In this discussion of Chapter 18 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, Scott Brown discusses the theme of assurance of salvation.

How can you be assured of your salvation? Is it sinful to have doubts about your salvation? This chapter gives us insights to these kinds of questions, answers these questions, and more. Many wrong departures from Scripture are confronted in this chapter.

Okay, assurance of salvation. Now, every pastor has had to answer questions, earnest questions, of people who are struggling with doubt of their salvation. It's all too easy to heal the wound lightly by softening the blow of their sins or by minimizing their distance with God or by marginalizing their disobedience that led to their distance. It's all too easy out of our misguided sense of compassion to lead someone to be deceived about the wound. While at the same time we do have such a great responsibility to comfort those who are in Zion and to bring the comforts of the Lord as is appropriate.

We also have a responsibility to bring the terrors of the Lord as well. The heart of this chapter is stated in this statement here, which is the second half of the first paragraph. And I think it captures what's really the running theme of it. 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 and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed." So the thrust of this chapter is to say that it is possible to have assurance of salvation. John MacArthur calls the assurance of salvation, quote, the birthright and privilege of every true believer in Christ.

And this confession states that not only is this assurance possible, but that it really ought to be the normal experience of the believer. Now, the chapter presents many questions and answers to them. How can you be sure of your salvation? How do you counsel people who have tumultuous wrestlings and anguish over their assurance. Can you be assured of your salvation on the one hand and not actually be saved on the other hand?

Is it sinful to have doubts about your salvation? What do you do if you have a season of doubt? What if it's a long season? How do you interpret your doubts? Do doubts indicate other spiritual infirmities or neglects?

Do doubts condemn you to hell? This chapter actually gives us insight into all of those questions. So it's a very helpful and practical chapter. The chapter confronts specific departures from Scripture that have been with us for centuries. For example, in the 17th century, the Roman Catholic Church maintained that assurance of salvation came only by special revelation to certain saints.

The Council of Trent declared that a believer's assurance of the pardon of sins is a vain and ungodly confidence. Cardinal Bellarmine, a well-known champion of Romanism, calls it, quote, a prime error of heretics. He also said that, quote, assurance tends to carelessness and sloth. And so the Roman Catholics were opposed to assurance. And it profited them quite nicely, actually.

The Roman Church raises millions of dollars on the backs of those who need to buy some kind of insurance for their salvation. Charles Spurgeon said this, the papist doesn't like assurance. He said, you need purgatory to raise money so the cardinals can have a new hat. Leave it to Spurgeon. It's a perfect play on the sensitive consciences of believers.

Hugh Latimer, the one who was burned at the stake, called purgatory a pickpurse. So there are departures that many participate in thinking in our own day. Another departure from what the Confession advocates here is really expressed by what Armenian Protestants often contend, and that is that they grant assurance for salvation to those who do not live holy lives, and they comfort them in that. They were granted assurance even though they're not living like Christians. They're sinning that grace may abound.

Those are two perhaps of the greatest in our day. Let's talk about paragraph one here. Temporary believers and true believers are compared. This first paragraph profiles two different kinds of people. First of all, those people that have a false sense of assurance.

And so we read, although temporary believers and other regenerate men. So this is a category of people in the church as well as many who claim to believe in Christ. There are those who are actually not believers and they do not have assurance of salvation. Matthew chapter 7 verses 21 to 23 speak of this. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven.

But he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not cast out demons in your name or perform many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness." Well, not everyone's name is written in the Book of Life.

In Revelation chapter 20 verse 15, we read of those who are not found written in the Book of Life. They are cast into the lake of fire. So this first half of the paragraph is profiling the unregenerate temporary believers or and other unregenerate. There's this modern view of evangelism that everyone who prays a prayer is saved. We always want to take people back to the time when they prayed a prayer to give them some kind of assurance.

So what should we take people back to, to determine their assurance of salvation? There are those who are victims of false teachers and false gospels that fall into this category of temporary believers and other regenerate men. Just recognize from Matthew 7 what kind of people these are who are unregenerate. Well, they're very respectful people. They say, Lord, Lord.

