Evangelical Answers : Assurance of Salvation

“It is an infallible Assurance, of faith, founded, 1st, upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation; 2d, the inward evidence of those graces unto which those promises are made, and, 3d, the testimony of the spirit of adoption, Rom. viii. 15, 16, witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God. Which Spirit, Eph. i. 13, 14; 2 Cor. i. 21, 22, is the earnest of our inheritance whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.”— “Con. of Faith,” Chap. xviii.

This genuine assurance may be distinguished from that presumptuous confidence which is a delusion of Satan, chiefly by these marks. True assurance, 1st, begets unfeigned humility, 1 Cor. xv. 10; Gal. vi. 14; 2d, leads to ever-increasing diligence in practical religion, Ps. li. 12,13, 19; 3d, to candid self-examination, and a desire to be searched and corrected by God, Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24; 4th, to constant aspirations after neater conformity, and more intimate communion with God.—1 John iii. 2, 3.

(Archibald Alexander Hodge, Outlines of Theology: Rewritten and Enlarged, [New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1879], pp. 478-479.)

Note: Assurance is said to be “infallible” in the sense that it is founded upon the promises of God Who speaks no falsehoods (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; Psalm 89:35) and keeps all promises (Hebrews 6:17-18; Psalm 89:34; 2 Cor. 1:20; Joshua 21:45; Isaiah 55:10-11). This is not to say that individual believers possess mathematical (or epistemic) certainty regarding their own assurance. For more on this topic see §. 8. “The objection” (below).

1. The meaning of assurance. Return to Outline.

Francis Turretin:

The diversity existing among the orthodox arises from a diverse comprehension of trust, which can be taken in three ways. (a) For a fiducial assent or persuasion, arising from a practical judgment of the intellect concerning the truth and goodness of the gospel promises and the power, will and fidelity of God promising; as the synonym to it is “persuasion” (peismonē, Gal. 5:8) and in this sense “full assurance” (plērophoria) is attributed to faith (Col. 2:2; Heb. 10:22). (b) For the act of “flying to and reception of” Christ by which the believer (recognizing the truth and goodness of the promises) betakes himself to Christ, receives and embraces him and rests solely upon his merit. (c) For the confidence or acquiescence and tranquility of mind arising from the flying of the soul to Christ and his reception. For he who firmly rests upon Christ and embraces him cannot help acquiescing securely in him and trusting that he has found and received what he sought. In the first and second signification, trust is of the essence of faith and is well called by theologians its form. As will afterwards be proved against the Romanists, it is a fiducial apprehension of Christ offered with all his blessings in the word of the gospel. But in the third signification, it is rightly called by others not the form but the effect of faith because it springs from it, but does not constitute it.

(Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology: Volume 2, trans. George Musgrave Giger, ed. James T. Dennison, Jr., [Phillipsburg P&R Publishing, 1994], 15.10.3, p. 568. Alt. Trans. Archibald Alexander Hodge, Outlines of Theology: Rewritten and Enlarged, [New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1879], p. 481.)

Alt. Trans. Francis Turretin:

The diversity (of expression) which occurs between the orthodox has arisen from a different usage of the word fiducia (confidence), which may be taken in three senses: 1. For confident assent, or persuasion, which arises from the practical judgment of the understanding, concerning the truth and goodness of the evangelical promises, and concerning the power, willingness, and faithfulness of God promising. In which sense πεισμονή (persuasion), Gal. v. 8, is used synonymously with it, and πληροφορία (full assurance) is attributed to faith, Col. ii. 2, and Heb. x. 22. 2. For the act of fleeing to, and of receiving Christ, by which the believer, the truth and goodness of the promises being known, flees to Christ, receives and embraces him, and reclines alone on his merits. 3. For confidence, satisfaction, and tranquillity of mind, which arise from the refuge of the mind to Christ and reception of him. For he who firmly reclines on Christ and embraces him, can not fail to acquiesce in him securely and to consider himself to have found and to have received that which he sought. In the first and second sense confidence (fiducia) is of the essence of faith, is rightly said by theologians to be its form because, as afterwards proved against the Papists, it is a confidential (trusting) apprehension of Christ and of all the benefits offered in the word of the gospel. But in the third sense it is by others rightly said not to be the form, but the fruit, of faith, because it is born from it, but does not constitute it.

(Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology: Volume 2, 15.10.3; trans. Archibald Alexander Hodge, Outlines of Theology: Rewritten and Enlarged, [New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1879], p. 481.)

2. The Scriptures tell us we can have assurance. Return to Outline.

1 John 5:13:

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know [εἰδῆτε] that you have eternal life.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

2 Timothy 1:12:

For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. Psalm 121:3:

He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. 2 Timothy 4:7-8:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Hebrews 6:11:

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance [πληροφορίαν] of hope until the end,

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Hebrews 10:22:

let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance [πληροφορίᾳ] of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

1 John 3:14:

We know [οἴδαμεν] that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

1 John 3:19:

We will know [γνωσόμεθα] by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. 1 John 2:3-5:

By this we know [γινώσκομεν] that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know [γινώσκομεν] that we are in Him:

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5:

knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Romans 8:16:

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

3. The Scriptures command us to seek assurance. Return to Outline.

2 Peter 1:10:

Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain [βεβαίαν] about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5:

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. 1 Corinthians 11:28:

But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Wilhelmus à Brakel:

It is thus the duty of every Christian to strive for assurance according to the exhortation of the apostle in 2 Pet 1:10, as this assurance is the fountain of much joy in God and results in much growth in sanctification. One does not obtain this assurance by ascending into heaven to examine the book of life for the purpose of ascertaining whether one’s name is to be found in it (Rom 10:6-7). Neither is this assurance obtained by imagining oneself to be one of the elect, so that by the duration of this imagination one could consistently maintain this assurance, being of the opinion that it is a sin to be doubtful about it even though one lacks the least foundation for this assurance. Rather, one obtains this assurance from the Word of God wherein is found a clear description of those who are of the elect. If these characteristics are discerned within, he may draw the conclusion that he is one of the elect.

(Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service: Volume 1: God, Man, and Christ, trans. Bartel Elshout, ed. Joel R. Beeke, [Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 1992], pp. 246-247.)

4. The Scriptures command believers to fulfill obligations which require assurance. Return to Outline.

Richard Sibbes:

(1.) There be many duties and dispositions that God requires which we cannot be in without assurance of salvation on good grounds. What is that? God bids us be thankful in all things. How can I know that, unless I know God is mine and Christ is mine? Can I be thankful for that which I doubt of and think I ought to doubt of? Therefore it is such a state, without which I cannot perform other duty; and particularly the grand duty of thankfulness. And what a pitiful state is this, that a man should not be thankful for Christ, nor heaven, nor for the state of another world, that there should be such great matters, and yet they cannot thank God for them.

(2.) Again, God enjoineth us to rejoice. ‘Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice,’ Philip. iv. 4. Can a man rejoice that his name is written in heaven, and not know his name is written there? The disciples were very weak now; and yet, notwithstanding all their infirmities, they loved Christ; they cast themselves upon him, and had not chosen another Saviour. Therefore ‘rejoice that your names are written in heaven,’ Luke x. 20, and how can a man rejoice that knoweth it not to be so? By God’s writing of the law in a man’s heart, he may know his name is written in heaven. Can a man always rejoice if he hath not grounds why?

(3.) Again, God requires cheerfulness. ‘God loveth a cheerful giver,’ 2 Cor. ix. 7, and a cheerful doer. It is the disposition that is required in everything. ‘Give me thy heart’ in everything thou dost, Prov. xxiii. 26. Alas! how can I perform cheerful service to God, when I doubt whether he be my God and Father or no? Shall not I labour for a heart to yield cheerful obedience? Doth it not come deadly off? Surely it doth. We ought to comfort ourselves; and how can a man comfort himself in a condition full of uncertainties? No comforts are comfortable without this, that God is our God and our Father. Unless we know this, comforts themselves are not comfortable unto us. None of the comforts we have, the comforts of this life, are not comforts to us when the soul saith, Perhaps God feeds me to slaughter; and, perhaps, I have these mercies as my portion in this world; and how can he be comfortable when he apprehendeth not, that they issue from a spring of love? Alas! comforts themselves are uncomfortable. And therefore shall not I labour for that without which I cannot be comforted? especially it being a disposition for our good to be thankful, and cheerful, and joyful, and large-hearted.

(4.) God requires a disposition in us that we should be full of encouragements, and strong in the Lord; and that we should be courageous for his cause in withstanding his enemies and our enemies. How can there be courage in resisting our corruptions, Satan’s temptations? How can there be courage in suffering persecution and crosses in the world, if there be not some particular interest we have in Christ and in God? It cannot be so. Unless we will deny obedience to all duty enjoyed, we must have this assurance which enters into all, which is the spirit that quickeneth and enliveneth all. Therefore labour for it.

(Richard Sibbes, A Heavenly Conference; In: The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes, Vol. VI, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart, [Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1862], pp. 479-480.)

(5.) How can we have peace with God if we do not have certainty?

Romans 5:1:

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace [εἰρήνην] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

(6.) How can we confidently approach the throne of God without assurance?

Hebrews 4:16:

Therefore let us draw near with confidence [παρρησίας] to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. Ephesians 3:11-12:

This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness [παρρησίαν] and confident [πεποιθήσει] access through faith in Him.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. Hebrews 10:22:

let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. James 4:8:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

5. God does not renege on His guarantees (ἀρραβών — lit. down payment, guarantee). God’s seal cannot be broken (σφραγίζω — seal). Return to Outline.

2 Corinthians 1:22:

who also sealed [σφραγισάμενος] us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [ἀρραβῶνα].

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

2 Corinthians 5:5:

Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge [ἀρραβῶνα].

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Ephesians 4:30:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed [ἐσφραγίσθητε] for the day of redemption.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Ephesians 1:13:

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed [ἐσφραγίσθητε] in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. Ephesians 1:14:

who is given as a pledge [ἀρραβὼν] of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. John Piper:

There are two metaphors here to double our sense of assurance that God will not fail to bring us into the full enjoyment of our inheritance (the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Eph. 5:5). There is the image of sealing and the image of a down payment (ἀρραβὼν). This word for down payment is translated “guarantee,” because it refers to the first installment of a reality that guarantees the rest.

So the Holy Spirit is pictured here as doubly securing our final inheritance. He is like a seal—a sign of God’s ownership. And he is himself the firstfruits of a full harvest of his presence and power. Paul is drawing out the inner workings of the new covenant. God promised, “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes” (Ezek. 36:27). And the point is this: “In Christ, you are not left to yourself to attain the inheritance; I will accomplish this by my Spirit within you.”

(John Piper, Providence, [Wheaton: Crossway, 2020], p. 619.)

6. God preserves His people. Return to Outline.

Walt Whitman:

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won…

(Walt Whitman, “O Captain! My Captain!” In: Walt Whitman, Memories of President Lincoln and Other Lyrics of the War, [Portland: Thomas B Mosher, 1906], p. 19.)

1 Peter 1:3-5:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Psalm 97:10:

Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Psalm 37:28:

For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Psalm 145:20:

The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Hebrews 7:25:

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Hebrews 10:14:

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Philippians 1:6:

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. Romans 8:23:

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Romans 8:35:

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Romans 8:38-39:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Note: It is objected that I (via the exercise of my “libertarian” free will) am able to separate myself from “the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” However, this is not what the apostle Paul says. According to Paul no “created thing” of any kind can “separate us from the love of God”. We are “created things” and I see no reasonable exegetical basis for assuming that we are not included in “all of creation.”

Cf. Thomas R. Schreiner:

Some scholars have argued that although nothing in creation can separate one from the love of God, people can themselves choose to depart from God and thereby fall outside the scope of the saving love of Christ. This interpretation should be rejected. As we have seen, Rom. 8:28-30 constitutes an unbreakable process. All those who are foreknown end up being glorified. No possibility is extended that some of those who are justified may not be glorified. The category of the justified is inseparable from the category of the glorified. Such an interpretation makes sense because those upon whom God set his covenantal love before creating the world are those he predestined to share the eschatological image of the Son. Those whom he has chosen before history began will surely persevere and attain to glorification. These comments should not be interpreted as a denial of the necessity to meet conditions in order to obtain eschatological salvation (cf. 8:17). The point is that God will grant sufficient grace so that believers will inevitably and surely be enabled to meet those conditions.

