whether you are in the faith: test yourselves. Do you
not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of
course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). Make sure
that you don’t fail the test, which simply means not
living up to what it means to be a born-again true
follower of Jesus.

A great sermon by John MacArthur about the Narrow Gate:

https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2252/which-way-to-heaven

25 Signs of Salvation

1) A Deep Love for Jesus
2) An Obedient Life
3) Surrendered
4) A Repentant Life
5) A Changed Life
6) In Close Relationship With God
7) A Love for God’s Word – the Bible
8) An Intimate Prayer Life
9) One Who Witnesses
10) A Sadness and Concern for the Lost
11) Persevering Faith
12) Carries Their Cross
13) Counts the Cost
14) Dies to Self
15) Lord and Savior, Jesus Is Both
16) Desire for Community/Fellowship
17) One Who Worships
18) Not Conforming to This World
19) Not A Lover of Money
20) A Giver
21) Not Religious
22) A Life of Service
23) Strives for Purity and Holiness
24) Seeker of God’s Will
25) A True Follower of Jesus

Notice how none of these is about works…things
you must do to be saved. These are all about the
heart, what your desires are, what your internal
being is all about. Whatever condition your heart is
in is what will be shown by the actions that you take.
You will do whatever the desires of your heart are.

1) A Deep Love for Jesus

“Do you love me?”

Jesus asked one of His disciples three times, “Do
you love me?” Each time the disciple’s answer was,
“Yes, Lord, You know that I love you.” Jesus just
wants us to love Him, and to love Him more than
anything in this life – even family.

"Anyone who loves their father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves
their son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37

Jesus will be more important to you than anyone or
anything, even your own spouse and/or children.
And you will be vocal about it. You will not be shy
about it. Those around you will know that Jesus is
#1 in your life. Your whole life will be all about
Jesus, because of your deep love for Him.

It’s easy to love Jesus this way, because of His great
love for us and what He did for us. It is the only
natural reaction to Jesus – to love Him more than
anything in this life. Jesus laid down His life for
you, so that you could live. This is the ultimate
show of love for someone – to die for someone else.
And this is what Jesus did for you.

No earthly affection must ever come into
competition with our love for Jesus. No
relationship, no family member, no job, no home or
material possession should ever come before your
love for Jesus. One who is born again of the Spirit
of God will naturally have this love for Jesus.

If you love someone, generally you will want to
spend time with that person. And even more than
that, the one you love the most you will have a
strong desire to be around. If you love Jesus you
will want to spend time with Him, you will want to
get to know Him more and more. Jesus loves you
and you can be sure that He wants to spend time
with you.

When we realize how much we’ve been forgiven by
Jesus, the more we will love Him. When we realize
the free grace given to us that we don’t deserve, the
more we will love Him. When we realize just how
much Jesus loves us, the more we will love Him.

The secret to loving Jesus more than anything is
simply this: Contemplate the immeasurable debt that
Jesus paid for you and how vast is His love and
grace for you.

Do you love Jesus more than anything? Does Jesus
come first in your life? Is there anything or anyone

that you love more than Jesus? Does the world
around you know about your love for Him?

If this is not the case with you, you will have to
check your faith to see if it is real saving faith, a
faith of one who is truly born again.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor any other created thing,
will be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

Supporting Scripture
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind.’” Matthew 22:37

“The (person) who loves God is known by God.”
1 Corinthians 8:3

“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

“This is love for God: to obey His commands.
And His commands are not burdensome.”

1 John 5:3

2) An Obedient Life

“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his
commands. And his commands are not
burdensome” 1 John 5:3

Jesus’ teaching on obedience was very simple: “If
you love me, you will obey me.” Can it be said any
more clearly than that? The command to obey is
closely tied in with our love for Jesus. Love will
lead to obedience, and obedience will lead to greater
love.

The greatest commandment to obey is to love God,
and the second is like it, to love your neighbor.
Basically, to love God and to love all people is the
summation of all of God’s commandments.

