XXXVIII. ASSURANCE OF FAITH
`Looking unto the promise of God, Abraham
wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to
God, and being fully assured that, what He had promised, He was able also to
perform.' -- Rom. 4:20,21
`My little children, let us not love in word,
neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth. Hereby shall we know that we
are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him.' -- 1 John
3:18,19
`And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by
the Spirit which He gave us.' -- 1 John 3:24
Every child of God has need of the
assurance of faith: the full certitude of faith that the Lord has received him
and made him His child. The Holy Scripture always speaks to Christians as
those that know that they are redeemed, that they are now children of God, and
that they have received eternal life. (Deut. 26:27,28; Isa. 44:5; Gal. 4:7;
1 John 5:12) How, pray, can a child love or serve his father, while he is
uncertain whether his father will really acknowledge him as a child? We have
already spoken on this point in a previous chapter; but oftentimes by ignorance
or distrust a Christian again comes into darkness: for this reason we will now
deal with it once again of set purpose.
Scripture names three things by which we have
our certitude: first, faith in the word; after that, works; and
then, in and with both of these, the Holy Spirit.
First, faith in the word. Abraham is to us the
great exemplar of faith, and also of the assurance of faith. And what then
says the Scripture about the certitude that he had? He was fully assured that
what God had promised He was able also to perform. His expectation was only
from God, and what God had promised. He relied upon God to do what He had
said: the promise of God was for him his only but sufficient assurance of
faith. (John 3:33, 5:24; Acts. 27:25; Rom. 4:21,22; 1 John 5:10,11)
There are many young Christians who think that
faith in the word is not sufficient to give full certitude: they would fain
have something more. They imagine that assurance, a sure inward feeling or
conviction, is what is given above or outside of faith This is wrong. As I
have need of nothing more than the word of a trustworthy man to give me
complete certitude, so must the word of God be my certitude. People err
because they seek something in themselves and in their feeling. No: the whole
of salvation comes from God: the soul must not be occupied with itself or its
work, but with God: he that forgets himself to hear what God says, and to rely
upon His promise as something worthy of credit, has in this fact the fullest
assurance of faith. (Num. 23:19; Ps. 89:35) He does not doubt the promises,
but is strong in faith, giving God the glory, and being fully assured that what
was promised God is also able to perform.
Then the Scripture names also works: by
unfeigned love we shall assure our hearts. (1 John 3:18,19) Here carefully
observe this: assurance by faith in the promise, without works, comes first.
The godless man who receives grace knows this only from the word. But then,
later on, assurance is to follow from works. `By works was faith made
perfect.' (John 15:10,14: Gal. 5:6; Jas. 2:22; 1 John 3:14) The tree is
planted in faith; without fruits. But when the time of fruit arrives, and no
fruit appears, then I may doubt. The more clearly I at the outset hold the
assurance of faith, without works, on the word alone, the more certainly shall
works follow.
And both -- assurance by faith and by works --
come by the Spirit. Not by the word alone, and not by works as something that
I myself do, but by the word as the instrument of the Spirit, and by works as
the fruit of the Spirit, has a child of God the heavenly certification that he
is the Lord's. (John 4:13; Rom. 8:13,14; 1 John 3:24)
O let us believe in Jesus as our life, and abide
in Him, and assurance of faith shall never be lacking to us.
O my Father, teach me to find my assurance of faith in a life with
Thee, in cordial reliance upon Thy promises, and in cordial obedience to Thy
commands. Let Thy Holy Spirit also witness with my spirit that I am a child of
God. Amen.
1. The importance of the
assurance of faith lies in the fact, that I cannot possibly love or serve as a
child a God of whom I do not know whether He loves and acknowledges me as His
child.
2. The whole Bible is one great proof for the
assurance of faith. Just because it thus speaks of itself, it is not always
named. Abraham and Moses knew well that God had received them: otherwise they
could not serve or trust Him. Israel knew that God had redeemed them: for this
reason they had to serve God. How much more must this be the case in the
greater redemption of the New Testament? All the Epistles are written to men
of whom it is presupposed that they know and confess that they are redeemed,
holy children of God.
3. Faith and obedience are inseparable, as root
and fruit. First, there must be the root, and the root must have time without
fruits; then later on come surely the fruits: first assurance without fruits by
living faith in the word; then, further assurance from fruits. It is in a life
with Jesus that assurance of faith is exalted firmly above all doubt.
4. Assurance of faith is much helped by
confession. What I express becomes from me more evident; I am bound and
confirmed by it.
5. It is at the feet of Jesus, looking up into
His friendly countenance, listening to His loving promises, it is in
intercourse with Jesus Himself in prayer, that all doubtfulness of mind falls
away. Go thither for the full assurance of faith.