Those who defend the view that believers may possibly forsake their salvation note that nothing is said here about the impossibility of believers separating themselves from Christ’s love. Gundry Volf (1990: 57-58; cf. Calvin 1960: 189; Moo 1991: 589), however, is correct in arguing that the objective of the text is to rule out that very eventuality. Affliction, persecution, famine, death, and so on are mentioned because these are the sorts of things that would cause a believer to renounce faith in Christ. Paul is not only saying that Christ still loves believers when persecution arrives, although that is doubtless true. He is also saying that the love of Christ is so powerful that believers will not forsake him despite the sword, persecution, famine, and so on. There is no need to mention the will of the believer in this text because Paul canvasses every possible thing (οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα, oute tis krisis hetera, neither any other created thing) that could provoke believers to apostatize. None of these threats will succeed, for the love of Christ is stronger still and he will see to it that what has been started will be finished (cf. 1 Cor. 1:8; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:24).

(Thomas R. Schreiner, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Romans, [Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008], p. 466.)

Cf. Romans 8:28-30:

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

John 10:26-30:

But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. J. Ramsey Michaels:

For emphasis, Jesus repeats himself: “But as for you, you do not believe,” adding the reason for their unbelief, “because you do not belong to my sheep” (v. 26). Reintroducing the sheep metaphor, he revisits the parable of verses 1-5 and the discourse of verses 7-18. One might have expected rather, “You do not belong to my sheep because you do not believe,” but the wording here is in keeping with the theology of the Gospel. The fact that sheep hear their shepherd and recognize his voice does more than simply legitimate the true Shepherd in contrast to “strangers” (see vv. 3-5, 8, 14, 16); it also legitimates them as his sheep. “Hearing” and “knowing” the Shepherd’s voice is what identifies the sheep.” [fn. 20: Jesus will later make much the same point to Pilate, without the sheep metaphor: “I was born for this, and for this I came into the world, that I might testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας] hears my voice” (18:37). Pilate, like “the Jews,” was not (v. 38).] Here for the first time, Jesus defines “hearing” or “knowing” the shepherd’s voice more specifically as “believing.” Those who do not “believe” prove thereby that they are not Jesus’ sheep. Behind it all is a strong accent on election: those who “believe” do so because they are already Jesus’ sheep (see v. 16, “other sheep I have”), his gift from the Father.

(J. Ramsey Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of John, [Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2010], p. 598.)

Cf. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (c. 354-430 A.D.):

“And they shall never perish:” you may hear the undertone, as if He had said to them, Ye shall perish for ever, because ye are not of my sheep. “No one shall pluck them out of my hand.” Give still greater heed to this: “That which my Father gave me is greater than all.” What can the wolf do? What can the thief and the robber? They destroy none but those predestined to destruction. But of those sheep of which the apostle says, “The Lord knoweth them that are His;” and “Whom He did foreknow, them He also did predestinate; and whom He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified;”—there is none of such sheep as these that the wolf seizes, or the thief steals, or the robber slays. He, who knows what He gave for them, is sure of their number. And it is this that He says: “No one shall pluck them out of my hand;” and in reference also to the Father, “That which my Father gave me is greater than all.”

(Augustine of Hippo, Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John, Tractate 48.6; trans. NPNF1, 7:267.) See also: ccel.org.

Cf. D. A. Carson:

The consequence of his knowing his sheep, and of his gift to them of eternal life, is that they shall never perish. It could not be otherwise, if they have eternal life (cf. notes on 6:51, 58; 8:51, 52; 11:26). Even so, the focus is not on the power of the life itself, but on Jesus’ power: no-one can snatch them out of my hand, not the marauding wolf (v. 12), not the thieves and robbers (vv. 1, 8), not anyone. To think otherwise would entail the conclusion that Jesus had failed in the explicit assignment given him by the Father, to preserve all those given to him (cf. notes on 6:37-40). The ultimate security of Jesus’ sheep rests with the good shepherd.

(D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John, [Nottingham: Apollos, 2006], p. 393.)

Cf. Leon Morris:

No one will snatch them from Christ. It is one of the precious things about the Christian faith that our continuance in eternal life depends not on our feeble hold on Christ, but on his firm grip on us. We should notice that the teaching of this verse is not that believers will be saved from all earthly disaster, but that they will be saved, no matter what earthly disaster may befall them.

(Leon Morris, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel According to John: Revised Edition, [Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1995], p. 463.)

Cf. Andreas J. Köstenberger:

The reason for the Jews’ continual unbelief (present tense οὐ πιστεύετε [ou pisteuete, you do not believe] in 10:25, 26) is that they are not Jesus’ “sheep” (see 8:47; additional note to 10:26). For Jesus’ “sheep” listen to his voice; he knows them, and they follow him (10:3, 4, 8, 14, 16). Jesus gives them (present tense) eternal life (cf. 10:10), and they will never, ever perish (emphatic negative). Together with the repeated assertion that no one can snatch his sheep out of his (or the Father’s) hands, this conveys the image of utter security on the part of Jesus’ followers.

(Andreas J. Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: John, [Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004], p. 311.)

John 6:37-40:

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. John 6:44-45:

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. D. A. Carson:

‘So long as a man remains, and is content to remain, confident of his own ability, without divine help, to assess the meaning of experience, he cannot “come to” the Lord, he cannot “believe.” Only the Father can move him to this step, with its incalculable and final results’ (Lightfoot, pp. 160-161).

The thought of v. 44 is the negative counterpart to v. 37a. The latter tells us that all whom the Father gives to the Son will come to him; here we are told that no-one can come to him unless the Father draws him (cf. Mk. 10:23ff.). And again, it will be Jesus himself who raises such a person up at the last day. The combination of v. 37a and v. 44 prove that this ‘drawing’ activity of the Father cannot be reduced to what theologians sometimes call ‘prevenient grace’ dispensed to every individual, for this ‘drawing’ is selective, or else the negative note in v. 44 is meaningless. Many attempt to dilute the force of the claim by referring to 12:32, where the same verb for ‘to draw’ (helkyō) occurs: Jesus there claims he will draw ‘all men’ to himself. The context shows rather clearly, however, that 12:32 refers to ‘all men without distinction’ (i.e. not just Jews) rather than to ‘all men without exception’. Yet despite the strong predestinarian strain, it must be insisted with no less vigour that John emphasizes the responsibility of people to come to Jesus, and can excoriate them for refusing to do so (e.g. 5:40).

(D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John, [Nottingham: Apollos, 2006], p. 293.)

Jude 1:24-25:

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. Genesis 20:6:

Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Jeremiah 32:40:

I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Romans 15:5:

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

1 Corinthians 1:8:

who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Proverbs 2:8:

Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. 2 Timothy 4:18:

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

1 Peter 1:23:

for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

1 Chronicles 18:6:

Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus; and the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And the LORD helped David wherever he went.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Ephesians 2:10:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Romans 5:3-5:

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Romans 11:29:

for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

2 Timothy 2:19:

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

7. The nature of assurance. Return to Outline.

Robert Shaw:

2. This assurance is “founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, and the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God.” It is not founded upon any of these things singly, but upon all of them combined. The promises of salvation in the Word furnish us with the distinguishing characters of true Christians, and infallibly assure us, that all in whom these characters are found shall be saved. The inward evidences of grace assure us that we possess these characters; and we are then warranted to draw the conclusion, that we are now in a gracious state, and “shall be saved with an everlasting salvation.” Assurance is generally attained by a sort of sacred syllogism, or reasoning in this manner:—Whosoever believeth in the Lord Jesus Christ is in a state of grace, and shall be saved.—Acts xvi. 31; Rom. ix. 33. But I believe in him; therefore, I am in a state of grace, and shall be saved. So long as we believe the Scriptures of truth, the first of these propositions cannot be called in question. All the difficulty respects the second, viz., Whether we truly believe in Christ. For it cannot be denied, that a man may think himself to be something when he is nothing, and so deceive himself.—Gal. vi.

3. As little can it, that the mental eyes may be holden, as sometimes the bodily have (Luke xxiv. 16 ); and in such a case, even he that feareth the Lord must walk in darkness (Isa. i. 10); not knowing that he is in Christ, though he certainly is. It is not sufficient that the man is conscious of certain acts, as of faith, repentance, love to God and all his saints. In order to reach the heights of holy assurance, he must be satisfied as to the specific nature of these acts, that they are unfeigned, and not hypocritical. But how he can attain to this, without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, is inconceivable. He who gave him faith and repentance, must also make him know the things which are freely given him of God.—1 Cor. ii. 12. As the sun cannot be seen but by his own light, neither can we know, but by the Spirit, that we have the Spirit.”

(Robert Shaw, An Exposition of the Confession of Faith of the Westminster Assembly of Divines: Eighth Edition, [Glasgow: Blackie and Son, 1857], pp. 184-185.)

Note: “The promises of salvation in the Word furnish us with the distinguishing characters of true Christians, and infallibly assure us, that all in whom these characters are found shall be saved.” (Ibid.) This is to say that, according to the Scriptures, if the true marks of a true Christian are truly present then it is certain that God will keep his promises (and preserve His people unto the end). This is not to say that Christians possess mathematical (or epistemic) certainty regarding their own possession of these traits. “For it cannot be denied, that a man may think himself to be something when he is nothing, and so deceive himself.” (Ibid.) For more on this topic see §. 8. “The objection” (below).

8. The objection. Return to Outline.

Genesis 3:1:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Why does the serpent phrase the question thus? Certainly he knew that God had not said this, so why phrase the question in such a way? What is the obvious implication? If there is even one tree from which you cannot eat, if you are limited in any way, if you do not have absolute autonomy, then you are not really free at all.

To apply this line of reasoning to the question at hand: If a finite man cannot have an absolute (exhaustive or infinite) knowledge of assurance as God does, then he cannot have true assurance at all. This line of reasoning is clearly fallacious (unless one takes the position that “man can never truly know anything,” which is itself a truth claim and therefore obviously fallacious). Man, by his very nature (i.e. his finitude), cannot possess mathematical (or epistemic) certainty regarding most (if not all) issues (at least on this side of eternity). Finitude, ultimately, seems to imply the exclusion of “infallible” knowledge. Only God possesses true mathematical (or epistemic) certainty regarding all things, as only God has knowledge of all facts, counterfactuals, contingencies, etc. (as only God is omniscient, omnipresent, infinite, etc.).

However this need not perturb us for we may still possess true assurance (see below) without possessing an infallible assurance. Hence the reason that Reformed theologians have historically spoken of “degrees” of assurance, “growing” in assurance and of “losing” and “regaining” assurance (e.g. Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology: Vol. 3, [Wheaton: Crossway, 2021], Ch. 33, p. 772; R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, [Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1986], p. 172.).

John Piper:

Fourth, we might remind the sufferer that his demand for a kind of absolute, mathematical certainty about his right standing with God is asking for too much. None of us lives with that kind of certainty about any relationships in life, and this need not destroy our comfort. As Baxter says, “No wife or child is certain that the husband or father will not murder them; and yet they may live comfortably, and not fear it.” In other words, there is a kind of certainty that we live by, and it is enough. It is, in the end, a gift of God.

One can imagine a wife obsessed with fear that her husband will kill her, or that during the night one of her children will kill another one. No amount of arguing may bring her away from the fear of this possibility. Rationally and mathematically it is possible. But millions of people live in complete peace about these things, even though there is no absolute 2 + 2 = 4 kind of certainty. The certainty is rooted in good experience and the God-given stability of nature. It is a sweet assurance—and a gift of God. So we say to our suffering friend, “Don’t demand the kind of certainty about your own relationship to God that you don’t require about the other relationships in your life.”

(John Piper, When the Darkness Will Not Lift, [Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2006], pp. 41-42.)

