Chapter Ten
That we may be prepared by the comforts of the gospel o sincerely perform the duties of the law, we need to be prepared by the comforts of the gospel. This preparation involves obtaining assurance of our salvation through the very faith by which Christ enters our hearts. Therefore, we must strive to believe in Christ with confidence, persuading and assuring ourselves, as we believe, that God freely grants us a share in Christ and His salvation according to His gracious promise.
It is evident that the comforts of the gospel, which are essential for a holy life, cannot be truly received without some assurance of our connection to Christ and His salvation. Some of these comforts include a firm conviction of our reconciliation with God, our future heavenly happiness, and the strength to do what is pleasing to God through Christ, as previously discussed. Thus, it becomes clear that this assurance is crucial in enabling us to pursue holiness. These comforts precede the duties of the law in the natural order of things, just as a cause comes before its effect, although there may not be a temporal gap. My present task is to explain what this assurance is, as it is so vital to holiness, and as I have asserted, we must act upon it through the very faith by which we receive Christ into our hearts - namely, through justifying saving faith. This doctrine may seem strange to many modern-day Protestants, whereas it was once embraced by prominent
Protestants whom God used to restore the purity of the gospel and defend it against the Papists for many years. They commonly taught that faith is a persuasion or confidence in our own salvation through Christ, and emphasized the importance of personally applying Christ and His salvation through belief. This doctrine played a significant role in dismantling the superstitious beliefs of the papacy, which relied heavily on doubtfulness regarding salvation. However, many of the successors of these Protestants have abandoned their teachings, leaving their writings to be shamefully ridiculed by the Papists. This departure has persisted longer among us than other aspects of our new theology, and it is upheld by those who claim to abhor the corrupt doctrines built upon such principles by the Papists.
Modern theologians may believe they stand on the shoulders of their predecessors, benefiting from their labours and possessing greater insight than them, just as the schoolmen may have thought of the ancient fathers.
However, even with this perspective, they may not be able to see as far if their predecessors' eyes were more enlightened by the Spirit of God to understand the mysteries of the gospel. Why then should we not consider this to be the case in the present situation? In recent years, many false notions have blinded people in terms of assurance. Some believe that because salvation is not promised to us unconditionally, but rather on the condition of believing in Christ for it, we must first directly believe in Christ for our salvation. After that, we can reflect on our faith and evaluate it based on various signs and marks, particularly the fruit of sincere obedience. Only upon such examination, if we are certain that our faith is true and saving, can we believe with assurance that we will be saved. They argue that our salvation comes through the direct act of faith, while assurance comes through the reflex act of faith. They also claim that many possess genuine faith and will be saved, yet they never experience any assurance of their salvation in their lifetime. They observe from Scripture and personal experience that many precious saints of God often struggle with doubts about their salvation and the sincerity of their faith and obedience. Therefore, they conclude that assurance should not be deemed absolutely necessary for justifying faith and salvation, as it may cause doubting believers to become disheartened and fall into despair. They believe that the former Protestants were guilty of a clear absurdity in making assurance an essential element of saving faith. According to them, all who hear the gospel are obligated to exercise saving faith, yet they are not absolutely required to believe that they themselves will be saved. If that were the case, many would be obliged to believe something not specifically declared in the gospel concerning their individual salvation - even something that would be a blatant falsehood, as the gospel reveals that many of those called are not chosen for salvation and will perish forever (Matthew 20:16). It is not surprising, then, that the appearance of such a great absurdity leads many to conceive that saving faith is either a trusting and relying on Christ as the sole sufficient means of salvation without assurance, or a longing and daring to trust or rely on Him in a state of suspense and uncertainty regarding our salvation, or at best, with a probable opinion or conjectural hope of it.
Another objection raised against the doctrine of assurance is that it "destroys self-examination and gives rise to pride and arrogance, as if individuals already knew their places in heaven before the day of judgement." It is believed to foster carelessness in fulfilling one's duties, a sense of worldly security, and all kinds of licentious behavior.
Consequently, doubting one's salvation is praised as necessary for maintaining humility, religious fears, vigilance, the scrutiny of one's spiritual state and actions, diligence in good works, and overall devotion.
In response to these opposing views, I will strive to uphold the ancient
Protestant doctrine of assurance, as outlined in the direction. First, I will present some observations that will help clarify its true meaning and effectively address the strongest objections raised against it.
1. It is essential to carefully observe that the assurance being discussed is not a persuasion that we have already received Christ and His salvation, or that we have already been brought into a state of grace.
