I. The Question Of Assurance In The Present Day
all delivered unto the saints," and to guard the good thing that was committed unto it. It is hoped that this little treatise may be of some service in the cultivation of assurance especially among our rising generation. Older catechumens might peruse it with profit. Perhaps it could be used as a gift to those who are making their public profession of faith.
L. BERKHOF
Grand Rapids, Mich.
December, 1938.
THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH
The Question of Assurance in the Present Day THERE are some subjects that have a perennial appeal for all serious-minded Christians. And among these the subject of the assurance of faith or of salvation occupies an outstanding place.
When our preachers address their churches on that vital topic, they may be sure of a goodly number of interested hearers, who are anxious for a description of the foundation of their hope, and who long for a word that will help them to obtain that blessed assurance and will thus fill their hearts with the joy of salvation.
It is true that many professing Christians to-day will not subscribe to this sentiment. In their estimation one who undertakes to speak or
write on the subject of assurance is hopelessly behind the time and altogether out of tune with the present trend of religious thought.
They do not all formulate their objections in the same way, but they all agree in the desire to ignore or at least, to soft-pedal the question of assurance.
Some emphasize the fact that the character of the Christian battle has changed and the battleground has been shifted. Time was when the Bible was accepted as the infallible Word of God and Bible truths were taken at their face value. Whatever doubts were entertained concerned one's being in a state of grace. The battle was fought single-handed in the citadel of the heart. But now the trustworthiness of the Bible is called in question and even the great verities of faith, such as the incarnation, the virgin birth, the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, and his physical return in glory, are not only doubted but boldly denied. This calls for a battle in the open field, in which all those who recognize Jesus Christ as their Lord should stand shoulder to shoulder. The struggle to maintain the fundamentals of the Christian religion is so all-absorbing that it really leaves no time for the question of personal assurance. Far more important issues are at stake and must be settled before this question can really mean anything.
In the camp of the Modernists the assertion is repeatedly made that the whole question of personal assurance, which had a proper place in the sixteenth century system of thought, does not fit in at all with the advanced thinking of the present age. There is no supernatural work of God, there are no miracles of grace; why, then, should man anxiously inquire, whether he has experienced a supernatural change? All men are by nature children of God; but if this is true, there is no sense in asking, whether I am one of the favored ones.
Salvation is not a gift, but a social achievement of man; therefore the proper thing to do is, not to inquire into the probable reception of the gift, but to engage in works of social reform, in order to change the world into a Kingdom of God.
Moreover, the advocates of the social gospel take great delight in posing as the representatives of a superior ethical code. They claim to have learned the important lesson of subordinating their personal interests to those of society. In their work of social reform they are forgetful of self; egotism has made place for altruism. And from their higher point of view they regard the question of personal assurance as purely selfish, and therefore unworthy of one living in this social age. Men ought to be less concerned about themselves and more about others. If they only do their duty by their fellow-men, the future will take care of itself.
What shall we say to these things?… It is perfectly true that conditions have greatly changed since the days of the Reformation.
There is today a battle that centers about the Word of God and the great verities of faith as never before. And it would be a great mistake for Christians to concern themselves only about their personal assurance and to lose sight of the more fundamental battle. What value has personal assurance, if the Bible is not dependable? It presupposes the truth of Scripture. Therefore the very desire for the assurance of salvation should prompt those who seek it to fight the forces of unbelief.
But, on the other hand, their battle for the Bible should not cause them to lose sight of the question of assurance. They ought not to think for a moment that they can safely ignore this in view of the greater issues that are now at stake. The Reformers certainly did not take that attitude. They too had to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, but never ceased to stress the necessity of personal assurance. In fact, it may be said that they occasionally overshot the mark in this respect. But it is exactly because they were so tremendously in earnest about this assurance, that they were able to perform their herculean task. May it not be that the Christians of to-day are so weak in comparison, just because they do not stress this important matter?
Again, it is true that the question of personal assurance, at least in the form in which it is generally put, has no meaning in the system of thought that is widely prevalent in scientific circles to-day. But this is no reason why serious-minded Christians should not pay just as much attention to it as ever before. They who accept the Bible as the ultimate standard of truth surely ought not to commit the folly of allowing the vagaries of Modernism to dominate their Christian life.
There is indeed a danger that the prevailing mode of thought will cause them to disregard the question of the assurance of salvation.
Unless they are very much on their guard, they will naturally come under the influences of the spirit of the age in this respect. The very opposition it calls forth may divert their attention from the strengthening of the inner life, and cause them to resemble those churches that are abundant in missionary efforts, but meanwhile neglect the home base.
But is it not really selfish to pay so much attention to personal assurance? There are some well-meaning Christians who, in spite of themselves, are inclined to think that the charge is true, and are therefore rather hesitant to speak about this assurance. But the objection is really absurd. The underlying assumption would seem to be that all attention to self with a view to its welfare, is selfish. It is a patent fact, however, that the Modernist himself does not believe that, for then he would also have to consider eating and drinking, hygienic measures, physical exercise, the cultivation of moral purity, etc., as thoroughly selfish, and yet these are the very things that are stressed by the social gospel. It is certainly no more selfish to cultivate spiritual, than it is to promote physical well-being. Of course, it is possible for one to be so neglectful of other duties in seeking the assurance of faith, and to have the eye so exclusively fixed on salvation as a desirable future, as to expose oneself to the charge of selfishness. But seeking personal assurance is not in itself an evidence of selfishness. We may be seeking our spiritual wellbeing in this respect, in order that we may be more able to help others, to promote the cause of God, to reveal the glory of his grace, and to magnify Him for the riches of the inheritance which He has
prepared for us. Moreover, we should not forget that God himself demands of us that we be diligent unto the full assurance of hope unto the end; and that He certainly would not require of us what is morally reprehensible.
The treatment of this subject, then, does not call for an apology. On the contrary, there are good reasons for discussing it. There are comparatively few Christians to-day, who really glory in the assurance of salvation. The note of heavenly joy seems to have died away out of the life of God's people. It is true that it may sometimes be heard in Methodist revival meetings. But in such cases it is generally prompted only by momentary emotions, often proves to be of an evanescent character, and is frequently followed by reactions of the darkest gloom. Moreover, the assurance in which the Methodist glories always falls short of the assurance of salvation.
There are always large numbers of serious seekers after assurance in our churches, who are tossed to and fro by doubts and uncertainties.
Some of them appear to be chronic doubters, who occasionally create the impression that they take a secret delight in their doubts and regard them as a mark of special piety. But the majority are of a different kind. They can readily be made to understand that the normal Christian life cannot be one of constant uncertainty, and that their doubts are due to a certain measure of unbelief, to weakness of faith, or to ignorance, and therefore cannot be condoned. As a rule they are in a teachable spirit, eager to receive instruction and help, and anxious to be led into the light. They need careful spiritual guidance and should always be the objects of tender solicitude.
But we also meet with some professing Christians to-day—and it is to be feared that their number is on the increase—who apparently do not think about the matter of assurance, or who, if they do, fail to take it seriously. They simply seem to take it for granted, and speak of it as a matter of course. They assert their assurance in an off-hand way, but leave the impression that they hardly know what it means.
It is quite evident that the matter of personal assurance has not