Cf. James K. Dew Jr., Mark W. Foreman:

There are a few things that we can have certainty about, but for most things, certainty eludes us. This suggests that there are various degrees or levels of assurance that we can have. At the highest level, one might have what we call logical or absolute certainty. This is the kind of certainty that makes a belief impossible to doubt. These include, as McGrath notes, logical statements, self-evident truths or many mathematical propositions. For example, 2 + 2 = 4 or “All triangles have three sides” fall into this category. These are statements that could not possibly be untrue. After this, there is a level of assurance that we might call probabilistic certainty. These include statements like “The sun will rise tomorrow” or “The pen will fall if I drop it.” These statements are considered to be true by everyone. But it is always possible that the sun will not rise tomorrow or that the pen could float on this one occasion. One cannot claim to know with certainty that these things will happen. Nevertheless, it is foolish to think that these things might not happen given the universal track record of the sun coming up and of gravity pulling pens to the floor. There is also what we might call sufficient certainty. In this case, we have very good evidence in favor of a particular belief and know of no significant defeaters for this belief.

(James K. Dew Jr., Mark W. Foreman, How Do We Know? An Introduction to Epistemology, [Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2014], pp. 161-162.)

Cf. J. P. Moreland:

Here’s a simple definition of knowledge: To represent reality in thought or experience the way it really is on the basis of adequate grounds. To know something (the nature of God, forgiveness, cancer) is to think of or experience it as it really is on a solid basis of evidence, experience, intuition, and so forth. Little can be said in general about what counts as “adequate grounds.” The best one can do is to start with specific cases of knowledge and its absence in art, chemistry, memory, Scripture, logic, introspection, etc., and formulate helpful descriptions of “adequate grounds” accordingly.

Please note that knowledge has nothing to do with certainty or an anxious quest for it. One can know something without being certain about it, and in the presence of doubt or with the admission that one might be wrong. …When Christians claim to have knowledge of this or that—for example, that God is real, that Jesus rose from the dead, that the Bible is the Word of God—they are not saying that there is no possibility that they could be wrong, that they have no doubts, or that they have answers to every question raised against them. They are simply saying that these and other claims satisfy the definition given above (that is, to represent reality in thought or experience the way it really is on the basis of adequate grounds).

(J. P. Moreland, The Soul: How We Know It’s Real and Why It Matters, [Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014], pp. 13-14.)

René Descartes:

It would be disingenuous, however, not to point out that some things are considered as morally certain, that is, as having sufficient certainty for application to ordinary life, even though they may be uncertain in relation to the absolute power of God. <Thus those who have never been in Rome have no doubt that it is a town in Italy, even though it could be the case that everyone who has told them this has been deceiving them.> Suppose for example that someone wants to read a letter written in Latin but encoded so that the letters of the alphabet do not have their proper value, and he guesses that the letter B should be read whenever A appears, and C when B appears, i.e. that each letter should be replaced by the one immediately following it. If, by using this key, he can make up Latin words from the letters, he will be in no doubt that the true meaning of the letter is contained in these words. It is true that his knowledge is based merely on a conjecture, and it is conceivable that the writer did not replace the original letters with their immediate successors in the alphabet, but with others, thus encoding quite a different message; but this possibility is so unlikely <especially if the message contains many words> that it does not seem credible. Now if people look at all the many properties relating to magnetism, fire and the fabric of the entire world, which I have deduced in this book from just a few principles, then, even if they think that my assumption of these principles was arbitrary and groundless, they will still perhaps acknowledge that it would hardly have been possible for so many items to fit into a coherent pattern if the original principles had been false.

…there are some matters, even in relation to the things in nature, which we regard as absolutely, and more than just morally, certain. <Absolute certainty arises when we believe that it is wholly impossible that something should be otherwise than we judge it to be.> This certainty is based on a metaphysical foundation, namely that God is supremely good and in no way a deceiver, and hence that the faculty which he gave us for distinguishing truth from falsehood cannot lead us into error, so long as we are using it properly and are thereby perceiving something distinctly. Mathematical demonstrations have this kind of certainty, as does the knowledge that material things exist; and the same goes for all evident reasoning about material things.

(René Descartes, Principles of Philosophy, Part Four: The Earth, ## 205-206; In: The Philosophical Writings of Descartes: Volume I, trans. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, Dugald Murdoch, [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985], pp. 289-290.)

Cf. René Descartes:

…moral certainty is certainty which is sufficient to regulate our behaviour, or which measures up to the certainty we have on matters relating to the conduct of life which we never normally doubt, though we know that it is possible, absolutely speaking, that they may be false.

(René Descartes, Principles of Philosophy, Part Four: The Earth, # 205; In: The Philosophical Writings of Descartes: Volume I, trans. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, Dugald Murdoch, [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985], p. 289 fn. 2.)

Note: See further: “Epistemic Certainty.”

Wilhelmus à Brakel:

Question #6: Can believers be assured of their election?

Answer: Those of Roman Catholic and Arminian persuasion, who propose a conditional election due to the mutability of man’s freewill, do not know whether they will persevere until the end, and consequently cannot be assured of their election. We do not maintain that all believers are in possession of assurance, neither do we maintain that assurance is always present in the same sensible degree, nor that a believer is assured during a season of spiritual desertion. Nevertheless, we do maintain that God has given marks of election in Scripture which are such, that a believer perceiving these in himself may conclude by the operation of the Holy Spirit that he is elect and may thus rejoice in the assurance of them. Therefore believers can be assured of their election and should strive to be assured thereof.

Election is also confirmed by its fruits, which are calling, faith, and sanctification. One can be assured that he is a partaker of these and may ascend higher, namely, that God has justified those whom He has called. And those whom He has called He has predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, and those He in turn has foreknown. That someone may be assured of his calling is confirmed in the following texts: “For ye see your calling, brethren” (1 Cor 1:26); “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling” (Heb 3:1). One can also be assured of his faith. “I know whom I have believed” (2 Tim 1:12). This is also confirmed by the purpose for which believers have received the Holy Ghost. “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Cor 2:12). Furthermore, Scripture states expressly that believers are indeed assured. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom 8:16). We will treat the subject of assurance comprehensively in the chapter which deals with justification (chapter thirty-four [Vol. 2, p. 341]).

(Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service: Volume 1: God, Man, and Christ, trans. Bartel Elshout, ed. Joel R. Beeke, [Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 1992], pp. 242-243.)

Archibald Alexander Hodge:

The true view is that “although this infallible assurance does not belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he partake of it, yet being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him by God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means attain thereunto. And, therefore, it is the duty of each one to give diligence to make his calling and election sure.” It is agreed by all that a true faith can not admit of any doubt as to its object. What is believed is assuredly believed. But the object of saving faith is Christ and his work as Mediator guaranteed to us in the promises of the gospel on the condition of faith.

(Archibald Alexander Hodge, Outlines of Theology: Rewritten and Enlarged, [New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1879], pp. 477-478.)

William Greenough Thayer Shedd:

The belief that Christ died for the individual himself is the assurance of faith and is more than saving faith. It is the end, not the beginning of the process of salvation. God does not demand assurance of faith as the first act of faith: “Assurance of grace and salvation not being of the essence of faith, true believers may wait long before they obtain it” (Westminster Larger Catechism 81); “in whom, after you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13).

(William Greenough Thayer Shedd, Dogmatic Theology: Volume II, [New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1888], p. 486.)

9. The foundation of assurance. Return to Outline.

Louis Berkhof:

It was one of the great mistakes of the Pietism of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that, in seeking the assurance of faith, or of salvation, it divorced itself too much from the Word of God. The basis of assurance was sought, not in the objective promises of the Gospel, but in the subjective experiences of believers. The knowledge of the experiences that were made the touch-stone of faith, was not gathered from the Word of God, but was obtained by an inductive study of the subjective states and affections of believers. In many cases these were not even put to the test of Scripture, so that the true was not always distinguished from the counterfeit. Moreover, there were unwarranted generalizations. Individual experiences and experiences of a very dubious character were often made normative, were set forth as the necessary marks of true faith. The result was that they who were concerned about the welfare of their soul turned attention to themselves rather than to the Word of God, and spent their life in morbid introspection. It is no wonder that this method did not promote the assurance of faith that fills the heart with heavenly joy, but rather engendered doubt and uncertainty and caused the soul to grope about in a labyrinth of anxious questionings, without an Ariadne-thread to lead it out. This method of seeking assurance by looking within rather than by looking without, to Jesus Christ as He is presented in Scripture, and by making the experiences of others, especially of those who are regarded as “oaks of righteousness” normative, has not yet been abandoned entirely in our own circles. Yet it is a most disappointing one.

(Louis Berkhof, Assurance of Faith: Second Edition, [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1939], pp. 49-50.) See also: monergism.com.

Herman Bavinck:

All the saints who come to our attention in the Old and the New Testament are, accordingly, partakers of such a certainty. Not Abraham alone (Gen. 15:6 and Rom. 4:18ff.), nor Jacob (Gen. 49:18), nor David (2 Sam. 22:2ff. and Habak. 3:17-19), but also all the believers whose circumstances are described by the psalmists, proverb writers, and the prophets. They often live in profound misery, are oppressed by their enemies, persecuted, and taunted: Where is now your God? You trusted in the Lord, that He should deliver you![fn. 52: Psalm 22:9; 42:4; and 71:11.] Sometimes despair masters their soul as though God had forgotten them and in His wrath denied them access to His mercies.[fn. 53: Psalm 10:1, 11ff.; 13:2; 28:1; 44:10ff.; 77:8ff. and elsewhere.] They also acknowledge the justice of God’s judgments, confessing their sins.[fn. 54: Ps. 51:5; Neh. 9:33; Dan. 9:14 and elsewhere.] Nevertheless, God is their Father, and they are His people, the sheep of His pasture.[fn. 55: Ps. 95:7; 100:3; Isa. 63:16; and 64:8.] He cannot forsake them for His Name’s sake, for the sake of His covenant (Ps. 79:8-9). His anger endures but a moment; in His favor is life (Ps. 30:5). He does not deal with them according to their sins, nor reward them according to their iniquities (Ps. 103:10). He forgives their trespasses and covers their sins (Ps. 32:1). The Lord is their rock and their bulwark, their fortress and high tower, their shield and the horn of their salvation, their light and their joy, and their one and all (Ps. 18:2 and 73:25 and elsewhere).

The tone in which the apostles and the believers of the New Testament speak of their salvation is just as sure and certain. There is no question of doubt. They know that God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for them all and will now freely give them all things (Rom. 8:32), that they are justified by faith, have peace with God, and that no one can lay anything to their charge (Rom. 5:1 and 8:33), that they have been begotten again unto a lively hope and have passed from death into life,[fn. 56: 1 Peter 1:3; James 1:18; and 1 John 3:14.] that they have received the Spirit of adoption as children, and that this Spirit testifies with their spirit that they are children of God (Rom. 8:15-16).

And this their knowledge has bearing not only on the present, on that which they now are, but extends also in the future to that which they shall be. For whom God has known, called, and justified, him He has also glorified (Rom. 8:30). If they are children, they are also heirs (Rom. 8:17). They have in the faith already received eternal life, and they cannot lose it (1 John 3:9 and 5:1). They have been begotten again unto a living hope, and are kept by the power of God unto salvation (1 Peter 1:3-5). The good work begun in them will be performed until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). In short, they have been sealed with the Holy Spirit as security and guarantor until the day of the promise.[fn. 57: Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13; and 4:30.]

(Herman Bavinck, Our Reasonable Faith, trans. Henry Zylstra, [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1956], pp. 508-509.)

Michael Horton:

Although Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for,” Roman Catholic teaching denies the inextricable relationship of faith and assurance. Faith is mere assent to the church’s teachings, as we have seen. Even when faith is “completed” by becoming loving action, believers are never certain of final salvation. There may be a reasonable confidence that one is presently in a state of grace. “Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods.” However, assurance of one’s election and final justification is regarded as presumptuous.

By contrast, the Reformers insisted that faith is assurance because Christ’s meritorious work is already completed. Since faith and repentance remain weak and imperfect, the experience of assurance may encounter highs and lows, but believers remain objectively assured of their salvation in Christ alone.

