When you are saved, you became a child of God. Heaven becomes your home. More than that, God gave you permanent birthmarks to show you are his. These are called “birthmarks of the believer,” traits of the twice-born. If you don’t have these, you need to ask, “Have I ever really been saved?” It’s one thing to talk religion; it’s another to actually be a child of God. You may talk the talk, but are you truly saved?

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Birth Mark #1 A believer submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

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If you say He’s your Lord but don’t live according to His Word, your life is a sham. Jesus said, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not the things that I say?” (Luke 6:46). If He’s is your Lord, you keep His commandments. "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." (1 John 2:3-6)

This is not sinless perfection. It doesn’t mean you’ll never get blown off course. John isn’t saying we’re saved by our works. When you treasure God’s commands and steer your life by them, you can say, “Yes, I know the Lord.” This is not legalism; this is love. You keep His commandments because you love Him. “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me” (John 14:21). If you don’t, you don’t really love Him; and if you don’t love Him, you’re not saved.

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Birth Mark #2 A believer wants to live like Jesus lived.

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Five times in First John, he uses the phrase, “as He” or “even as He” (1 John 1:7; 2:6, 3:3; 3:7; 4:17).  "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." (1John 2:6) If what you call “being saved” doesn’t make you like Jesus, you haven’t been saved. My life is to be “even as His” was. He lived honestly, purely, and righteously.

Only Jesus has ever perfectly done it. You can walk as He walked only when you rely fully on Him.

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Birth Mark #3 A believer loves the brethren

"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." 1 John 3:14