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OK, well, you can turn to chapter 
18. I've been wanting to teach on assurance at the Wednesday 
night study, and I figured I'd lean on the confession. And when 
we come to that chapter on Sunday morning, we'll skip it. because 
we've already done it, or we could do it again for that particular 
group. So chapter 18 of the grace, or 
of the assurance of grace and salvation. Now there's an actual 
book of the Bible that is pretty well devoted to this theme. First 
John chapter 5 verse 13, the apostle 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, and that you may 
continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." The Apostle 
not only wants us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but 
to have that assurance. If we're not sure or we don't 
have assurance, then it's going to immobilize us from Christian 
responsibility, from functioning in a manner that is consistent 
with the entirety of God's Word. Spurgeon preached a sermon on 
that particular text, and he made this observation. He says, 
many who believe on the name of Jesus are not sure that they 
have eternal life. They only hope so. Occasionally, 
they have assurance, but the joy is not abiding. They are 
like a minister I have heard of who said he felt assured of 
his salvation, quote, except when the wind was in the east. 
It is a wretched thing to be so subject to circumstances as 
many are. What is true when the wind is 
in the soft south, or the reviving west, is equally true when the 
wind is neither good for man nor beast. John would not have 
our assurance vary with the weather glass, nor turn with the vein. He says, These things I have 
written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life. 
He would have us certain that we are partakers of the new life, 
and so know it as to reap the golden fruit of such knowledge, 
and be filled with joy and peace through believing." There's obviously 
two extremes in terms of assurance that I think this chapter is 
calculated to address. First, the possession of it by 
those who shouldn't have it. but as well the absence of it 
by those who should have it. And oftentimes we find ourselves 
amongst that latter category, those who should have it but 
do not. So let's read chapter 18, the 
several paragraphs there, and then look at it in some detail. 
So paragraph one, although temporary believers and other unregenerate 
men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions 
of being in the favor of God and in a state of salvation, 
which hope of theirs shall perish? Yet, such as truly believe in 
the Lord Jesus and love Him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk 
in all good conscience before Him, may in this life be certainly 
assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice 
in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them 
ashamed. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable 
persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope, but an infallible assurance 
of faith founded on the blood and righteousness of Christ revealed 
in the gospel, and also upon the inward evidence of those 
graces of the Spirit unto which promises are made, and on the 
testimony of the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with our spirits that 
we are the children of God, and as a fruit thereof, keeping the 
heart both humble and holy. This infallible assurance doth 
not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer 
may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be 
partaker of it. Yet being enabled by the Spirit 
to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, 
without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of means, attain 
thereunto. And therefore it is the duty 
of everyone to give all diligence to make his calling and election 
sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and 
joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and 
in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the 
proper fruits of this assurance. So far is it from inclining men 
to looseness. True believers may have the assurance 
of their salvation diverse ways, shaken, diminished, and intermitted, 
as by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special 
sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the spirit, by some 
sudden or vehement temptation, by God's withdrawing the light 
of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk 
in darkness and to have no light. Yet are they never destitute 
of the seed of God and life of faith, that love of Christ in 
the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty 
out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance 
may in due time be revived, and by the which in the meantime 
they are preserved from utter despair. Amen. Well, oftentimes 
someone will ask the question, how do I know that I am saved? Well, typically I would direct 
them to the cross. I would ask them specifically, 
do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? That oftentimes then 
evokes a second question. Well, what about my feelings? 
I don't always feel like I'm saved. My typical response is, 
forget about your feelings. We're just saying my hope is 
built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare 
not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. 