A truly saved person will want to be obedient to
God, if that is truly His desire for us. And it will be
easy and natural for us, it will be something we want
to do, as a young child listens to and wants to please
a good parent – so it is with us as children of God.
We will listen to our Father in heaven and will want
to live a life that pleases Him. And an obedient life
is one of the best things we can do to please God.

The only motivation you have to be obedient to
Jesus will now be driven by love, not fear or out of

duty. The clearest mark of a genuine follower of
Jesus is an overwhelming desire to please God,
which is translated into obedience from the heart.
Obedience to Jesus won’t be because you “have to”
be obedient, but because you “want to.”

Obedience leads to so many good things. When we
are living according to God’s ways, then life
becomes much better. We experience the greatest
amount of peace, joy, hope, love, purpose and
meaning in life when we are obedient to Jesus. It
doesn’t mean things won’t be difficult in life, and it
doesn’t mean that God is going to give us material
wealth and good health, but it leads to the highest
quality of life that one can lead, because it has to do
with our hearts and the inner change that we
experience when we live a life of obedience to God.

And we can’t choose to follow only the commands
that we want to, and then reject other commands.
We are to obey and follow ALL of God’s
commands. Every teaching of Jesus we are to
follow and to do. Even in the face of persecution
and rejection of men, we are still to follow all. You
can’t say that you are living in accordance to God’s
ways and then not be doing what He says.

Jesus didn’t suffer and die for you so that you can
reject His ways and go out and do whatever you

want and live according to your own ways. No,
Jesus wants you to follow Him. He wants you to
follow all of His ways and none of your ways.

God didn’t give us a list of rules for us to follow in
order to make life a burden, but gave us a way of life
to follow so that the quality of our life can increase.
His ways are also for our protection, to keep us from
the evil things of the world that are designed to
destroy us. God knows what is best, and like a good
Father, He is looking out for us.

Being born-again of the Spirit will naturally lead
you to an obedient life, because now you will have
the Spirit living in you that will be drawing you out
to live in obedience to God’s ways.

Some people are reluctant to fully obey God in their
life, fearing that He may want to change “their”
plans. Hah! Yes, He will change our plans. But His
plans are so immeasurably better than the very best
plan that we could ever come up with on our own.
Obedience is the true test of our love for Jesus and
the secret to discovering God’s purpose for our lives.

Are you living an obedient life? Do you believe that
God knows what is best for you, or are you
following your own ways? Do you think your life is
one that is pleasing to God?

Supporting Scripture

“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must
obey God rather than men!’” Acts 5:29

“…, the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to
those who obey Him.” Acts 5:32b

“and, once made perfect, (Jesus) became the
source of eternal salvation for all who obey
Him.” Hebrews 5:9

“If you love me, you will obey what I
command.” John 14:15

“We know that we have come to know Him if we
obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I
know Him,’ but does not do what He commands
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

1 John 2:3-4

“But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is
truly made complete in him…” 1 John 2:5

“And this is His command: to believe in the
name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one
another as He commanded us.” 1 John 3:23

“…I am not writing you a new command but one

we have had from the beginning. I ask that we

love one another. And this is love: that we walk
in obedience to His commands.” 2 John 1:5b-6a

3) Surrendered

“…any of you who does not give up everything
he has cannot be my disciple.”
John 14:33

Surrender is similar to obedience, in that we want to
walk in and follow all of God’ ways, but it is also
different in that you are actually giving all of your
life totally to God. This is surrender. To give up
completely. This means that you are giving God
everything, all of yourself, all of your decisions,
your plans, your money, your family, your
time…everything.

It all belongs to God, your life and everything about
it. It is when we try and hold things back for
ourselves, to walk in our own ways or the ways of
the world, that things get complicated and difficult.
God doesn’t want only part of you. He doesn’t want
even 99%. He wants it all. And when we reach the
point of full surrender to God, is the point when He
steps in and gives us His all.

