Wayne Spear on Assurance: WCF 18

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) 21 “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. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

This entry concerns a portion of Westminster Confession of Faith 18: “…THIS INFALLIBLE ASSURANCE IS NOT THE ESSENCE OF SAVING FAITH…” I have a former colleague in the XXXX who loves to lift out this portion of WCF 18 in a critical and rejectionist way. Over the years of working around this colleague, it has occurred to me that deeper issues exist in this man’s faith at its very core. The fanatic, if I might assert, is not into thinking or reasoning, so he hides in the false comfort of certainty. He is always hiding a secret doubt.

His ‘reasoning’s reasons: If one doubts, wonders, questions, or even deigns to assert that he has not already attained, as Paul says, then this man ( I guess just like Paul) foes not have infallible assurance, and by extension does not have saving faith.

Looking at this passage in full we read: “Not that I have already obtained, nor am already perfected; but (as we all should say to others – here in this fallible trail toward sanctification we are on—) I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me,”

This XXXX man has said that such talk is evidence of a lack of saving faith. It is interesting to note that when this passage was actually quoted to him, he did not catch that it was a Bible reading. I’m not sure it’s because he never listens to anyone else or because he doesn’t know the Bible — either way such a man should not be teaching other men to be ministers nor should he be behind the pulpit.

The question is: is assurance ever infallible? I cannot snswer, I lean toward ‘Not here.’ By its nature it is a subjective, (feeling) thing. It is not the certainty of assurance but the faith (all of our lives) seeking understanding that is in view.

Hyper objectivism is a problem among Calvinists, myself included, and we must watch out for it. We ought not consort with such men who are merely confession men, and not seriously Bible men, men who investigate others’ creeds only that he might find a way to commend the superiority of his own.

He feels free to do this as much as he desires – but he will not tolerate others employing similar facile analysis of his so-called three forms of unity (which comes in several English versions, all different and nuanced, more like the 12 forms of opinion).

I will not offer tit for his tat.

What follows is a simple, whole paragraph analysis from Wayne Spear’s commentary on WCF 18. on Assurance. This just a simple, contextual This chapter brings to a close the Westminster Confession of Faith’s teaching about the way of salvation, which began with chapter 7, “Of God’s Covenant with Man.” Thus, no less than 12 of the Confession’s 33 chapters are concerned directly with the gospel of Christ. This chapter on assurance addresses profound personal and practical questions: “Can I be sure that my sins are forgiven?” “Can I know that I have been accepted by God?” “Can I be confident that after this life I will live forever?” Before the Reformation, the Catholic Church had taught that it was evidence of pride and presumption for anyone to claim assurance of salvation (apart from a special revelation given to a very few). Then came the rediscovery of the gospel of free grace, as Luther and other Reformers learned from the Bible that Jesus Christ had done everything necessary for our salvation by His obedient life and sacrificial death. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life are given freely by God to those who acknowledge their sin and trust in Jesus for salvation. When it is understood that salvation rests entirely on what Christ has done, and not at all on our own performance, then humble assurance of salvation becomes possible. The Apostle John writes, “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” (1 John 5:13). The teachings of 1 John are faithfully reflected in this chapter.

Warning

The chapter begins with a note of warning, which is needed in our day. There is a danger of false assurance. “Hypocrites, and other unregenerate men, may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes, and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God, and estate of salvation.” In America, polls indicate that as much as 40 percent of the population regard themselves as “born again,” and yet many of those people seem to show no evidence of living the Christian life. Jesus warned of those who called Him “Lord, Lord” and yet did not do the things He said. At the Judgment Day, He will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:21-23) Only the Holy Spirit can give us a genuine assurance of salvation. We should be careful in evangelism not to demand of those who have just received Christ that they immediately affirm that they are sure of their salvation. The Spirit may give that to some; but the teaching of this chapter is that full assurance is ordinarily the product of a process of growth and reflection that may take some time.