…In later Puritanism and Lutheran Pietism, this separation of faith from assurance often led to a tendency to build assurance on the foundation of the quality of faith rather than the object of faith. The proper balance does not lie in the recognition that assurance is of the essence of faith itself, even though the experience of assurance may be encouraged by the signs of faith and its fruit. In this way we are always directed outside of ourselves to Jesus Christ alone.

(Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way, [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011], pp. 585, 586.)

D. A. Carson:

The promise of deliverance, the assurance that we are accepted by almighty God, is not tied to the intensity of our faith, or to the consistency of our faith, or to the purity of our faith, but to the object of our faith. When we approach God in prayer, our plea is not that we have been good that day, or that we have just come from a Christian meeting full of praise, or that we try harder, but that Christ has died for us. And against that plea, Satan has no riposte.

(D. A. Carson, Basics for Believers, [Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2009], p. 41.)

10. The attainment of assurance. Return to Outline.

Johnathan Edwards:

It is not God’s design that men should obtain assurance in any other way, than by mortifying corruption, and increasing in grace, and obtaining the lively exercises of it.—And although self-examination be a duty of great use and importance, and by no means to be neglected; yet it is not the principal means, by which the saints do get satisfaction of their good estate. Assurance is not to be obtained so much by self-examination, as by action. The Apostle Paul sought assurance chiefly this way, even by “forgetting the things that were behind, and reaching forth unto those things that were before, pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; if by any means he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” And it was by this means chiefly that he obtained assurance: 1 Cor. 9:26, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly.” He obtained assurance of winning the prize, more by running, than by considering.

(Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections: In Three Parts, [Philadelphia: James Crissy, 1821], Part III, p. 126.)

Charles Hodge:

Many sincere believers are too introspective. They look too exclusively within, so that their hope is graduated by the degree of evidence of regeneration which they find in their own experience. This, except in rare cases, can never lead to the assurance of hope. We may examine our hearts with all the microscopic care prescribed by President Edwards in his work on “The Religious Affections,” and never be satisfied that we have eliminated every ground of misgiving and doubt. The grounds of assurance are not so much within, as without us. They are, according to Scripture, (1.) The universal and unconditional promise of God that those who come to Him in Christ, He will in no wise cast out; that whosoever will, may take of the water of life without money and without price. We are bound to be assured that God is faithful and will certainly save those who believes (2.) The infinite, immutable, and gratuitous love of God. In the first ten verses of the fifth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, and in the eighth chapter of that epistle from the thirty-first verse to the end, the Apostle dwells on these characteristics of the love of God, as affording an immovable foundation of the believer’s hope. (3.) The infinite merit of the satisfaction of Christ, and the prevalence of his continued intercession. Paul, in Romans viii. 34, especially emphasizes these points. (4.) The covenant of redemption in which it is promised that all given by the Father to the Son, shall come to Him, and that none of them shall be lost. (5.) From the witness of the Spirit, Paul says, “We . . . . rejoice in hope of the glory of God,” because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost given unto us. That is, the Holy Ghost assures us that we are the objects of that love which he goes on to describe as infinite, immutable, and gratuitous. (Rom. v. 3-5.) And again, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” If, therefore, any true believer lacks the assurance of faith, the fault is in himself and not in the plan of salvation, or in the promises of God.

(Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology: Vol. III, [New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1884], p. 107.)

Robert Murray McCheyne:

Jer xviii. 9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief! Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in his beams. Feel his all-seeing eye settled on you in love, and repose in his almighty arms. …Let your soul be filled with a heart-ravishing sense of the sweetness and excellency of Christ and all that is in Him. Let the Holy Spirit fill every chamber of your heart; and so there will be no room for folly, or the world, or Satan, or the flesh.

(Robert Murray McCheyne, Letter [“To Mr. George Shaw, Belfast.” (Prophecies concerning Israel—Revival—Conduct of studies.), Dundee, September 16, 1840]; In: The Life and Remains, Letters, Lectures, and Poems of the Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne, ed. Andrew Alexander Bonar, [New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1866], pp. 220-221, 221.)

John Piper:

Stop looking at your faith, and rivet your attention on Christ. Faith is sustained by looking at Christ, crucified and risen, not by turning from Christ to analyze your faith.

(John Piper, When the Darkness Will Not Lift, [Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2006], p. 41.)

Timothy Keller:

…it is possible to think of faith as a kind of “work,” a calling up of some psychological feeling about God. Some people think of faith as an intense attitude of surrender or a state of certainty or confidence. But Paul takes care to say it comes “freely.” This is the word used when Jesus Christ, says. “They hated me without a cause” (John 15:25, ESV) The word “freely” means without a cause, in a way that is totally and wholly unwarranted, given or done for no reason. We must not fall prey to the subtle mistake of thinking that our faith actually saves us, as though in the Old Testament God wanted obedience to the law for salvation, and now he has changed the requirements and all he wants is faith. That is a misunderstanding of both the Testaments, of the role of both law and faith! In both the Old and New Testaments, it is the work of Christ that merits our salvation. In both, faith is how it is received, and that is all it is. Faith is simply the attitude of coming to God with empty hands. When a child asks his mother for something he needs, trusting that she will give it, his asking does not merit anything. It is merely the way he receives his mother’s generosity.

This is crucial because, if you come to think that your belief is the cause of your salvation, you will stop looking at Christ and start looking at your faith. When you see doubts, it will rattle you. When you don’t feel it quite as clearly or excitedly, it will worry you. What has happened? You’ve turned your faith into a “work”! Faith is only the instrument by which you receive your salvation, not the cause of your salvation. If you don’t see this, you will think you have something to boast about: The reason I am saved is because I put my faith in Jesus. This is a subtle misunderstanding which cuts away our assurance, and boosts our pride.

(Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You, [The Good Book Company, 2014], p. 81.)

D. M. Lloyd-Jones:

…the man who has faith is the man who is no longer looking at himself, and no longer looking to himself. He no longer looks at anything he once was. He does not look at what he is now. He does not look at what he hopes to be as the result of his own efforts. He looks entirely to the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work, and he rests on that alone. He has ceased to say, ‘Ah yes, I have committed terrible sins but I have done this and that . . .’ He stops saying that. If he goes on saying that, he has not got faith. Or if he says, ‘Ah, there is still terrible blackness within me, and I find sin within myself still, how can I say that I am saved?’ he is still wrong. He must not speak like that because he is still looking to himself. Faith speaks in an entirely different manner and makes a man say, ‘Yes, I have sinned grievously, I have lived a life of sin. I was a blasphemer, I was injurious, I was vile; there is scarcely a sin I have not committed, and I am aware of sin within me still, yet I know that I am a child of God because I am not resting on any righteousness of my own; my righteousness is in Jesus Christ, and God has put that to my account.’ He does not look to himself at all; he looks only, utterly, exclusively to the Lord Jesus Christ.

(D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Romans: An Exposition of Chapters 3.20-4.25: Atonement and Justification, [Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975], pp. 45-46.)

Eugene H. Peterson:

God sticks to his relationship. He establishes a personal relationship with us and stays with it. The central reality for Christians is the personal, unalterable, persevering commitment that God makes to us. Perseverance is not the result of our determination, it is the result of God’s faithfulness. We survive in the way of faith not because we have extraordinary stamina but because God is righteous. Christian discipleship is a process of paying more and more attention to God’s righteousness and less and less attention to our own; finding the meaning of our lives not by probing our moods and motives and morals but by believing in God’s will and purposes; making a map of the faithfulness of God, not charting the rise and fall of our enthusiasms. It is out of such a reality that we acquire perseverance.

(Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, [Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1980], pp. 128-129.)

Louis Berkhof:

If we would have the assurance of faith, the first great requisite is that we make a diligent study of the Bible, and more particularly of the glorious promises of forgiveness and salvation. After all it is only in the Word of God and in the living Christ, as He is mirrored in the Word, that we find the objective basis for the assurance of grace and perseverance to the end. The free promises of God are the foundation of our faith, and it is only on the strength of these that we place our trust in Christ as our Saviour. These promises are absolutely reliable and have their confirmation in Jesus Christ. “For how many soever be the promises of God, in him is the yea; wherefore also through him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through us.” II Cor. 1:20. Desiring to give the heirs of salvation full assurance in this respect, God even confirmed his promise by an oath, “that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” Heb. 6:18. A real conviction of the truth of the promises inspires trust, and trust confidence, and these, in turn, are the sure foundation of a living hope. The promises are not only sure, but also unconditional, i.e. they are not conditioned by any work of man. This is a very essential element in connection with the assurance of salvation. If they were not entirely gratuitous, they would throw us back upon our own works and thereby make assurance for the future impossible.

(Louis Berkhof, Assurance of Faith: Second Edition, [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1939], pp. 50-51.) See also: monergism.com.

Cf. Charles Hodge:

It is obvious that we can have no rational feelings of gratitude, love, adoration and fear toward God, except in view of the truths revealed concerning Him in his Word. We can have no love or devotion to Christ, except so far as the manifestation of his character and work is accepted by us as true. We can have no faith except as founded on some revealed promise of God; no resignation or submission except in view of the wisdom and love of God and of his universal providence as revealed in the Scriptures; no joyful anticipation of future blessedness which is not founded on what the Gospel makes known of a future state of existence. The Bible, therefore, is essential to the conscious existence of the divine life in the soul and to all its rational exercises. The Christian can no more live without the Bible, than his body can live without food. The Word of God is milk and strong meat, it is as water to the thirsty, it is honey and the honeycomb.

(Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology: Vol. III, [New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1884], pp. 478-479.) See also: ccel.org.

R. C. Sproul:

How do we know that this testimony to our spirits is from the Holy Spirit and not from an evil spirit? How does the Holy Spirit confirm in our hearts that we are the children of God? The Spirit bears witness to our spirits through the Word. The farther we get away from the Word, the less assurance we will experience in this life. The more we are in the Word of God, the more the Spirit who inspired the Word and who illumines it for us will use the Word to confirm in our souls that we are truly His, that we are indeed among the children of God.

(R. C. Sproul, Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? Crucial Questions No. 7, [Orlando: Reformation Trust, 2010], Ch. 5: The Source of Full Assurance, p. 71.) [Kindle Edition]

10.1. The Sacraments and assurance. Return to Outline.

Keith A. Mathison:

The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the second means of grace provided by God. The Westminster Larger Catechism helpfully defines a sacrament as “an holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace, the benefits of his mediation; to strengthen and increase their faith, and all other graces; to oblige them to obedience; to testify and cherish their love and communion one with another; and to distinguish them from those that are without” (A. 162). The sacraments “become effectual means of salvation, not by any power in themselves, or any virtue derived from the piety or intention of him by whom they are administered, but only by the working of the Holy Ghost, and the blessing of Christ, by whom they are instituted” (A. 161). The Westminster Shorter Catechism adds that the sacraments become effectual means of salvation only “in them that by faith receive them” (A. 91).

The Reformed doctrine of the sacraments set forth in the Westminster standards is contrasted with Roman Catholic doctrine, which insists that the sacraments work ex opere operato, that is, by virtue of the work being performed. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, when the sacraments are celebrated properly, the grace they signify is always made efficaciously present. According to the Reformed doctrine, the sacraments are not intrinsically efficacious. Their efficacy requires that the Holy Spirit be at work in and through them and that they be received in faith.

The Reformed doctrine of the sacraments is also contrasted with the Zwinglian doctrine, which understands the sacraments to be merely symbols of spiritual truths. According to the Reformed doctrine, the sacraments consist of three aspects: the visible elements and actions (the signs), the spiritual reality (the things signified), and the spiritual relation (the sacramental union) between the signs and the things signified (Westminster Confession of Faith 27.2). Because of the sacramental union established by God, the sacraments effectually confer grace to those who receive them in faith. As several Reformed confessions indicate, for those with faith God performs spiritually what the sacraments signify physically (Belgic Confession §§34-35; French Confession §37).