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in
Him…Be still before the Lord and wait
patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:5,7a

A follower of Christ will never receive all the
benefits of Christ until they reach the point of full
surrender. In fact, someone who believes but is not
yet fully surrendered is the one who is in danger of
losing it all, even their very life. This is one of the
most important points of being a follower of Christ.

It’s about letting go and putting God totally in
control of your life. Let Him guide your life. Let
Him lead you in all that you do. The decision as to
who will be running your life from here on will
determine the course your life will now take. If you
decide to run your own life and call all of your own
shots, then your life is going to take a completely
different course versus the one it would take if you
would turn your entire life over to God the Father for
Him to fully handle.

It’s also about trusting in God with all the important
things in life. Trusting in God when things don’t
look good. Trusting that He knows what is going on
and is in control. Placing all of your import
decisions in this life in God’s hands.

When you are fully surrendered to God, fully
trusting in Him in everything, it leads to a great
peace in this life. It leads to the abundant life that
God wants us to have. You will never experience

the full life in Christ, the good life, until you are
surrendered.

Are you only partially following Jesus? Are you
still holding on to things of the world that you
shouldn’t? Do you want to have it God’s way and
your way? Is everything you do, every decision you
make, all that you have, is it all surrendered to
Jesus?

If you never have, get down on your knees today and
tell Jesus that you surrender, that you give it all to
Him.

Have you made bad decisions in your life that are
outside of the will of God and outside of His
commands? It’s not too late to give your life over
to God and let Him take over.

God has a plan for our lives, and surrendering to
Him means that we set aside our own plans and
eagerly seek His. And God’s plan is always in our
best interest.

Supporting Scripture

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live
in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20

“Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean
not on your own understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths
straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his
own; it is not for man to direct his steps.”

Jeremiah 10:23

“Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in him, he will bear much
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

4) A Repentant Life

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins
may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may
come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19

This really is the beginning of the true life in Christ
– repentance. It is the starting line of a truly saved
believer. It is really the point of being born-again,
being filled with the Spirit of God. Before we can
even begin a life as a follower of Jesus, we first have
to repent. Then everything else follows…being
filled with the Spirit, a deep love for Jesus, an
obedient life, a life of surrender, etc...

Repentance involves acknowledging before God that
you have sinned against Him, are sorry for it, asking
for and receiving forgiveness, having a full change
of heart, and then turning away from the path that
you were on and getting on to God’s path and
following fully in God’s ways.

If you have never acknowledged before God that
you have sinned against Him and asked for
forgiveness, then you have never truly even begun a
walk with Jesus. You can’t run in a race if you
haven’t even made it to the starting line. Repentance
is the starting line for your life in Christ.

“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17

The call to repent was Jesus’ very first teaching in
the Bible. This is how important it is to God for us
to repent. If it is the very first command laid out for
us by God, then it makes sense that this would be the
starting point of true saving faith.

Repentance isn’t only a one time event, it is a
lifestyle. We will never be perfect, and will always
fail in the face of a holy God. But when we fail,
when we sin, we need to be always acknowledging it
before God. This will be daily for many people, and
at a minimum will be on a very regular basis for
most.

We must always confess our sins before God. There
are so many ways in which we fall short before God
on a daily basis. A truly repentant heart will be able
to acknowledge their sin before God on a regular
basis. It is a prideful heart that cannot confess their
sin before God. It is a prideful heart that isn’t even
aware that they are sinning against God.

When God is at work in a believer’s life, repentance
and confession becomes the norm. You will
regularly be confessing to God because you know
how much you fall short of His holiness. The deeper

your love for God, the higher your standard of
holiness, the greater will be your sense of sinfulness.
The more we mature as a believer, the more
sensitive to sin we become. The closer we get to
God, the more heinous sin is. The nearer you get to
God, the dirtier you feel.

The prerequisite for salvation is to first acknowledge
your sin, your wickedness, your filthiness and how
much you have offended God. If you have never
done this, and maybe just started attending church,
or maybe even say that you are a “Christian,” but
have never truly repented then you‘ve never even
begun your walk of faith and are still lost in your
sins and will be forever separated from God.