I'm not denying there's feelings and emotions in the religious 
life, but I am suggesting that to rely on feelings and emotions 
in the religious life is a fool's errand. That's not going to serve 
you well. And as we move through this particular 
chapter in our confession of faith, largely based on Westminster 
Confession of Faith and Savoy Declaration, we see that emphasis 
on the objective ground, namely the blood and righteousness of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, and then the subjective evidences. We 
might say it's Christ's work for us in the Gospel, and then 
the Spirit's work in us in terms of sanctification. So as we look 
at this chapter, it outlines pretty simply, first we see the 
possibility of assurance in paragraph 1, secondly the foundation of 
assurance in paragraph 2, the attainment of assurance in paragraph 
3, and then finally the difficulties associated with assurance in 
paragraph 4. you ought to appreciate the biblical 
realism of the authors of these confessions of faith. They underscore 
the reality that not everything is always, you know, peaches 
and cream and roses and bluebirds attending our way to the celestial 
city. They underscore or understand 
that there are difficulties in the Christian life, there are 
seasons wherein we may doubt our place before God, And so 
they address that head-on, and I think they give good biblical 
counsel in terms of how to approach this particular question. So 
let's look first at the possibility of assurance in paragraph 1. 
Notice the qualification. It starts off with a qualification. 
although temporary believers and other unregenerate men may 
vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions 
of being in the favor of God and in a state of salvation which 
hope of theirs shall perish." Now, when it refers to temporary 
believers, we oftentimes see that in Scripture. You see a 
temporary faith, you see sometimes what's called a historical faith, 
the truth of saving faith may be absent, well, is absent in 
the part of these who have some sort of a temporary belief in 
Jesus. In fact, you can turn to Hebrews 
chapter 6, which is an apostasy passage, and it underscores what 
these temporary believers at times possess. Notice in Hebrews 
chapter 6, specifically at verse 4, I don't take that as an Ephesians 
1.13 partaker of the Spirit. I do not believe these are saved 
people who have been sealed and guaranteed by the Spirit. They've 
been in churches, they've seen the effects, of the Spirit at work. They've 
participated or partaken of that. They've seen good and glorious 
things in the context of the church. These are not saved people. 
They weren't saved and then lost their salvation. They were never 
saved. So again, verse four, for it 
is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted 
the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit 
and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the 
age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance. since they crucify again for 
themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame." So 
in terms of temporary believers, there are some things that they 
have seen, some things that they have learned, and yet it has 
never taken hold in their hearts. So they may have these false 
hopes, they may have these carnal presumptions. As well, it says, 
and other unregenerate men take false religions. Typically people 
in false religions are in that religion because they think it 
provides for them something good in the afterlife. So you have 
people like, you know, Muslims or Buddhists or Hindus, they 
think all is well. As long as you're in their religion, 
as long as you're doing your thing, then everything's gonna 
go well for you in that age to come. So the confession highlights 
that there is a class of people that delude themselves, that 
are hypocritical, they are living on a false hope. So that said, 
then it goes on to say that there is such a thing as true assurance. Notice, yet such as truly believe 
in the Lord Jesus. Again, it starts with that objective 
basis. The first order of business to 
examine whether or not you are saved is what think ye of Christ? Do you confess him as the son 
of the living God? Do you confess him as the one 
who lived and died and was raised again? So it says, yet such as 
truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love him in sincerity. Remember 
that love is a consequence of true saving faith. I think that's 
the emphasis by Paul in Galatians chapter five. I don't think Galatians 
5.6 is a papist statement where it teaches that faith and love 
work together to bring about salvation. I think 5.6 indicates 
that we are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus, and then 
the consequence or effect of that faith is love. So, for in 
Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything 
but faith working through love. 1 Corinthians chapter 16, Paul 
pronounces anathema on those who do not love the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 1 Corinthians 16, 22, if anyone 
does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed, 
O Lord, come. And then we closed out the book 
of Ephesians in the last few weeks. Notice in Ephesians chapter 
6, same sort of an emphasis there in verse 23. Peace to the brethren 
and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Grace be with all those who love 
our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Well, who loves Jesus Christ 
in sincerity? It is those justified freely 
by his grace. So the qualification, there is 
a case, or a class rather, of men that delude themselves that 
all is well with them and they're heaven-bound. Then now, dispensing 
with those persons, it does tell us that yet such as truly believe 
in the Lord Jesus and love Him in sincerity. And then again, 
more consequences of that. We believe the gospel, we love 
Jesus sincerely, there is that endeavoring to walk in all good 
conscience before Him. Now, brethren, it's not perfect. There's struggles, there's hardships, 
we're prone to wander, prone to leave the God that we love. 
