How to tell if someone is re-born (including yourself!)

        Jesus was in the centre of a crowd packed into and around a house in Capernaum. [I often wonder whose house, but someone has suggested that when He moved from Nazareth, Jesus may have even rented the house Himself.  He was still a carpenter and possibly still supporting Himself with His trade. See Luke 5:17-26.]

        In any case, when four men brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing, they couldn’t get near Him. They could, however, get up onto the roof and from there they proceeded to break up the tile and make a hole through the ceiling. [Did Jesus later fix the hole in the roof Himself?]  As the dust and dirt fell through onto Jesus and His audience of Pharisees and teachers of the law, the friends lowered their buddy on his stretcher, right in front of Jesus.

        When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

        The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

        But Jesus is God and He can forgive sins, and to prove it, He healed the man and sent him home. The proof is in the order of events. First, He forgave the man’s sins. When the audience doubted, He said basically, “Not only can I forgive sins, I can heal disability.”

        At one stroke, Jesus proved on one hand that He could forgive sins and on the other hand, by the healing and complete recovery, that the man was indeed forgiven. A complete change in his life was proof of his conversion.

        To enlarge a little on this, I recently heard a sermon by Paul deJong, on “assurance of salvation”, and the preacher made a number of vital points:

1)      We are “led by the Spirit”

a)      In our minds when we believe and are happy with and can accept the facts of Jesus’ birth, death, burial, and resurrection,

b)      In our emotions (we love Him and His people), and

c)      In our wills (we want to please Him and do what He wants and follow Him).

2)      Inwardly we call out “Abba, Father”, in the heartfelt way of a child saying, “Daddy”.

3)      We sense the presence of the Holy Spirit, especially in prayers answered.

4)      We participate in Christ’s sufferings; suffering comes to Christians. “Christian growth comes from working through the problem, not taking it away.”

        Finally, a word of caution—most of these outward details can be faked by a determined hypocrite but, praise the Lord, we can’t fool ourselves or God!