…In the Reformed doctrine of Calvin, parallelism is at work between the action of the minister during the observance of the sacrament and the work of God. What is promised and offered through the visible sacramental signs is truly given by God to those who receive the promise in faith (Romans 2:25-29; Colossians 2:11-12). The action of God is not, however, necessarily tied to the instant of time that the visible sacrament is observed (Westminster Confession of Faith 28.6).

(Keith A. Mathison, “God’s Means of Assurance;” In: Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God’s Grace: Second Edition, ed. Burk Parsons, [Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2007], pp. 143-144, 149.)

10.2. Distinguishing between true and false assurance. Return to Outline.

R. C. Sproul:

With respect to the assurance of salvation there are basically four kinds of people in the world. (1) There are people who are not saved who know that they are not saved. (2) There are people who are saved who do not know that they are saved. (3) There are people who are saved who know that they are saved. (4) There are people who are not saved who “know” that they are saved.

It is the last group that throws a monkey wrench into the works. If there are people who are not saved who “know” that they are saved, how can the people who are saved know that they really are saved?

(R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, [Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1986], pp. 163-164.)

Cf. R. C. Sproul:

This section teaches that unregenerate persons may possess a false sense of assurance, but that genuine believers may attain a true sense of assurance. Assurance must be considered for the four kinds of people in the world. The first group of people are not saved and are aware that they are not. They are unregenerate and they know it. They have no interest in becoming Christians.

The people in the second group are in a state of grace, but they are not sure that they are saved. The confession, as we will see, says that assurance of salvation is possible and indeed should be sought. Nevertheless, not everyone who is in the state of grace has arrived yet at the conclusion that he is in that state. Such people may think or hope they are saved, but not have full assurance that they are. Many Christians struggle with this issue. Their degree of assurance vacillates from firm to shaky. During our study of the perseverance of the saints, we indicated that they can fall seriously and radically, but not fully and finally. When people are in the midst of a serious fall, they can have grave questions about the state of their soul.

The third group of people is easy to explain. They are in a state of grace and are assured of their salvation.

What complicates the whole question of assurance is the fourth group: those who are not saved, but think that they are. There are two groups who possess an assurance of salvation, but only one of those groups actually has salvation. So if someone has an assurance of sal- vation, how can he be sure that his assurance is genuine, and not the false assurance of the hypocrite and the unbeliever? And how can people who are not saved nonetheless have full assurance that they are?

(R. C. Sproul, Truths We Confess: Volume Two, [Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2007], WCF 18, p. 219.)

R. C. Sproul:

Our assurance comes first of all from our trust in the God who makes these promises. Secondly, our assurance is enhanced by the inward evidence of our own faith. We know that we could never have any true affection for Christ if we were not reborn. We know that we could not be reborn if we were not elect. A knowledge of sound theology is vital to our assurance. If we have a correct understanding of election, that understanding will help us interpret these inward evidences.

I know inwardly that I do not love Christ totally. But at the same time I do know that I love him. I rejoice inwardly at the thought of his triumph. I rejoice inwardly at the thought of his coming. I will his exaltation. I know that none of these sentiments that I find in myself could possibly be there if it were not for grace.

When a man and woman are in love we assume that they are aware of it. A person is usually able to discern whether or not he or she is in love with another person. This comes from an inward. assurance.

In addition to the inward evidence of grace there is also outward evidence. We should be able to see visible fruit of our conversion. The outward evidence, however, may also cause our lack of assurance. We can see the abiding sin in our lives. Such sin does not do much for our assurance. We see ourselves sinning and we ask ourselves, “How can I do these things if I really love Christ?”

To have assurance we must make a sober analysis of our lives. It is not much use to compare ourselves with others. We will always be able to find others who are more advanced in their sanctification than we are. We may also be able to find others who are less advanced. No two people are ever at exactly the same point in their spiritual growth.

We must ask ourselves if we see any real change in our behavior, any real outward evidence of grace. This is a precarious process because we can lie to ourselves. It is a difficult task to perform, but by no means impossible.

We have one more vital method of reaching assurance. We are told in Scripture about the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. Paul states that “the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16).

The chief means by which the Spirit testifies to us is through his Word. I never have greater assurance than when I am meditating on the Word of God. If we neglect this means of grace, it is difficult to have any lasting or strong assurance of our salvation.

(R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, [Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1986], pp. 170-171.)

For more on this see: Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, [Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994], pp. 803-806.

Benedict Pictet:

Should any one ask how he may arrive at this assurance, let him take this answer—God hath given him two books, by which he may attain this knowledge—the book of scripture and the book of conscience. In the former are laid down the marks and signs of election; in the latter he can read and discover, whether he have these marks and signs in himself. Now these are true faith; hatred of sin; sincere pursuit after holiness; unfeigned love to God; even in the midst of afflictions, love to our neighbours, even our enemies;—a heart despising the world, and breathing after heaven.

(Benedict Pictet, Christian Theology, trans. Frederick Reyroux, [London: R. B. Seeley and W. Burnside, 1834], p. 240.)

Archibald Alexander Hodge:

1st. That unregenerate men, beguiled by the natural desire for happiness, flattered by self-love, and betrayed by a spirit of self-righteousness and self-confidence, should frequently indulge an unfounded assurance of their own gracious condition, is rendered antecedently probable from what we know of human nature, and rendered certain as a fact from common observation and from the declarations of Scripture. Mic. iii. 11; Job viii. 13, 14.

True assurance, however, may be distinguished from that which is false by the following tests: (1.) True assurance begets unfeigned humility; false assurance begets spiritual pride. 1 Cor. xv. 10; Gal. vi. 14. (2.) The true leads to increased diligence in the practice of holiness; the false leads to sloth and self-indulgence. Ps. li. 12, 13, 19. (3.) The true leads to candid self-examination and to a desire to be searched and corrected by God; the false leads to a disposition to be satisfied with appearance and to avoid accurate investigation. Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. (4.) The true leads to constant aspirations after more intimate fellowship with God. 1 John iii. 2, 3.

(Archibald Alexander Hodge, A Commentary on the Confession of Faith: With Questions for Theological Students and Bible Classes, [Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1901], on WCF 18.1-2, p. 323.)

Cf. 1 John 2:19:

They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

11. Growing in assurance. Return to Outline.

Herman Bavinck:

The assurance of salvation is not, accordingly, something which is added to the life of faith from without, but something, rather, which blossoms up out of that life of faith itself. Hence, the assurance differs “according to the measure of the faith.” In this life, the believers must battle against various carnal doubts, and are sometimes grievously tempted, and hence they do not always feel this full assurance of faith, and certainty of persevering (Compare the Canons, V, 11).

But all this does not take away from the fact that the saving faith, such as Scripture describes it and the Reformation restored it, is not in its inner nature certainty, and that this certainty becomes stronger in proportion to the extent that the faith becomes stronger. Such faith is not opposed to knowledge, but it is opposed to all doubt whatsoever. Doubt does not come up out of the new man but out of the old; it does not come up out of the Spirit but out of the flesh. The faith says yea and amen to all the promises of God, embraces those promises, and leans upon them. As it does this, and in proportion to the extent that it does so, the refugee confidence of the faith becomes sure confidence, and it gives the believer the freedom to apply all of those promises of God to himself and to appropriate them; the growing confidence becomes a sure confidence that not to others only but to me also the forgiveness of sins, eternal righteousness and salvation have been given of God, out of pure grace, and solely for the merits of Christ.

(Herman Bavinck, Our Reasonable Faith, trans. Henry Zylstra, [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1956], pp. 510-511.)

John Newton:

Assurance grows by repeated conflict, by our repeated experimental proof of the Lord’s power and goodness to save; when we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again, have given up all hope, and been suddenly snatched from danger, and placed in safety; and when these things have been repeated to us and in us a thousand times over, we begin to learn to trust simply to the word and power of God, beyond and against appearances: and this trust, when habitual and strong, bears the name of assurance; for even assurance has degrees.

(John Newton, Cardiphonia; Or The Utterance Of The Heart; In The Course Of A Real Correspondence: Second Edition, [Edinburgh: Waugh & Innes, 1829], “Eight Letters to Mrs. ——,” Letter II, September, 1764, p. 396.)

12. God’s love toward His elect will never fail, for that which is without beginning cannot end. Return to Outline.

Jeremiah 31:3:

The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

13. Do you love Jesus? Return to Outline.

R. C. Sproul:

Do You Love Jesus?

At a practical level, people who are struggling with their assurance of salvation often approach me and ask, “How can I know I am saved?” In response, I ask them three questions.

First I ask, “Do you love Jesus perfectly?” Every person to whom I have asked that question has responded candidly, “No, I don’t.” That’s why they are not sure of the state of their souls; they know there are deficiencies in their affection for Christ, because they know that if they loved Christ perfectly, they would obey Him perfectly. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). So as soon as we disobey one of His commandments, that’s a signal to us that we do not love Him perfectly.

Second, when a person acknowledges that he doesn’t love Jesus perfectly, I ask, “Do you love Him as much as you ought to?” The person usually gives me a strange look and says, “Well, no, of course, I don’t.” That’s right; if the answer to the first question is no, the answer to the second question has to be no, because we’re supposed to love Him perfectly, but we don’t. Therein lies the tension that we experience about our salvation.

Third, I ask, “Well, do you love Jesus at all?” Before the person answers, I usually add that I’m asking about his love for the biblical Christ, the Christ whom we encounter in the pages of Holy Scripture. …I’m not asking whether they love a Christ who is a hero for kids or a Christ who is a good moral teacher. I’m asking whether they love the Christ who appears in Scripture.

Now if someone can say “Yes” to that third question, that’s where theology comes in. Consider this question: “Is it possible for an unregenerate person to have any true affection for Christ?” My answer is no; affection for Christ is a result of the Spirit’s work. That is what regeneration is all about; that is what the Spirit does in quickening. God the Holy Spirit changes the disposition of our souls and the inclination of our hearts. Before regeneration, we are cold, hostile, or indifferent (which is the worst kind of hostility) to the things of God, having no honest affection for Him, because we are in the flesh, and the flesh does not love the things of God. Love for God is kindled by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, who pours the love of God into our hearts (Rom. 5:5).

So if a person can answer “Yes” when I ask whether he has an affection for Christ, even though he may not love Jesus as much as he ought to (i.e., perfectly), that assures me the Spirit has done this transforming work in his soul. This is so because we do not have the power in our flesh to conjure up any true affection for Jesus Christ.

(R. C. Sproul, Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? Crucial Questions No. 7, [Orlando: Reformation Trust, 2010], Ch. 5: The Source of Full Assurance, pp. 61-62, 62-63.) [Kindle Edition]

Do you desire perseverance?

Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (c. 354-430 A.D.):

But I do not think that manner which I have said should be adopted in the preaching of predestination ought to be sufficient for him who speaks to the congregation, except he adds this, or something of this kind, saying, “You, therefore, ought also to hope for that perseverance in obedience from the Father of Lights, from whom cometh down every excellent gift and every perfect gift,[Jas. i. 17.] and to ask for it in your daily prayers; and in doing this ought to trust that you are not aliens from the predestination of His people, because it is He Himself who bestows even the power of doing this. And far be it from you to despair of yourselves, because you are bidden to have your hope in Him, not in yourselves. For cursed is every one who has hope in man;[Jas. xvii. 5.] and it is good rather to trust in the Lord than to trust in man, because blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.[Ps. cxviii. 8.] Holding this hope, serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling.[Ps. ii. 12.] Because no one can be certain of the life eternal which God who does not lie has promised to the children of promise before the times of eternity,—no one, unless that life of his, which is a state of trial upon the earth, is completed.[Job vii. 1.] But He will make us to persevere in Himself unto the end of that life, since we daily say to Him, ‘Lead us not into temptation.’”[Matt. vi. 13.] When these things and things of this kind are said, whether to few Christians or to the multitude of the Church, why do we fear to preach the predestination of the saints and the true grace of God,—that is, the grace which is not given according to our merits,—as the Holy Scripture declares it? Or, indeed, must it be feared that a man should then despair of himself when his hope is shown to be placed in God, and should not rather despair of himself if he should, in his excess of pride and unhappiness, place it in himself?

