When we come to the doctrine of assurance, there is often much misunderstanding. Many do not have assurance because they have been taught that such assurance is not possible. On the basis of passages taken out of context, they have concluded that all believers have the potential to lose their salvation. On the other hand, many who believe in the “security of the believer” often do so on the basis of a faulty, man-centered theology of salvation. This series of articles attempts to address these problems through an examination of the Scriptures. Since there are many passages to examine, I ask that you be patient and prayerful as you read this series. My hope is that many will find that their only assurance is in Jesus Christ alone.
The doctrine of assurance is not something to take lightly. D. Martin Lloyd-Jones states: “Nothing is more important for us than to know that we are indeed the children of God…. You can’t really enjoy the blessings of the Christian life unless you’ve got this assurance.” John MacArthur, Jr. agrees: “No doctrine is more immediately practical than the doctrine of assurance.” If you have no assurance of God’s acceptance, you have no peace. If you have no peace, you will lose your joy. If you have no joy, your testimony will lose its radiance.
Much is really at stake when we consider the issue of assurance. First, your prayer life will be hindered by a lack of assurance. How can you be confident in your praying if you are not even sure you are a child of God? And how can one “come boldly before the throne” while the possibility of judgment still looms. Second, your perseverance in trials will be affected by a lack of assurance. In Romans 8:18, Paul expresses the motive that kept him going in all kinds of trials and hardships: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed in us.” But how can one keep on if unsure that any “glory” awaits in heaven?
Third, your service for the Lord will be affected by a lack of assurance. Hebrews 6:10 tells us: “God is not unjust to forget your labor and work of love….” But if you are not sure you will even make heaven to gain His reward, why serve the Lord in this life? Thomas Manton suggests that, when believers are unsure about their salvation, they “serve the Lord in fits and starts.” Fourth, your confidence at death will be shaken without assurance of salvation. In I Corinthians 15, Paul explains that he was willing to “fight the wild beasts of Ephesus” only because he was confident of his own hope of eternal life based on the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Indeed, would any give their life for the sake of Christ if death might mean entrance into eternal damnation? No, only with the certainty of eternal life settled could any say, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Fifth, assurance affects your zeal in evangelism. Someone has defined evangelism as “one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” Evangelism is one satisfied customer telling another about the great gift he has received. But if you’re not sure you that gift is really yours forever, how can you be excited about sharing it with others?
Most important as we study this doctrine is to know what the Bible says about assurance. A study of the Scriptures on assurance leads to three conclusions. (We will look at problem passages in later studies.)
1. Many who have assurance are not saved. It is most important that we begin any study of assurance with this warning. As an old spiritual says, “Everybody talkin’ bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.” In fact, a recent survey discovered that 99% of Americans believe that they are going to heaven! According to Jesus, “Many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and I will say, ‘I never knew you.’”
Many are falsely assured because they think that belonging to the right religious group will get them into heaven. John the Baptist warned the Pharisees, “God can raise up son to Abraham from stones.” Others are falsely assured because they have watered down the Bible’s view of God and His judgment of sin. They reason that “God loves everyone and wouldn’t send anyone to hell,” or they believe that God only punished certain “serious” sins. Still others believe that they will get to heaven because they have lived a pretty good life. But the Bible teaches that all these are falsely assured. As one author puts it, “The only thing worse that NO ASSURANCE is FALSE ASSURANCE.”
2. Some who are saved do not have assurance. Many of these lack assurance because of misunderstandings that they have been taught about salvation and assurance. For example, some suggest that you are not a Christian if you do not know the date you were saved. They explain that you know your birthday, so you ought to know your spiritual birthday. But such reasoning is not logical. You only know your birthday because you were told it repeatedly as a child. Knowing your birthday is not evidence you are alive–signs of life are. Many who are born again cannot tell the exact day of their spiritual birth but they are clearly spiritually alive.
Others suggest that you are not a Christian if you have doubts about your salvation. I John 5:13 makes it clear that true believers can have doubts. In fact, John says he writes to help believers know for sure that they have eternal life. Even the great Charles Spurgeon entertained doubts. He said, “I have only known one or two saints who have rarely doubted their interest in Christ at all.” There are many reasons for such doubts such as unrepentant sin, spiritual laziness, demonic attacks, physical and mental problems, comparisons with the experiences of other believers, and childhood conversions. (We may look at some of these reasons in a future article.)
Some suggest that you are not a Christian if you didn’t pray “the prayer.” Such is a false view of salvation. Nowhere in the New Testament are we told that one must “pray a prayer” to be converted; we certainly are never given a specific one to pray. In reality, one must “call upon the Lord” to be saved, but to assert that a particular prayer must be prayed is not Biblical.
In brief, one can be saved though they may have doubts. Only through a Scriptural examination can one gain that assurance.
3. It is possible to have full assurance of salvation. Many passages indicate the possibility that one can be sure of their salvation. Read Romans 8:16; 2 Timothy 1:12; I John 5:13; 1 Peter 1:4-5; Jude 24 and 2 Peter 1:10. The passage in 2 Peter is especially interesting since there we are told to “make our calling and election sure.” In other words, even though the matter is settled from God’s perspective, we may not be sure. Thus Peter gives some instructions to help lead to assurance. (We will look at this passage in a future article.)
After reading all of this, may I ask you one question? Are you concerned about your assurance? One test of real faith is concern about your spiritual life and destiny. Charles Spurgeon once said that if you are concerned about your election, you probably are elect. Those truly converted care about spiritual things.
Interestingly, the converse is also true. Spurgeon also noted that it did not surprise him that some doubted their conversion. What surprised him was that one who lacked assurance of his eternal destiny could rest one minute until he had settled that question. One modern author, Donald Whitney, likens such a one to a person on the brink of bankruptcy hearing from his attorney that he might be heir to a fortune. Would that person not do everything in his power to find out for sure about that inheritance? Yet I have talked with many who expressed doubts about their salvation who were not slightly interested in doing anything to find out for sure. Such is usually an indication that that person has reason to fear his eternal destiny though he may “feel” sure of heaven.
Finally, some who may read this may say, “Why check it out? I’m okay.” First, you need to check because the Scriptures tell us to: “Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith” Paul told the Corinthians. Those who are really converted have nothing to fear by an honest, Biblical examination of their salvation. Only the man-selling fake gold has anything to fear when a prospective buyer wants to have the gold tested before buying. Remember, the only thing worse than no assurance is a false assurance. What could be worse than to spend your whole life thinking that you were on your way to heaven, only to arrive at the judgment and hear Jesus say, “Depart from me, for I never knew you”? The matter of eternity is too important to go though this life unsure of your ultimate outcome.
In future articles, we will attempt to look at a number of issues related to the assurance of salvation. We intend to examine the theology of assurance, signs of assurance and various passages that are often used to question the certainty of salvation. It is our hope that these articles provide encouragement to believers and an opportunity for all to honestly examine themselves to “see whether or not they are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5).
Copyright Jim Ehrhard, 1999. You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author; (2) any modifications are clearly marked; (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction; and (4) you do not make more than 100 copies without permission. If you would like to post this material to your web site or make any use other than as defined above, please contact Teaching Resources International
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