I think at times we project upon the scripture and upon ourselves 
that it's calling us to perfection. And if we're not perfect, therefore 
we must not be saved. No, we are endeavoring to walk 
in all good conscience beforehand. That's the particular emphasis. 
And then it says, "...may in this life be certainly assured 
that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the 
hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed." 
So with reference to assurance, notice the benefits here. It's 
not only stated, may in this life be certainly assured that 
they are in the state of grace, but it brings that joy in the 
hope of the glory of God. There really is a difference 
between those persons who have this understanding that I am 
Christ's and Christ is mine. There is a joy consistent with 
that understanding. versus the person that's not 
sure, the person that's always struggling, the person that's 
always in sort of a state of limbo. That person's heart is 
not flooded with joy. If you've met that person, you 
know that that heart is not flooded with joy. And then it says that 
hope shall never make them ashamed. And I love the statement the 
Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 1. You can turn there, 2 Timothy 
1. when he says, and again, it's 
grounded upon the reality of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 1, verse 12, For this 
reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, 
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. So the possibility of assurance 
is a biblical reality. Again, 1 John 5, 13, I write 
so that you may know. If it wasn't a possibility, John 
wouldn't write so that you may know. John's gospel, it's about 
targeting unbelievers. and believers, it's instruction 
for believers, but in John 20, 30, and 31, these signs are given 
so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son 
of the living God, and that believing in his name, you may have everlasting 
life. So believe in him for justification, and then 1 John 5, 13, continue 
to believe in him so that you may know, so that you may have 
this assurance, so that you may have this joy, and you may live 
without shame. Now notice in the second paragraph 
the foundation of assurance. Again, it begins with the objective 
ground. So the beginning of paragraph 
two, this certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion 
grounded upon a fallible hope. Again, the idea here is stressing 
the authority, the infallibility, and the inerrancy of God's Word. So it says, this certainty is 
not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible 
hope, but an infallible assurance of faith founded on the blood 
and righteousness of Christ revealed in the gospel. So when the confession 
comes to deal with the ground of our assurance, it goes first 
to the cross. It is the blood and righteousness 
of Jesus Christ revealed in the gospel, that true, infallible, 
and certain word of God that does not lie, it comes from Him 
who cannot lie, and therefore its propositions are to be received 
by faith. Believing those things to be 
true, we can have this assurance. Believing these things to be 
true, we can have this joy. Now, as the divines write these 
paragraphs and these chapters, they typically have heretics 
or false teachers in view. And specifically, I would suggest 
that Roman Catholicism and Arminianism would be two of those particular 
contraries. For Roman Catholics, Robert Shaw 
makes the observation. He says, the Church of Rome denied 
that it is possible for any man in this life to attain more than 
a conjectural and probable persuasion of salvation, except by extraordinary 
revelation. Again, you'll see some of these 
concepts brought out. They are contrary to what the 
Roman Romanist Church teaches. He says, "...and they build some 
of the most gainful part of their traffic upon that perpetual doubt 
and uncertainty." You have to appreciate that. The seven sacraments 
and the Church of Rome, and the various means that are given 
to bring assurance to you, are also calculated to bring money 
into the church. and to bring devotion and lifelong 
devotion to the church. And so he goes on to say, in 
which they keep their votaries, in which they profess in some 
degree to remove by the prayers of the church the merits of saints 
and martyrs and the absolution which the priests pronounce in 
the name of God. And if you doubt this, this isn't 
just a Presbyterian commentary on the Westminster Confession. 
The sixth session of Chapter 9 of the Council of Trent condemns 
assurance. It's called, Against the Vain 
Confidence of Heretics. And I would suggest that a lot 
of it has to do with a faulty understanding of the gospel. 
