Assurance of faith is the conviction that one belongs to Christ through faith and will enjoy everlasting salvation. A person who has assurance not only believes in Christ’s righteousness as his salvation but also knows that he believes and that he is graciously loved by God.

Such assurance is broad in scope. It includes freedom from the guilt of sin, joy in relationship with the Triune God, and a sense of belonging to the family of God. James W. Alexander said assurance “carries with it the idea of fullness, such as of a tree laden with fruit, or of a vessel’s sails when stretched by a favouring gale.”

Assurance is known by fruits such as close fellowship with God, childlike obedience, thirsting after God, and longing to glorify Him by carrying out the Great Commission. Assurance prayerfully anticipates revival in subjection to an eschatological hope; assured believers view heaven as their home and long for the second advent of Christ and their translation to glory (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

Assurance has always been a vital subject. Its importance is more critical now because we live in a day of minimal assurance, and, worse yet, many don’t realize it. The desire to fellowship with God, the yearning for God’s glory and heaven, and intercession for revival appear to be waning. That happens when the church’s emphasis on earthly happiness overshadows her conviction that she is traveling through this world on her way to God and glory.

The need for a biblically based doctrine of assurance is com­pounded by our culture’s empha­sis on feeling. How we feel often takes precedence over what we know or believe. This attitude has infiltrated the church. The dramatic growth of the charismatic movement can be attributed in part to a formal, lifeless Christianity, for the movement offers adherents emotion and excitement to fill the void created by a lack of genuine assurance of faith and its fruits. Today, we desperately need rich doctrinal thinking coupled with vibrant, sanctified living.

This series of articles addresses the questions, difficulties, and issues associated with assurance of faith. For now, let’s look at five important reasons for seeking to grow in assurance.

Soundness of Faith and Life⤒🔗

Our understanding of the assurance of faith determines the soundness of our understanding of spiritual life. We can be sound in many areas and unsound in our understanding of this key doctrine of Scripture.

Many people mistakenly think they are Christians. We fear that tens of thousands who consider themselves to be Christians will wake up in hell to their eternal horror.

The problem with “easy believism” is that people with it have not examined whether their faith is genuine and well-founded. Their error could perhaps better be called “easy assurance-ism” than easy believism. They claim assurance without having a foundation for it. Errors about how one comes to assurance can easily lead to false assurance. A right understanding of assurance helps us avoid such presumption.

On the other hand, a false view of assurance can hinder us from having assurance when we should have it. Some genuine children of God do not believe they are chil­dren of God. They embrace a kind of “hard believism,” looking for evidences that they have no right to expect. There may be solid, bib­lical evidence that they are chil­dren of God, but they are not satisfied with that. They are their own greatest obstacles in attain­ing assurance. In this case, too, a proper understanding of assurance of faith is important.

Those who have a proper understanding of assurance will avoid both easy and hard believism. Assurance will not be an automatic benefit. They will not be assured of their faith without solid, biblical evidence of faith operating in their lives. They will be aware of the danger of easy believism and will regularly examine their hearts and lives in light of the Word of God. On the other hand, they will recognize the evidence of new birth in their lives and acknowledge its presence. When they have a genuine longing for God and an accompanying hatred for sin, they will acknowledge that these things are the work of the Holy Spirit and be comforted by them. They will not despise small things. Without these days of small things, few children of God would ever be assured of their faith.

Peace with God←⤒🔗

Assurance is inseparable from the peace and comfort of the gospel. Assurance that we are born of God is necessary if we are to experience peace and joy and hope. Experi­encing true peace and joy in the Lord greatly enriches our lives while we are on this earth. That is one reason why Thomas Brooks titled his book on assurance, Heaven on Earth. Assurance is related to the peace and joy of the gospel and ought to be cultivated.

We should desire these gifts as Christians because we are exhibits of the gospel. Philippians 2:15 teaches us, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Surely one way that a Christian can shine like a light in this evil world is by having an air of peace and joy. What kind of ideas does the world have about God if God’s people don’t show that it is a wonderful thing to serve the Lord? What kind of statement do we make about God if people cannot detect in us the quiet peace and joy that set us apart?

