As Christians we confess that “those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus, love him sincerely and strive to live in all good conscience before him may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (WCF 18.1). Many Christians I know live with such a hope in their hearts. They go to their deaths calmly and even joyfully with a strong assurance of salvation. On the other hand the best the atheist can hope for is an end to the infirmities that come with a terminal illness or advanced years followed by the peace of oblivion.
However, it’s also true that a Bible believing Christian can doubt his or her salvation.
Believers are not exempt from the debilitating effects of sin. David sinned when he gave into temptation as he looked at Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop from his palace window and summoned her to his palace bedchamber. (2 Sam.11:2-4) Peter, Jesus’ disciple, deliberately denied Christ three times (Lu.22:57-60).We all have the same tendencies due to the reality of what Owens calls “indwelling sin.” It may be the sin of pride, covetousness, lust, hypocrisy, hatred, doubt or greed. Examine your history and your conscience. Sin of one kind or another is there. When the apostle Paul examined his life in retrospect, he declared himself to be a “wretched man” and the “worst of sinners”, (Rom. 7:24, 1 Tim. 1:16).
These thoughts can afflict any one of us, even causing us to doubt whether or not we are genuine Christians or whether or not we are really saved. Our assurance of salvation can be seriously diminished by our struggle with sin.
Personal suffering and sin in the world around us can affect our assurance too. The writer of Psalm 73 considered himself to be pure and innocent (vs 13), yet he had been “plagued and punished”. The psalm doesn’t say what plagued him but, along with what he perceived to be the good fortune of the wicked (“they have no struggles their bodies are healthy and strong”, vs 4) it caused him to be embittered in his spirit. However, his attitude changed when he ‘entered the sanctuary of God”(vs. 17) and consequently gained a deeper knowledge of God as shown in the latter verses of Psalm 73.
Therefore, to “enter the sanctuary of God”, as the Psalmist puts it, is an antidote to any lack of assurance we might have. We won’t find answers in ourselves, on the psychiatrists couch, in tranquilizers or even in other people. Only God has the answers which are revealed to us in His word.
God’s word teaches that the foundation for our assurance is election. Romans 8:29 &30 says this, “For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” The Greek aorist verbs in that statement indicate completed action. Even our glorification which is yet to take place in the future is written as something which God has already accomplished. Therefore glorification is guaranteed for those whom God has chosen from “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).The work God began in you he will “bring to completion at the day of Christ”(Phil.1:6).Furthermore, the Bible teaches that God – not you or me, has taken the initiative to save you from spiritual ignorance and darkness into his realm of grace, leading ultimately to your glorification. Election is therefore the sure foundation of our assurance of salvation! On the other hand if you think that it was entirely your choice to become a Christian or that it has something to do with your good deeds outweighing the bad then you can never be really sure of your salvation since “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick” (Jer.17:9) and “all fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
The Canons of Dort deal with this matter under the 5th Head of Doctrine on Perseverance, under rejection of errors 5b. The Remonstrants tried to assert that “God provides believers with sufficient strength to persevere and is ready to preserve this in him if he will do his duty. ….yet it still always depends on the decision of man’s will whether he will persevere or not.” The Canons refute that assertion saying, “this idea contains outright Pelagianism. While it wants to make men free it makes them robbers of God’s honour. It conflicts with the constant teaching of the gospel….contrary to the testimony of the apostle; it is God who will keep you strong to the end that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Our assurance has its foundation on God’s sovereign grace in election and the fact that the work he began in us from election he will see through to completion.
How can you know you are one of God’s elect? 1 Thessalonians 1 helps answer that question. Paul addresses the congregation in Thessalonica.”For we know brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you”(vs. 4). He is writing to a church and expresses a strong confidence in their salvation. Therefore belonging to a local Christian church is essential to having assurance of salvation. We confess that there is “no salvation outside of it” (Belgic Confession art. 28). Are you a committed member in good standing of your church? If you are “in Christ”, (a term Paul often uses to describe Christians) and the church is the “body of Christ” (1 Cor.12:17) then you belong in the church and we may regard you as a covenant child of God because we also confess that, “about those who outwardly profess their faith and amend their lives we are to judge and speak in the most favourable way” (Canons of Dort 3.15).