If they don't see Christ's blood and righteousness alone as their 
hope for acceptance with God Most High, if they see that as 
part, plus their faith, plus their words, plus their their 
duty to the church, of course they're not going to have assurance. 
Of course it's going to be absence. There's no Romans 8-1 in a Roman 
Catholic heart. There is therefore now no condemnation 
for those who are in Christ Jesus. You don't have that because faith 
in Christ plus your particular efforts. But as well, consider 
Arminians. In consistency with their denial, 
Shaw again, of the certainty of the saint's final perseverance, 
they hold that it is not possible for any man to attain a greater 
certainty of salvation than this, that if he shall persevere in 
the faith to the end, he shall be saved. Again, it places the 
onus or the responsibility ultimately upon him. So if you have a faulty 
view of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, you're probably 
going to have big struggles when it comes to assurance. So again, 
back to that first question, how do I know I'm saved? The 
specific response is, do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? That's where it always must begin. And so then the confession again 
highlights that, founded on the blood and righteousness of Christ 
revealed in the gospel. So that's the particular emphasis. Notice, the importance of this 
statement should be obvious. What the Spirit does internally, 
the subjective sorts of evidences that follow, all flow from this 
objective ground of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't 
know that I can make this simpler. This is exactly what is lacking 
at times in the hearts of those who struggle with assurance. They're not looking at the cross. 
They're looking at themselves looking at the cross. They're 
looking at the devil. They're looking at former churches. 
They're looking at bad doctrine. They're looking at feelings. 
They're looking at emotions. when you get a view of the cross 
of our Lord Jesus Christ and you have genuine faith, and faith 
even of a mustard seed. We'll notice later that there, 
or we notice in chapter 14 when it talks about faith, there's 
weak faith. But as Machen says, weak faith 
will not move mountains, but there is one thing that weak 
faith will do. It'll bring a sinner's conscience 
into peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And so this 
is the foundational place, the objectivity of the cross. Again, 
moat, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest 
frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. Now, then it continues 
in paragraph two to go to those inward evidences of those graces 
of the Spirit. So in other words, look to Christ. 
If you're looking to Christ, then there's going to be, and 
again, it's gonna be in different degrees. Not everybody has the 
red hot, sort of zealous approach to Christianity, as did the Apostle 
Paul. You're not Paul. And praise God, 
you don't have to be Paul. That's pernicious teaching, I 
have found, when you hold up a particular man and tell everybody 
else they need to be just like that man. That is detrimental 
to the hearts of God's people. That is never done. Well, Paul 
does it, imitate me as I imitate Christ, in sort of different 
contexts. But the emphasis in Scripture 
is to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ in faith. Now, we can 
learn good examples from godly men, but when we make a man or 
men the paradigm for what conversion looks like, we are not being 
biblical with people. We are being, I don't know what 
it is, it's just weirdness and things we ought not to do. So 
notice, after this look to Christ, the blood and righteousness of 
Christ, and also upon the inward evidence of those graces of the 
Spirit unto which promises are made. What are the graces of 
the Spirit that I think is coming forth here? Turn to the book 
of Ephesians. You might already be there. Ephesians 
chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, one of the graces of the Spirit 
is faith in Jesus. For by grace you have been saved 
through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of 
God. See, these things work together. 
The subjective is working consistently with the objective. The objective 
is the emphasis, the subjective is consequential. But the subjective 
works in concert with that objective reality, the cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter 1. Of course, 
this is going to bring a whole lot of other questions. Well, 
how do I know my faith is saving faith, and it's not temporary 
faith, and it's not historical faith? Well, again, these other 
elements involved in this particular chapter and with what Scripture 
says. Look at Philippians 129. For to you it has been granted 
on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to 
suffer for His sake. So the grace of the Spirit operative 
in the hearts of man is faith, but also repentance. Now repentance, 
brethren, as I've often tried to explain, is a change of mind. There are fruits associated with 
that change of mind, but at first is a change of mind. There are 
people out there that stop smoking crack. There are people out there 
that stop looking at internet porn. There are people out there 
that stop engaging in destructive behavior. But that's not necessarily 
repentance. Repentance is the flip side of 
the coin with reference to faith. It's believing Repentance, it's 
repentant faith. Those things go hand-in-hand. 