Rather, it is the understanding that "God graciously intends to give
Christ and His salvation to us and bring us into a state of grace, even though we have been entirely in a state of sin and death until this present moment." Therefore, this doctrine does not promote presumption in wicked and unregenerate individuals that their state is already good. Instead, it encourages them to approach Christ confidently to attain a good state. I acknowledge that many, if not most, must be taught to doubt the goodness of their present state, as this doubt reflects humility. Before we can have well-grounded assurance that we are in a state of grace and salvation, we must examine ourselves to ascertain the certainty and sincerity of our faith and obedience. This assurance, commonly known as the reflex act of faith (if it can be called an act of faith at all, being a spiritual sense or feeling of what is within oneself), is not the essence of the faith by which we are justified and saved. Furthermore, many precious saints lack this assurance and are plagued by doubts that contradict it. They may not know at all whether things will turn out well for them on the day of judgement, and even if they attain this assurance, it may sometimes waver or be completely lost. It is crucial that we strive to lead a holy life to attain this assurance, as it is immensely beneficial to our growth in faith and holiness. Most
Protestants among us, when they speak or write about assurance, refer specifically to the reflection-based kind. I have briefly explained enough to demonstrate that what I assert is in line with the commonly accepted doctrine of assurance and does not undermine any of its positive outcomes. Therefore, it is not guilty of the evils falsely attributed to it by some. The kind of assurance I am referring to does not answer the question of whether one is already in a state of grace and salvation. Another significant question must be answered by the soul to enter a state of grace: whether God, in His gracious pleasure, is now willing to bestow Christ and His salvation upon me, despite my past wickedness. It is crucial to resolve this question with comforting assurance through a direct act of faith, in which we persuade ourselves (without reflecting on any personal qualifications) that God is ready to receive us into the embrace of His saving mercy in Christ, regardless of our prior transgressions.
This assurance is based on the gracious promise: "I will call them 'My people' who are not My people, and her 'Beloved' who was not beloved. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' there they shall be called sons and daughters of the living God" (Romans 9:25-26).
2. The assurance we seek is not a persuasion that we are saved regardless of our actions or how we live, but it is limited to the free grace of Christ, whereby we partake in holiness and forgiveness and walk in the path of holiness, leading to the enjoyment of God's glory. We will not genuinely desire or strive to obtain such a salvation unless we first come to recognize our own sinfulness and misery, despairing of our own righteousness and strength. We must hunger and thirst for the sanctifying grace of God in Christ, so that we may walk in His ways of holiness and experience the heavenly glory. The faith by which we receive Christ must not only involve a belief in our own happiness, but also include these and similar qualities that make it a most holy faith. Certainly, an assurance that is qualified in this way will not give rise to pride in us, but rather humility and self-abasement, unless one considers it prideful to rejoice and boast in Christ while having no confidence in our own abilities (Philippians 3:3). It will not undermine religious fear or breed worldly security; instead, it will cause us to fear straying from Christ, our only refuge and security, and to avoid walking in the ways of the flesh. Noah had every reason to enter the ark and remain there with assurance of his preservation, yet he would have had good reason to fear leaving the ark, knowing that his safety from perishing in the flood depended solely on staying within its confines. How, then, could a persuasion of salvation in the path of holiness breed laziness, carelessness, or licentiousness? On the contrary, it strongly entices and motivates us to "always excel in the work of the Lord, because [we] know that [our] labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Those who are convinced of God's free grace towards them in Christ are not concerned with earning their salvation through legalistic works. Satan is ready to suggest that such an attitude is sinful carelessness leading to licentiousness. However, those who believe this false suggestion from Satan reveal that they do not yet understand what it means to serve God out of love and are still bound to obedience by the bit and bridle of slavish fear, like horses and mules without understanding (Psalm 32:9).
1. Be cautious of regarding assurance as completely incompatible with any doubting within the same soul. One significant reason why many Protestants have deviated from the doctrine of their predecessors in this matter is because they believe that there can be no true assurance of salvation in those who experience doubts, even though they acknowledge many individuals as genuine believers and precious saints of God who indeed wrestle with doubts. True, indeed, this assurance is inherently contrary to doubting, and if it were perfect to the highest degree, it would entirely eliminate all doubts from the soul; even now, it diminishes them to some extent.
However, do not the best saints on earth have both flesh and spirit within them? (Galatians 5:17). Is there not a conflict between the law of their members and the law of their minds? (Romans 7:23).
Can one who truly believes not say, "Lord, help my unbelief"?
(Mark 9:24). Can anyone on earth claim to have received any grace to the highest degree and to be completely free from contrary corruption? Why, then, should we think that assurance cannot be genuine unless it is perfect and eradicates all doubts from the soul?
The apostle commended the Thessalonians for having much assurance, suggesting that there can be varying degrees of true assurance (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Peter had some assurance of Christ's help when he walked on water at Christ's command, yet he also had doubts, as evidenced by his fear when he saw the strong wind. He had some faith that was contrary to doubting, although it may have been small, as indicated by Christ's words to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:29-31). It is strange to think that the flesh and the devil will never oppose true assurance and assault it with doubts. There may be times when a believer is so overwhelmed by doubts that they are unable to perceive any assurance within themselves. They are far from claiming knowledge of their place in heaven already (as some mockingly suggest); in fact, they may express uncertainty about having any assurance of being there and need diligent self-examination to uncover it.
However, if even during such times they can rebuke their soul for doubting, saying, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him" (Psalm 42:11), if they can acknowledge their doubts as their own weakness (Psalm 77:10), then these doubts originate from the flesh and the devil. If they continue to address God as their Father and confess their doubts about His fatherly love, praying for God to grant them assurance of His love which they do not currently sense, and to dispel those fears and doubts, then, I say, such an individual possesses true assurance, even though they must strive to attain a higher degree. For if they were not convinced of the truth of God's love towards them, they could not reasonably condemn their fears and doubts regarding it as sinful; neither could they rationally pray to God as their Father or request His assurance of a love they do not consider to be true.
