The fruit of regeneration and the Gospel of Grace

After repenting and turning towards God with faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, believing how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and raised again from the dead in the third day according to the Scriptures, you are a child of God sealed FOREVER in glory.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Of course, if you want to serve Him with all your heart, then it is not enough to just live by and take the Gospel of Grace for granted. God commands us to study His word and try the spirits,

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

I don't think anyone of us would be happy at the Mercy Seat of Christ to receive wood, hay and stubble instead of gold, silver and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3:12-13), and when we are saved the Holy Ghost helps us to do works meet for repentance.

As God's child, your instinct would be to praise the Lord, and one of its characteristics is the love for His word which produces fruit in your heart as a believer. Here are some outcomes as a consequences of being baptized with the Spirit of God.

· The love for God

This is not referring merely to knowing God, but to loving God.

Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

Loving God is the first and the most important commandment of all, confirmed by Jesus Himself in

Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

The sincere love for God has a purifying effect in the heart of the believer and it is the basic characteristic for a repentant heart.

· The love for God’s word

Just believing the word of God is not enough to trigger in somebody’s heart a genuine affection toward God. Focusing on the poetical language or the beauty of the text is not quite our aim, although the Bible has its own musicality .

Psalm 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” The love of God’s word surpasses the feeling of outward admiration.

Jeremiah the prophet loved God's word so much that it was rooted deeply inside his heart. God can help us grow in faith and in His book when we truly want to live BY HIS EVERY WORD.

Jeremiah 20:9 [...] But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones.

· The love for the brethren in Christ

Respecting God’s people is an indicator of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, helping them, praying for them, sincerely loving them. Apart from other disputes which may come along the way, the bible-believer should always love the brothers and sisters who give their best to understand the Bible.

· Becoming a new-born individual for a new life

The incorruptible seed of the Holy Spirit which abides in the heart of a bible-believer gives him/her the taste of a new life, for they are born again not by flesh and water, but by the Spirit.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

The results keep showing up naturally in the life of the born-again child of God. The old, deadly habits are dead, for the flesh was crucified with Christ on the Cross. The Spirit which begins the work in the believer will gradually finish it (Philippians 1:6).

· The great conflict between flesh and Spirit

The lust of the flesh and the spiritual nature are totally opposed, the conflict becoming so violent that the believer feels it on a deeper level. That is why prayer is needed to overcome and quench the fleshly desires.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

This inner-conflict is more authentic in a saved person as a result of the awareness that they have. Before receiving Christ, the person uses alibis to do what they want to do, but the moment the Holy Spirit possesses the believer it is hard for the individual to do the wrong things, realizing that he/she used to indulge in things that were too carnal, too worldly, rather than focusing on what they do for Christ the Lord. The inner conflict of good and evil is an authentic indicator of someone’s salvation.

· The evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us

A person doesn’t think he/she is saved, doesn’t hope they are saved, doesn’t doubt they are saved, but they know they are saved. Resting on the finished work of Jesus Christ is enough for every person who truly accepts and believes the Gospel; we do not count on our own righteosness, or on our own works in order to prove our salvation, but the work He performs in us as a result of salvation. Even an unsaved person does good works, yet in the eyes of the Lord these works are burned by fire. The only thing which saves us is our turning toward God, with faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, believing how that Christ died for our sins, how that He was buried and raised again the third day according to the Scriptures, conquering sin and death. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Then, our good works begin to count as a result of our faith on Him. By accepting Him as our Savior, He gives us the Holy Spirit to witness within. There is no necessity for receiving Him again; once we sincerely accept Him, it is done forever. God has given us a sound mind, compassion, love toward Himself, toward His word and His statutes and toward our brethren. That is why it is extremely important that a person should know they are saved, not suppose or wonder.

Warm hugs and blessings your way,

Denisa