How Can I Know I Have Experienced the New Birth?
1) Direct Answer
You know you have the new birth when the Holy Ghost (the Token) indwells you and bears witness in your heart, changing your nature to believe, love, and obey every Word of God. It is Christ revealed in you. Not a church membership, not a feeling, but the life of the Word living through you.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Jesus said, “You must be born again… of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:3-8). That’s a birth from above.
- God promised, “A new heart… a new spirit… I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
- “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9). “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16). “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
- “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Old things pass away; a new life begins.
- The new birth comes by the Word: “Born again… by the Word of God” (1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18). The Spirit quickens the Seed of the Word in you.
- It produces obedience and victory: “Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3-5). “Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world” (1 John 5:4).
- It bears fruit: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” (Galatians 5:22-25).
- It confesses Christ rightly: “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” (1 John 4:2), and witnesses in the heart (1 John 5:10).
- The promise is for you: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost… the promise is unto you” (Acts 2:38-39). “By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). “After ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- New birth is not turning over a new leaf, joining a church, or a momentary emotion. Life proves itself by what it produces. The Seed brings forth after its kind. If the incorruptible Seed of the Word is in you, it will live out Christ’s life in you.
- Signs that follow the new birth:
- A clear witness of the Spirit within: assurance toward God (Romans 8:16).
- A new nature with new desires: you hate sin you once loved, and love righteousness you once avoided (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 3:9).
- Obedience to the Word, not picking and choosing. You don’t argue against Scripture; you yield to it (1 John 2:3-5; John 14:23).
- Love for God and the brethren (1 John 3:14; 4:7).
- Victory over the world’s pull and a separated walk (1 John 5:4; Galatians 5:24).
- Ongoing leading and correction from the Spirit; you can’t live in willful sin without chastening (Hebrews 12:6-8).
- A hunger for the Word and prayer, and a confession that Jesus Christ is Lord come in the flesh (1 Peter 2:2; 1 John 4:2; Romans 10:9-10).
- If these fruits are absent and sin still rules you, don’t settle for a profession. Come God’s provided way: repent, be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, and ask in faith for the Holy Ghost. He promised to fill the hungry heart (Acts 2:38-39; Luke 11:13; John 7:37-39).
4) Reinforcing statement
Now notice, the Bible makes it simple: the new birth is Christ in you by the Holy Ghost, producing a life that matches the Word. If the Life is there, the signs follow. If you’re unsure, don’t argue—come to Him sincerely, believe His promise, and stay before God until the Token is applied and the witness of the Spirit settles it in your heart.
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.
Thirsting for Life
60-0304 §43
People are afraid of the new birth. They're afraid of it. Now, any birth, I don't care what level it's on, it's a mess. You take if it's out here in a pig pen, any birth, makes a mess. If it's in a pig pen, if it's in the cow stable, if it's in a pink decorated hospital room, I don't care where a birth takes place, it's a mess. And the new birth is the same. It'll make you do things that you didn't think you'd do. You might cry, boo-hoo, and rub around on the altar. No matter what you do... I've never asked God......
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...
Birth Pains
65-0124 §27
We know the old seed must, before the new seed can come out of the old seed, it must rot. Absolutely. Not die only, but rot after it's dead. We know that to be true. That's the same thing in new birth. We never go back, but we go forward, when you're born again. And that's why I think today we have so many ... not so many, rather, genuine new births, is because the seed is... Maybe it'll sympathize with the Word or the person, but they don't want to rot away from the old system that they were in. They don't want to...
You must be born again
61-1231M §31
And now I'm saying this, and I know it's going on tape, and I want to say this to the pastors that will perhaps receive this tape. I suppose maybe just a little different from what the regular church teaches it, I teach, and believe can sufficiently prove by the Scripture, that you're born of the Spirit and then baptized into the body by the Holy Spirit. Now, many of them teach that just to come up and be recognized before the congregation, and so forth, as a sinner, that you want to accept Christ as personal Savio...
You must be born again
61-1231M §121
When you're born again, God vindicates you. That's how God vindicates all of His nature. What? By the fruits. That's the way He vindicates His ministry. That's right. All of His servants are vindicated the same way He vindicates nature. How do you know it's a peach tree? Because it brings peaches. How do you know it's an apple tree? It's bearing apples. How do you know it's a Christian? Christian signs bear from it, Christian life comes out of it. How do you know he's a teacher? The Word comes from him. How do you...