#born-again

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

See Also: John 3:1-8; Romans Chapter 6; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians Chapter 3; 1 Peter 2:9 & 10; 1 Peter 2:24-25; Isaiah 65:17-19; Revelation 21:1-7

I decided to answer these two together, since they're essentially asking the same thing. The following is from a post I made several years ago that I think may be helpful to you:

2 Corinthians 13:15

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?"

Christians aren't perfect.  We're still living in a fallen world and contending with a fallen nature that craves sin (the desires of the flesh).  All of us need the grace of God continually.  All of us are still able to fall into sin (whether by ignorance, or by succumbing to temptation).  But Christians are nevertheless indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, and given grace by God to resist sin.  Despite our imperfections, the Bible teaches that truly born-again Christians will possess certain characteristics by virture of the Holy Spirit in them.  And these characteristics will become more and more prevalent in the Christian's life as each one gets closer to God (the process we call sanctification).

We are taught by the Apostle Paul to examine ourselves to determine whether we're actually in Christ, or merely think we are.  If your faith is real and the Holy Spirit is in you, you will display at least some of the traits described below, and be able to see when you look back on the time between your initial profession of faith until now a steady, progressive development of these traits.  

The following is a helpful 15-point self test adapted from an episode of Todd Friel's Wretched TV to see whether you're in the faith:

1. Do you do good works? - James 2:17-27

Good works can't save you; but if you're actually saved, you'll do good works.

2. Are you obedient? - John 14:15

If you're truly born-again, you will strive to keep God's commandments; you may not always succeed, but you'll never stop trying.

3. Do you seek holiness? - Hebrews 12:14

Being holy (not perfect) is an absolute must for the born-again Christian, for without holiness, no one will see God. A true Christian seeks Christ-likeness.

4. Do you practice forgiveness?  - Matthew 6:12-15

A genuine Christian shows mercy and is willing to forgive; the command of Jesus to His followers to be ready to forgive a brother 70x7 times a day is meant to illustrate God's abundant forgiveness towards His children.

5. Do you deny your flesh? - Galatians 5:24

The sinful habits of the past have no place in the Christian's life; forsake them. When an evil desire rises up, crush it quickly.

6.  What is your attitude towards wealth and material possession? - Luke 14:25-33

A truly born-again Christian will be relatively indifferent towards wealth and material goods.  Keep money in its place; have it or not, love God and put Him first all the same.

7. Is your love for Jesus real? - 1 Corinthians 16:22

A genuine Christian will passionately desire the presence of God. Craving His presence is the motivation behind obedience; obedience and holiness create an atmosphere conducive to God's presence. Claiming to love God while rejecting His commands makes one a liar (1 John 2:4).

8. Is your love for others real?  - Matthew 25:40-46

Preferring others over yourself; giving of your time, effort, and resources to help with no thought of payback; favoring others to the point of disregarding personal gain; all of these things show love for others. Above all, the greatest love for others is displayed by telling people the hard truths that they need to hear, even if it costs you their favor/relationship; even if it earns you their hatred and persecution, and the hatred and persecution of others. Love does not sit idly by while others throw themselves headlong into Hell.

9. Do you love the truth? - 2 Thesselonians 2:10

Any true Christian will seek the truth in all things, especially God's Word; true Christians treasure the Bible and will never stop studying it, digging for the deep truths of God.  Also, Christians will seek to avoid willful deception, and will look for and promote the truth in every area of life.

10. Are you child-like in your relationship with God? - Matthew 18:2-3

A person who is born-again will have a trusting faith in God, as a child trusts their parents. Although understanding may not immediately come, faith and obedience will always be present.

11. Do you control your speech? - James 1:26

A true Christian will work to keep his or her mouth under control; refrain from perverse language, slander, lies, and gossip; a true Christian will not be verbally abusive to others. 

12. Perseverance - Mark 13:13

Real Christians will not forsake Jesus. No real Christian can live in open, unrepentant sin; any back-sliders whose salvation is real will have no pleasure in sin, and will come home again. If anyone can walk away from Jesus for good, it is doubtful that one ever really knew Him in the first place.

13. Do you walk in the Light? - 1 John 1:7

A true Christian develops sincere love for goodness, purity, and righteousness, and their life will reflect that.  They will seek to be characterized by the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24).

14. Do you live a lifestyle of repentance? - Luke 5:23

Upon real salvation, the Christian will commit to abandoning sin. This is not only a commitment made once, but also a day by day process; going forward, the believer will acknowledge faults and ask God's forgiveness as circumstances dictate, and will seek to remove sinful elements of their life as they become aware of them, judging themselves by the Word of God daily.

