Project Description

2015/05

FOUNDATIONS

How to Know Assurance of Salvation

While it is wonderful to know that we can be saved, it is even more wonderful to be saved and know it! Many are confused as to how to obtain and maintain such an assurance. The Scriptures warn of a false assurance based on a spurious faith (Matthew 7:21-27).  Pride and self -righteousness accompany this false assurance. Satan, the arch-deceiver, loves to keep those on the way to hell deluded into thinking they are on the way to heaven! But he also loves it when true believers are unsure of their salvation. He knows that in such a state the believer will never experience the freedom, joy, and contentment that God wants him to have.

Believers, therefore, may sometimes share the experience of the hymn writer:

O how well do I remember how I doubted day by day,
For I did not know for certain that my sins were washed away.
When the truth came close and searching,
all my joy would disappear
For I did not have the witness of the Spirit bright and clear.

The Holy Spirit dwells within true believers (Romans 8:9) and one of His ministries is to witness with their spirit that they are the sons of God (Romans 8:16).  The important question is, how does the Spirit of Truth witness?

This is not by some physical, spectacular sign, as some would wrongly teach. Puritan theologian John Owen helpfully suggested: ‘to understand the text you must picture yourself in a courtroom.’  Imagine a believer boldly making the claim that he is a son of God, an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). Suddenly, Satan, the adversary and accuser, steps forward to contest that claim. ‘Look at your past sins. Look inward at those secret thoughts no one else knows about. Look around at others who have given up their Christian profession. You could not be a genuine Christian.’ Many a believer has been in just such a place. His mind and conscience are troubled. However, into the court of the believer’s mind, comes the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. He, being God, sees all and knows all.

HE BRINGS THE WORD OF GOD TO THE CHRISTIAN
He shows Christ’s promise, “Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). Spurgeon wrote, ‘If Gabriel the Archangel were to appear in my room and say. I have come to tell you that you are a child of God.’ I would say. Thank you for your trouble but you need not have bothered for I have a more sure witness, the Word of God.’ As the Spirit begins to quote the Word, the devil slinks away and a smile comes to the believer’s face.

HE POINTS TO CHRIST’S WORK ON BEHALF OF THE CHRISTIAN
He focuses attention upon the sufferings of Christ in His atoning work. He reveals that while it is true that the one standing accused in the dock deserves hell for all eternity, Christ paid the debt of that man’s sin at Calvary. The answer to the accusation of the devil, and the doubts that arise in the believer’s heart is to be taught, by the Spirit, the meaning of the atoning work of Christ.

Romans 8:33, 34 declare “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth [declares the believing sinner righteous] Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us.” Genuine assurance is based not on our tears of repentance, nor in the sincerity of our feelings, but on the imputed righteousness of Christ.

HE POINTS TO THE WORK OF GOD IN THE CHRISTIAN
The Holy Spirit leads the child of God (Romans 8:14). The Holy Spirit renews his mind, stirs his heart, giving confidence in prayer (Romans 8:15). He enables the Christian to die more and more unto sin and live more and more unto righteousness. John’s first Epistle has assurance as its theme. It was written to enable those who believed in Christ to know that they have eternal life (I John 5:13). When a paramedic arrives at the scene of an accident, he checks the patient for vital signs of life. John in his Epistle lists signs or evidences of spiritual life that will be evident in a believer. For example, he will have a desire to obey God’s commandments and love the brethren in Christ.  Thus the true believer will obey the exhortation to examine himself (2 Corinthians 13:5). He realises he is not all he should be, but he is not the man he once was. More and more he loves the Lord and His people and hates sin.

To have true assurance you must have the Spirit of God working through the Word revealing the Saviour and His work to you and revealing the ‘birthmarks’ of a believer. This witness is ongoing. The tense employed means the Holy Spirit keeps on bearing witness. If the believer is grieving the Holy Spirit by disobedience then the Spirit will not be making the Scriptures clearer and the Saviour dearer to him. Such a Christian only has a stale testimony! There is nothing fresh. Nowhere in scripture are we told to look back to a past experience for the assurance of salvation. In fact, some believers do not remember the precise time and date they first trusted Christ. Well, it is not the when that is important. What is important is that you have the witness of the Spirit now.

If you want to learn more about assurance, I suggest a study of chapter 18 of the Westminster Confession of Faith. As the Confession states, it is our duty to seek that assurance and to strengthen it, by not neglecting the means of grace, such as worship, the Scriptures and prayer.  Neglect of these and other means will cause a diminishing of our assurance and nurture the plague of doubts. But when the Spirit witnesses through the Word, the child of God can know he has eternal life.

Rev Ron Johnstone.