Calvin on Assurance: Comparing views on Assurance of Salvation between Calvin and Modern Websites

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:

(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.²

Calvin 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

God's Love for People.

I have been reading The Joy of  Calvinism by Greg  Forster. In Chapter 2, he talks about the love of God as sacrificial, like the love that humans have towards each other. Now he defines love as how one behaves towards something. He mentions that this not a new idea of love instead we like it when people do or don't do things for us. He connects this with God's love for humans. Not in a general sense but in a particular sense. God love humans to save them. He says "(w)e all know that the test of my love for God is whether I'm willing to sacrifice other things I love for God's sake. But the test of God's love for me is exactly the same" 74. This is most evident when we consider the cross, as Forster notes. Jesus willing went to the cross (Jn 18:11, Matt 26:53-54) as God have gave His only son for our salvation (Jn 3:16). Jesus did think that He status as God was something to be used for His advantage but gave it up to become a slave and rescue his people (Phil 2:6-7).

This element of God's love to those whom He saved is really magnificent. God loved us  so much that we are His top priority to save us. This comes out in the promise that God works together all thing for good for the people who love Him. That God calls us to love Him in the same way that He has loved us. This is not so feeling based emotion. That is not true love, true love makes sacrifices for those they love.

This plays into how we treat God in our daily life. We show our love to God by obeying His commands because we sacrifice our own desires (Jn 14:15 c.f Matt. 16:24-25). This love is best seen within our hearts are we joyfully obey without any rebellion in our heart. Augustine makes this distinction in his treatise, The Spirit and the Letter (note that this is the title page, click next to continue to the text). God gave Jesus for our salvation and Jesus willing gave His live. We are called to do the same. Our love for God is not feeling based but is a reflection of our obedience to Him. The amazement of God's love for us should break our wills and force us to repent of our sins, our lack of obedience. We obey because of the the great love that God showed toward us in saving us through Christ. 

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES!!!!

The reason that we are to love our enemies is because God loved His enemies first. His love was displayed when His Son, Christ Jesus, died on the cross to provide the only way for humans, enemies of God, to be reconciled to him. So we should praise Him for that.

Praise God as the One who provides justice to the sinners and also justifies the sinner. Praise God for redeeming those who trust in His Son alone for salvation. Praise God for the destruction of those who are lawless before him. Praise God for giving you one more chance to believe before you face eternal damnation because of your sins.

Who is this amazing spectacle of woe and torture?

This is from a e-mail I get daily called Grace Gems. It features quotes from old died guys whose theology can not change. This quote is by Samuel Davies.

"Christ died for the ungodly!" Romans 5:6

In the cross of Christ--God's hatred to sin is manifested in the most striking light! The evil of sin is exposed in the most dreadful colors! Now it appears, that such is the divine hatred against all sin, that God can by no means forgive sin, without punishment; and that all the infinite benevolence of His nature towards His creatures cannot prevail upon Him to pardon the least sin--without an adequate satisfaction.

Nay, now it appears that when so malignant and abominable a thing is but imputed to His dear Son, His co-equal, His darling, His favorite--that even He could not escape unpunished--but was made a monument of vindictive justice, to all worlds!

What can more strongly expose the evil of sin--than the cross of Christ? Sin is such an intolerably malignant and abominable thing, that even a God of infinite mercy and grace--cannot let the least instance of it pass unpunished!

It was not a small thing that could arm God's justice against the Son of His love. Though He was perfectly innocent in Himself--yet when He was made sin for us--God spared not His own Son--but delivered Him up unto death--the shameful, tormenting, and accursed death of the cross!

Go, you fools, who make a mock at sin! Go and learn its malignity and demerit--at the cross of Jesus!

WHO is it that hangs there writhing in the agonies of death--His hands and feet pierced with nails, His side with a spear, His face bruised with blows, and drenched with tears and blood, His heart melting like wax, His whole frame racked and disjointed; forsaken by His friends, and even by His Father; tempted by devils, and insulted by men? Who is this amazing spectacle of woe and torture? It is Jesus, the eternal Word of God; His Elect, in whom His soul delights; His beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased!

And WHAT has He done? He did no wickedness; He knew no sin--but was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. And WHY then, all these dreadful sufferings from heaven, earth, and hell? Why, He only stood in the law-place of sinners; He only received their sin by imputation. And you see what it has brought upon Him! You see how low it has reduced Him! What a horrid evil must that be--which has such tremendous consequences, even upon the Darling of heaven!

Oh! what still more dreadful havoc would SIN have made, if it had been punished upon the sinner himself in his own person! Surely all the various miseries which have been inflicted upon our guilty world in all ages, and even all the punishments of hell--do not so loudly proclaim the terrible desert and malignity of sin--as the cross of Christ!

The infinite malignity of sin, and God's hatred to it, appear nowhere in so striking and dreadful a light--as in the cross of Christ! Let a reasonable creature take but one serious view of that cross, and surely he must ever after tremble at the thought of the least sin!