Do accept that it is the nature of saving faith to resist and wrestle with slavish fears of wrath and doubts about our own salvation, and you essentially acknowledge that there is, and must be, an element of assurance of our salvation within saving faith. By this assurance, it counters doubts, and in essence, you share the same viewpoint as me in this assertion, regardless of how peculiar my wording may appear to you. If we thoroughly consider what I have said about our imperfection in assurance, just as in other graces, this ancient Protestant doctrine would be relieved of much prejudice and gain greater respect among us.
Lastly, it is crucial to note that the reason why we are to assure ourselves in our faith that "God freely gives Christ and salvation to us personally" is not because it is a truth before we believe it, but because it becomes a definite truth when we believe it, and it will never be true unless we, to some extent, persuade and assure ourselves that it is so. There is no absolute promise or declaration in Scripture that God certainly will or does give
Christ and His salvation to any one of us in particular; nor do we know it to be true already through Scripture, sense, or reason before we absolutely assure ourselves of it. Indeed, we are currently without Christ's salvation, in a state of sin and misery, under God's curse and wrath. However, I shall prove that we are commanded by God to assure ourselves in this way, and the Scripture sufficiently encourages us not to deceive ourselves by believing a falsehood but, according to our faith, it shall be unto us (Matthew 9:29). This is a peculiar form of assurance, far distinct from other conventional forms; hence, it is unsurprising that it may be weak and imperfect, difficult to attain, and subject to various doubts. We are compelled to believe other things based on the clear evidence we have that they are true, and they would remain true whether we believe in them or not. Therefore, we cannot deny our assent without rebelling against the evidence provided by our senses, reason, or conscience. However, in this case, our assurance is not impressed upon our thoughts by any evidence of the matter; rather, we must cultivate it within ourselves with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. This process brings our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Only God can justly require this type of assurance because He alone calls things that are not as though they were (Romans
4:17). He alone can bring things into existence that do not yet exist and make something true, based on our belief in it, even if it was not true before. Only He can fulfil that promise: "Whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Mark
11:24). "Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?" (Lamentations 3:37). Therefore, this faith is owed exclusively to God and greatly brings glory to Him. People may often demand a similar kind of belief, such as when someone says, "I will forgive your transgression and be your friend if I can see that you believe it and consider me a friend." However, their fallible word is not sufficient grounds for us to persuade ourselves absolutely that we will receive their promised favor.
The faith of miracles sheds some light on this matter. Christ assured those on whom the miracles were performed, and who had been given the power to perform them, that the miracles would occur if they believed without doubting the outcome (Mark 11:22, 23). There is a reason for this analogy, as the purpose of working miracles was to affirm the doctrine of the gospel, which teaches salvation through faith in Christ's name, as clearly indicated in the Scriptures. In truth, the salvation of a sinner is a remarkable miracle.
It is reported that wizards often require those who approach them to believe that they will obtain what they desire, or at the very least, that the wizards possess the ability to fulfill their desires. In doing so, the devil, who is the master of these wizards, presents himself as an imitation of God, attempting to claim the honour and glory that belong solely to God.
Now that I have explained the nature of the assurance I have directed to, I will present several arguments to prove that there is, and must necessarily be, such an assurance or conviction of our salvation within saving faith itself.
Firstly, this assurance of salvation is implicit in the previous description of the faith by which we receive Christ and His salvation into our hearts. I described faith as a grace of the Spirit, through which "we wholeheartedly believe the gospel and also believe in Christ, as He is revealed and freely promised to us in it, for all His salvation." In the explanation, I demonstrated that believing in Christ is equivalent to resting, relying, leaning, and placing our confidence in Christ or God through Christ for our salvation. Some may prefer this description because it employs terms commonly used even by those who deny the necessity of assurance.
However, these ordinary terms do encompass assurance in the nature of faith, and they cannot exist without it. This indicates that many people implicitly hold and profess the doctrine of assurance, even if they believe otherwise. Believing in Christ for salvation, as freely promised to us, inherently involves a reliance on Christ with a conviction that salvation will be freely given, as it has been freely promised to us. If believing with a divine faith, grounded in the infallible truth of the promise, did not to some extent exclude mere uncertainty and wavering opinion or conjecture, it would not be worthy of being called faith. It would be absurd for someone to claim that faith is merely believing that we will be saved by Christ if we fulfill certain conditions He requires. In such a case, it would leave us in the same state of uncertainty about our salvation until those conditions are met.
But I have already refuted such an absurd notion by demonstrating that this believing in Christ is not only the condition of our salvation but also the means by which we actually receive it. Believing, being the rightful action of faith, naturally has its opposites, such as wavering (Rom. 4:20), doubting (Matt. 14:31), and fearing (Mark 5:36). These contrary attitudes greatly elucidate the nature of faith and show that belief must entail some confidence, for without it, doubting would be inherent to faith itself. After all, how can anyone who understands the value of their immortal soul and the peril of losing it avoid fear, doubt, and distress of heart through a belief that doesn't assure them of their salvation? The other terms used by orthodox teachers, such as "trusting" and "resting" on Jesus Christ, etc., to describe faith, must include assurance of salvation because they convey the same meaning as believing in Christ. The soul requires adequate support to withstand oppressive fears, troubles, cares, and despair, so that it may trust and rest in this manner. Trusting and hoping in the Lord rightly involves assuring ourselves, in the face of all fears and doubts, that the Lord is our God and He has become our salvation. "I trusted in You, O Lord; I said, 'You are my God'" (Ps. 31:14). "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust" (Ps. 18:2). "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid" (Isa. 12:2). "O my soul, hope in God, who is the health of my countenance and my God" (Ps.