They're very confessional people. They're actually declaring a confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. They're orthodox in that sense. They're about rooting out evil. They're casting out demons.

They're very passionate in their service. And they're doing many wonders in His name. All of their crying and emotions, though, and work do not verify that their names are written in the Book of Life. People are just different. Some people can hardly say anything in public without crying and getting very emotional.

But that emotion, that passion, even the works don't necessarily bear witness to the fact that they are true believers, but rather may be actually temporary believers. And so the question is, should we be skeptical about our salvation? Should we automatically doubt our salvation and the salvation of others? This chapter, I don't believe, leads us to be skeptical, but rather that we should withhold judgment since God is the judge and to direct people to God. The only one really capable of discerning what's in the heart.

Our own discernment is often flawed. Jeremiah 17 9 says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? In Luke chapter 18, we find two men go up to the temple and pray. One's a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

And the Pharisee stands and he prays with himself, God, I thank you that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And then the tax collector standing way far off and he would not so much as even raise his eyes to heaven, but he'd beat his breast and he says, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. And Jesus says, I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted. That's just to say that there are ways that men deceive themselves and one another. They are the temporary believers in quotation marks and unregenerate men. And the confession goes further to describe them. They may vainly deceive themselves.

So there are people who believe they are believers, but they're only deceiving themselves. They take the Lord's Supper. They may pray with you in private and in public. They can quote scripture to you. They care for you.

But often they're deceiving themselves. They vainly deceive themselves, as the Confession says. Or They live with false hopes. They may place their hope in works. They may think that they are good people.

They may have been in church for many years and finally realize they never knew the Lord. They may have grown up... They may have been children who grew up in a good family and they are misled about their salvation. John 15 13 says, These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Interestingly enough, John's statement here is to those who really believe.

It's only to those who really believe, at least according to this text, will really know. 1 John 5, 19 and 20 says, We know that we are of God and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding that we may know Him who is true And we are in Him who is true, in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God in eternal life. This is promised not to those with false hopes, not those who deceive themselves, not those who are unregenerate and temporary believers, but actually to the true believers.

They actually may have carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and the state of salvation. Do you see how carefully worded this is? Here the authors are just piling up various kinds of categories that these false believers fall into. Here there are carnal presumptions of being in favor with God. There are many examples of this in scripture.

You could go to Matthew chapter 3 verses 7 through 10. The Pharisees who wanted baptism without repentance. And John the Baptist says, brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance. Or in 1 John 3, 14, you have those who think they have salvation, but they have no love.

Or if you go to Job 8, 13, and 14, you have the hypocrites. So are the paths of all those who forget God. And the hope of the hypocrites shall perish, whose confidence shall be cut off, and whose trust is a spider's web. That's what hypocrisy will get you in this whole matter. There are those who are deceived about salvation.

For example, in Jeremiah 17, verse 9, the heart is deceitful above all things. Then there are those who have pride in their good works as the two men who went up to the temple to pray, the Pharisee and the tax collector. Then there are those who are mingling Christianity with lawlessness that are exposed by 1 John chapter 2 verse 3. Now by this we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. There are those who think they're deceiving God, but God is not deceived.

He says in Galatians 6, 7 through 9, do not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever a man sows, he will also reap. These in this category, which hope of theirs shall perish. If anyone, as Paul said to the Galatians, for if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he has nothing, he deceives himself. Paul said to the Ephesians in chapter 5, verses 6 and 7, let no one deceive you with empty words.

For because of these things, the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience, therefore do not become partakers with them. So there's a transition from this first classification, those who are temporary believers, the unregenerate. And all these different things are said about them. Then the language changes. And then there are three conditions that God gives that help a person be assured.

And the first is true belief. True belief. Yet, such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus. Hebrews chapter 6 verse 11 says, And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end. Or 619, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil.

So first of all, there's this true belief and then there is sincere love. This is the second characteristic of those who can have assurance of their salvation. They love Him sincerely. And thirdly, they have a clear conscience. They are quote, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him.