John 4

One of my classes in on the Gospel of John. I have been learn a lot about who John is and also what he is trying to prove with signs that Jesus is Christ so people will believe. My assignment for tomorrow is John 4. I also have to read a commentary called Encountering John by Andreas J. Köstenberger. One thing that cought my attention is the fact that when Jesus tells his disciples that the harvest is ready when they brought him food in v. 31-38. Jesus is telling that the harvest ready to be saved and brought into a relationship with Jesus. John the Baptist did the sewing and now Jesus' Dicipiles need to reap the ready crop. Not only that, Jesus also states that, "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonder, ... you will never believe." (v. 48 NIV) Köstenberger says that verse is telling that sign will not save people and that it is God alone who bring people to him. I hurt to think that our evangelism has missed this point when we reduced the gospel to say this prayer and you are saved. If a person wants to pray for salvation with me I will allow him, but I encourage them to make sure I am right. This also allows God to save them with out me taking the credit.

A more meaningful post.

I have been wanting to post something that kinda deals with what I am learning in school but for now here is something that I think we can never stop thinking about.

All I need is Christ. When everything else fails, Christ is the one that is faithful. Not only that, God also provides me the necessary material things that will keep me alive even if I can not afford them. This seem strange than he would do such a nice thing to a person that will never honor him with every waking breath and constantly dishonoring his name. The question is why has God, who hates evil, allow me a evil person to live? He does it so we can see his grace and ultimately glorify his name. So I deserve his wrath but he allows me to live so he can be glorified. He desires all to be saved because he personal set humans apart to praise his name.

I want to explore an anthropological argument on why God desires all to be saved. I think that it will help us to understand why we need to preach the gospel to lost people.

The Difference Between Professing Faith and Possesing Faith.

In the last post, I mention that there was 150-200 people now have a professing of Faith in Christ. I wanted you to pray that it becomes a possessive faith. Some might not know I mean when I use these terms. First, let me began with what I believe of salvation. This will help a little to understand where I am coming from. I will use scripture to show the difference.

I do want to note that people might not have the same view. They are not heretics, we just do not believe in the same. They are still saved.

First, I believe that you are either saved or not saved. There is no middle ground called carnal Christian. The term comes because we have people who profess to have faith but do show signs. This happens because the church will pronounce them saved. We do not know if they are truely saved unless God tells us that person is saved. I know the promises and if they true repent and trusted there is more.

So a person who professes to be a Christian just says that they believe. They will have faith without works.

So a possessing Christian is a Christian that professes with their mouth and HAVE works to back up their claim. NOTE: WORKS DID NOT SAVE THEM, but merely prove that one is saved. We see this clearly in James 2:14 and surround verses.

The main reason I do not like it when people pronoun people saved when they first convert is because 98% of evangelicals will not be part of a church within 1 year. The sad part is that we proclaim to them that they are saved.

I hope this cleared up what I mean. Any Questions, please comment. I will do my best to answer but remember I am no preacher or a theologian. I am merely a college student with a desire to see people saved and to study the word of God.

200th Post.

This is the 200th post here on the England/LU file blog. I started it about 2 years ago and it has been a place that I could stop and think about my life. There are many painful posts to reread and there are also post that show God's grace for this sinner. I want to tell you all that there is going to be some posts that reflect the Spiritual Emphases week here at Liberty. I will be publishing notes as I get the typed up. It started today and it goes through Wednesday (I think). Today was about true conversion in the Lord. The highlight was that about 200 Liberty Students profess Jesus as their savior and repented of the their sins. I ask all to give thanks for their profession but to also try that their professing faith in Christ turns into a possessing faith in Christ for God's work on this world. More to come about tonight's sermon.

UPDATE: I guess it is the 201st post, my dashboard was wrong and is off by one. My apology.

Christ The Lord has Risen Today.

Enjoy these 6 verses from Charles Wesley "Christ the Lord has Risen Today."

1. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! 
 Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! 
 Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! 
 Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! 

2. Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! 
 Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! 
 Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! 
 Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia! 

3. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! 
 Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! 
 Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! 
 Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia! 

4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! 
 Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! 
 Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia! 
 Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! 

5. Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia! 
 Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia! 
 Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia! 
 Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia! 

6. King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia! 
 Everlasting life is this, Alleluia! 
 Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia! 
 Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

"For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many."

In 4 days, it would have been 1 year since I wrote a post about titled "Realization that I am not the person I claim to be." It was a post about being a Christian. I did not think I was one. Well here is another post but it is not in desperation. It is not because I feel sorry about myself. The title is from Matthew 7:13b. I was listening to sermon by Paul Washer. If you think that your Christian life is going well, listen to Dr. Washer and you will be humbled. In a recent sermon called "The Cost of Discipleship," he talked about Matthew 7:13-27.

So I have a questions for everyone. Does non-believers like you because they do not fear you? Do you see the devil, your flesh, or the world constantly against you? Do you look like the world in how you dress, act, and maybe talk?

Here is a verse for you from Matthew 7:21-23. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' "

What am I trying to say? Are you sure that your election is certain? Paul Washer explains that the narrow gate and wide gates are for Christians alone and not Christians and the World. So there are people that call themselves a Christian but still will be punish to hell. If your Christian walk have been easy, are you sure that you are a Christian? Does the world hate you because you show glimpse of God in your life. Do they see that you allow are out to worship God alone?

The Christian life should be hard to do. What do you think Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 7:14 "For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."?

Now this also applies to me. This is not punching your self-esteem to make me fell better but also to humble myself.

You can listen to the sermon at Sermon Audio (links to this sermon).