This does not mean that Chris­tians will not have times of sor­row over sin, difficulties, and doubts. But Scripture is abun­dantly clear that Christians nor­mally ought to exhibit peace and joy in the Lord. To do that, we must be assured of our faith.

Christian Service←⤒🔗

An assured Christian is an active Christian. Paul said of the Thessalonians, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance” (1 Thess. 1:5). The gospel was blessed in Thessalonica so there was much assurance. Paul goes on to say, “So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing” (vv. 7-8). How amazing! The Thessalonians, newly converted, sounded out the Word of God — that is, they evangelized — so that when Paul came into their area, he discovered that the Word of God had already come there. These people were so zealous for God because, for one thing, they were assured of their salvation.

A Christian without assurance is seldom concerned about good works. Rather, his spiritual energy is consumed by wondering if he is saved or not. When that question is not resolved, the person is halfhearted about helping others in the service of the Lord.

As J. C. Ryle states, “A believer who lacks an assured hope will spend much of his time in inward searchings of heart about his own state. Like a nervous hypochondriacal person, he will be full of his own ailments, his own doubtings and questionings, his own conflicts and corruptions. In short, he will often find that he is so taken up with his eternal welfare that he has little leisure for other things and little time for the work of God.” “Assurance,” in Holiness

Sometimes we think that our business here on earth is only to find salvation; once we are saved we have little more to do until we get to heaven. Conversion is viewed as an end in itself. But that is not the case. We are converted for a reason, and that is to serve God in the world. First Peter 2:9 tells us why God chooses to con­vert people: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” God converts us so that we show forth His praise. We are converted to serve God and our neighbor. If we lack assurance, our service will be less than enthusiastic.

Communion with God←⤒🔗

Assurance is valuable because it enriches our communion with God. How can a person have close communion with God when he is afraid that God is angry? How dif­ficult it would be to have a close relationship with a child who is always afraid of us. The child never relaxes or accepts our expressions of love. In such an atmo­sphere, a close relationship is impossible.

By contrast, consider the assurance implied in the Song of Solomon when the bride says, “My beloved is mine and I am his.” There is communion here, fellowship, a warm and trusting relationship, love, and confidence on the part of the bride that the love is mutual. That is the kind of fel­lowship that the Lord wants with His people. He often describes His relationship to them in the closest of terms: Father and child, Husband and wife, Bridegroom and bride, Head and body. The Lord uses the most intimate relationships in life to describe the relationship that He wants with His people. Obviously, assurance is necessary to realize that kind of relationship.

Holiness to the Lord←⤒🔗

Finally, assurance is critical because it makes a person more holy. Speaking of the assurance that flows out of knowing that we are adopted sons of the Father, John says, “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

Assurance that does not lead to a more holy walk is false assur­ance. The person whose assurance is well-founded, who experiences peace and joy, who is busy in the Lord’s service and lives in close fellowship with Him, is a holy per­son. A believer cannot persist in high levels of assurance while he persists in low levels of holiness.

Assurance brings us into close contact with God’s power. When we have a trusting relationship with God and confidence in His mercy and grace, our hearts are inflamed with love for God. This love gives the power to live a holy life. The closer we are to God, the more love we will feel for God, and the more holy our life will be. A holy person is driven by love to God, for Christ’s sake. The love of Christ constrains the holy man (2 Cor. 5:14).

So you see how important this whole question of assurance is. It is possible to be saved without assurance, but it is scarcely possible to be a healthy Christian with­out assurance. You may object: Doesn’t Scripture affirm that God has a special concern for the poor and needy sinner? Even the most assured child of God is still a poor and needy sinner. If he ever stops being poor and needy in himself, there is reason to doubt whether his assurance is based on solid ground. Christ must increase and he must decrease (John 3:30).

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit and still lack assurance. But it does not follow that such a condition is desirable. If we are poor and needy without assurance, we should still seek assurance of faith

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Assurance is vital for our spiritual well being. Some people think assurance indicates superficiality. In their eyes, one is almost suspect if he has assurance. In reality, those who see doubting as a sign of deep religious experience and press on toward God and glory without assurance have only a superficial understanding of Scripture. A deeper understanding leads us to recognize the work of the Spirit in our hearts, to acknowledge it, and to rest with childlike faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.