A Valid Claim

After its warning, the first section indicates the kind of person who may validly claim assurance: “such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love Him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before Him.” That is, assurance is for those who are real Christians, born again by the Spirit of God. Peace With God The second section of the chapter speaks of the assurance available to true believers as “infallible,” rather than “conjectural” or “probable.” The language here seems to be taken from the earlier Puritan writer William Perkins, who also spoke of assurance as “undoubting.” It seems that “infallible” is not used in an absolute sense. Section 4 asserts that true believers do not always enjoy total assurance. “Infallible assurance” seems to be used to describe the experience of one who is not constantly paralyzed by doubt and uncertainty, but who lives, at least most of the time, with a strong sense of being at peace with God because of what Christ has done. It is the experience described by Paul in these words: “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

This strong assurance rests on a foundation that has three elements.      

The first element is “the divine truth of the promises of salvation.” When tempted to doubt, we are to flee to the promises of God in His Word, and to Jesus Christ, in whom all those promises are Yes and Amen (2 Cor. 1:20). I remember a time of spiritual struggle in my youth, when I found great help in reading aloud the petitions and the promises of Psalm 119. Assurance comes by believing the infallible truth of the Word of God, as it shows Christ to us in all His grace and saving power.      

The second element of the foundation of assurance is “the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made.” In one sense, the promises of salvation are conditional. God does not promise that everyone without exception will be saved. He promises salvation to those who are contrite, to those who repent of their sin, to those who receive His Son, to those who call upon His name. So we must examine ourselves to see if there is evidence that we have met those conditions: “Do I sorrow for my sin?”, “Have I repented?”, and so on. It is important in such self-examination, however, that we look for the reality of our faith, and not its strength or perfection. To keep us from the error of thinking that these inward qualities are our own doing, the product of self-effort, the Confession calls them “graces.” In order to receive God’s salvation, we must repent and believe. The Scripture makes clear, however, that our ability to do these things is the gift of God’s grace (Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 11:18).      The third element in the basis for assurance is “the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God.” There was a difference of opinion among the members of the Westminster Assembly as to the way in which this witness of the Spirit is experienced. Some believed that the Spirit gives assurance by enabling believers to discern the graces wrought by the Spirit in their lives. Others held that the Spirit works directly in the heart to give assurance, without the use of evidences. The language here was apparently adopted in order to accommodate both views. It is clear, however, that all three elements are important. We must look not only within ourselves, but also to Christ and His Word, if we are to have true assurance. And assurance is ultimately the gift of the Holy Spirit, who always works by and with the Word. The End of a Process

The third section speaks of assurance coming at the end of a process for many. It is not automatically given when one first believes. It should be sought; however, one is not to seek some extraordinary experience to be sure of his or her salvation. Assurance normally comes by the means of grace: reading the Word, listening to preaching, praying, observing the sacraments, participating in fellowship. Remember Answer 172 of the Westminster Larger Catechism: “One who doubteth of his being in Christ…may have true interest in Christ, though he be not yet assured thereof; and in God’s account hath it, if he be duly affected with the apprehension of the want of it, and unfeignedly desires to be found in Christ, and to depart from iniquity: in which case

[because promises are made, and this Sacrament is appointed, for the relief even of weak and doubting Christians]…he may and ought to come to the Lord’s Supper, that he may be further strengthened.” This section also speaks of the results of assurance: peace, joy, love, thankfulness, strength, and cheerfulness. So desirable are these lovely fruits, that there need be no fear that assurance will result in a careless and wicked life, as some have charged. Loss of Assurance The final section deals with what may be called the interruption of assurance. It parallels the final section of the chapter on perseverance, in allowing for the ups and downs of Christian experience. For His own good reasons, God sometimes permits His children to lose their assurance. Such a loss, however, does not mean that they have lost their salvation, and the Holy Spirit is able to renew the blessed assurance of salvation in His own time and way. Many of the Psalms give us appropriate words to use in such times. Think of Psalm 73: “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my feet had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (vv. 2-3, 23-24).