(Augustine of Hippo, A Treatise on the Gift of Perseverance, 62; PL, 45:1030-1031; trans. NPNF1, 5:550.) See also: ccel.org.

Note: This: “no one can be certain of the life eternal” is a reference to absolute or epistemic certainty, not moral certainty.

14. Union with Christ and assurance. Return to Outline.

Michael P. V. Barrett:

By the law of this spiritual and mystical union, believers sit with Christ on His throne. Since we are united to Christ, it is impossible for Christ to be where we are not or for us not to be where He is. As part of His earned exaltation, after His resurrection He ascended into heaven and took His seat of honor at the right hand of His Father. And inexplicably yet absolutely, so did we. I confess that the fact that we are enthroned with Christ as He sits exalted in His session at the right hand of God totally confounds me. It is amazing beyond words. It occurs to me that sometimes we read the Scripture so casually that we do not take the time to let the truths really sink into our minds and hearts. Listen to what the Scripture says, and just think about it: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ’ (Eph. 1:3 emphasis mine); ‘But God, who is rich in mercy... hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus’ (Eph. 2:4, 6 emphasis mine). If these were predictions of what God would do for us someday, we would have something wonderful to look forward to. But these are not prophecies; they are declarations of what God has already done. So as I sit here struggling over words, I am even now in heaven in throne-union with Jesus Christ. What is more real: where I am here or where I am there?

As confounding as all this may be to reason, what wonder it imports for our faith. The implications of this throne-union to the issues of life are extensive. We ought not to live any part of our life here without the consciousness that we are in reality there. We need to live in the light of spiritual reality. This throne-union with Christ ought to assure us of our absolute security in the gospel. If we are spiritually present in heaven in Christ now, then there is no possibility that we can ever perish in hell. Union with Christ is an excellent argument for our eternal security. This union ought also to strengthen us through all the struggles and sufferings of this life. Just as certain as is suffering is the fact that ‘we shall also reign with him’ (2 Tim. 2:12; see also Rom. 8:17 where joint suffering leads to joint glorification). Even when all of life seems to be against us, we have reason for confidence and joy, knowing by faith that appearance and reality are not the same. ‘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’ (Rom. 8:34).

Can you see it? Christ died; we died with Him. Christ is risen; we rose with Him. Christ is at the right hand of God; we are sitting with Him. Therefore, no one or nothing can condemn us or separate us ‘from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 8:34). May God help us to think more and more about this mystical union and communion that we have with Christ. It will do us good.

(Joel R. Beeke, Michael P. V. Barrett, A Radical, Comprehensive Call to Holiness, [Glasgow: Bell & Bain, 2021], pp. 41-42.)

Michael P. V. Barrett:

The Scripture reveals that the believer’s mystical union is not just everlasting (no temporal ending), but it is in fact eternal (no temporal beginning, either). There is obviously a temporal beginning to our union when by faith we consciously enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and are baptized by the Holy Spirit into His body. Yet in the mind of God, what transpires in time manifests His eternal purpose. The eternal nature of the believer’s spiritual union with Christ puts in boldface the believer’s security in the gospel.

(Joel R. Beeke, Michael P. V. Barrett, A Radical, Comprehensive Call to Holiness, [Glasgow: Bell & Bain, 2021], p. 50.)

15. Assurance and the sovereignty of God. Return to Outline.

R. C. Sproul:

An analogy of God’s work of preservation may be seen in the image of a father holding onto his small child’s hand as they walk together. In the Arminian view the safety of the child rests in the strength of the child’s grip on the father’s hand. If the child lets go he will perish. In the Calvinist view the safety of the child rests in the strength of the father’s grip on the child. If the child’s grip fails, the father’s grip holds firm. The arm of the Lord does not wax short.

(R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, [Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1986], p. 180.)

Assurance ultimately rests upon God, upon His Sovereignty, His strength, His faithfulness and His ability to preserve, not upon the strength, faithfulness and perseverance of Man.

Timothy Keller:

The great and central basis of Christian assurance is not how much our hearts are set on God, but how unshakably His heart is set on us.

(Timothy Keller, Galatians For You, [The Good Book Company, 2013], p. 107.)

Robert Letham:

The sovereignty of God’s grace. Paul frequently rests assurance of salvation on effectual calling. The ineffable decree of election is made known in its historical and temporal dimensions by God’s gracious power displayed in the renewal of those who were dead in sin (Rom. 8:29-30). Salvation in its consummated form is inevitable for those who have been called by his invincible grace. This is not because of a rigidly deterministic fatalism, a matter of logical necessity that reduces us to robots, but because of the irrevocable will of the faithful God (Rom. 11:29). We must be clear that God’s will is not that of an arbitrary despot but that of a loving and self-sacrificing Father who did not spare his own Son, not for good people but for outright sinners and rebels (Rom. 5:8; 8:32). The electing decree of God bursts into the milieu of history at the point of calling and justification, and thus provides the basis for the unbreakable “golden chain” of salvation in Romans 8:29-30. From first to last, salvation is an exercise of God’s grace to elect sinners and so is lifted out of the realm of the merely possible. God’s grace is given to us and maintained in us by the Spirit, who does not leave things half done but brings to perfection those works he has begun (Phil. 1:6).

As a corollary, assurance of salvation has only ever flourished where the sovereignty of grace has been clearly attested. The key to assurance is perseverance. A denial of the perseverance of the saints removes the confidence that we will possess the eternal inheritance the Father has promised in Christ to those who love him. If there is any chance that one may fall from grace and perish eternally, there can be no certainty that we will eventually be saved. Any such assurance we have is despite this theology rather than because of it. All remains in the balance until the end, like a game of soccer that swings dramatically one way and then the other until the final whistle. That is why the Articles of Remonstrance (1610), produced by the followers of Arminius, adopting an equivocal position on perseverance, removed the possibility of assurance of ultimate salvation, and why, in response, the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) so strongly affirmed that the elect are given the grace to persevere and so are also able to obtain the certainty, by the Holy Spirit, of their preservation.[fn. 53: Schaff, Creeds, 3:548-49, 571-74.] That is also why the theology of Rome denies the possibility of infallible certainty of ultimate salvation, apart from special revelation or the pronouncement of the church. Similarly, the Wesleyan movement has denied perseverance and so can lay claim only to assurance of the present possession of salvation, not to salvation in the ultimate sense, for no one can be sure that he or she will not fall from grace totally or finally.[fn. 54: Mark A. Noll, “John Wesley and the Doctrine of Assurance,” BSac 132 (1975): 161-77.]

(Robert Letham, Systematic Theology, [Wheaton: Crossway, 2019], 25.4.2, pp. 745-746.)

16. Postscript. Return to Outline.

Blaise Pascal:

The year of grace 1654

Monday, 23 November, feast of Saint Clement, Pope and Martyr, and of others in the Martyrology.

Eve of Saint Chrysogonus, Martyr and others.

From about half past ten in the evening until half past midnight.

Fire

‘God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob,’ [Ex. iii. 6] not of philosophers and scholars.

Certainty, certainty, heartfelt, joy, peace.

God of Jesus Christ.

My God and your God [John xx. 17].

‘Thy God shall be my God’ [Ruth i. 16].

The world forgotten, and everything except God.

He can only be found in the ways taught in the Gospels.

Greatness of the human soul.

‘O righteous Father, the world had not known thee, but I have known thee’ [John xvii. 25].

Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.

I have cut myself off from him.

They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters [Jer. ii. 13].

‘My God wilt thou forsake me?’ [Cf. Matt. xxvii. 46].

Let me not be cut off from him forever!

‘And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent’ [John xvii. 3].

Jesus Christ.

I have cut myself off from him, shunned him, denied him, crucified him.

Let me never be cut off from him!

He can only be kept by the ways taught in the Gospel.

Sweet and total renunciation.

Total submission to Jesus Christ and my director.

Everlasting joy in return for one day's effort on earth.

I will not forget thy word [Ps. cxix. 16]. Amen.

(Blaise Pascal, “The Memorial;” In: Blaise Pascal, Pensées, trans. A. J. Krailsheimer, [London: Penguin Books, 1966], pp. 309-310.)

Augustus Toplady:

A debtor to mercy alone,

Of covenant mercy I sing;

Nor fear, with your righteousness on,

My person and offering to bring.

The terrors of law and of God

With me can have nothing to do;

My Savior’s obedience and blood

Hide all my transgressions from view.

The work which his goodness began,

The arm of his strength will complete;

His promise is yea and amen,

And never was forfeited yet.

Things future, nor things that are now,

Nor all things below nor above,

Can make him his purpose forgo,

Or sever my soul from his love.

My name from the palms of his hands

Eternity cannot erase;

Impressed on his heart it remains,

In marks of indelible grace.

Yes, I to the end shall endure,

As sure as the earnest is given;

More happy, but not more secure,

The glorified spirits in heaven.

(Augustus Toplady, “Full Assurance;” In: Hezekiah Butterworth, The Story of the Hymns: Or, Hymns that Have a History, [New York: American Tract Society, 1875], pp. 29-30.)

17. Additional objections. Return to Outline.

Question 1.

What about libertarian “free” (i.e. autonomous) will?

Answer 1.

Will not the believer possess a greater freedom in the new Heaven and Earth than they now possess? Will the believer have the ability to sin and fall from grace in the new Heaven and Earth? If it does not impugn our “free will” to be incapable of falling from grace in the new Heaven and Earth then how does it destroy our “free will” to say that we are unable to fall from grace now?

Note: Click here for a critique of Libertarian Free Will.

Question 2.

What about those that appear to fall away?

Answer 2.

1 John 2:19:

They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Matthew 7:22-23:

Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never [οὐδέποτε] knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

R. C. Sproul:

Those who become “unconverted” were never converted in the first place. Judas was a son of perdition from the beginning. His conversion was spurious. Jesus did not pray for his restoration. Judas did not lose the Holy Spirit, because he never had the Holy Spirit.

(R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, [Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1986], p. 181.)

Cf. John 17:11-12, 24:

I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. …Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. John 6:70:

Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. John 13:10-11:

Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

R. C. Sproul:

If you have it you never lose it, if you lose it you never had it.

(R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, [Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1986], p. 174.)

Cf. Luke 22:31-32:

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once [ποτε - when, not if] you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (c. 354-430 A.D.):

…if you say that it pertains to man’s free will—which you defend, not in accordance with God’s grace, but in opposition to it—that any one should persevere in good, or should not persevere, and it is not by the gift of God if he persevere, but by the performance of human will, why will you strive against the words of Him who says, “I have prayed for thee, Peter, that thy faith fail not”?[Luke xxii. 32] Will you dare to say that even when Christ prayed that Peter’s faith might not fail, it would still have failed if Peter had willed it to fail; that is, if he had been unwilling that it should continue even to the end? As if Peter could in any measure will otherwise than Christ had asked for him that he might will. For who does not know that Peter’s faith would then have perished if that will by which he was faithful should fail, and that it would have continued if that same will should abide? But because “the will is prepared by the Lord,”[Prov. viii. 35] therefore Christ’s petition on his behalf could not be a vain petition. When, then, He prayed that his faith should not fail, what was it that he asked for, but that in his faith he should have a most free, strong, invincible, persevering will! Behold to what an extent the freedom of the will is defended in accordance with the grace of God, not in opposition to it; because the human will does not attain grace by freedom, but rather attains freedom by grace, and a delightful constancy, and an insuperable fortitude that it may persevere.

(Augustine of Hippo, A Treatise on Rebuke and Grace, 17; trans. NPNF1, 5:478.) See also: ccel.org.

Both Peter and Judas betrayed Christ, both events were known beforehand by Christ, and yet one was always a believer, and one never was.

Question 3.

Hebrews 6:4-6?

Hebrews 6:4-6:

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Answer 3.