Their grace is given by the Spirit of God. This is our conversion. This is our response to the Lord 
Jesus as He's offered in the Gospel. So repentance is a gift. Notice Acts 5.31. Him God has 
exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give 
repentance to Israel. and forgiveness of sins. Acts 
chapter 11, Peter's report concerning the conversion of Cornelius and 
his household. After he rehearses that in chapter 
11, verses 2 to 11, Notice what it says in verse 18. When they 
heard these things, they became silent, and they glorified God, 
saying, Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to 
life. And then 2 Timothy 2, verse 25. In humility correcting those 
who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, 
so that they may know the truth. Now again, repentance isn't perfect. Your mind is changed by God's 
grace when you come to the Savior. Again, not a hundred percent. 
Not until heaven. So in this life, it will be imperfect. In this life, there will be struggles. In this life, there will be remaining 
corruption. But if there is that appreciation 
of the cross and its benefits, if there is an understanding 
of who Jesus is and a belief in Jesus, and then that belief 
does flow in terms of some outward evidences, those are good encouragements 
for the people of God. So not only faith and repentance, 
but also good works. Now, I'm not suggesting that 
good works by itself is somehow an evidence of one's conversion. 
Again, pagans do good things. They go out and alleviate or 
ameliorate the downtrodden and the poor. They do some wonderful 
things. But in light of somebody looking to Christ and His cross, 
in light of the fact that they have a faith in Jesus that they 
didn't have before, in light of the fact that they've had 
a change of mind about sin and Christ, they now want to serve 
Him, they now love Him, they don't love Him as they ought, 
but they love Him like they never did before. And there is this 
desire to stop engaging in particular sins. In that context, good works 
are a blessed benefit or a blessed evidence. I think that's the 
emphasis that John takes up in 1 John. John talks about those 
who do righteousness, those who obey God, those who love the 
truth. Those are the sorts of things, 
again, not in and of themselves that confirm a man or a woman 
is born again, But along with these other things are blessed 
fruits and lively evidences to assist us and to help us. So 
this idea of good works, Ephesians 2, once again, for by grace you 
have been saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is 
the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Well, 
how do we know that? Because the very works that we 
do are because of God, verse 10. For we are His workmanship 
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand 
that we should walk in them. And then Philippians 2, similar 
emphasis in verse 13. For it is God who works in you 
both to will and to do for His good pleasure. So in terms of 
these graces of the Spirit, we ought to appreciate that these 
graces of the Spirit don't go to the pagans. They don't go 
to the heathen. The graces of the Spirit are 
with those who, by God's grace, are looking to the objective 
ground for salvation in Jesus Christ, the one who lived, the 
one who died, and the one who was raised again. And then the 
confession continues. So we've got those graces of 
the Spirit, unto which promises are made, and then this last 
bit, and on the testimony of the Spirit of adoption, witnessing 
with our spirits that we are the children of God, and as a 
fruit thereof, keeping the heart both humble and holy. Now admittedly, 
this is the most difficult to get your mind wrapped around. 
You know, what does this feel like? What does this look like? How does this happen? You know, 
it seems quite mystical and quite mysterious, this testimony of 
the spirit of adoption. Well, look at the concrete teaching 
of God's Word. I think, you know, whatever it 
means, we got to get our minds wrapped around the scripture. 
Notice in Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8, specifically 
at verse 16. The Spirit himself bears witness 
with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then 
heirs, heirs of God, and join heirs with Christ, if indeed 
we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. And 
then Galatians 4, a passage that has gotten a lot of traction 
in our studies in the doctrine of the Trinity. Galatians 4. 
To 6, we see the temporal missions of the Son and the Spirit. And 
in 4, 4, "...but when the fullness of the time had come, God sent 
forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem 
those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption 
as sons. And because you are sons, God 
has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying 
out, Abba, Father." Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but 
a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." 
