In the fall of 2015, I wrote a paper about John Calvin's view of assurance of salvation. It was a fun paper as I went through many pages of Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. As I was writing the paper, I found some interesting differences between what Calvin had to say and what I had believed. So as a continuation of the paper, I want to look at three evangelical websites and compare their views on assurance with Calvin's view. The websites are Christian Answers, All About God, and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
When looking through these three websites, there are some common threads in their teaching. They all understand that a person must believe in Christ as their savior from the sins. Secondly, they agree that assurance is possible in this life.
Christian Answers and All About God say Christians need to have evidence or be doing something about assurance. However, Calvin does not agree with such a statement. Christian Answers says that "(w)e can be encouraged that we do have eternal life (read: assurance of salvation) because God says so, because changes have taken place in our lives, because we want to share Christ with others, and because we desire to live lives that would be pleasing to God." Note the last three: change in life, sharing Christ, and desire to live godly lives focus on the human action. The website says earlier in the paragraph that these are not a test of salvation. The problem surfaces when they offer a list of evidences for a Christian.
Looking at All About God, it gives a long list of actions that can help someone with assurance problems. These all are a great help as they are means of grace that God uses to gives us assurance. But examining their list places a focus on the human ability to keep themselves. On the Billy Graham website, the "4th pillar" of assurance moves in a different direction with less actions for but a looking back. This pillar must be taken with the other three in mind. Evidences of a changed life is seen better when we trust God, seek the Savior, and receive the testimony of the Spirit.
As I move into Calvin's view on assurance, this will move us to something that is missing in Christian Answers and All About God, namely the Holy Spirit's role in assurance. Before understanding Calvin's view on assurance, we must know that assurance is embedded into faith. Little faith equals little assurance and the much faith equals great assurance. Calvin defines faith as "a firm and sure knowledge of the divine favor toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, and revealed to our minds, and sealed on our hearts, by the Holy Spirit.1" Assurance can be seen in "firm and sure knowledge" of this definition. Any idea of works is missing from the definition as faith and assurance can be found only in the triune God. According to Calvin, Christians only know assurance when we ground it in God's work of salvation. Commenting on Philippians 2:13 in his Commentary of Phillippians, he says, "Farther, we must take notice, that, as believers repose with assurance upon the grace of God, so, when they direct their views to their own frailty, they do not by any means resign themselves carelessly to sleep, but are by fear of dangers stirred up to prayer. Yet, so far is this fear from disturbing tranquillity of conscience, and shaking confidence, that it rather confirms it. For distrust of ourselves leads us to lean more confidently upon the mercy of God." In the Institutes, Calvin in 3.13.3-5 explains that our consciences cannot stand before God with our own righteousness but faith in Christ allows our consciences to stand before God. The authors of Christian Answers and All About God allows our works to become some standard of our salvific standing instead of founding our faith and assurance resting on Christ.
Since Christian experience does include a perfect assurance, Calvin helps those who suffer with doubt to look at the promises that God has made to the believers. Calvin writes:
Calvin promotes something different then what can be seen in most other articles about assurance. I should also note that the Puritans start moving away from looking at assurance directly related to faith. In J.C. Ryle's book, Holiness, he offers many quotes that move away from Calvin's teaching. However, they do not depart from the fact that assurance comes from trusting God's promises in the Word and not on our actions.
END NOTES:
When looking through these three websites, there are some common threads in their teaching. They all understand that a person must believe in Christ as their savior from the sins. Secondly, they agree that assurance is possible in this life.
Christian Answers and All About God say Christians need to have evidence or be doing something about assurance. However, Calvin does not agree with such a statement. Christian Answers says that "(w)e can be encouraged that we do have eternal life (read: assurance of salvation) because God says so, because changes have taken place in our lives, because we want to share Christ with others, and because we desire to live lives that would be pleasing to God." Note the last three: change in life, sharing Christ, and desire to live godly lives focus on the human action. The website says earlier in the paragraph that these are not a test of salvation. The problem surfaces when they offer a list of evidences for a Christian.
Looking at All About God, it gives a long list of actions that can help someone with assurance problems. These all are a great help as they are means of grace that God uses to gives us assurance. But examining their list places a focus on the human ability to keep themselves. On the Billy Graham website, the "4th pillar" of assurance moves in a different direction with less actions for but a looking back. This pillar must be taken with the other three in mind. Evidences of a changed life is seen better when we trust God, seek the Savior, and receive the testimony of the Spirit.
As I move into Calvin's view on assurance, this will move us to something that is missing in Christian Answers and All About God, namely the Holy Spirit's role in assurance. Before understanding Calvin's view on assurance, we must know that assurance is embedded into faith. Little faith equals little assurance and the much faith equals great assurance. Calvin defines faith as "a firm and sure knowledge of the divine favor toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, and revealed to our minds, and sealed on our hearts, by the Holy Spirit.1" Assurance can be seen in "firm and sure knowledge" of this definition. Any idea of works is missing from the definition as faith and assurance can be found only in the triune God. According to Calvin, Christians only know assurance when we ground it in God's work of salvation. Commenting on Philippians 2:13 in his Commentary of Phillippians, he says, "Farther, we must take notice, that, as believers repose with assurance upon the grace of God, so, when they direct their views to their own frailty, they do not by any means resign themselves carelessly to sleep, but are by fear of dangers stirred up to prayer. Yet, so far is this fear from disturbing tranquillity of conscience, and shaking confidence, that it rather confirms it. For distrust of ourselves leads us to lean more confidently upon the mercy of God." In the Institutes, Calvin in 3.13.3-5 explains that our consciences cannot stand before God with our own righteousness but faith in Christ allows our consciences to stand before God. The authors of Christian Answers and All About God allows our works to become some standard of our salvific standing instead of founding our faith and assurance resting on Christ.
Since Christian experience does include a perfect assurance, Calvin helps those who suffer with doubt to look at the promises that God has made to the believers. Calvin writes:
(W)hile we teach that faith ought to be certain and assured, we cannot imagine any certainty that is not tinged with doubt, or any assurance that is not assailed by some anxiety. On the other hand, we say that believers are in perpetual conflict with their own unbelief.2Calvin notes that believers continue to fight assurance so what does offer as the solution. It is the Word of God. Faith increases as Spirit works through promises as revealed in the Word of God. So Christians take heart in promises like he will never forsake you (Heb 13:5) and nothing can separate a believer from God's love (Roms. 8:31-39). Faith cannot be separated from the Word.
Calvin promotes something different then what can be seen in most other articles about assurance. I should also note that the Puritans start moving away from looking at assurance directly related to faith. In J.C. Ryle's book, Holiness, he offers many quotes that move away from Calvin's teaching. However, they do not depart from the fact that assurance comes from trusting God's promises in the Word and not on our actions.
END NOTES:
1. Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, 3.2.7
2. Ibid., 3.2.17