John Calvin:

But here arises a new question, How can it be that he who has once made such a progress should afterwards fall away? For God, it may be said, calls none effectually but the elect, and Paul testifies that they are really his sons who are led by his Spirit, (Rom. viii. 14;) and he teaches us, that it is a sure pledge of adoption when Christ makes us partakers of his Spirit. The elect are also beyond the danger of finally falling away; for the Father who gave them to be preserved by Christ his Son is greater than all, and Christ promises to watch over them all so that none may perish. To all this I answer, That God indeed favours none but the elect alone with the Spirit of regeneration, and that by this they are distinguished from the reprobate; for they are renewed after his image and receive the earnest of the Spirit in hope of the future inheritance, and by the same Spirit the Gospel is sealed in their hearts. But I cannot admit that all this is any reason why he should not grant the reprobate also some taste of his grace, why he should not irradiate their minds with some sparks of his light, why he should not give them some perception of his goodness, and in some sort engrave his word on their hearts. Otherwise where would be the temporary faith mentioned by Mark iv. 17? There is therefore some knowledge even in the reprobate, which afterwards vanishes away, either because it did not strike roots sufficiently deep, or because it withers, being choked up.

And by this bridle the Lord keeps us in fear and humility; and we certainly see how prone human nature is otherwise to security and foolish confidence. At the same time our solicitude ought to be such as not to disturb the peace of conscience. For the Lord strengthens faith in us, while he subdues our flesh and hence he would have faith to remain and rest tranquil as in a safe haven; but he exercises the flesh with various conflicts, that it may not grow wanton through idleness.

(John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, trans. John Owen, [Edinburgh: Printed for the Calvin Translation Society, 1853], on Hebrews 6:5, pp. 137-138.)

Matthew Pool:

And were made partakers of the Holy Ghost; not by an inhabitation of his person in them, but by his operations in them, whereby he is trying how far a natural man may be raised, and not have his nature changed: as is evident in Socrates, who died for owning the unity of the Deity; and as the scribe near the kingdom of heaven, Mark xii. 34. He is proving by his gifts to them how much supernatural good, and workings towards salvation, they are capable of, without the putting forth of the exceeding greatness of his power to make them new creatures, as Gen. vi. 3; compare 1 Cor. i. 21; 1 Pet. iii. 18-20. These did partake of from the Holy Ghost, the light of nature, of the law, of the gospel, with some spiritual power accompanying all these; which as they are trials of lapsed nature, so are lessening many punishments by keeping men off from many sins, as 2 Pet. ii. 20. These professors had escaped the gross and outward pollutions and defilements that many were drenched with in their lives, but have lusts abiding unmortified, from whence these would arise in them still; but here is no pure heart or divine nature wrought in them, and the lusting principle is unmortified still; this God accepts according to its kind: compare Mark x. 21, 22.

(Matthew Pool, Annotations Upon the Holy Bible: In Three Volumes: Vol. III, [London: James Nisbet and Co., 1852], on Hebrews 6:4, pp. 831-832.)

John Calvin:

I know that to attribute faith to the reprobate seems hard to some, when Paul declares it the result of election [cf. I Thess. 1:4-5]. Yet this difficulty is easily solved. For though only those predestined to salvation receive the light of faith and truly feel the power of the gospel, yet experience shows that the reprobate are sometimes affected by almost same feeling as the elect, so that even in their own judgment they do not in any way differ from the elect [cf. Acts 13:48]. Therefore it is not at all absurd that the apostle should attribute to them a taste of the heavenly gifts [Heb. 6:4-6]—and Christ, faith for a time [Luke 8:13]; not because they firmly grasp the force of spiritual grace and the sure light of faith, but because the Lord, to render them more convicted and inexcusable, steals into their minds to the extent that his goodness may be tasted without the Spirit of adoption.

Suppose someone objects that then nothing more remains to believers to assure themselves of their adoption. I reply: although there is a great likeness and affinity between God’s elect and those who are given a transitory faith, yet only in the elect does that confidence flourish which Paul extols, that they loudly proclaim Abba, Father [Gal. 4:6; cf. Rom. 8:15]. Therefore, as God regenerates only the elect with incorruptible seed forever [I Peter 1:23] so that the seed of life sown in their hearts may never perish, thus he firmly seals the gift of his adoption in them that it may be steady and sure.

But this does not at all hinder that lower working of the Spirit from taking its course even in the reprobate. In the meantime, believers are taught to examine themselves carefully and humbly, lest the confidence of the flesh creep in and replace assurance of faith. Besides this, the reprobate never receive anything but a confused awareness of grace, so that they grasp a shadow rather than the firm body of it. For the Spirit, strictly speaking, seals forgiveness of sins in the elect alone, so that they apply it by special faith to their own use. Yet the reprobate are justly said to believe that God is merciful toward them, for they receive the gift of reconciliation, although confusedly and not distinctly enough. Not that they are partakers of the same faith or regeneration with the children of God, but because they seem, under a cloak of hypocrisy, to have a beginning of faith in common with the latter. And I do not deny that God illumines their minds enough for them to recognize his grace; but he so distinguishes that awareness from the exclusive testimony he gives to his elect that they do not attain the full effect and fruition thereof. He does not show himself merciful to them, to the extent of truly snatching them from death and receiving them into his keeping, but only manifests to them his mercy for the time being. Only his elect does he account worthy of receiving the living root of faith so that they may endure to the end [Matt. 24:13]. Thus is that objection answered: if God truly shows his grace, this fact is forever established. For nothing prevents God from illumining some with a momentary awareness of his grace, which afterward vanishes.

(John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.2.11; trans. The Library of Christian Classics: Volume XX: Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, [Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960], pp. 555-556.) See also: Henry Beveridge, trans.

Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (c. 354-430 A.D.):

Nor let it disturb us that to some of His children God does not give this perseverance. Be this far from being so, however, if these were of those who are predestinated and called according to His purpose,—who are truly the children of the promise. For the former, while they live piously, are called children of God; but because they will live wickedly, and die in that impiety, the foreknowledge of God does not call them God’s children. For they are children of God whom as yet we have not, and God has already, of whom the Evangelist John says, “that Jesus should die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God which were scattered abroad;”[John xi. 51, 52.] and this certainly they were to become by believing, through the preaching of the gospel. And yet before this had happened they had already been enrolled as sons of God with unchangeable stedfastness in the memorial of their Father. And, again, there are some who are called by us children of God on account of grace received even in temporal things [Et sunt rursus quidam, qui filii Dei propter susceptam vel temporaliter gratiam dicuntur a nobis — Note: temporaliter gratiam dicuntur, “are said to have grace temporarily”], yet are not so called by God; of whom the same John says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us, because if they had been of us they would, no doubt, have continued with us.”[1 John ii. 19.] He does not say, “They went out from us, but because they did not abide with us they are no longer now of us;” but he says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us,”—that is to say, even when they appeared among us, they were not of us. And as if it were said to him, Whence do you prove this? he says, “Because if they had been of us, they would assuredly have continued with us.”[Rom. viii. 29.] It is the word of God’s children; John is the speaker, who was ordained to a chief place among the children of God. When, therefore, God’s children say of those who had not perseverance, “They went out from us, but they were not of us,” and add, “Because if they had been of us, they would assuredly have continued with us,” what else do they say than that they were not children, even when they were in the profession and name of children? Not because they simulated righteousness, but because they did not continue in it. For he does not say, “For if they had been of us, they would assuredly have maintained a real and not a feigned righteousness with us;” but he says, “If they had been of us, they would assuredly have continued with us.” Beyond a doubt, he wished them to continue in goodness. Therefore they were in goodness; but because they did not abide in it,—that is, they did not persevere unto the end,—he says, They were not of us, even when they were with us,—that is, they were not of the number of children, even when they were in the faith of children; because they who are truly children are foreknown and predestinated as conformed to the image of His Son, and are called according to His purpose, so as to be elected. For the son of promise does not perish, but the son of perdition.[John xvii. 12.]

(Augustine of Hippo, A Treatise on Rebuke and Grace, Ch. 9, §. 20; PL, 44:927-928; trans. NPNF1, 5:497-498.) See also: ccel.org.

Cf. John Calvin, Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God, trans. J. K. S. Reid, [London: James Clarke & Co., 1961], p. 66.

Louis Berkhof:

1. THE CONCEPT OF FAITH: FOUR KINDS OF FAITH DISTINGUISHED. As a psychological phenomenon faith in the religious sense does not differ from faith in general. If faith in general is a persuasion of the truth founded on the testimony of one in whom we have confidence and on whom we rely, and therefore rests on authority, Christian faith in the most comprehensive sense is man’s persuasion of the truth of Scripture on the basis of the authority of God. The Bible does not always speak of religious faith in the same sense, and this gave rise to the following distinctions in theology.

a. Historical faith. This is a purely intellectual apprehension of the truth, devoid of any moral or spiritual purpose. The name does not imply that it embraces only historical facts and events to the exclusion of moral and spiritual truths; nor that it is based on the testimony of history, for it may have reference to contemporaneous facts or events, John 3:2. It is rather expressive of the idea that this faith accepts the truths of Scripture as one might accept a history in which one is not personally interested. This faith may be the result of tradition, of education, of public opinion, of an insight into the moral grandeur of Scripture, and so on, accompanied with the general operations of the Holy Spirit. It may be very orthodox and Scriptural, but is not rooted in the heart, Matt. 7:26; Acts 26:27,28; Jas. 2:19. It is a fides humana and not a fides divina.

b. Miraculous faith. The so-called miraculous faith is a persuasion wrought in the mind of a person that a miracle will be performed by him or in his behalf. God can give a person a work to do that transcends his natural powers and enable him to do it. Every attempt to perform a work of that kind requires faith. This is very clear in cases in which man appears merely as the instrument of God or as the one who announces that God will work a miracle, for such a man must have full confidence that God will not put him to shame. In the last analysis God only works miracles, though He may do it through human instrumentality. This is faith of miracles in the active sense, Matt. 17:20; Mark 16:17,18. It is not necessarily, but may be, accompanied with saving faith. The faith of miracles may also be passive, namely, the persuasion that God will work a miracle in one’s behalf. It, too, may or may not be accompanied with saving faith, Matt. 8:10-13; John 11:22 (comp. verses 25-27); 11:40; Acts 14:9. The question is often raised, whether such a faith has a legitimate place in the life of man to-day. Roman Catholics answer this question affirmatively, while Protestants are inclined to give a negative answer. They point out that there is no Scriptural basis for such a faith, but do not deny that miracles may still occur. God is entirely sovereign also in this respect, and the Word of God leads us to expect another cycle of miracles in the future.

c. Temporal faith. This is a persuasion of the truths of religion which is accompanied with some promptings of the conscience and a stirring of the affections, but is not rooted in a regenerate heart. The name is derived from Matt. 13:20,21. It is called a temporary faith, because it is not permanent and fails to maintain itself in days of trial and persecution. This does not mean that it may not last as long as life lasts. It is quite possible that it will perish only at death, but then it surely ceases. This faith is sometimes called a hypocritical faith, but that is not entirely correct, for it does not necessarily involve conscious hypocrisy. They who possess this faith usually believe that they have the true faith. It might better be called an imaginary faith, seemingly genuine, but evanescent in character. It differs from historical faith in the personal interest it shows in the truth and in the reaction of the feelings upon it. Great difficulty may be experienced in attempting to distinguish it from true saving faith. Christ says of the one who so believes: “He hath no root in himself,” Matt. 13:21. It is a faith that does not spring from the root implanted in regeneration, and therefore is not an expression of the new life that is embedded in the depths of the soul. In general it may be said that temporal faith is grounded in the emotional life and seeks personal enjoyment rather than the glory of God.

d. True Saving faith. True saving faith is a faith that has its seat in the heart and is rooted in the regenerate life. A distinction is often made between the habitus and the actus of faith. Back of both of these, however, lies the semen fidei. This faith is not first of all an activity of man, but a potentiality wrought by God in the heart of the sinner. The seed of faith is implanted in man in regeneration. Some theologians speak of this as the habitus of faith, but others more correctly call it the semen fidei. It is only after God has implanted the seed of faith in the heart that man can exercise faith. This is apparently what Barth has in mind also, when he, in his desire to stress the fact that salvation is exclusively a work of God, says that God rather than man is the subject of faith. The conscious exercise of faith gradually forms a habitus, and this acquires a fundamental and determining significance for the further exercise of faith. When the Bible speaks of faith, it generally refers to faith as an activity of man, though born of the work of the Holy Spirit. Saving faith may be defined as a certain conviction, wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to the truth of the gospel, and a hearty reliance (trust) on the promises of God in Christ. In the last analysis, it is true, Christ is the object of saving faith, but He is offered to us only in the gospel.