And then I think Paul, or John rather, in 1 John chapter 3, 
1 John chapter 3, this mysterious work of the Holy Spirit. What 
do we make of this? 1 John 3, specifically at verse 
24, Now he who keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he abides 
in us by the Spirit whom he has given us. And then over in 4.13, 
By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because 
he has given us of his Spirit. Now, again, I don't have the 
corner on this, I didn't read Owen or Turretin or any of these 
guys on this particular sort of a subject, but I think that 
when we're looking for this inward testimony of the Spirit, it's 
most likely not going to be a feeling, it's most likely not going to 
be an emotion, and it's definitely not going to be contrary to the 
Word of God. So the Spirit operates within the hearts of God's people 
in conjunction with the Word of God. I would suggest that 
being in the Bible is probably one of the best helps in terms 
of assurance. Knowing the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Spirit. Emphasizing or studying and searching 
the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Scripture will help in 
this regard. And again, if there was an audible 
voice, it would make it all so simple, wouldn't it? But that's 
not what we see in the Scripture. We see this work of the Spirit 
in the hearts of God's people, testifying with them that they 
are, in fact, children of the living and true God. And then 
notice, thirdly, the attainment of assurance. It says, this infallible 
assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but 
that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties 
before he be partaker of it. This is a very important section 
in the confession. This says that assurance does 
not belong to the essence of faith. So what does that mean? That means that faith in the 
gospel is not the same as faith that we are partakers of the 
gospel. You may have the former without 
the latter. The Confession highlights that 
assurance does not belong to the essence of faith. Turn back 
to chapter 14, where it speaks realistically or biblically about 
scripture, or about faith. Notice in paragraph 1 of chapter 
14, Notice, it is increased and strengthened. Okay? When we first 
get saved, our faith isn't as strong as it's going to get. That's pretty simple. And then 
notice in paragraph 3 in the same chapter, this faith, although 
it be different in degrees, and may be weak or strong, yet it 
is in the least degree of it different in the kind or nature 
of it, as is all other saving grace, from the faith and common 
grace of temporary believers." So it makes these distinctions 
about faith. It recognizes that not everybody's 
faith is as strong as everybody else's. So back to chapter 18, 
paragraph 3, this infallible assurance doth not so long so 
belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may 
wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be a partaker 
of it. So essentially, no pun intended, 
what this means is that somebody can be looking unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ and have struggles as to whether or not he's looking 
unto the Lord Jesus Christ. The confession acknowledges that. 
It doesn't disenfranchise you. It doesn't say, well, how dare 
you doubt? You cannot possibly be saved 
then. Nope, it's not of the essence 
of faith. There's a class of persons out 
there that are melancholic. Look at Asaph and the Psalter. 
That brother was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief like 
his master. As well, persons get taught bad 
theology. And as a result of bad theology, 
it may take some time for that person to come to a place where 
they have assurance, where they can say, Christ is mine and I 
am Christ. But that doesn't mean they're 
not saved. The confession, I think, is being very sensitive here 
to the human psyche, to the human condition, to biblical psychology. There's a lot of things that 
scramble up sinners. And to say, well, you know, you 
don't have assurance, so therefore you must not be saved. You cannot 
do that. You cannot disenfranchise people. You try to encourage them. You 
try to point them to the cross. You try to point them to the 
various things that are external evidences of an internal faith. 
You try to love them and help them, but you don't disenfranchise 
them from the kingdom. Because this infallible assurance 
does not so belong to the essence of faith. I think that's a very 
helpful additive or addition to this concept of assurance. So you may struggle. There may 
be doubts. But the goal is to get beyond 
the struggle and to get beyond the doubts. That's why about 
midway through the paragraph, it says, therefore, it is the 
duty of everyone to give all diligence to make his calling 
and election sure. In other words, don't put your 
head on the pillow until you get this settled. Why? Because 
you're going to be rendered ineffective. If you're constantly wondering 
whether you're saved or not, you're not going to be living 
like a saved person with joy and earnestness and a desire 
to go out and conquer the nations for King Jesus Christ. So the 
idea being is that you work through these things instead of just 
being blown about and just wondering and kind of thinking, No. Settle 
it. Come to Scripture. Learn who 
Jesus is. Learn what the cross is about. 
