A major theme of 1 John is the difference between true believers and false believers. John writes to his readers so that they will be able to identify any false teachers who come to town, and seeing the contrast between the false teachers and the truth, his readers will also gain assurance that they are true believers. John's warnings about false teachers can be seen in passages such as 1 John 2:18-27 ("I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you") and 1 John 4:1-6 ("By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error"). John contrasts between light and darkness, truth and error, righteousness and sin, and applies these contrasts to his readers: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
The difference between the false believers and the true believers is described in several different ways by John, one of them being a contrast between those who have been born of God and those who have not been born of God. Just as in John's day, there are many who claim to be children of God who are not, many who claim to be believers who are not. Not all who claim to speak in the name of Christ do so with his approval, and not all who make a profession of faith are possessors of faith.
Our first evidence of regeneration is found in 1 John 2:29: "everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him." There are those who practice righteousness and those who practice unrighteousness. All of us by nature practice unrighteousness, and it is only by the grace of God in regeneration that anybody practices righteousness. Those who have been born of God certainly don't practice righteousness perfectly (see 1 John 1:5-2:1), but we are repentant for our sins and have a God-given desire to do what is right, a desire that shows itself in acts of righteousness.
Our second evidence of regeneration is found in 1 John 4:7: "whoever loves has been born of God." The specific love that John is writing about in this epistle is the love that believers have for one another. According to 1 John 3:17-18, this love is not just a matter of words but a matter of actions. A professing believer who has no interest in serving other believers is lacking evidence of regeneration. On the other hand, a professing believer who loves the brethren with acts of service shows evidence of righteousness.
Our third evidence of regeneration is found in 1 John 5:1: "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God." In chapter 4, John warned against those who claim faith in Christ yet deny his full humanity (an early Christian heresy called Docetism that had its roots in Gnosticism). Elsewhere in the New Testament, other apostles warn against corruptions of the gospel, warning against the danger of believing a false gospel. When God regenerates sinners, he gives them the gift of faith, and they consequently believe in Christ and his gospel - the true gospel.
What do these evidences of regeneration mean for the commonly held idea that regeneration is a result of faith? Some people teach that if we believe in Christ, then we will be born again. But can that view be held in light of these passages? All of them speak of present actions of people ("everyone who practices righteousness," "whoever loves," and "everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ") and a past action by God ("has been born of him" and "has been born of God"). If we want to turn 5:1 around and make faith a cause of regeneration, would we want to also go to 2:29 and 4:7 and make practicing righteousness and loving as causes of regeneration? The grammar is consistent for all three: regeneration precedes faith just as regeneration precedes good works.
These evidences of regeneration are also an important antidote to another commonly held idea that says that one may be born again but not have any good works. On the contrary, John teaches that those who are born of God practice righteousness and love the brethren. Regeneration is an effectual work of God. It produces both faith and good works, to the glory of God. Knowing this, we are aided in discerning true believers from false believers, and when we see the effects of regeneration in our own lives, our assurance is increased.
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