Apart from belonging to the Church what else do we know about those whom Paul was confident God had chosen in 1 Thessalonians 1? He remembered their “work of faith, labour of love and steadfastness of hope in Jesus Christ” (vs.3). These are identifying marks of every true believer. Do you have an abiding faith in Christ and the Bible? Is your faith one which has survived good times and bad? Do you understand that God loves you and do you love God and your neighbour? Do you live with hope in the promises of God for the future? These qualities: faith, love and hope characterize the genuine Christian. Paul gives more reasons for his confidence in the Thessalonian congregation’s election. They received the word “with joy” (vs. 6). The word transformed their lives through the power of the Holy Spirit (vs. 5&6) so that they became an example to others (vs.7). They evangelised their neighbours (vs.8), turned away from idolatry (vs.9), and longed for Christ’s second coming (vs.10). Don’t we, who belong to the church also collectively desire to imitate that Thessalonian example? We regularly attend worship services, listen to preaching, read the Bible, pray and collectively engage in evangelism and overseas mission. As we grow in the knowledge of God’s word and spiritual maturity we are able to recognise more and more the idols of the heart and determine to put them aside. Therefore we should be able to say about our fellow Church members, with the Apostle Paul, “we know brothers (& sisters) loved by God, that he has chosen you”.
Others may ask, “what about my struggle with sin?” As with the characters in the Bible who lamented their sin, including Judah (Gen.38:26), David (Ps, 51:3&4), Isaiah (Is. 6:5), Peter (Lu. 22:62) and Paul (Rom. 7:24) we, if we are honest, will have reason to lament our own sins; sins of youth, the sin of pride, neglect of God’s law etc. etc. . John wrote, “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8). Yes, sin can shake us in our inner being and assault our assurance of salvation. Yet further on, in 1 John 3:20 the apostle John reassures us by reminding us that God is greater than our hearts!
Have you ever looked back on your life as a Christian and asked “how much progress have I made spiritually in the last 5 or even 10 years?” “Am I closer to the Lord now than then? Am I more like Jesus now?” These questions can make us think how little progress we’ve made as a Christian and how much further we have to go. As Christians, if we are honest, we often find the very thing John wrote in I Jn.3:20, “our hearts condemn us” because we feel the lack in our spiritual growth. Just like a judge in a court room as he gives the sentence to a convicted felon, he reads out all of the sordid details of the man’s crimes and his lack of regard for his fellow man. Similarly, our own consciences remind us of our own sins which accuse us. Our love for the Lord or our love for brothers and sisters in Christ is so often weak. We know things about ourselves that we don’t want others to know. Yes sometimes our hearts condemn us! But “God is greater than our hearts.”
John is not saying that God turns a blind eye to sin. God knows our sin better than we do! His knowledge is comprehensive. God understands us more deeply than we do ourselves. He knows the hidden motives of our hearts. He knows our strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures and lack of love. We may quench or grieve the Holy Spirit by disregarding God’s word or because of gossip (1 Thess. 5:19&20, Eph. 4:25-32). Perhaps you find yourself praying, “Lord forgive me and help me to be a more spiritual, more loving person. Lord, help me be a better Christian.” I believe this kind of prayer for spiritual growth is the common experience of true and honest Christians down through the ages.
At the time of the Reformation John Calvin’s thoughts about his own life just before he died are pertinent. To his close friends in Geneva where he laboured as a pastor and teacher for many years, he said, “Take courage, (my brothers) strengthen yourselves for God will make use of this church and he will protect it. I have had many weaknesses which you have had to suffer because of me. What is more, all I have done has been worth nothing. The ungodly will seize upon this word but I say it again all I have done has been worth nothing and I am a miserable creature. But I certainly can say this; that I have willed what is good and my sins have always displeased me and the fear of God has been in my heart. So you may say that my intention was good and I pray that the evil be forgiven me. If there was any good conform yourselves to that and make that an example.” (Biography THL Parker, page 183)
We may have doubts, or see our own sin and have heavy hearts because of it. Yet God is greater than our hearts. That means whenever our consciences trouble us we can rest in the assurance that God loves us yet because there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ” Rom. 8:1). God the Father has accepted Christ’s sacrifice on the cross as sufficient payment for all our sins (Rom. 3:23-25, Heb.10:10) Furthermore, John wrote, “If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:8,9). God is greater than our hearts and his grace is greater than all our sin!
The work God began in us in election will be seen through to its glorification by the power of the Holy Spirit in you. This is clear in Romans 8:1, “for the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Jesus Christ from the law of sin and death,… for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God ….you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (14ff) Praying to God as our heavenly Father with a believing heart is evidence of the indwelling Spirit in your life, of your election and assurance of salvation, SDG.
Mr Hans Vaatstra is a member of the Whanganui Reformed Church and an emeritus minister.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