Learn what Paul means in Romans 8.1. And settle it. Deal with 
it. And don't look to your emotions. 
Don't look to your feelings. Don't look to those things that 
are built like roller coasters. Look to the objective ground 
of salvation. When you believe the gospel, 
you're saved. The consequence of that is then 
an assurance of that salvation so that you can grow in the grace 
and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the confession underscores 
that it does not belong to the essence of faith and then says, 
but a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties 
before he be a partaker of it. Now brethren, this is kind of 
written in almost an exception way, isn't it? It's kind of like 
the normal course of things is that persons are going to believe 
the gospel. And in the normal course of things, 
persons believing the gospel are going to have that inward 
testimony of the Spirit that they are believing the gospel, 
that they by grace have repented from their sins, that there are 
some good works that are consequential to that belief in the gospel. 
That's the ordinary course of events in terms of one's appropriation 
of the gospel and its benefits. So the very beginning of paragraph 
three sort of starts off like an exception. There are those 
out there. But when you have whole churches 
filled with those, you've got to at least ask the question, 
is the preaching working in such a way to promote exceptions to 
the rule? And if it is, then there ought 
to be repentance at the pulpit level so that the freeness and 
the goodness and the graciousness of God's glorious gospel is proclaimed. If you are inculcating people 
that can never ever, with any degree of assurance, lay hold 
of Christ and His benefits, then the problem may not be with the 
people. The problem may be with the pulpit, and men need to examine 
that. I remember very well one man 
by the name of William Hughes, he's gone to be with the Lord, 
he was preaching a series on the atonement, and he made this 
observation to Calvinistic Reformed Baptist pastors, if you're never 
accused of Arminianism when you preach the freeness of the gospel, 
then you're not preaching it properly. Now, that can be abused, 
that can be misused, I get that. But if you are constantly qualifying 
the cross, if you are constantly putting guardrails around the 
cross, you're not preaching the cross. If you would have stood 
over John's shoulder and said, well I'm not sure I'd say God 
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. I'm not 
sure that we can say God is in Christ reconciling the world 
to Himself. If the entirety of a church is 
described by an exception, then there might be a problem in terms 
of the pulpit. So again, it's a case, it happens, but it doesn't 
happen 100% of the time. It's not supposed to happen 100% 
of the time. And then notice what it goes on to say. We've 
got this provision by, again, the Spirit, yet being enabled 
by the Spirit. So I think we get this idea of 
God that He really doesn't want us to be saved. And if we are 
saved, He really doesn't want us to be happy. And if we really 
are saved, we've always got to be miserable, and we've always 
got to be down, and we've always got to be gloomy, because that 
is piety or holiness. Where do you get that in Scripture? 
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. If you're Christianity, not once 
in a while. I know my dear wife would say 
it looks like I've been eating lemons over the last couple of 
days. A lot on my mind, lots going on. But my general disposition 
isn't like I just ate a lemon. If a church is filled with people 
that only ever look like they just bit into a lemon, something's 
wrong there, brethren. The glory of God's gospel is 
the salvation of sinners and joy inexpressible and full of 
glory. That's what Peter says. So look 
at what the Confession says, "...yet being enabled by the 
Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, 
he may, without extraordinary revelation..." Remember, Shah 
says that's what the Papists believed that they had to have. 
Extraordinary revelation. Yes, Jim, you're really saved, 
said the voice out of heaven. You're not going to get that, 
brethren. The Westminster and the Savoy and this next clause, 
in the right use of means, those other confessions say, in a due 
use or a right use of the ordinary means. So again, it sort of encapsulates 
this idea. without extraordinary revelation, 
in the right use of means, or ordinary means, we already saw 
those, chapter 14, paragraph 1, how is faith ordinarily wrought, 
notice ordinarily, not extraordinarily, but ordinarily it's wrought through 
the preaching of the Word. belief in the truth of the gospel. 
