John 2:4-6 "4 If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked."
John 14:23
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.
1 John 3:24
Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.
1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:13
By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit.
It is only possible to be saved, born-again, if we have the Holy Spirit living in us. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us when we confess to God that we are sinners and cannot save ourselves. Then Christ enters our bodies and lives in us until He calls us home.
The evidence that we have been born again is in the character qualities of Christ that we demonstrate in our life on a continual basis. No born-again believer lives a lifestyle of sin and anger.
Galatians 5:22-23 " 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.…"
Matthew 7:16-20 "16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, by their fruit you will recognize them."
God made it clear that many people who think well of themselves and have joined a Christian church because they enjoy whatever it has to offer in companionship are not necessarily saved. Many have not trusted in Christ and do not know what it is to be led by the Holy Spirit because they do not have Him. They have a form of religion but deny Christ as they trust in themselves.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’"
I have seen people very proud of how good they think they are who condemn others they believe had a sinful past. Those who have come to the church to be seen as good people but have never trusted Christ remain in their sinful state without hope until they repent from their arrogance.
Everyone has a sinful past, no one is without sin. Even if those who think they have lived a good life have sinned in their hearts as they elevate themselves above others and even above God.
Luke 18:9-14 "9 Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:16-17 "16 But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”…"
Humility is a demonstration of a child-like posture. Knowing we are worthless and on our way to hell in need of the Savior is the first step to salvation. No one can remain full of pride and self-satisfied when they have humbled themselves in repentance toward God.
No one who has been born-again will look down on others are unworthy of love when the love of Christ lives in them. We see the unsaved in pity and desire for them to find Christ as we did.
There is an old saying; "except for the grace of God there go I." It means that I was once lost just as others are right now. Our desire is to love those we come in contact with, love them to Christ and love the brethren who have already found Christ. When there is no love but only prideful superiority there cannot have been a salvation experience.
Remember the fruit of the Spirit, this is the evidence of a born-again experience. Christ changes us, we cannot change ourselves. It is all Him all the time.
Ephesians 2:9-10 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. "
For those who are not yet saved repent and for those who are born-again allow the love of Christ to shine through you His way, the way of His Word, the Scriptures.