And so after giving this description of these qualities, then the effects of these are itemized. And there are three effects of this. One is assurance, the other is hope, and the third is rejoicing. And so the confession reads, These kinds of people may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed. So what we find in the Confession and in the Scriptures is that the Word of God does say that a believer can have assurance of his salvation.

Now, that's exactly why Job said, I know that my Redeemer lives in Job 19, 25, and 26. Why David said, Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. He had confidence in it. That's why Isaiah could say, You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusts in You. In Isaiah 26 verse 3.

And again Isaiah, the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. Isaiah 32 17. That's why the Apostle Paul could say, I am persuaded that neither life nor death nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That's why the Apostle Paul could say to the Corinthians, for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And why he could say in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 6, we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

Paul had that confidence and he was not ashamed to broadcast that confidence to Timothy when he said, I Know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him until that day, in 2 Timothy 1.12. And that's why the writer of the Hebrews in Hebrews 6, 11, and 12 said, and we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promise. And that's why Peter said, Give diligence to make your calling and election sure in 2 Peter 1 verse 10. So these saints of old just show us that assurance not only is possible, It is commendable. There's actually a New Testament letter, an entire letter that is written for the purpose of evaluating your assurance of salvation.

That's the book of 1 John. The entire book is an argument to help you to know whether you believe or not. If you're struggling with your assurance of salvation, read slowly 1st John. God gave that to us to help us to keep our wits about us from being confused about all kinds of other issues to help us center on the things that are true in Hebrews there's this appeal for the pursuit of full assurance We desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end. So of course they're stumbling in this whole matter but here's the deal God is able to give assurance which is why Paul prayed in Romans chapter 15 verse 13.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. There's a lot there to understand about how assurance is gained. It's by the power of the Holy Spirit. You can ask your friend. He cannot give you the answer.

It's only by a power of Almighty God to give you assurance in your soul. J.C. Ryle declares, assurance is after all, no more than a full grown faith, a masculine faith that grasps Christ's promise with both hands, a faith that argues like a good centurion, if the Lord speak the word only, I am healed, wherefore then should I doubt? So there is a bold assurance that can be had as Hebrews 10 19 says that believers are described as quote having boldness to enter the Holies by the blood of Jesus Christ so this is paragraph 1 the profiling of two different kinds of people. And then in paragraph two, the foundation of hope is defined.

And there are, in this paragraph, absolute and objective proofs. The Confession calls them infallible assurance. The language of the Confession is very clear. The authors of the confession had distinct clarity that yes, absolutely you can have infallible assurance of salvation. It says this certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope but an infallible assurance.

Which is why we read in 1 John 5.3, 5.13, these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Or in Hebrews 6 and 19, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast and which enters the presence behind the veil. Or you can go to Romans 5, 5 or Hebrews 6, 19 and 20. But they all say that assurance really is founded on an objective faith, not shifting feelings or changing evaluations. It is this, it is absolutely this of faith founded on the blood and righteousness of Christ revealed in the Gospel.

Now that's the rock, that's the foundation of this entire argument that's coming forth here. And it is founded not on feelings, not on family lines, not on record of serving the church, not on affirmation of your brother. It's founded on one thing alone, The blood and the righteousness of Jesus Christ in the Gospel. 12. That's the only hope of assurance for salvation.

13. In Hebrews 6, 17, and 18 we read, 14. Thus God determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. Hebrews 10, 14, for by one offering, he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. There's a hymn by Horatius Bonar, it's a beautiful hymn.

Here's the first stanza. I hear the words of love, I gaze upon the blood, I see the mighty sacrifice, and I have peace with God. Now that's faith in an objective reality that the confession is appealing to. In the song, in the fourth verse we read, my Love is sometimes low. In the fifth, I change, he changes not.

In the sixth, the cross still stands unchanged. In the seventh, and yonder is my peace. I know he liveth now at God's right hand above. I know the throne on which he sits. I know his truth and love.