42:11). True hope is founded solely in God, that He will bless us, and that He may serve as an anchor for the soul, firm and steadfast (Heb. 6:17-19).
If you trust, rely, and anchor yourselves in Christ or hope in Him without any assurance of salvation through Him, you are making no better use of Him than if He were a broken reed. To truly anchor yourselves in the Lord, you must regard Him as your God, as the prophet instructs, "Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God" (Isa. 50:10). If you wish to rest in the Lord, you must believe that He deals bountifully with you (Ps.
116:7), for otherwise, you may unknowingly find yourself on the path to damnation. It shows little regard for Christ and your soul if you dare to rest under God's wrath without any conviction of a secure interest in Christ.
People may delude themselves with such trust or rest when they are at ease, but in times of temptation, it dissipates and proves not to be genuine faith, but rather a source of shame. The soul that lives in such wavering and doubting regarding salvation finds no true rest, but is "like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind; that person is double-minded and unstable in all their ways" (James 1:6, 8).
If you persist in mere uncertainty and doubt regarding salvation through Christ, your desire to trust is nothing more than a feeble wish without any firm resolve, and you are not yet willing to take the risk of persuading and assuring yourselves of your desire to trust and rely on Jesus Christ. In response to this, I can say that you cannot do even this much in a proper manner unless you desire and dare to persuade and assure yourselves of your salvation through Christ, despite all the reasons you have to doubt and fear otherwise. If it is objected that we can trust in Christ solely as a sufficient means of salvation without any assurance of the outcome, I will acknowledge that the sufficiency of God and Christ is indeed a good foundation for us to rest upon. However, we must understand that this sufficiency includes not only the power but also the goodwill and mercy of God towards us. For what use is the sufficiency of God and Christ's power to us if we do not have His goodwill? And if this belief is truly held, it will eliminate any doubts concerning your salvation.
1. Several passages of Scripture explicitly state that we are to be assured of our salvation through the faith by which we are justified and saved. Let me provide some examples. We are urged to draw near to God with full assurance of faith (Heb. 10:22). Many interpret this verse as referring to what they call the reflex act of faith because they believe that all assurance must necessarily come through reflection. However, the words of the text clearly prompt us to understand it as referring to the very act of faith by which we draw near to God, that is, the direct act, and it is the very faith by which the righteous live - the faith that justifies and saves (v. 8).
And this assurance must be complete, at least in its true and proper nature, in contrast to mere doubt and uncertainty, although we are still to strive for the highest degree of perfection. The same faith by which we are encouraged to draw near to God and by which the righteous live is later declared to be the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). Why would saving faith be given such lofty titles and attributes if it did not contain a sure persuasion of the great things we hope for in our salvation, making them evident to the eyes of our mind as if they were already present in their substance, even though they are not visible to our physical eyes? The faith through which we become partakers of Christ and belong to His house is worthy to be called "confidence" and is accompanied by rejoicing hope: "Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm until the end" (Heb. 3:6, 14).
What is confidence in anything other than trusting in it with a firm conviction of its truth? If we only have a strong opinion about something without absolute certainty, we usually say that we are not entirely confident about it. The faith by which we are justified should resemble the faith of Abraham, who against all hope believed in hope that his offspring would be multiplied according to God's promise. Despite the lifelessness of his own body and Sarah's womb, he had no evidence from his own qualifications to assure himself of it, and all appearances were to the contrary (Rom. 4:18, 19, 23, 24). As absolute as the promise was to Abraham, it would not be fulfilled without this assurance of faith, and through a similar faith, the free promises of salvation through Christ will be absolutely fulfilled for us.
The apostle James explicitly requires that when we ask good things from God, we should do so in faith, without doubting - clearly including assurance. He plainly tells us that without it, a person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Therefore, we can firmly conclude that without assurance, we will not receive the salvation of Christ (James 1:6, 7). And what the apostle James instructs us not to doubt is our obtaining the things we ask for, as we can also learn from similar instructions given by Christ Himself: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).
There could be more passages of Scripture cited to support the same point, but these are sufficient to demonstrate that we are obligated to assure ourselves of our salvation in faith itself, otherwise we are unlikely to experience it. Living in a state of mere suspense and doubtfulness regarding our salvation is not humility, but rather proud disobedience. This assurance must be in the direct act of faith by which we are justified and saved. As for what is known as the reflex act of faith, it is universally acknowledged that it is not absolutely necessary for anyone's salvation, and it is sinful and harmful for many to believe that they have already entered into a state of grace and salvation.
