Note: The following are eight reasons Christian ought to study the doctrine of assurance and:
a. Truth in of itself is important
i. Point: If God’s Word reveals anything about this subject, it ought to be seen as a gift of God’s truth for us to understand.
ii. Proof
1. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)
a. Verse reveals two kinds of knowledge: Revealed vs. Hidden.
b. What is revealed “belong to us” (second generation Hebrews out of Egypt) but also “to our sons forever,”
c. Purpose: “that we may observe all the words of this law.”
2. “Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.” (Proverbs 23:23)
a. Truth is precious enough that Scripture tells us to buy it and not sell it.
b. It’s not just any truth but truth that is wise, instructive and understanding.
iii. Practice
1. We ought to study this doctrine not just intellectually but to obey God’s Word (Cf. Deuteronomy 29:29b)!
2. If truths are even worth buying, how much do we appreciate a study on God’s Truth which in this case is about assurance when it’s free
b. God tells us to test ourselves if we are saved
i. Point: If God’s Word tells us to test to see if we are saved, then we best understand what that test means in order to give us assurance
ii. Proof
1. “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 [a]fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
a. Command stated twice: “Test yourselves” “examine yourselves”
b. Reflexive pronoun referring to ourselves in introspection, an activity down to us.
iii. Practice
1. Approach this study not just with head knowledge but to ask: Am I really saved?
2. This ought to be sobering
c. Too great a consequence to be mistaken about
i. Point: Note earlier in 2 Corinthians 13:5 that “Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you [a]fail the test?”
ii. Proof
1. “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 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[n]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
a. Jesus clearly state in verse 21 that some could be mistaken.
b. Note what these people say about their relationship to God in verse 22
i. “prophesy in Your name”
ii. “cast out demons”
iii. “perform many[n]miracles”
c. Consequences of their error: “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (v.23)”
iii. Practice
1. Ask yourself: Does this concern you?
2. Are there any practices of lawlessness that you need to repent of?\
d. The danger of self-deception is real (James1:22-24)
i. Point: People can delude themselves and we ought to know with grounded assurance of our relationship with God and status for eternity.
ii. Proof
1. “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [a]natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [b]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.’” (James 1:22-24)
a. Note verse 22 the reality that when it comes to spirituality some may “delude themselves”
b. How one may delude oneself: “merely hearers”(v. 22a)
c. How one may not delude oneself: “But prove yourselves doers of the word,” (v. 22a)
d. An ironic illustration (v. 23-24)
iii. Practice
1. Take the next few weeks to be very honest with oneself especially with the areas of one’s life others don’t see.
2. Search yourself to see if you do the Word or not.
e. To be saved
i. Point: If at the course of one’s test it turns out that one is not saved then the one thing to do is to make sure you get saved!
ii. Proof: “37 Now when they heard this, they were [a]pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “[b]Brethren, [c]what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:37-38)
1. Contextually this took place on day of Pentecost when Peter was preaching to a multitude of Jews at the Temple.
2. Note verse 37, the people realize they were in the wrong.
3. Note the hope in verse 38.
iii. Practice
1. We need to do the same if it turns out we are not saved!
2. There is hope in receiving Jesus Christ!
f. Comfort the Christian
i. Point: There is comfort and hope in a Christian assurance of their salvation!
ii. Proof:
1. “ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence [a]so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,” (Hebrews6:11)
a. Note “the full assurance of hope” is something “that each one of you show the same diligence [a]so as to realize”
b. This “full assurance”” is “of hope”
2. Full assurance allow us to approach God: “let us draw near with a [a]sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled cleanfrom an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22)
iii. Practice
1. Do you want to have hope and comfort as a Christian? Study this topic to get it!
2. The more regularly you do this the more better your relationship with God is and the more you are comforted and have hope!
g. Bear fruit
i. Point: Christian assurance is the motivation for bearing fruit and being productive for the Lord!
ii. Picture: “Take, for an illustration of this, two English emigrants, and suppose them set down side by side in New Zealand or Australia. Give each of them a piece of land to clear and cultivate. Let the portions allotted to them be the same, both in quantity and quality. Secure that land to them by every needful legal instrument; let it be conveyed as freehold to them and theirs forever; let the conveyance be publicly registered and the property made sure to them by every deed and security that man’s ingenuity can devise. Suppose then that one of them shall set to work to clear his land and bring it into cultivation and labor at it day after day without intermission or cessation. Suppose in the meanwhile, that the other shall be continually leaving his work and going repeatedly to the public registry to ask whether the land really is his own, whether there is not some mistake, whether after all there is not some flaw in the legal instruments which conveyed it to him. The one shall never doubt his title — but just work diligently on. The other shall hardly ever feel sure of his title — and spend half his time in going to Sydney or Melbourne or Auckland with needless inquiries about it. Which now of these two men will have made most progress in a year’s time? Who will have done the most for his land, got the greatest breadth of soil under tillage, have the best crops to show, be altogether the most prosperous? Anyone of common sense can answer that question. I need not supply an answer. There can be only one reply. Undivided attention will always attain the greatest success.”[1]
iii. Practice: Seek assurance so you can be productive as a believer!
h. To worship God with praise, marvel and thanksgiving
[1] JC Ryle, “Assurance” in Holiness: http://www.gracegems.org/Ryle/holiness8.htm
Well done
Thank you Rob
Thank you for addressing this topic. It is a very common struggle for many believers.
You’re welcome brother, we’re going to do a mini-series on this topic on our blog in the next few weeks!
John MacArthur did a blog series on the subject of assurance that is also very insightful & helpful: http://www.gty.org/blog/repentance-assurance
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Hey SLIMJIM thanks for posting this. This is a really good study brother. I’m sure we all appreciate what you have done for the body of Christ 🙂
…just one question, isn’t the Scripture reference for c ii (Proof #1) Matthew 7:21-23?
Thanks again SLIMJIM
Grace and Peace
Ah yes you are right, it should be Matthew 7:21-23 not 5:21-23. Thank you for catching that typo.
How are you my brother?
Great brother, enjoying the time off to read! Trying to get back into reading and writing more while I have one more week! Hope all is well with you. Really enjoy reading your series on Assurance and your top 10 books of 2013. I might make my short list as well. Thanks for all you do SLIMJIM. It’s a real blessing to follow the material you put out 🙂
Grace and Peace
I’ll keep an eye out on your blog for any listing =)
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