So there is the work of the Spirit in assurance as well. And we read in the confession, and also upon the inward evidence of those graces of the Spirit, unto which the promises are made, and on the testimony of the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God. So there's this work of the spirit that's being identified here. So there's an inward witness of the spirit. Galatians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7 speak of it.

And because you are sons, God sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. So there's this inner work of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8, 15, and 16 say a similar thing.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. The spirit of God and our spirit witnessing together. And then there is not just the spirit, but there's something in the heart. There's a quality of the heart.

It's called humility. And as a fruit thereof, keeping the heart both humble and holy. So there's this spirit of humility. This is the person who has set themselves under the authority of God and have said, not my will, but thine be done. In 1 John 2, 3, we read, Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

The humble person keeps His commandments. The humble person doesn't want to go his own way. The humble person wants to go God's way and he sets aside his own agenda to obey the law of God. That's a humble person. In 1 Corinthians 2, 12 we read, Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

This is a picture of a person who is standing in grace, who is humbly receiving the gifts from heaven. This whole matter of humility of a person standing under the authority of God and seeing the blessing of God coming upon his life. Now, the language of the confession is so powerful. It's so distinct. It really does form bedrock for us to stand on, not shifting sand by any means at all.

We talked about 1 John. Let me give you eight objective tests of salvation from 1 John and then one from the book of Hebrews. Here they are. First of all, 1 John 1, 5-7, Walking in the Light. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you that God is light and in him there's no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, We lie and do not practice the truth, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light We have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin Or you can go to first John 1 8 through 10 confession of sin or first John 2 3 through 4 Obedience or first John 2 9 through 11 Love for the brethren or you can go to 1 John 2, 24 and 25, Perseverance in Doctrine. Or, number 7, 1 John 3, 10, Righteousness. Or, 8, 1 John 4, 13, The Spirit's Testimony. And then finally, to Hebrews chapter 12, verses 5 through 8, discipline. And have you forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons?

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens. And He scourges every son whom He receives. And He says if you don't receive chastening, you're an illegitimate son. You can know that you are saved if he is chastening you, if he's treating you like a son.

If everything is going so smoothly, you're unimpeded, you may not be a son. And then in paragraph three, we learn about how to make our calling and election sure. And what we learn from here is that assurance may with some people grow over time. And so we read this, this infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be a partaker of it. So this is just an acknowledgement that growth is part of the process of the growth of assurance.

And so maturity that comes from Experience has the effect of increasing assurance of salvation. Frailties drop off. Wrong thoughts are reduced through the sanctification process. There still is a duty to make your calling and election sure. So the confession reads, Yet being enabled by the Spirit to know the things that are freely given Him of God, He may without extraordinary revelation in the right use of means attain thereunto.

So again this whole matter of attainment and then then there after this statement there's just a stringing out of help to understand what this actually means. And so first of all And therefore it is a duty of everyone to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure. So there is a diligent duty of extreme importance because it has results that glorify God. And here are the results that ought to be found at this inspection of making one's calling and election sure. First of all, peace and joy.

And thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And then love. The term is just in love. And then thankfulness and thankfulness to God. And in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience.

And the proper fruits of assurance. This is a far cry from laxity and sloth. The Confession says, so far it is from inclining men to looseness. And so one has to ask themselves of the presence of these things that have just been mentioned. A true assurance of salvation causes a longing not for the world but for the things of God.

In 1 Corinthians 2 12 we read, Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. And it doesn't cause a loosening at all, but it causes a deepening and a broadening, Ephesians 3, 17 through 19, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." So these are various qualities that you must look for in considering assurance of salvation. And then in the fourth paragraph, true believers may have their assurance shaken. Now, that seems surprising, doesn't it? After all of this, After all these mighty arguments, now the writers say, but true believers may have their assurance shaken.

So wait a minute. Are we confused now? No, we shouldn't be confused at all. And here are a few thoughts about that. Assurance feels different in different kinds of people.

Does anyone think that we all are built the same way? Do we all have the same emotional constitution? No, we do not. We're not built that way. There are different kinds of people.

