Signs of the New Birth
Join your Calvary Chapel family today (Sunday, July 27, at 10:00 a.m.) in the main sanctuary or online through our website (www.calvaryinv.com), Facebook, and YouTube (Calvary Inverness) as we continue our series on the book of 1 John (3:10-15).
John had just finished defining what a true believer was. It was more than just a confession of belief in Christ. It was a life that had surrendered itself to the Lord for His glory and good pleasure.
A heart that has had an encounter with the risen Christ has been transformed. A life that could not remain in the sin from which Christ had rescued them. Because Christ was sinless, the soul that had been saved longed for and passionately pursued the Christ-like life.
Now, John shows the signs of the new birth. So, someone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ can know without a doubt that they have crossed from death to life. And, they can be confident that once this life ends, they will spend eternity with Christ and all the saints in heaven.
In the passage, John describes a person who has been born again as loving the family of God, their brothers and sisters in the faith, with a selfless, sacrificial, and continuous love that grows every day.
Love for one’s fellow believer isn't a burden or something forced upon them as a legal obligation. Instead, their love for the church family comes from deep inside. It’s not passive or indifferent.
Instead, there’s a fire in their heart that aims to encourage and strengthen those who are weakened by the increasing hatred of the world.
Bigotry, racism, misogyny, pettiness, jealousy, unforgiveness, and indifference are qualities that no longer belong to the world of someone who has been born again. Instead of those pre-Christ attitudes, there is a love characterized by “joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).
May our church family recognize that the same purpose God had for the early church still applies today. May our love for Him, His Word, and each other, along with our desire to serve, continue to grow until His return.
In His Strong Love,
Pastor
John had just finished defining what a true believer was. It was more than just a confession of belief in Christ. It was a life that had surrendered itself to the Lord for His glory and good pleasure.
A heart that has had an encounter with the risen Christ has been transformed. A life that could not remain in the sin from which Christ had rescued them. Because Christ was sinless, the soul that had been saved longed for and passionately pursued the Christ-like life.
Now, John shows the signs of the new birth. So, someone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ can know without a doubt that they have crossed from death to life. And, they can be confident that once this life ends, they will spend eternity with Christ and all the saints in heaven.
In the passage, John describes a person who has been born again as loving the family of God, their brothers and sisters in the faith, with a selfless, sacrificial, and continuous love that grows every day.
Love for one’s fellow believer isn't a burden or something forced upon them as a legal obligation. Instead, their love for the church family comes from deep inside. It’s not passive or indifferent.
Instead, there’s a fire in their heart that aims to encourage and strengthen those who are weakened by the increasing hatred of the world.
Bigotry, racism, misogyny, pettiness, jealousy, unforgiveness, and indifference are qualities that no longer belong to the world of someone who has been born again. Instead of those pre-Christ attitudes, there is a love characterized by “joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).
May our church family recognize that the same purpose God had for the early church still applies today. May our love for Him, His Word, and each other, along with our desire to serve, continue to grow until His return.
In His Strong Love,
Pastor
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