15. Are you willing to fight for the faith? - 2 Timothy 4:7

Share of Americans Who Identify as Born-Again or Evangelical, 2018-2019

This article has been abridged since it was originally posted. The full version can be found here.

My mother is pro-life, and every vote she has cast in a presidential election as an adult has come down to whether or not she thinks a candidate will place justices on the Supreme Court that’ll overturn Roe. Yet, I have never heard her espouse any candidate, local, state, or federal based on their views of child support.

Her own mother was a feminist in the early 70s. She had just given birth to my mother, and her husband was fighting in Vietnam. She had to put her life on hold, and the idea of women taking charge of their own house was very appealing to her in these stressful times. These same years also saw Karen DeCrow’s rise to stardom, culminating in her presidency in the National Organization for Women from ‘74 to ‘77. However, DeCrow had some views which are debated today among feminists.

While DeCrow was rising the ranks, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v Wade that laws against abortion, state and federal, were void. During and after her presidency, DeCrow reasoned that in a post-Roe America, men should have the option of not raising a child they sired that the woman wishes to bring to term. This views do not advocate justice. They advocate symmetry.

For those reading who think the idea of the “paper abortion,” as it is called, still sounds good in theory, there are no other contexts in which one can make a major mistake that impacts other people and completely shrug off financial responsibility. One can’t (easily) shrug off responsibility for a car wreck, medical or legal malpractice, property damage, or banking mishaps. It is not “just” to let men abandon their children, no matter what euphemisms you, or second-wave* feminists, or MRAs, or PUAs, or MGTOW’s, or libertines, or anyone else uses.

DeCrow’s important position in such an important feminist organization surely let her imprint her views on the thoughts of American feminists for years, including my grandmother more than likely. She would divorce my grandfather when my mother was in high school. Ideological shifts are often brought about from stress, and combined with the pressures of her turbulent family life, responsibilities of early adulthood, and the (perceived) looming threat of nuclear annihilation from the Soviets, my mother became a born-again evangelical in college, and wholeheartedly jumped onboard this crusade against the clinics, and started voting accordingly.

While my mother had tried to eschew many tenets of feminism, her own mother hadn’t, and was convinced the whole time my father was the one running the show and pressured my mother into being a housewife. My grandmother lightened up about the whole situation in 2019, a few months before my parents’ twenty-ninth anniversary, just to give you an idea of how little she approved of their marriage. All this is to say that, despite the clear contrast in my mother’s views and actions with the tenets of second-wave* feminism, sufficient to cause a long-standing familial bitterness, there still seems to be the carefree attitude towards men paying child support that could only be a hold-over from DeCrow’s influence.

This fixation on symmetry is also likely why my mother got angry at the idea a female coworker of mine asked me to have sex. After I told her the feeling was not reciprocated, she still was incensed and said that any man would be punished for this, and called it "sexual harassment." Her understanding of the criminal justice system in this field is incredibly myopic, if she believes women generally "get off easy" for sexual impropriety. Jeffrey Epstein was able to work in an office during his sentence lasting less than 18 months, after running an island where he and other men raped dozens of little girls for years. Meanwhile Jennifer Fichter is getting a multi-decade sentence in a state prison for a fling with a practically grown man. When you prefer symmetry over justice, those that care for neither will take control of the instrument of government, and spit on both.

She also thinks women should have to sign up for the draft, and in a few years she might get her wish. She thought it was so oppressive that I had to go through the unbearable anguish of checking a box on my application for a driver's license. Considering how serious the War on Terror and the War in Iraq got without implementing the draft, it is highly doubtful that the draft will actually ever be implemented again. Even disregarding the non-importance of the selective service, her thinking is that women should be sent to the front lines just like men. Just like DeCrow regarding child support, my mother is preferring symmetry over justice.

Moreover, my mother’s upbringing and early adult circumstances are not particularly unique. As stated, the US was fighting Vietnam in the early 70s, meaning there were a lot of women at home trying to keep the family situation under control while their husbands were fighting. Millions of American women from all walks of life espoused feminist ideals during this time. The Cold War-era revivals caused millions of Americans to become born-again evangelicals. How many Americans out there do you suppose shrug at child support despite belonging to the only substantial pro-life voting bloc? Where are the hard-lined pro-child support blocs, for that matter?

Could it be that rich and powerful men, each of whom has left bastards in the double digits, with whom they do not wish to share their dragon-hoardes, have been working in the background? Have these same Crœsi been playing DeCrow and those who listened to her like fiddles this whole time?