There are people who judge their assurance strictly on their emotions. There are people who just seem to be disposed that way. There are people who are more sensitive to their conscience. You know what this is like. There are some who have more active and sensitive consciences than others.

I don't think you have to be alive very long to know that. There are people who judge their assurance on good works and all kinds of other things. We make our own lists. We think different ways about what is right and good. And as a result, we build our own list.

We built our own sort of assurance structure. So assurance feels differently in different kinds of people. That's why the Confession reads this way. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation diverse ways, shaken, diminished, and intermitted, which means temporarily discontinued. So that's what can happen.

Your assurance can get shaken, it can get diminished, or it can get pitched out the door. That's what they're saying. So these three things, first of all, shaken, the whole stability of the assurance is just shaken. You know what it's like to be shaken. Equilibrium is lost and everything is a moving target.

That's what it means to be shaken. Or diminished, that the intensity level of the assurance drops dramatically. Or intermittent, which is just gone. It's just gone for a while. Maybe some of you have experienced this at some time in your life maybe right now it's either shaken or it's diminished or it's gone It's either that or it's in full force.

So we have to ask ourselves this question, what is it with us? And it's a really important question to ask Because the answer to the question leads you either to an acceptance or rejection of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and your trust and belief in it or your rejection of it. These are very important questions. We have to ask, is it shaken, is it diminished, is it intermittent? We have to be honest with ourselves.

It's not enough just to say that you can have it. And then, of course, like good Puritans, These authors want to continue to probe the matter more deeply. This is what the Puritans did. They weren't content with staying on the surface. They wanted to keep peeling off the layers, layer after layer.

Well now, they give four reasons how it might be shaken or diminished or intermittent. So it's very practical in that sense. And the first way, The first reason that it might be shaken or diminished or intermittent is by negligence in preserving of it. That's one reason it happens. Negligence in the preserving of it.

You know, faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Often, it's that we are negligent in preserving our assurance by neglecting the Word of God, by neglecting the ordinary means of grace that God has given. I don't feel like going to prayer tonight. I don't feel like reading the scriptures today. I don't feel like gathering with my brothers.

I don't feel like hearing the preaching. I don't feel like getting together to pray with my brother. These are negligence in preserving of assurance of salvation. Now, I have one single time in my life, in my early 20s, when I was in college, doubted my salvation for a very short period of time. I was being poured Darwinism, every ridiculous wrong, bankrupt, destructive ism was being poured in my head when I was in college.

And I just felt this distance, the distance continued to grow and grow. And I felt like I was just on my own in the world alone. I started feeling that way. But I recognized why. I was drinking from the wrong well.

But since that day, I have never doubted my salvation. But let me tell you something. I have never ceased to seek the preaching. I have never ceased to be in the meetings of the church. I have never ceased to meet with my brothers.

I have sought it with all my heart. And so many of you can bear witness to this who are in our church. If you miss a meeting, I'm going to call you. I'm going to say, you need to be here. You need to feed yourself.

Do not neglect the preserving of your salvation and the assurance of it. Because it has so much to do with your happiness in the world and whether you know whether you are a child of the King or not, and whether you can hold your head up, or whether you can do the things that God has called you to do. So you can neglect in the preserving of it. And those of you who are in our church, just I'm so sorry. You're in a church with a person who will always be this way.

The young men will not come to Bible study. I will go after them. Absolutely. If they don't like it, they're going to have to go to another church. Why?

Because I care about their souls, and I know the negligence in preserving of the assurance of their salvation matters about what they are and what they do in the world. And they might say, he's so legalistic. He thinks that we should always be here. Yes, I do. JC Ryle speaks of the diversionary things that cause lack of assurance.

And he talks to people who waste their time worrying about their lack of assurance. And he gives this illustration of two men, two men who moved to New Zealand. And each are given a plot of land by the government. And the one man, He's so happy. He's cultivating his land.