God provides us with sufficient basis in Scripture to come to Christ with confident faith right from the start, trusting assuredly that Christ and His salvation will be given to us without any failure or delay, regardless of how vile and sinful our condition may have been before. The Scripture speaks to the most wicked sinners in a manner that seems purposefully designed to engender immediate assurance of salvation in them. This promise is universal: "Whoever believes in Christ will not be put to shame," without making a distinction between Jew and Greek (Rom. 10:11, 12). And this promise is confirmed by the sacrifice of Christ, who was given for the world and lifted up on the cross for the very purpose that "whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:14-16). His invitation is open to all: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink," and this drink is promised to everyone who believes (John 7:37, 39). The command to believe is presented not only in general terms but also specifically, and the promise of salvation upon belief is applied personally, even to those who were previously in a state of sin and wrath, such as the wicked, persecuting, self-destructive jailer: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31). God commanded those who had lived completely in sin before to call Him their own Father in their very first return (Jer. 3:4). Likewise, God declares, "You are My people," and they will say, "You are my God," confidently affirming their personal connection to Him (Hos. 2:23). God has joined confidence and salvation inseparably together: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15).
Many people fail to make proper use and benefit from the revelation of God's abundant grace towards sinners. They say that if we see that we have fulfilled the condition of believing, then we may confidently claim Christ as our own. They overlook the primary use they should make of these revelations. The very act of fulfilling the condition is to immediately take
Christ as our own, to eat and drink Him by confidently believing in Him for our salvation. If an honest wealthy man says to a poor woman, "I promise to be your husband if you will have me; just say the word, and I am yours," can't she confidently respond, "You are my husband, and I choose you as my husband"? Shouldn't she say that rather than saying, "I do not believe what you say"? If an honest person says, "Just take this gift, and it is yours; just eat and drink, and you are warmly welcomed," can't I accept the gift and eat and drink without any further hesitation, with the assurance that it is freely mine? If I do it with doubt, I undermine the honesty and credibility of the giver, as if he were not a person of his word. Similarly, if, fearing to be too confident for fear of believing a lie, we come to Christ with doubts and in a state of mere uncertainty as to whether we will be freely received, despite God's free invitations and promises, wouldn't we undermine the faithfulness of God? Wouldn't we be guilty of calling God a liar? As the apostle John teaches, because we do not believe the testimony that God has given about His Son: "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son" (1 John 5:10, 11).
And what if the promised salvation is not absolutely intended for all who hear the gospel? It is enough that God faithfully gives us His word that those who believe will receive it, and no one else, and He has absolutely intended to fulfill His word so that no one will find it to be a lie, and He has inseparably linked belief and salvation together.
On this basis, God is justified in causing the promise of this salvation to be proclaimed to all and in rightly demanding that all believe in Him confidently for their own salvation, so that it may be seen whether they will give Him the glory of His truth. And if they do not, He is justified in rejecting them and punishing them severely for dishonouring Him through their unbelief. In this case, we should not look to the secret decrees of God, but to His revealed promises and commands. Just as God promised the Israelites in the wilderness that He would give them the land of Canaan and would fight for them against their enemies, and He commanded them not to fear or be discouraged, so that the promise would be fulfilled for them, yet God never absolutely decreed or intended that those Israelites should enter, as the subsequent events quickly made evident (Deut. 1:20, 21, 29, 30).
Nevertheless, were they not obligated in this case to trust confidently in God to give them victory over their enemies and possession of the land?
Did they not have sufficient grounds for such faith? Would it not have been just for God to consume them in the wilderness for their unbelief? "Let us therefore fear, lest, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, any of you should seem to have failed to reach it... Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience" (Heb.
1. The faithful individuals described in the Old and New Testament
Scriptures commonly professed their assurance and conviction of their relationship with God and His salvation. They were directed by God's Word to do so, and genuine saints always had some true assurance. We should not assume that this assurance was based on their own self-righteousness, but rather on the promises of God through direct faith. We can assess the typical profession of faith exhibited by saints through a few examples. Let's start with the profession made by the Israelites when they were in a state of corruption, just after their exodus from Egypt. During that time, only a few of them could confidently assert, based on their own righteousness, that they were already in a state of grace – an assumption that many nowadays consider the sole basis for assurance. Despite their corrupt state, the children of Israel sang the triumphant song of Moses, declaring, "The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; he is my God," and so on (Exodus 15:2). Moses taught them to affirm their personal interest in salvation through this song and guided them in their duty. They did not find fault with Moses, as some do with ministers today, for encouraging them to express greater confidence in their song than they can find solely from their qualifications. Instead, they engaged in the exercise of faith, in line with the song. Undoubtedly, this faith was genuine for a few of them, though it was merely superficial for others. This is evident from the testimony that when "they believed his words, they sang his praise" (Psalm 106:12).
Numerous other psalms and songs appointed by divine authority in the Old Testament serve as clear evidence of the assurance of faith commonly professed and expected from people during that time. Psalms such as 23, 27, 44, and 46 reflect this assurance. Many other psalms or verses within psalms could be cited. Only a few individuals in comparison could have fully complied with such psalms, even though they were true believers, if the entire assurance of God's love depended solely on their certain knowledge of the sincerity of their own hearts.
We have a great multitude of witnesses gathered from the entire history of the Old Testament (Hebrews 11) who, by their faith, did, endured, and achieved great things. Their examples are presented to encourage us to believe and save our souls (Hebrews 10:39). If we carefully consider these examples, we will find that many of them clearly guide us towards a saving faith that inherently contains an assurance of the outcome. I acknowledge that we often read about the fears and doubts experienced by the saints in the Old Testament. However, we also read how they themselves condemned these doubts as contrary to faith, as seen in the Psalms (Psalm 42:11, 31:22; 78:7, 10). The most mournful psalm in Scripture begins with an expression of some assurance (Psalm 88:1). It is worth noting that the doubts encountered by the saints of old were usually caused by extraordinary afflictions or grave transgressions, not by common shortcomings or the inherent corruption of human nature, nor by uncertainty regarding their election. There was no notion that it is an act of humility to doubt and that they were not obligated to be confident in God's salvation, for that would imply that many should be obliged to believe a falsehood. It is difficult to find any instances of such occasions for doubting under the Old Testament, although they have become all too common among us now under the New
Testament.