“I(Paul) preached that they should repent and
turn to God and prove their repentance by their
deeds.” Acts 26:20b

Genuine, true repentance will always be proven by
our actions. It will lead you to a changed life, a
different life. You can’t just “say” you repent and
then show no change. You can’t just “say” you
repent and then keep going down the same road you
were always on. No, if you repent it means you will
change direction and have change of heart. If you
haven’t truly repented, there will be little to no
chance of change in your life.

Are you even aware of your sins? Do you have a
humble heart which is required to even acknowledge
your sin? Are you one who regularly confesses
your sins before God?

If you have never truly repented, confess your sin
before God and ask for forgiveness. Then turn from
your ways and turn to God and all His ways.

Repentance brings freedom. It brings a release of
shame and guilt that one is carrying because of all
their sin.

Note on baptism: Baptism usually follows
repentance. A believer will make a decision as an
adult to be baptized. Infant baptism and child
dedications to the Lord mean absolutely nothing
with regards to one’s personal faith (note: the false
Catholic church and even some Lutheran churches
teach infant baptism as one of the sacraments and a
requirement for salvation. Wrong!). Repentance
should always lead someone to being baptized, as
you have acknowledged before God that you are
turning from the ways of the world and are now
publically identifying yourself as a follower of Jesus
and with His death and resurrection. You will now
profess to the world that you are no longer of it and
are now a child of God. It’s an outward show of an

inner change. Baptism doesn’t save you, but is just
a sign that a significant change has taken place in
you.

Supporting Scripture

“Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, the tax
collectors and the prostitutes are entering the
kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came
to you to show you the way of righteousness, and
you did not believe him, but the tax collectors
and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw
this, you did not repent and believe him.”

Matthew 21:32

“Jesus said, ‘I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Mark 2:17

“We are bringing you Good News, telling you to
turn from worthless things to the Living God.”

Acts 14:15b

“(Paul said), I have declared to (all the
unbelievers) that they must turn to God in
repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”

Acts 20:21

“…God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.”
Romans 2:4b

“Because of your stubbornness and your
unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath
against yourself…” Romans 2:5

“’The time has come,’ (Jesus) said, ‘The
kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the
Good News!’” Mark 1:15

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to
salvation.” 2 Corinthians 7:10a

“…unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Luke 13:3

“I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of
the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:10

“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9b

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So
be earnest, and repent.” Revelation 3:19

“Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then
sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of
all the offenses you have committee, and get a
new heart and a new spirit.”

Ezekiel 18:30b-31

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign
Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the
wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways
and live. Turn!” Ezekiel 33:17

5) A Changed Life

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17

One of the sure signs of a born-again believer is the
change that is exhibited in their lives. You will not
be the same anymore. You are a new creation. The
old has gone and the new has come. Your desires
will be different. You will no longer desire the
things of this world, but will desire only the things
of God and His world.

It will be so obviously clear to those around you that
you are a follower of Jesus. It will be made known
in your actions as well as in your words. If you
claim to be a follower of Jesus, but exhibit no
apparent change in your life, then the chances are
you were never born-again and/or you have never
truly repented.

Our lives will no longer be worldly, but will be
spiritual. The newborn soul delights in the things of
God and abhors the things of the world and the flesh.
The desires of the world become of no interest
anymore, while the things of the spirit become a
great joy.

There are new feelings toward all people—a new
kind of love working inside you, a new compassion
never before felt for enemies, and a new love for all
mankind. The things we once loved, we now detest.
The sin we once held onto, we now desire to put
away forever.

Are you still the same person that you always were
since you claimed to be a believer in Jesus? Have
your habits changed? Do you desire the things of
this world, or do you desire the things of Christ and
His world. Do people around you know the
difference in you? Is it clear to those around you
that you follow Jesus?

Take a good look at your life. If you don’t exhibit
the signs of a changed person and one who is an
obvious follower of Jesus, then something is not
right with your faith.