(L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology: Fourth Revised and Enlarged Edition, [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1976], pp. 501-503.) See also: ccel.org.

The Canons of Dort, Fifth Head of Doctrine, Rejection VII:

Who teach: That the faith of those, who believe for a time, does not differ from justifying and saving faith except only in duration. For Christ himself, in Matt. 13:20, Luke 8:13, and in other places, evidently notes, besides this duration, a threefold difference between those who believe only for a time and true believers, when he declares that the former receive the seed in stony ground, but the latter in the good ground or heart; that the former are without root, but the latter have a firm root; that the former are without fruit, but that the latter bring forth their fruit in various measure, with constancy and steadfastness.

(The Canons of Dort, Fifth Head of Doctrine, Rejection VII; In: The Three Forms of Unity, [The Mission Committee of the Protestant Reformed Churches of America, 1983], p. 47.)

John Calvin:

20. But he that received the seed thrown into stony places. This class differs from the former; for temporary faith, being a sort of vegetation of the seed, promises at first some fruit; but their hearts are not so properly and thoroughly subdued, as to have the softness necessary for their continued nourishment. We see too many of this class in our own day, who eagerly embrace the Gospel, and shortly afterwards fall off; for they have not the lively affection that is necessary to give them firmness and perseverance. Let every one then examine himself thoroughly, that the alacrity which gives out a bright flame may not quickly go out, as the saying is, like a fire of tow; for if the word does not fully penetrate the whole heart, and strike its roots deep, faith will want the supply of moisture that is necessary for perseverance. Great commendation is due, no doubt, to that promptitude, which receives the word of God with joy, and without delay, as soon as it is published; but let us learn, that nothing has been done, till faith acquires true firmness, that it may not wither in the first blade.

21. When affliction or persecution ariseth on account of the word. By way of example, Christ says that such persons are made uneasy by the offence of the cross. And certainly, as the heat of the sun discovers the barrenness of the soil, so persecution and the cross lay open the vanity of those, who are slightly influenced by I know not what desire, but are not actually moved by earnest feelings of piety. Such persons, according to Matthew and Mark, are temporary, not only because, having professed, for a time, that they are the disciples of Christ, they afterwards fall away through temptation, but because they imagine that they have true faith. According to Luke, Christ says that they believe for a time; because that honour which they render to the Gospel resembles faith. At the same time we ought to learn, that they are not truly regenerated by the incorruptible seed, which never fadeth, as Peter tells us, (1 Pet. i. 4;) for he says that these words of Isaiah, The word of God endureth for ever, (Isa. xl. 8; 1 Pet. i. 25,) are fulfilled in the hearts of believers, in whom the truth of God, once fixed, never passes away, but retains its vigour to the end. Still, those persons who take delight in the word of God, and cherish some reverence for it, do in some manner believe; for they are widely different from unbelievers, who give no credit to God when he speaks, or who reject his word. In a word, let us learn that none are partakers of true faith, except those who are sealed with the Spirit of adoption, and who sincerely call on God as their Father; and as that Spirit is never extinguished, so it is impossible that the faith, which he has once engraven on the hearts of the godly, shall pass away or be destroyed.

(John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke: Volume Second, trans. William Pringle, [Edinburgh: Printed for the Calvin Translation Society, 1845], on Matthew 13:20-21, pp. 114-116.)

Wayne Grudem:

Now the author of Hebrews knows that there are some in the community to which he writes who are in danger of falling away in just this way (see Heb. 2:3; 3:8, 12, 14-15; 4:1, 7, 11; 10:26, 29, 35-36, 38-39; 12:3, 15-17). He wants to warn them that, though they have participated in the fellowship of the church and experienced a number of God’s blessings in their lives, yet if they fall away after all that, there is no salvation for them. This does not imply that he thinks that true Christians could fall away—Hebrews 3:14 implies quite the opposite. But he wants them to gain assurance of salvation through their continuing in faith, and thereby implies that if they fall away it would show that they never were Christ’s people in the first place (see Heb. 3:6: “We are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope”).

Therefore the author wants to give a severe warning to those in danger of slipping away from their Christian profession. He wants to use the strongest language possible to say, “Here is how far a person can come in experiencing temporary blessings and still not really be saved.” He is warning them to watch out, because depending on temporary blessings and experiences is not enough. To do this he talks not of any true change of heart or any good fruit produced, but simply about the temporary blessings and experiences that have come to these persons and have given them some understanding of Christianity.

For this reason he immediately passes from this description of those who commit apostasy to a further analogy that shows that these people who fell away never had any genuine fruit in their lives. As we explained above, verses 7-8 speak of these people in terms of “thorns and thistles,” the kind of crop that is brought forth on land that has no worthwhile life in itself even though it receives repeated blessings from God (in terms of the analogy, even though rain frequently falls upon it). We should notice here that people who commit apostasy are not compared to a field that once bore good fruit and now does not, but that they are like land that never bore good fruit, but only thorns and thistles. The land may look good before the crops start to come up, but the fruit gives the genuine evidence, and it is bad.

(Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, [Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994], p. 800.)

For more on this topic see: Ibid., pp. 792-803. See also: Wayne Grudem, “Perseverance of the Saints: A Case Study from the Warning Passages in Hebrews;” In: Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace, eds. Thomas R. Schreiner, Bruce A. Ware, [Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000], pp. 133-182.

Those who have been born again persevere until the end (those who persevere until the end are those who were born again).

Colossians 1:22:

yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Hebrews 3:14:

For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Cf. Hebrews 3:6:

but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Edition.)

Those who do not persevere were never born again.

See Question 2 (above).

Appendix 1: The Westminster Confession of Faith. Return to Outline.

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Chapter XVIII – Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation:

SECTION I.—Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God, and estate of salvation;[Job 8:13, 14; Mic. 3:11; Deut. 29:19; John 8:41.] which hope of theirs shall perish;[Matt. 7:22, 23.] yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace,[1 John 2:3; 3:14, 18-19, 21, 24; 5:13.] and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.[Rom. 5:2, 5.]

SECTION II.—This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope;[Heb. 6:11, 19.] but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation,[Heb 6:17-18.] the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made,[2 Cor. 1:12; 2 Pet 1:4-5, 10-11; 1 John 2:3; 3:14.] the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God:[Rom. 8:15-16.] which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.[Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:21-22.]

(Westminster Confession of Faith, 18.1-2; In: Robert Shaw, An Exposition of the Confession of Faith of the Westminster Assembly of Divines: Eighth Edition, [Glasgow: Blackie and Son, 1857], WCF, Ch. XVIII, §§. 1-2, pp. 181-182.)

Appendix 2: The Council of Trent. Return to Outline.

The Council of Trent:

That a rash presumptuousness in the matter of Predestination is to be avoided.

No one, moreover, so long as he is in this mortal life, ought so far to presume as regards the secret mystery of divine predestination, as to determine for certain that he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate; as if it were true, that he that is justified, either cannot sin any more, or, if he do sin, that he ought to promise himself an assured repentance; for except by special revelation, it cannot be known whom God hath chosen unto Himself.

(Philip Schaff, Bibliotheca Symbolica Ecclesiæ Universalis: The Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes: In Three Volumes: Volume II, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1882], Canones et Decreta Dogmatica Concilii Tridentini, Sixth Session, held January 13, 1547, Decree on Justification, Chapter XII, p. 103.)

The Council of Trent:

If any one saith, that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he that falls and sins was never truly justified; or, on the other hand, that he is able, during his whole life, to avoid all sins, even those that are venial,—except by a special privilege from God, as the Church holds in regard of the Blessed Virgin: let him be anathema.

Appendix 3: John Brown of Haddington. Return to Outline.

John Brown of Haddington:

Such assurance of sense is attainable by believers in this life. I. The work of God’s Spirit on their soul manifests this. He testifies to their conscience, John xv. 26. xvi. 14. Rom. viii. 16. He writes his law in their heart to make them his people, Jer. xxxi. 33. Heb. viii. 10. 2 Cor. iii. 3. He seals them up to the day of redemption, Eph. i. 13. iv. 30. As an earnest of it, he secures eternal life to them, 2 Cor. i. 22. v. 5; Eph. i. 14. Rom. viii. 23. John iv. 14; and as an unction, he prepares them for it, 1 John ii. 20, 27. 2 Cor. v. 5. Col. i. 12. 2 Thess. i. 11. 2. The diligent study of holiness and much self-examination are, by God, inculcated upon us, that we may obtain this sensible assurance, 2 Pet. ii. 5-8,10. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 1 Cor. xi. 28. Zeph. ii. 1. 3. Many marks of grace are exhibited to us in Scripture, that by them we may try and know our gracious state, Matt. v. 3-10. 1 John i.-v.; i. 4. v. 13. 4. Many saints have actually obtained this assurance, as Job, Job xix. 25-27; Jacob, Gen. xlviii. 3. xlix. 18; Moses, Exod. xv. 1; David, Psalm xviii. 1-3. xxxi. 14. xci.2; Asaph, Psalm lxxiii. 23-26; Heman, Psalm lxxxviii1; Isaiah, Isa. lxiii. 16. Jeremiah, Jer. xxxi. 3; Daniel, Dan. ix. 4,18, 19. x. 11; Habakkuk, Hab. iii. 17, 18. i. 12; Simeon, Luke ii. 25-28; Mary, Luke i. 47; Thomas, John xx. 28; Paul, Gal. i. 16. ii. 19, 20. 2 Cor. v. 1. Phil. iii. 8, 9; Acts xxvii. 23. 2 Tim. i. 12. iv. 7, 8; and others, John i. 14. 1 John iii. 14. Isa. lxi. 10. 1 Thess. i. 4-6. 5. Believers’ inward peace, confidence, and holy gloriation, manifest their having this assurance, John xvi. 22, 33. Rom. v. 1, 2,11. Heb. vi. 11. Eph. iii. 12; 1 Pet. i. 8.

To attain this sensible assurance of the happiness of our state and the truth of our grace, are necessary, 1. Vigorous and often repeated acts of faith upon the declarations of the gospel, which are directed to us as sinful men, 1 Tim. i. 15. Isa. vii. 9. James i. 6, 7. 2. Earnest study of much familiar fellowship with God in Christ, 1 John i. 37. Song i. 4. 3. Diligent study of universal gospel holiness in heart and life, Luke i. 6. vi. 27-36. Matt. v. 44-48. John xv. 14. 4. Careful cherishing of the motions of the Spirit of God, who witnesses with our spirits, that we are the children of God, Eph. iv. 30. 1 Thess. v. 19. 5. Frequent, deliberate, judicious, impartial, earnest, and thorough examination of ourselves, 1 Cor. xi. 28; 2 Cor. xiii. 5; Zeph. ii. 1.—In which we must never admit an outward profession of religion, blamelessness of behaviour, experience of the common influences of the Holy Ghost, or any other thing which may exist without saving grace, as a mark, Matt. vii. 21-23. Phil. iii. 6. Heb. vi. 4-5. Isa. lviii. 2;—nor admit the tokens of strong grace as distinguishing marks of the truth of grace, Rom. iv. 19-20. Hab. iii. 17-18. Job xiii. 15. Matt xiv. 31. And, conscious of the deceitfulness of our own heart, we must earnestly plead for the powerful attestation of the Holy Ghost, Psalm cxxxix. 23. xxvi. 1, 2. xvii. 3.—Neglect of these things, attended with God’s sovereign and severe chastisements thereof, make many real believers wait long before they attain this assurance, or even lose it for a time, Heb. ii. 15. Psalm lxxiii. 2-15. lxxvii. 1-10. lxxxviii.

(John Brown, A Compendious View of Natural and Revealed Religion: In Seven Books: A New Edition, [London: Wm. Baynes, 1817], pp. 442-443.)

καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν ~ Soli Deo Gloria

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