During the time of the apostles, it is reasonable to expect that the assurance of faith would have grown stronger. This is because the salvation of Christ was revealed, the Spirit of adoption was abundantly poured out, and the church was freed from its previous bondage under the fearful legal covenant. Paul could demonstrate to the early Christians, based on their own experiences, that they were "children and heirs of God" because they had not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the Spirit of adoption, by whom they cried, "Abba, Father." The Spirit itself bore witness with their spirits, as the Syriac and Vulgar Latin translations render it, and as a similar Greek phrase is rendered (Romans 9:1), "that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs" (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians
4:6). Furthermore, the apostle told the Ephesians that after they believed, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit, which served as a guarantee of their inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). In other words, they were sealed from the moment they believed, as the original words are in the same tense. If this witness, seal, and earnest of the Spirit were not common among believers, it would not have been sufficient to prove that they were children of God.
Such a mode of argumentation could have driven some to despair if they lacked this witness, seal, and earnest.
Let us now inquire whether the Spirit bears witness that we are the children of God and enables us to cry, "Abba, Father," through the direct act of faith or what they call the "reflex act" of faith. We must not think that it is done through enthusiasm, without any ordinary means. Nor can we reasonably imagine that only a few believers who are so certain of their own sincerity can call God "Father" by reflecting on it and grounding an act of faith regarding their own interest in Christ. No, surely. Therefore, we may judge rather that the Spirit works this in us by giving us saving faith itself, through the direct act of which all true believers are enabled to trust assuredly in Christ for the enjoyment of the adoption of children and all His salvation, according to the free promise of God, and to call God Father without reflecting on any good qualifications in themselves. For the Spirit is received through the direct act of faith (Galatians 3:2), and thus He is the Spirit of adoption and comfort to all who receive Him. Those who assert that the Spirit witnesses our adoption only by assuring us of the sincerity of our faith, love, and other gracious qualifications, through the reflex act of faith, commonly teach that we must then try whether the Spirit witnessing is the Spirit of truth or of delusion, by carefully examining whether our inward grace is sincere or counterfeit. In this way, the testimony of the Spirit becomes so difficult to discern that it is of no help to us, and all our assurance ultimately depends on our own certain knowledge of our own sincerity.
There are several other pieces of evidence to show that believers in the time of the apostles were generally convinced of their salvation. They loved and eagerly awaited the coming of Christ to judge the world (1 Corinthians
1:7; 2 Timothy 4:8). They loved all the saints because of the hope that was stored up for them in heaven (Colossians 1:3-5). Even the Corinthians, who were very worldly and still spiritual infants, were persuaded that they would judge the world and angels, and that their bodies were members of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:2, 3, 15, 19). When the gospel first came to the Thessalonians, it came "in the Holy Spirit" and "with much assurance," so that they received it with joy in the midst of affliction, without having had enough time to gain assurance through reflecting on their good qualifications (1 Thessalonians 1:5, 6). Likewise, the Hebrew believers, when they were enlightened at their conversion, joyfully endured the plundering of their possessions, knowing that they had a better and lasting inheritance in heaven. This was their confidence, which they were not to cast aside, for the righteous live by faith. Thus, it becomes evident that this confidence is necessarily part of justifying saving faith (Hebrews 10:34, 35, 38).
Now, those who bring forth the examples or experiences of many modern
Christians to disprove everything I have asserted, should carefully consider whether these are suitable to be weighed against all the examples and experiences from Scripture that I have presented from the Old and New
Testament. I admit that the profession of assurance of salvation is less common among Christians in these times than in the past, and we can attribute it to certain teachers who have abandoned the doctrine of earlier
Protestants on this matter and have propagated various errors, as previously mentioned. They now try to use the doubts in Christians, which have mainly been caused by their teachings, as an opportunity to confirm the truth of their doctrine. However, the nature of saving faith remains the same. I maintain that in these days, as well as in the past, it always includes some assurance of salvation through Christ, which becomes evident at the very least in resisting and condemning all doubts, praying against them, and striving to trust confidently and call God "Father" – except in cases of extraordinary spiritual desolation, which should not be used as the basis for evaluating our condition.
We should not rely on the judgment of many concerning themselves.
They may falsely believe that they have no assurance at all because they have not yet identified, through marks and signs, that they are already in a state of grace. Or they may think that assurance does not exist when there are many doubts, or that it is weak and overwhelmed by doubting to the point where it can hardly be discerned, like life in a fainting fit. However, if they are better informed, they may come to recognize some assurance within themselves. We must also be cautious not to mistake those who are not true believers for genuine believers and not to judge this matter based on their experiences, which is a common error. Some people's misguided charity leads them to consider all those who are filled with doubts and concerns about their salvation as true believers, even though they may only be convicted of sin and have some zeal for God that does not align with the knowledge of salvation through Christ. They believe it is their duty to comfort such ignorant individuals by persuading them that their condition is good and their faith is right, even though they have no assurance of salvation. In doing so, they falsely judge the nature of faith out of their blind charity towards those who are still in ignorance and unbelief. Instead of providing comfort, they lead them astray from seeking consolation through saving faith in Christ and ultimately contribute to the eternal ruin of their souls.