To become like Christ is really the end goal. We are
to be transformed into the image of Christ. We
should strive to be as much like Jesus as we possibly
can in this life. Being born-again begins a believer’s
progress towards their transformation into Christ’s
image and living in the kingdom of God for all
eternity. Christ-likeness is God’s goal for all who
trust in Christ.

This transformation is a lifelong process, where we
are slowly, yet continually, growing and becoming
more like Christ every day. And it takes work, it
takes discipline, and it won’t be easy. But it will all
be well worth it as you experience the great joy it is
to follow Jesus.

The more you become like Christ, the closer to God
you come. The closer to God you come the greater
the peace you will have in your life. This standard,
to become like Christ, is God’s standard. And it is
not only for a select few, it is for the entire Body of
Christ.

So how do we find out about what Jesus is like?
The Bible. We must study the Word of God so that
we can know Jesus better and become more like
Him.

“You were taught, with regard to your former
way of life, to put off your old self, which is
being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be
made new in the attitude of your minds; and to
put on the new self, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:22-24

Supporting Scripture

“We were therefore buried with Him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ
was raised from the dead…, we too may have a
new life.” Romans 6:4

“For those God foreknew He also predestined to
be conformed to the likeness of His Son.”

Romans 8:29

“(We) are being transformed into (Christ’s)
likeness with ever-increasing glory, which
comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:18b

“For you were once darkness, but now you are
light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”

Ephesians 5:8

“…put on the new self, which is being renewed
in the knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

Colossians 3:10

6) In Close Relationship With God

“This is eternal life: that they may know you, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ who you have
sent.” John 17:3

This is the one defining characteristic between our
faith and of all the rest of the people of the world –
that we know our Creator and have a deep and close
personal relationship with Him. This is what
Biblical Christianity is all about. You will enter into
a very intimate relationship with God, as close as
one who is like a good friend or with one who is like
a good Father.

All other religions, including Atheism, Catholicism
and many parts of Christianity, have to do with a
person working their way to their own self-perceived
end through their own good works – basically, doing
good things to earn whatever desired outcome they
have created in their own mind. Or, just believing
in what they want to believe even though it is
outside the teachings of the Bible. This is the
opposite of the message of the Bible. The message
of the Bible is about God coming down to man, to
do the work of salvation Himself on behalf of man,
so that man can be restored back into right
relationship with Him.

God did the work to save us because He loves us and
desires us to be in relationship with Him. Once you
enter into this restored relationship with God, it will
become the most important relationship to you in
this life. It will come before all other relationships,
even before your husband/wife and your children.
Nothing will be as important to you as your
relationship with God.

The very point of the Gospel message is about the
forgiveness of sins which is what is required to
restore you back into a right relationship with God.
This is the only reason for which we were created, to
have a relationship with our Creator. This
relationship begins in this world today, and then
goes on forever into eternity.

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will do the very
thing you have asked, because I am pleased with
you and I know you by name.” Exodus 33:17

God knows us by name. He knows us personally.
God is near to us, He is not far away. He is
knowable and wants us to know Him on a very
personal level. He created us, therefore He knows
everything about us. He thus cares about us. His
greatest desire for us is that we know Him and walk
in a very close and intimate relationship with Him.

What does it mean to have a relationship with God?
It basically is the same as having a relationship with
any person in this life. It means that you know
them, you are friends with them, you spend time
with them. To have a relationship with God means
that you spend time with God getting to know Him.
And the more time you spend with God, the more
you will get to know Him.

One of the great things about God is that you can
actually spend time with Him in His presence. Our
God is the Living God and He is accessible to us.
He is not far away and silent. He is close to us and
speaks to us. If you have a relationship with God,
one of the sure ways to know this is that you will
want to spend time in His presence. You will want
to spend as much time with God as you possibly can.

Is your relationship with God the most important
thing to you in your life? Do you have a relationship
with God? Do you understand what it means to
have a relationship with God? Do you desire to
know God more and more?

