When we read the Holy Scriptures carefully, we discover that God’s plan included not only the creation of heavenly servants, but also a unique being—man—meant to live in a special relationship with Him, as His child and as a brother to the Lord Jesus.

This divine intention is clearly expressed in Genesis 1:26–27, where God says, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” The same idea appears in Romans 8:29, which shows that “He predestined them to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Thus, even before the world was created, God oradained that people would share in His divine nature, being called to become like His Son.

Through Adam’s fall, man died spiritually—that is, he was separated from God. This condition of separation brought about the need for restoration and reconciliation with God, made possible only through the saving work of Christ. In His plan—made before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)—God provided for the spiritual rebirth of sinful humanity.

This plan does not stop at the mere forgiveness of sins; it seeks the complete restoration of the human being and to bring us to the measure of the stature of His Son, as written in Ephesians 4:11–13: “And He gave some … prophets … pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints … till we all come… unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Being born again is therefore an essential threshold in every person’s life, marking the beginning of a new existence in which we receive citizenship in the Kingdom of God and begin a journey of drawing near to and becoming like His Son.

This transformation is not merely a moral change, but a profound work of the Holy Spirit, who regenerates the believer’s inner being according to the image of Christ, thereby restoring the image of God in man.

The analogy between natural birth and spiritual birth is profound: just as biological life begins through a human seed that carries the parents’ genetic code, so spiritual life begins through “the seed of God,” which is His Word (Luke 8:11). This seed carries within it the characteristics of God and, when it is received into a good and pure heart, it gives birth to a new being—born of God (Luke 8:15).

This new life is visibly expressed through authentic discipleship—a continual process of transformation through the Word of God. Discipleship is not a later or optional stage, but the natural expression of a genuine new birth. The one who is born of God enters a life of spiritual formation, in which they are taught, corrected, encouraged, and equipped to become increasingly like Christ.

This initial work is the cornerstone of the new life in Christ. Therefore, Satan targets it with strategic intensity. His chief aim is to replace the true birth from God with a counterfeit version that leads to a salvation lacking the deep commitment to walk in the footsteps of Christ.

He knows that once a person is born of God and enters the path of becoming like Christ, it is hard to bring them back to their former darkness. That is why he seeks to corrupt the seed—the Word that brings life—and to replace it with teaching that seems credible, yet lacks the clear call to self-denial and to following as a disciple of Christ. Through this substitution, he aims that from the altered seed there would not be born brothers of the Lord Jesus, but only adherents of a lifeless religion.

He does not assert himself through direct opposition to Christ, but through the selective emphasis of certain biblical truths—such as salvation by faith—without the call to a life of obedience to His teachings. Through this diluted gospel, Satan hides from people the real need for discipleship—the only way by which human character can be shaped after the character of the Lord Jesus.

Paul warns in 2 Cor. 11:4: “If someone comes and proclaims another Jesus… or if you receive a different spirit, or a different gospel… you put up with it readily enough!” This diluted gospel is often transmitted even by people who appear sincere yet are deceived—theologians, preachers, or religious leaders who, formed within a setting devoid of the Holy Spirit, perpetuate a Christianity that caters to human desires. They convey a “gospel” adapted so that a person can keep the old life—a superficial new birth in which the seed of God—the Word—is ignored—a faith aligned with religious culture, but which does not lead a person onto the path of discipleship in the righteousness of the Kingdom of God.

Such experiences may seem sincere, may move people emotionally, and may even change behaviors to a certain degree—but they do not regenerate the heart. This form of faith maintains only an appearance of spirituality, offering a diluted standard—a convenient version of the Gospel—that keeps a person from understanding the real demands of the Kingdom. Thus, the original seed is replaced, and the life that results is not from God, but from another source.

The true seed—the Word—not only gives life, but also sustains and transforms. It begets a new being, one who no longer lives under the dominion of sin but increasingly reflects the nature of God. “Whoever is born of God does not sin, because His seed remains in him.” (1 John 3:9)

Therefore, the refusal to receive the Word, or the receiving of a falsified version, is a spiritual tragedy. John says of the Lord Jesus, who was the Word: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11) And Paul adds: “Since you do not receive the Word… you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life…” (Acts 13:46) At the heart of the new birth stands the pure Word of God. Any distortion, dilution, or substitution of it is a subtle yet devastating strategy, meant to hinder the beginning of life from God.