1. The primary role of this faith in its direct saving act is to actually receive Christ and His salvation into our hearts, as has been demonstrated. This role cannot be rationally fulfilled unless we persuade our hearts to some extent and assure ourselves of His presence and enjoyment. Just as the body receives things into itself through the hands and mouth, the soul receives these things and truly grasps them through the faculty of the will, making a choice and embracing them in a manner of present joy and possession, just as it does through the faculty of the understanding in perceiving and apprehending them. In the same way, the soul derives comfort from external things, as a righteous person cannot derive inward comfort from worldly possessions, spouse, friends, etc., unless they choose them as good and consider them rightfully theirs. This is the only rational way in which the soul can actively lay hold of Christ and truly possess Him and His salvation, as He is freely offered and promised to us in the gospel through the grace of faith, which God has designated as our primary instrument for receiving and embracing Him. If we do not choose Christ as our sole salvation and source of happiness, or if we remain in a state of uncertainty and doubt as to whether God will be pleased to give Christ to us or not, it is clear that our souls are completely detached from Christ and have no grip or enjoyment of Him. They do not even claim to have received Him or chosen Him, nor are they fully convinced that it is lawful for them to do so; rather, they are still unsure whether they have any valid basis or right to lay hold of Him or not.
Let any rational person judge whether the soul can truly and adequately act in receiving and enjoying Christ as its Saviour, Head, or Husband while it is still uncertain whether it is the will of Christ to be joined with it in such a close relationship. Can a woman honestly accept someone as her husband without being assured that he is fully willing to be her husband? The same can be said about the various aspects of Christ's salvation that are to be received through faith. It is evident that we do not truly receive the benefit of forgiveness of sins, in order to cleanse our consciences from the guilt that burdens them, unless we have a firm conviction that God has indeed forgiven them. We do not actually receive into our hearts the reality of our reconciliation with God and adoption as His children, along with the rights to an eternal inheritance, until we can assure ourselves that God graciously chooses to be our God and Father, accepting us as His children and heirs.
We do not truly receive sufficient strength to encourage our hearts towards holiness in the face of difficulties until we steadfastly believe that God is with us and will not abandon us.
Therefore, we can firmly conclude that whoever seeks salvation through faith but does not seek to have assurance or confidence in their own salvation is deceiving themselves and deluding their soul with a mere illusion instead of having true saving faith. In essence, they are seeking to be saved in their corrupt natural state without actually receiving and grasping the Lord Jesus Christ and His salvation.
1. Another important and necessary role of saving faith is to purify the heart and enable us to live and walk in the practice of all holy duties by the grace of Christ and with Christ Himself living within us, as explained earlier. However, faith is unable to fulfill this role unless some assurance of our own connection to Christ and His salvation is inherent in its nature. If we desire to live for God, not ourselves, but by Christ living in us, following the example of Paul, we must be able to assure ourselves as he did, saying, "Christ loved me and gave
Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). We are taught that if we live in the Spirit, we should also walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). It would be presumptuous if we were to strive to live above our natural strength and power by the Spirit before we have made sure of our life in the Spirit. I have demonstrated that we cannot fully experience the comforting benefits of the saving grace of Christ, which the gospel promises and encourages us to embrace in our pursuit of holiness, unless we have some confidence in our own participation in those saving benefits. If we do not firmly believe that we are dead to sin and alive to God through Christ, that we have been raised with Christ, that we are no longer under the law but under grace, and that we are members of Christ's body, the temple of His Spirit, children of God, it would be hypocritical to serve God based on such privileges as if we considered ourselves to be partakers of them.
Anyone who thinks they should doubt their salvation is not a suitable disciple for this kind of teaching. They may respond to the preachers of the gospel, saying, "If you want to lead me to holiness, you must employ more effective arguments, for I cannot act upon these principles because I do not have enough faith to believe that I have any part in them. Arguments based on God's justice and wrath against sinners, as well as His mercy towards those who sincerely obey, would have a stronger influence on me." Oh, what a wretched and inadequate kind of saving faith this is, which cannot equip a believer to live according to the purest and most powerful principles of grace, but instead leaves them to operate based on legalistic principles that can never truly lead them to serve God acceptably out of love! And just as such a faith completely fails in the proper manner of obeying based on gospel principles, it also fails in the very essence of certain significant duties, which inherently involve assurance of God's love in their rightful performance. These include the great duties of peace with God, rejoicing in the Lord always, unashamed hope, acknowledging the Lord as our God and Saviour, praying to Him as our heavenly Father, offering our bodies and souls as acceptable sacrifices to Him, casting all our cares of body and soul upon Him, contentment and heartfelt thanksgiving in every circumstance, boasting in the Lord, rejoicing in His praise, finding joy in tribulation, putting on Christ in our baptism, receiving Christ's body broken for us and His blood shed for us in the Lord's Supper, willingly entrusting our souls to God as our Redeemer whenever He may call for us, loving the second coming of Christ and eagerly anticipating it as our blessed hope.