Supporting Scripture

“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.
Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Matthew 7:23

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may
know Him better.” Ephesians 1:17

“…I consider everything a loss compared to the
surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus
my Lord.” Philippians 3:8

“How great is the love the Father has lavished
on us, that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1a

“…the Son of God has come and has given us
understanding, so that we may know Him who is
true.” 1 John 5:20a

“Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you
to eternal life.” Jude 1:21

7) A Love for God’s Word – the Bible

“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Matthew 4:4

As a born-again believer, you will have a deep love
for the Bible. It is something that you will feed off
of daily. You will be drawn to it because you will
have a hunger and a thirst to know God more and
more. You will look forward to reading the Bible
every day. In fact, it will become so important to
you that you can’t live without it.

This has much to do with your relationship with
God. God has given us His Word in order to reveal
Himself to us so that we can know Him. Studying
the Bible is the most important thing that we can do
to get to know God. Spending time in the Bible is
the same as spending time with God. This is how
we spend time alone with God, developing our
relationship with Him, by reading and studying the
Bible.

It is called the Living Word for a reason. It is alive
and active, and it speaks clearly to those who have
been born again. If you have not been born again,
the words in the Bible will be dead to you, they will
not bring life to you. If you have been born again,

the Bible will bring life to you, it will speak to you,
it will change you.

We encounter the living God through the Bible and
are transformed by the Holy Spirit as we read, study,
teach and obey His Word.

“meditate on it day and night, so that we may be
careful to act in accordance with all that is
written” Joshua 1:8

Studying the Bible is how we seek God’s will. How
do you know what God wants from you if you
choose to ignore His Word? God has laid out clearly
for us in the Bible what He desires of us. Loving
God’s word is also the pathway to a life of
obedience. If loving God means being obedient to
God, then the only way to find out how to be
obedient to God is to know His word.

There are not many things more sad than when
somebody who thinks they've arrived at a point
where they don't need God’s Word. You sometimes
hear people say, "Well, I don't really need to study
the Bible. I know what I need to know to get to
heaven, and I’ll live my life the way I want to." And
that is a mindset that is characterized by pride.

When a person chooses not to spend time reading
God’s Word it is the same as telling God that you
don’t want to know Him and don’t want to spend
time with Him. Again, this is dangerous because
Jesus said that He denied people who believed in
Him entrance into heaven simply because they never
knew Him. They rejected the idea of having a
relationship with Him. They rejected the idea of
wanting to know Him. And the Bible is really the
only way we can get to know God.

Do you have a deep love for the Bible? Is reading
the Bible one of the things that you look forward to
most every day?

If you are not in love with the Bible, then there is
something wrong with your relationship with God,
which would indicate possibly not being born-again.

The Inherency of the Word of God

The Bible is God’s Word…all of it. It is all true and
there isn’t one error, inconsistency, problem or
inaccuracy in it. It has been proven truthful and
reliable time and time again, both scientifically
through archeology and through the historical record
of human testimony.

It is also the ultimate authority in life. If a person
has not been born again of the Holy Spirit they will
not be able to accept this. A non-regenerated soul
will reject either parts or all of the Bible as 100%
Truth without error and the final authority of their
lives. They won’t be able to agree with everything
that the Bible says, and will look for ways to
discredit it. What a shame, to try and find God
wrong. To this person believes only in their own
flesh.

Only one who has God’s Spirit living in them will
be able to accept the Bible for what it is – God’s
Word…fully true, accurate, all good and without
error. And only one who has been born of the Spirit
will be changed by the power of the Word of God.

No one in their human understanding can perceive
the Truth of God’s Word. It is impossible. In order
to understand the Word of God, you have to be
allowed to by the Spirit of God. You have to be
enlightened by the Holy Spirit to fully understand
the Bible and accept it as Truth. Otherwise you will
reject the Bible as the whole Truth and the final
authority over every area of your life.

Either every word and teaching in the Bible is true,
or it isn’t. If there is even one thing that isn’t true in
the Bible, then possibly the whole book is a lie.

