Vi. The Glory Of Assurance
account of sin and a longing for holiness, hatred of sin and of the forces of evil, and an earnest endeavor to battle against the enemies of the Kingdom of God. With these in mind he examines himself to discover, whether they are present in his life at least in some degree.
The clearer these Christian graces shine forth and the more abundant they are, the greater will be the measure of assurance which they engender. He who finds within himself the fruit of the Spirit, such as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22), may be sure that the Spirit of God is operative in his heart; and because this is the Spirit of adoption, he may rest assured that he is a child of God.
THE GLORY OF ASSURANCE
THE assurance of salvation is one of the most precious gifts of God, and one that ought to be highly appreciated by all believers. It is true,
Roman Catholics and Arminians do not regard it as a desirable attainment, for in their estimation it is detrimental to true holiness and ministers to carnal security and spiritual pride. And even some
Reformed Christians chime in with them and sing the praises of doubt. They are inclined to regard the assurance in which others rejoice as a false security, as a pretention of peace when there is no peace, and as a sure sign of self-righteousness and arrogance. They often regard a state of constant doubt, not only as wholesome, but also as a mark of true piety. It is to be feared that they sometimes
pretend to doubt, when they do not doubt at all. Their doubt becomes their pride. It would be well for them to reflect for a moment on the fact that in their praise of doubt they join hands with Roman Catholics and Arminians, i. e., with those who are not inclined to seek their salvation entirely without themselves in Jesus
Christ, but depend at least in part on their good works. This might open their eyes to the probability that, not those who glory in their assurance, but they themselves are guilty of self-righteousness.
It is highly desirable that the believer should have the assurance of salvation. This may be inferred from the fact that they are exhorted
"to show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end"
(Heb. 6:11), and to "give diligence to make their calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). In order to avoid misunderstanding, however, it may be well to stress the fact at the outset, that the full assurance of faith is not absolutely essential to the being of a Christian. Boston correctly remarks that "one may go to heaven in a mist, not knowing whither he is going." Our salvation depends on our state and not our knowledge of it.
But if this full assurance is not necessary to the being of a Christian, it is necessary to his well-being. The Christian is in duty bound to lead a life of true gratitude. He must reveal his gratefulness in words of thanksgiving that arise from the heart, in songs of thanksgiving that flow from the lips, and above all in a life of consecrated service.
He is redeemed by the blood of the Lamb from the misery of sin, and is therefore prompted to ask:
"What shall I render to the Lord For all his benefits to me?
How shall my soul by grace restored Give worthy thanks, O Lord, to Thee?"
But that question will hardly arise, if he is not certain that he has been redeemed, that his sins are pardoned, and that he has been accepted as a child of God. He will not feel constrained to give thanks to God for that of which he is not sure that he has received it. He will hardly be in a position to answer with the poet: "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord, yea, in the presence of all his people."
The Christian's life is intended to be a life of service in the Kingdom of God. He is a vessel of honour, sanctified, meet for the Master's use, prepared unto every good work. And the service that is required of him is arduous and even partakes of the nature of a warfare. The believer is a soldier of Jesus Christ, engaged in earnest battles with the powers of evil. Hence he is urged to put on the whole armour of God, that he may retain his position in the Kingdom of God and frustrate the works of the devil. He needs all the spiritual strength at his disposal, especially the strength that comes from a living and active faith, and from the assurance of salvation. If his gait is halting and uncertain, if his arms are unsteady, if his eye is not clear and true, and if he is lacking in confidence, he will not be able to do his best for the Captain of his salvation. But if he stands in the assurance of faith, he will march to the battle with confidence, will occupy a strong position, will aim with precision, and will fight with the strength that comes from the confident expectation of victory. They whose hearts are always filled with doubts and are constantly engaged in seeking assurance, are like the soldier that spends all his time seeking his armour or in putting it in shape, and meanwhile loses sight of the oncoming forces of the enemy.
The Bible clearly testifies to the fact that God's children must contend with many difficulties and are frequently subject to temptations and trials. Not only do they share in the general sufferings of mankind; they are also called upon to shoulder the cross and to bear the reproach of Jesus Christ. If under such circumstances they have the assurance of faith and are confident of the fact that they are children of God and that He is their loving
Father, they will not only have strength to bear the cross, but also grace to rejoice in tribulations. They will stand firm in the conviction that a heavenly Father governs their life and all its circumstances, that the trials and adversities that are sent to them are but parental chastisements that minister to their spiritual welfare, that in all their afflictions they enjoy the support of the everlasting arms which will carry them through, and that the light affliction of the present will issue in an eternal weight of glory. In that conviction they sing with the poet: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but Jehovah delivereth him out of them all"; and rejoice with Paul: "For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Without the assurance of faith, however, they will prove weak when the clouds gather, when the darkness thickens, and when the storms of life beat upon their frail vessel. Then distrust sits at the helm, fear fills the heart, anxious questionings arise, and a dissatisfied spirit vents itself in subdued murmurings or in bold outspoken protests. The doubting believer is
"like the surge of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed."
Finally, the assurance of faith fills the hearts with the joy of salvation.
Surely, of all the children of men none have such abundant reasons to "rejoice and be exceeding glad" as they who have received the Spirit of adoption. They are partakers of the greatest possible honour in that they are children of God, and as children heirs of eternal life.
Therefore Paul says: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Now they who lack the assurance of faith and are given to constant doubts, banish the joy of salvation from their hearts and out of their lives, and often go about as if they were of all men most pitiable. Let the children of God stand upon the heights of assurance and permit the light of heaven to fall upon their earthly life. Then they will go their way rejoicing, and when they reach the last station of the journey, they will serenely face death in the firm conviction that when the house of this tabernacle is broken, they will have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. They rejoice in the assurance that the day of their death is but the birthday to a better life. And looking back upon their past life
and forward to their eternal home, they join with rapture in the swan-song of the apostle: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all them that have loved his appearing." 2 Tim. 4:7, 8.
"Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied to you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Pet. 1:10, 11.
MONERGISM BOOKS
Assurance of Faith by Louis Berkhof, Copyright © 2018 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Monergism Books. ePub, .mobi & .pdf Editions November 2018 Requests for information should be addressed to: Monergism Books, PO Box 491,
West Linn, Or 97068