He never leaves it, and it's bearing fruit. The other man though, every day he wonders about whether this is true, and he goes down to the office to check again to see if his name is on the deed of his land. And he does that over and over and over again. And which man makes the most progress? Well not the man who's always checking, like Ryle says, a hypochondriacal person, but he does his work.

He says, now which of these two men made the most progress in a year's time? Who will have done the most for his land? Who got the greatest breadth of soil under tillage and had the best crops to show? Be all together the most prosperous? Well, it's the one who had undivided attention.

And that was the reason for his greatest success. So this is only just one reason that is given for a shaken assurance of salvation. And then the next is by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the spirit. Falling into sin is another. If Someone is lacking in assurance, then they ought to examine themselves to see if there's any sin.

Is there lying or theft or anything in your life? Any unconfessed sin? You're running from it. Anything that needs to come to the light. Maybe there are things even in this room that are still under cover of darkness that need to come into the light or you will not have assurance of your salvation and you won't be making any progress because you're hiding your sin.

You're like Achan, but believe me, it will be known and everyone around you will suffer for it. Is there something that needs to be brought to the light? Falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscious and grieveth the spirit. Do you think we can just sin with impunity? No, we can't.

There are always consequences and they're always grave. Think of what happened with David and Bathsheba. The sin of unbelief often lies at the root of this. Sometimes we don't think unbelief is such a great sin. It's not like committing adultery.

Is unbelief really a lesser sin than committing adultery? Why would we be so insensitive to unbelief but so sensitive to something more public like that? Because it can be done in such quietness and no one can really know. Often lack of assurance from unbelief is not on our list of sins. We don't treat it like a sin.

How destructive even the smallest thoughts of unbelief are. They're sins that lead to a lack of assurance of salvation. William Bridge, one of the Westminster Divines, speaks of the progression of the mind and emotions when you are suspect of Christ's love. He says this, speaking very personally about himself, the devil is always following and tempting me to suspect the love of Christ And he does it that he may attain his mind upon me. And he says, for the devil knows well enough that the more I suspect Christ's love, the more I shall embrace Satan's love.

The truth is, beloved, this lack of assurance of God's love or interest in Christ is an inlet to many sins and miseries. For first, a man doubts his own salvation first. Then afterwards he has continued doubting, then he rises up to a full conclusion and he says, And now I know that Christ does not love me. I did not doubt before, but now I know that he does not love me. And after that, he has risen to this conclusion.

And then shortly, he rises higher, and it goes further. Thus, And he says, if Christ does not love me now, he will never love me. And if I have not an interest in Christ now, after all the preaching I have heard and ordinances I have enjoyed, I shall never have it. And so the longer I live, the more I shall aggravate my condemnation Bridges are speaking about the attacks of the devil in his own life how it starts with one little thought I wonder if Christ's Christ loves me And it ends up by thinking Christ could never love me. That's what happens when thoughts of lack of assurance are cultivated over time.

It is a sin to doubt God. There's natural pride, a secret dependence upon our prayer, our tears, our resolutions, our repentance, our endeavors, prevents us from looking solely to Christ. And then there's a third reason that it might be shaken. Some sudden or vehement temptation. Often it is not God who is withholding the comfort of assurance, but rather because of specific temptations.

Beset by thoughts of doing some sin. This often happens if you're in close proximity with someone and you're having lustful thoughts and you're tempted in your heart to commit immorality with someone and you find yourself having to flee regularly and the holiness is receding from your whole soul and you are headed down to where the dead are so there may be some sudden or vehement temptation upon you this is one of the great problems with people who work in workplaces where there are men and women commingled together in the workplace. It's a disaster zone. And then the fourth reason it might be shaken, by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light." So this is an amazing statement, really, that God would withdraw the light of his countenance for a season. He would pull back from you somehow.

And this is causing lack of assurance. In 1 Chronicles 32-31 we read, God withdrew from him in order to test him that he might know all that was in his heart. You come into a time of lack of assurance and you say, where is my God? Where is my comfort? Where is my joy that I once had?

