Have I Really Been Born Again?
1) Direct Answer
You can know. The new birth is when the Holy Spirit—Christ’s own Life—comes in and takes the throne of your heart. It is more than believing a creed or joining a church. It is the Life of the Word quickening you and sealing you as God’s own.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Jesus said, “You must be born again… of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:3-7). That is repentance, baptism, and the Holy Spirit coming in.
- “Repent, and be baptized… in the Name of Jesus Christ… and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
- “By one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). That’s the birth into Christ.
- “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9); “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit” (Romans 8:16).
- “Being born again… by the word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). The Word-seed is quickened by the Spirit.
- The evidence shows: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14); “Whosoever is born of God does not practice sin” (1 John 3:9); “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3); “Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:4).
- “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- New birth is not emotion, not a day you joined, not a gift you exercised. It is Christ ruling inside, changing your desires, correcting you by the Word, and producing His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
- If the same Life that raised Jesus dwells in you, it won’t leave you loving the old life (Romans 8:11). You won’t be perfect in the flesh, but you can’t live in willful sin and be comfortable. The Spirit convicts, you make it right, and you walk on.
- Check the marks:
- Do you have a hunger for the Word and to obey it? (1 Peter 2:2; John 14:23)
- Does known sin grieve you, and do you make it right quickly? (1 John 1:7-9)
- Do you love the brethren in deed and truth? (1 John 3:18-19)
- Are you overcoming the world’s pull—its fashions, lusts, and pride? (1 John 2:15-17; 5:4)
- Is there an inward witness of the Spirit crying, “Abba, Father”? (Romans 8:15-16)
- Does your life show the fruit of the Spirit more than the works of the flesh? (Galatians 5:19-23)
If these are present and growing, that’s the Life in you.
4) Short Reinforcing Statement
If you’re unsure, don’t rest until it’s settled. Repent fully, set things right, be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; 19:5), ask the Father for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), believe His promise, and stay with the Word until He seals you. The Holy Spirit is the Token—when He comes in, He identifies you as His, and your life will match the Word. Now notice, when He takes the throne, the question changes from “Am I born again?” to “Lord, how can I please You today?”
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
You must be born again
61-1231M §13
And I've always wanted to be loved. When I was a little boy I wasn't loved by nobody. Nobody had no use for me. I was here in Indiana, born in Kentucky, so I was a corncracker to these kids over here. In the family, all the boys, nearly, smoked and drank and everything, but me. And I was an offcast in the family, and an offcast in school, and at work I was an offcast, and everywhere I went I was an offcast. And then finally when I found somebody that really loved me---Jesus---and He said, "I'll give you fathers and...
We have found Him, come and see
53-0511 §14
If you haven't been with the mate Jesus Christ and been born of a supernatural, you can't believe the supernatural. And when a man is born of the Spirit of God... God is a Creator. And when part of God is ... I'm a part of Charles Branham. He's my father. He looked like me ... or, I look like him, rather. We're about the same size. And a whole lot of features, because I'm an offspring of his. And if I become an offspring of God in my soul, then my soul is liken something on the order of God. It believes the superna...
Remembering the Lord
63-0122 §81
but I... Would you raise your hand, then, say, "Brother Branham, I'm just playing the part of hypocrisy. I go to church. But when it really comes to being born again, I just joined church. I really don't know Christ. I still love the world as much as I ever did. I just, oh, I enjoy going and listening at a message, or something. But when it really comes to taking time and loving to go out and spend them hours in prayer with Him, and commune with Him, remembering Him, I don't do that. I don't even have the desire to...
Hear ye Him
62-0711 §28
Now, if that gun would have started from the beginning in Weatherby dies, and had been made a Weatherby rifle, it would have never blowed up, see, because it'd have been Weatherby rifle---their same kind of steel made up in their dies, and everything, and come right out into the regular rifle that it should be. But being it was something else, and just not only converted, but was perverted, into something... And that's what made it blow up. And that's the way we find ourselves along the road. We find so many times...
You must be born again
61-1231M §34
And no matter how much that we try to think we are right in saying a creed or joining a church, you're still what you were until you're actually born again of the Spirit of God. It doesn't change you. Your creed, joining church, or changing your ideas, or your good intentions, although as good as it might seem, it's still not right. There's something's got to happen. The new birth is an experience, something that takes place. So it is not that that brings the new birth. Now, the different churches, they'd say, "Wel...