Very simply, your behavior is going to change.
You will begin to bear good fruit. Galatians 5:22-23, as illustrated above, tells us, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
You will experience profound joy. For more detail, see the article What is Joy?
A small tract was put together by Dr. Hugh Ross, founder of Reasons to Believe, entitled What is Christianity? It’s four sheets of paper folded in half and stapled together. In the tract, Dr. Ross gives the Marks of a Born-Again Believer. If you are analytical, you may find this list useful. Don’t expect to hit every item out of the park on day one. Your spiritual journey is a process.
Marks of a Born-Again Believer
- Desire to read Scriptures
- Discovery that Scriptures now come alive when they are read
- A desire for communication with God through prayer
- Absolute assurance that Jesus Christ is the only way to God, the only truth about God, and the only source of eternal life in fellowship with God
- Heightened conscience; greater sensitivity to right and wrong
- Pressure from non-Christian friends
- New strength to withstand temptation
- The desire for a Christ-like life
- Desire and courage to witness
- Genuine love for and a desire for fellowship with other believers
- A powerful new dimension of love – Christ’s love
- Blessed hope – looking forward to the Kingdom of God
- Absolute assurance of eternal salvation in the Kingdom of heaven
I did hit number 6 out of the park on day one. Your non-Christian friends will find you and may not understand your transformation. Perhaps some of them will want a change in their life as well. Besides 6, as a new believer, I did well on 1, 2, and 3 initially and grew from there.
In the next blog, we will examine how one nurtures the Spirit within.
Notes on the Fruit of the Spirit Mandala
The mandala shown is derived from the stained-glass window at St. James Anglican Church in Newport Beach, California. The image depicts the Spirit’s fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23. The symbology from the original window is employed. The symbols used are generally Christian figures. However, their meanings are non-standard, so I have annotated them.