BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing English Emagazine Oct 2018 | Page 7

www.bymonline.org | October 2018
am.” What would the apostle say about you? Are you
born again? praised; his first aim is to please God. What would the
apostle say about you? Are you born again?
4. John wrote: “We know that we have passed
from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (I
John 3:14). 6. John wrote: “He that is begotten of God
keepeth himself” (I John 5:18).
A man who is born again has a special love for
all true disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven,
he loves all men with a great general love, but he has a
special love for those who share his faith in Christ.
Like his Lord and Saviour, he loves the worst of
sinners and could weep over them; but he has a
peculiar love for those who are believers. He is never
so much at home as when he is in their company.
He feels they are all members of the same
family. They are his fellow soldiers, fighting against
the same enemy. They are his fellow travelers,
journeying along the same road. He understands
them, and they understand him. They may be very
different from himself in many waysin rank, in
situation and in wealth. But that does not matter. They
are his Father's sons and daughters and he cannot help
loving them. What would the apostle say about you?
Are you born again?
5. John wrote: “Whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world” (I John 5:4).
A man who is born again does not use the
world's opinion as his standard of right and wrong. He
does not mind going against the world's ways, ideas
and customs. What men think or say no longer
concerns him. He overcomes the love of the world.
He finds no pleasure in things which seem to bring
happiness to most people. To him they seem foolish
and unworthy of an immortal being.
He loves God's praise more than man's praise.
He fears offending God more than offending man. It
is unimportant to him whether he is blamed or
A man who is born again is careful of his own
soul. He tries not only to avoid sin but also to avoid
everything which may lead to it. He is careful about
the company he keeps. He knows that evil
communications corrupt the heart and that evil is
more catching than good, just as disease is more
infectious than health. He is careful about the use of
his time; his chief desire is to spend it profitable.
He desires to live like a soldier in an enemy
countryto wear his armour continually and to be
prepared for temptation. He is diligent to be a
watchful, humble, prayerful man. What would the
apostle say about you? Are you born again?
These are the six great marks of a born again
Christian. There is a vast difference in the depth and
distinctness of these marks in different people. In
some they are faint and hardly noticeable. In others
they are bold, plain and unmistakable, so anyone may
read them. Some of these marks are more visible than
others in each individual. Seldom are all equally
evident in any one person.
But still, after every allowance, here we find
boldly painted six marks of being born of God.
How should we react to these things? We can
logically come to only one conclusiononly those who
are born again have these six characteristics, and
those who do not have these marks are not born again.
This seems to be the conclusion to which the apostle
intended us to come. Do you have these
characteristics? Are you born again?
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