On closer look, it is easy to see that we live in an increasingly diverse religious world—where many denominations promote teachings that are mixed or subtly deviated from the pure truth of Scripture. In this context, the danger is not the absence of religion, but the presence of a distorted religion that offers an appearance of spirituality, yet does not produce the new birth.

More and more people come to believe they are born again when, in reality, they have only been adapted to a religious system, influenced by an emotional atmosphere, or convinced by human arguments. This form of religion does not regenerate the heart, does not bring a transformed life, but only maintains a form of godliness devoid of power. In fact, many of us, at the time of our supposed conversion, received the “glasses” of the denomination we belong to, coming to filter everything through human practices and interpretations. Instead of spiritual birth being the result of the will of God, it was shaped by the will of people—by religious influences, social pressures, or emotional contexts. Thus, many end up living for years with an apparently sincere faith yet lacking authenticity, without real victory over sin.

It is fitting to ask ourselves, sincerely: how is it possible that, after years of walking the path of faith, we still persist in the old things which, according to Scripture, categorically separate us from God? If we live in them continually, not accidentally, without the desire to leave them, then we must ask whether our new birth was authentic or only a religious illusion.

Scripture is clear: “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). To live for years without victory over sin is to confuse a religious life with a real transformation of the heart.

This reality, painful but frequently encountered, calls us to sincere and profound self-examination. Not to condemn us, but to turn us back to the source of truth—Scripture—and to test the foundation of our faith. It is vital to ask: were we truly born of God, or only of the will of people?

True new birth produces a deep transformation: a hunger for the righteousness of God, a sincere desire to follow Christ with all the heart, and a life lived in discipleship, in obedience, and self-denial. Anything else is only a form without substance—a religion that does not save, but deceives.

To support this process of spiritual introspection, we have prepared a questionnaire that is not merely a simple list of questions, but a sincere invitation to personal examination. It is a tool meant to help us distinguish between the authentic and the counterfeit, between the work of the Spirit and human influence.

This material invites you to a profound reflection on the authenticity of your new birth, your real belonging to the Body of Christ, your daily life in righteousness and peace, as well as your love for Christ and sincere discipleship to Him. The questions in this questionnaire are formulated on the basis of Scripture and address essential aspects of this deep, visible, and ongoing transformation, as described in the Word of God.

The proposed questionnaire seeks to explore, in the context of being born again of God, several essential themes of authentic Christian life, highlighting traits that cannot be produced by human effort:

• The functioning of the Body of Christ—a life of mutual service and unity among believers, in which each member fulfills their role in harmony with the others, as described in Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12.
• The peace of those who are born again — not merely an inner state of calm, but the result of a radically different attitude toward opposition and conflict, according to the Lord Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. This peace springs from a submitted heart that chooses not to repay evil with evil, but to overcome evil with good. It is the peace of those who choose to turn the other cheek, go the second mile, bless those who curse them, and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:38–48). Such a way of living is not natural, but a sign of being born of God, of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit. This peace does not depend on the absence of conflicts, but on the presence of obedience to Christ in the midst of them.
• Practical righteousness — a life lived in the righteousness that characterizes the Kingdom of God, manifested through real obedience to the commandments of Christ. This righteousness is not limited to theory or declarations, but is expressed through concrete deeds that reflect His character. It should be a visible reality in everyday life, a clear testimony to those around.
• Authentic discipleship — an unbroken journey of shaping through the Word of God, in which the believer is formed, corrected, encouraged, and equipped to live like Christ. This is not an optional stage, but a daily call to self-denial and following the Lord Jesus: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

The purpose of this questionnaire is not judgment, but clarity: to understand whether your life truly reflects the work of the Holy Spirit and whether you have experienced the new birth—not as a mere religious affiliation, but as a radical change of heart.

Our goal is to give you the opportunity to make a scriptural, objective, non-denominational analysis of the authenticity of being born of God.

I encourage you to examine each question carefully and choose “Yes” or “No” according to what truly reflects the reality of your life. It is recommended that you do not read the explanations before completing the entire questionnaire, so that your verification of the authenticity of your new birth is as accurate as possible.

After you finish the questionnaire, you will be able to read the biblical explanations for each question. These will help you understand your answers more deeply and discern whether your spiritual birth truly comes from God.