You should always ask all these other questions, but this one here should also be included. Is God withdrawing the light of his countenance in order to test you. Whether you are in the faith. That's why David said in Psalm 10, why do you stand afar off, oh Lord? Why do you hide in times of trouble?

Or in Psalm 30 verse 7, Lord, by your favor you have made my mountain stand strong. You hid your face and I was troubled. Psalm 51, do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me by your generous spirit. So those are four reasons that one might be experiencing lack of assurance.

And then the real condition is described, yet they are never destitute. You may have this condition here of the light of God being withdrawn, but you're still not destitute of the seed of God and the life of faith and that love of Christ and the brethren, and that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty, out of which, by operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived. And by the which, in the meantime, they are preserved from utter despair." So when you're in this kind of time you have to say, you have to ask this question about the seed of God and the life of faith, the love of Christ and the brethren, the sincerity of your heart. That's why Paul said, test yourselves to see if you're 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. So there are tests that must be given now let's talk about attacks against this doctrine The Roman Catholic view that argues that assurance cannot be had or that it could be bought by some work of man. That's perhaps one of the most terrible aspects of this and it's not just a Roman Catholic problem. Then there's also a defective view of justification. One of the most common causes, says JC Ryle, is a defective view of the doctrine of justification.

He says perhaps they seem to imbibe the idea that their justification is in some degree affected by something within themselves. They do not seem to comprehend that there's a wide difference between our justification and our sanctification. Our Justification is perfect. It's a finished work. It admits of no degrees.

But our sanctification is imperfect and incomplete. And it will be to the last hour of our life. It may be a wrong view of regeneration. It may be a result of a feeling-based Christian culture. A feeling-based Christian culture.

Are you ready for another Spurgeon bomb? Here we go. Because he is still looking to his feelings and not to the finished work of Christ, of all the Diabolians that ever stole into the city of Mansoul, Mr. Live By Feeling was one of the worst of the villains, though he had the fairest face. Brethren, you had better live by works than live by your feelings.

Both are damning forms of trust. But the one is more deceptive and more delusive than the other. By far, You are justified by faith, not by feelings. You are saved by what Christ felt for you, not by what you feel. And the root and basis of salvation is the cross and other foundation no man lay than that which is laid.

I would not want to try to convince you of your assurance of salvation. I cannot do that. However, we should be careful to examine ourselves And if we say we have Christ, then we must have some evidences of Christ according to Scripture. Faith is not evidenced by a decision but by an inner witness of the Holy Spirit and a certain kind of life. That's why Paul could say, I know there's a crown laid up for me.

But he also understood that he was the chief of sinners at the same very same time. I want to close with two I think very helpful statements. One by John Bunyan who said this, but one day as I was passing in the field And that too with some dashes on my conscience, fearing lest all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. I hope that helps.

Or here's Charles Spurgeon from a sermon that he preached from Psalm 35 verse 3 and the verse, Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. Here's what he said in that sermon. Oh, I wish my whole congregation, without exception, consisted of men and women who had heard the Spirit say, I am thy salvation. What happy hymns. What happy prayers.

You might go home to some poor single room. You might go to a scantily furnished house and to a table that has barely bred upon it. But happy men, happy men, better would be your dinner of herbs than a stalled ox without confidence in Christ. Better your rich poverty than the poverty of the rich who have no faith in Jesus. Better all the griefs you have to endure when sanctified by assurance than all the joys the worldling has when unblest by faith and unhallowed by the love of God.

Let me just end with two things. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation, and thy righteousness is in heaven. And that's where all assurance is found. Would you pray with me? Oh, Lord, that you would help us to be wise in examining ourselves.

Oh Lord, that you'd pour your spirit out upon us. That we would not be left without a witness in our souls as to whether we have assurance of salvation. Lord that you would run through this place now and through every heart and show whether there's anything hindering this assurance. Any sin, any temptation, any neglect, anything, anything Lord that's fallen short that has created this terrible anxiety of the soul, crying out, am I your child, Lord, that you would identify it, that you would comfort those who need the comfort and that you would afflict with guilt those who need to be afflicted so that they might run to you. Of God.