The following Email was sent to Pastor Crisp asking about assurance in salvation. Below is the letter and response.
Faith and Assurance in Salvation
Questions and A Response
Dear Pastor Ron, I'm glad that I found the right e-mail address and Brother Ron I hope that you and your family are doing well. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my e-mails since these questions are burdening my heart. I'm not sure where to start but I'll try to be as clear as possible. I have gone to church with my parents all my life up to about 2 years ago, in which I moved out on my own and got married last year.
I moved to _____ and have been trying to find a church in which I feel the Lord would have me serve. In the process, I am embarrassed to admit, that I found out that I did not know as much about the difference between an Armenianistic church and a Calvinistic church as I thought I did. In fact I didn't really know much at all. So I started to ask my Mom about certain things about what calvinists believe and what armenians believe and she gave me some literature to read. In my research I have tried to understand as much as possible about Calvinism and through my own studies have found that it is what the Bible teaches and therefore is what I believe. But in studying these things I have come across doubts in my own salvation. I believe the Lord saved me when I was very young about 7-8 years of age. I can remember feeling a burden on my heart that I could not explain as my mom drove us home from the Christian school in which I attended. I remember kneeling down and asking my mom what I needed to do to be saved . . . at the time my parents attended an Armenian church and therefore my mom told me to repeat something like the sinners prayer.
Brother Ron my problem is that I do not know for sure if I am really saved. This incident happened so long ago it seems like a dream and I am not sure if God was calling me or if I was making the decision on my own. In my life I have often had doubts about my salvation and crave to have the assurance that preachers preach about in the pulpit. I understand that I cannot save myself and only through the grace of God can I be saved. My worries have increased as I study Calvinism in that how do I know if I am one of the "elect"? When I look back on my life I am grief stricken by the sins that I have committed and wonder to myself why would I act in such a manner? Am I not a child of God? I don't mean to lead you to think that I go out and drink, and hang out in clubs or hang out with the wrong friends because I have never fallen into those types of sin.
Yet, a sin is still a sin and Brother Ron, I don't want to sin but it seems like I have failed before God quite often in my life. I sometimes feel this burden of sin in my life and wonder why God would save me because I am so unworthy. There always seems to be that "groaning" in my life like what you talked about in the sermon on Romans 8:28. I often pray that God would save my soul when I have these doubts but I never seem to reach the assurance that I seek. Thank you Brother Ron for listening to my problems and I would greatly appreciate any help that you could give me. I'm sorry this was so long. Sincerely, D _________
Dear D____,
What a joy to hear from you. Your parents were dear friends when we lived in _________. You and our oldest daughter are about the same age.
I rejoice that your mind has been stirred up to consider spiritual matters. Let me lay out some basics concerning the topic of assurance. Consider first that many people put too much emphasis on investigating their conversion experience.
What God does in salvation is permanent and ongoing. A person who doubted his natural birth would not be instructed to look at his birth certificate. They would be told to look in the mirror. Life and limb are proof of birth. The Epistle of 1st John deals with the subject of assurance, yet it deals with present realities, not past experiences. Many go to Hell trusting in their past experience who have never come to trust Christ Jesus.
Such being the case D______, here are some questions for you to use in self-examination: 1. Is repentance an ongoing state of mind in my life? Do I recognize my personal sinfulness and propensity toward sin (Romans 7:18-25)? Do I strive to please God and long for the day when I shall be delivered from this sinful body (Psalm 17:15)? Am I truly sorry for sin? Do I take full responsibility for my sin (Psalm 51:4)? Is there a real humility in my heart that sees that by nature we are nothing but pride and sin (Matthew 5:3-6)? Does this world now seem like an evil place as far as this world's system is concerned (I John 5:19)?2. Saving Faith in scripture is likewise not simply a past event but an ongoing state of mind. True faith is continuous (Hebrews 3:14) because it is produced and sustained by God (Hebrews 12:2, I John 5:4). Christians are not people who have trusted Christ but people who do trust Christ. Is Christ Jesus your hope? As you are daily reminded of your guilt, does your mind run to Calvary or to a past experience? Is the death of the Lord Jesus for sinners the thing that you cling to?
"On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand
All Other Ground Is Sinking Sand"3. Have the changes produced in conversion been lasting? Hatred of sin. Love of God. A desire to obey God (I John 2:3). A love for God's people (I John 3:14). Some ability to understand spiritual things (John 6:44-45).
Note D_____, why basing assurance on a past experience can be dangerous. Some have very emotional and seemingly real experiences that do not last (Matthew 13:20-23). In others, God's work may begin in a very small way. They spend months in confusion and come so slowly to assurance that they hardly know how to date their conversion. Time however reveals that they have truly been born again (Philippians 1:6).
Before closing D_____ let me address two other issues that may be of help to you. The first is the nature of saving faith. Faith alone receives Christ and His forgiveness (Romans 5:1, Acts 16:31, Romans 4:4-5). What then is this "faith of God's elect"? We often explain it in this manner: 1. True faith involves an inward conviction produced by the Holy Spirit that the gospel is true. There is a deep impression of its reality and glory in the soul.2. The person who being convinced that the gospel of Christ is really true looks to Christ for salvation. Scripture describes this as 'trust,' 'belief,' 'looking to,' 'coming to,' 'fleeing to,' and 'resting in' Christ for salvation. This faith will cry out to Christ for mercy (Luke 18:13).
Now let me mention one last matter. Notice that "faith" and "assurance" are not the same thing and that a person may have true faith without having full assurance (I John 5:13). Faith is looking to Christ directly. Assurance comes after having looked to Christ, we look at ourselves and examine ourselves in light of scripture. Assurance may grow or be somewhat lost due to sin or disobedience in the Christian's life. Full assurance is our goal but we should not make it a test of saving faith.
D_____, I hope I have not been too technical. Meditate on these things until you grasp them and then examine yourself in light of them. Please e-mail me any questions you have and let me know how you are doing. We will be praying for you. Sincerely, Bro. Ron Crisp ============
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