When we experience sudden doubts about whether we are already in a state of grace, especially when we are called to undertake certain immediate duties like partaking in the Lord's Supper or performing any duty that requires assurance for its proper execution, we must find relief by confidently trusting in Christ for the present gift of His salvation.
Otherwise, we will be compelled to neglect the duty or perform it inadequately or insincerely. If we cannot judge ourselves to be in a state of grace through the reflex act of faith, unless we find that we sincerely perform these duties, or if we do not possess a holy faith that enables or inclines us to fulfil them, then how can we be enabled and inclined by a faith that lacks true assurance of our salvation? Therefore, I conclude that we must necessarily have some assurance of our salvation in the direct act of faith, through which we are justified, sanctified, and saved, before we can rightfully assure ourselves that we are already in a state of grace through the reflex act.
Grant me a saving faith that produces such fruits as these. No other faith will be effective through love and therefore will not lead to salvation in Christ (Gal. 5:6). The apostle James urges you to demonstrate your faith through your actions (James 2:18). In this test, the faith of assurance emerges with praise and honour. When God called His people to work outward miracles through it, all things became possible for them, and it has frequently resulted in acts of righteousness that can rightfully be regarded as great spiritual miracles. From this faith, the people of God have exhibited heroic fortitude, where their absolute obedience to God has been demonstrated in their deeds and their endurance, as recorded in the Holy
Scriptures and church history. And if we ever find ourselves facing fiery trials, as Protestants did in the past, we will discover that the doctrine of assurance will encourage us to suffer for the sake of Christ.
1. On the contrary, the doctrine that excludes assurance from the nature of saving faith yields many harmful consequences. It tends to deprive our souls of all assurance of salvation and genuine comfort, which are essential for a vibrant religious life, by placing them after sincere and universal obedience. Yet, if we do not have assurance first, we can never attain to this obedience or any assurance that depends on it, as has been demonstrated. Moreover, it subjects us to continual doubts about our salvation and tormenting fears of God's wrath, eradicating true love for God and resulting only in servile and hypocritical service. It serves as one of the main supports for the various superstitions in Catholicism, such as their monastic orders, the concept of satisfaction for sin through acts of penance, bodily mortifications, pilgrimages, indulgences, and reliance on the merits of saints, among others. Once people have lost the understanding of the correct way to assure themselves of salvation, they will grasp at any straw to avoid drowning in the abyss of despair.
There is no way to provide solid comfort to the wounded spirits of those who see themselves devoid of all holiness, under God's wrath and curse, dead in sin, and unable to even think a good thought. It only increases their terror and anguish when you tell them that they must first acquire faith and obedience, and only then can they believe that God will receive them into His grace and favour. Alas! They know that they cannot believe or obey unless God assists them with His grace and favour. What if they are on the verge of death, struggling with the pains of death, and have no time or opportunity to acquire good qualifications or examine their worthiness? You must have a quicker way to comfort such individuals by revealing to them the free promise of salvation for the worst of sinners through faith in Christ.
Encourage them to apply these promises and confidently trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, holiness, and glory. Assure them that God will help them believe sincerely in Christ if they desire it with all their hearts, and that it is their duty to believe because God commands it.
The same doctrine leads to various other problems. People are unwilling to acknowledge the worst in themselves and tend to think their qualifications are better than they truly are, in order to avoid despair. Others are content without any assurance of their relationship with Christ because they believe it is not necessary for salvation and that only a few achieve it.
In this, they demonstrate little love for Christ or their own souls. Some cultivate doubts about their salvation as a sign of humility, though they hypocritically complain about them. Many spend their time examining their own hearts in search of evidence of their relationship with Christ when they should instead focus on receiving Christ and walking confidently in Him through faith.
Some are troubled by doubts about whether they should address God as "Father" and how they should perceive Him in prayer. They take offense at ministers who, in their public prayers, use expressions that the people cannot join in, such as acknowledging God as their God and Father, or Christ as their Saviour. For the same reason, they are also offended by the public singing of many of David's psalms. They even avoid participating in the Lord's Supper because they are unsure about their relationship with Christ.
Although true believers have some assurance of salvation in saving faith itself, this assurance is greatly weakened in many individuals due to the contrary doctrine they are exposed to, resulting in numerous doubts. As a consequence, other good qualities are inevitably diminished and become so obscure that discerning them becomes exceedingly difficult. Therefore, it becomes a challenging task for true believers to gain the certain knowledge of their own sincerity, which some claim to be the sole assurance of faith.
Certain individuals prescribe specific signs and indications to differentiate between sincerity and hypocrisy, making it nearly impossible for believers to sufficiently evaluate themselves unless they possess above-average knowledge and experience.
Consequently, many believers walk through life burdened by the bitterness of their souls, constantly grappling with fears and doubts. This is why they lack courage and fervour in their spiritual journey, often preoccupied with earthly matters and living in fear of suffering and death.
Even if they obtain some assurance through the reflex act of faith, they frequently lose it due to sins and temptations. The solution to avoid these hardships is to obtain assurance and consistently uphold it, renewing it whenever necessary through the direct act of faith by confidently trusting in the name of the Lord and relying on God, especially when walking in darkness and encountering a lack of personal qualifications (Isa. 50:10). I have no doubt that the experiences of devoted Christians can testify to the truth of this.