Liberal theologians don’t believe that the Word of
God is inherent. It is because they have not been
born again of the Holy Spirit and are thus attempting
to prove it through their own human reasoning.
Since they have not been born of the Spirit, they are
still in their flesh, and won’t be able to have the
spiritual discernment to accept the Bible as the
Truth.

Since they are still in their human fleshly nature,
their only choice is to attempt to try and rationalize
their spiritual life according to their own mind. This
allows them to live according to their own man-
made rules and to have no accountability and to live
any way they want. In essence, they create their
own religion and/or their own God in their own
minds (a violation of the first and second
commandments). They have to do this because they
have no other choice because they haven’t been born
again.

Anyone born of the Holy Spirit naturally accepts and
understands that the Bible is the fully inherent Word
of God and cherishes every word in it as though it
came directly from the mouth of God Himself –
because it did. It speaks life into those who have
been born again.

For anyone to say that the Bible isn’t 100% truth and
entirely without error makes God out to be a liar.
Woe to that person on the day of judgment. Groups
and people who don’t hold to the Word of God as
fully inherent and the only authority in life are: The
Catholic church, liberal Christian churches, and the
NAR/Word of Faith/Prosperity Gospel churches.

Supporting Scripture

“Someone told (Jesus), ‘Your mother and
brothers are standing outside, wanting to see
you.’ He replied, ‘My mother and brothers are
those who hear God’s word and put it into
practice.” Luke 8:20-21

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what is says.”

James 1:22

8) An Intimate Prayer Life

“Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and
spent the night praying to God.” Luke 6:12

Quite simply, for followers of Jesus Christ prayer is
the best way to communicate with God. Prayer is the
vehicle for daily dialogue with the One who created
us. The importance of daily communication through
prayer cannot be overestimated.

Prayer is talking to God. It is communicating with
God. And if one has a close relationship with God,
they will want to spend time talking to God and
listening to God. This is one of the sure signs that
we have a personal relationship with God, that we
have a desire to spend much time in prayer with
Him.

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and
prayed.” Luke 5:16

It’s good to get alone and talk to God. We need to
get away from the hustle and bustle of this life, the
stresses of this life, and just be alone with God.
Jesus gave us the best example of an intimate prayer
life. He went up on the mountain to get away from
people, and He withdrew to lonely places where the
people weren’t.

One who is born again will want to spend time
talking to their Creator. They will desire to know
Him at more intimate levels. Prayer and Bible
reading really go hand in hand in regards to our
personal relationship with God. Both are required to
know God and to spend time with God. You will be
drawn to spend time every day reading God’s Word
and talking to God.

So why is daily prayer so important? First, daily
prayer gives us an opportunity to share all aspects of
our lives with God. Second, daily prayer gives us the
chance to express our gratitude for the things He
provides. Third, daily prayer provides the platform
for confessing our sin and asking for help in
overcoming that sin. Fourth, daily prayer is an act of
worship and obedience. And finally, daily prayer is a
way to acknowledge who is really in control of our
lives.

Imagine not speaking to a loved one or a close
friend. How long would the relationship last? Not
very long, and at the very least it would not be a
very good relationship. It is the same with our
relationship with God. We can spend time talking to
Him, getting to know Him. Or we can choose not to
talk to Him. And the consequence will be that the
relationship is weakened.

To the born again soul, prayer is as essential as
breathing, and to neglect it will result in weakness
and distance in our relationship with God. The life
in Christ is the new life, the life of the risen Lord
Jesus implanted in us by the Holy Spirit. This new
life needs to be sustained through prayer. Only in
prayer can we develop into healthy and vibrant
followers of Christ. Without prayer we will be
weak, lifeless and ineffective.

The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” (1
Thess. 5:17). This means to never stop and to pray
in all circumstances. Pray in times of joy, in times
of trouble, to give thanks, to share our burdens, and
probably most important of all to tell God on a
regular basis how much we love Him and how
thankful we are for all that He has done for us.

Do you ever talk to God? Do you desire to talk to
God and to hear from God? Is your relationship
with God one where you desire to spend as much
time with Him as possible?