It's strengthened by baptism and Lord's Supper, the means 
of grace, the ordinary, normal things that God has given to 
bless his people in the context of his church so that they can 
grow in their understanding and assurance of their salvation. 
So without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of means, may 
attain their unto. And therefore, look at this again, 
it is the duty of everyone to give all diligence to make his 
calling and election sure that thereby his heart may be enlarged 
in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness 
to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the 
proper fruits of this assurance. So far is it from inclining men 
to looseness. That last clause is there for 
those who say, well, if everybody thinks they're saved, if they've 
actually got assurance, then they're going to be presumptuous, 
and most surely they won't be saved. Yes, brethren, some are 
going to slip through the net. It's going to happen. But the 
answer to some slipping through the net isn't to completely get 
rid of the doctrine. Right? I've never understood 
that. Well, you know, some fake out 
there might actually think he's safe. Okay, so let's get rid 
of the doctrine of assurance. Let's then make everybody miserable 
because somebody out there may possibly deceive themselves? 
That's like somebody got in an accident while driving drunk. 
Let's get rid of all the cars. Let's get rid of all the alcohol. 
Somebody shoots somebody unlawfully. Let's get rid of all the guns. 
Brethren, Christians are supposed to be smarter than that. especially 
ministers, guys that preach the gospel. You're not supposed to 
see the exceptions and then obliterate the rule. So when it comes to 
this, look at the fruit. Again, more positive benefit. It is the duty of everyone to 
give all diligence to make his calling and election sure. That 
thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy 
Spirit." That doesn't happen when you're struggling, and you're 
not sure, and you don't know. That's not the case. You don't 
have a heart enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in 
love and thankfulness of God. You don't know whether to love 
him and be thankful to him, or to be mad at him, because you 
don't know if you're saved. and in strength and cheerfulness 
in the duties of obedience, which are the proper fruits of this 
assurance." It's a most blessed and wonderful thing. And assurance 
does not promote licentiousness. It just doesn't. False professors 
engage in licentiousness. True assurance of true faith 
does not promote licentiousness. Well, you know, if you let them 
think they're actually believers, then they're going to go off 
and sin. That's not gospel logic. Genuine believers reason with 
the Apostle. What shall we say then? Shall 
we continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be. 
And then the last paragraph deals with the difficulties associated 
with assurance. There are troubles. There are 
difficulties. There are problems. The confession 
isn't lying. It's not a Pollyannish document. 
It's not saying, well, everything's to be okay, it's always going 
to be great. No, true believers may have the assurance of their 
salvation. Divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted. 
And here's some of the reasons why. One, as by negligence in 
preserving of it. If you're not using the means, 
guess what? Your assurance may wane. If you're 
not eating properly and going to the gym, guess what? Your 
health may wane by falling into some special sin, which wounds 
the conscience and grieves the spirit. Yeah, that'll do it. Read David's Psalms, specifically 
Psalm 38, verses 3 to 5. When I kept silent about my sin, 
My bones groaned, or my bones ached within me. There is this 
absolute effect from this special sin which wounds the conscience 
and grieves the spirit. Do you think the nine months 
of Bathsheba's gestation was a high point of spiritual life 
in David? No! No, it wasn't. So when we ask the question, 
well, what could it be as to why my assurance may be wavering? Well, have you gone into Bathsheba? Did you cover it up by murdering 
her husband, the virtuous Uriah? Because that'll do it! And that's 
what the Confession highlights. So negligence in preserving of 
it, falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience 
and grieves the spirit, by some sudden or vehement temptation, 
and then this last one's a bit of a tough one, by God's withdrawing 
the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear 
Him, to walk in darkness and to have no light. Why does God 
do that? I don't know. God moves in mysterious 
ways his wonders to perform. The fellow that wrote those lines 
struggled. He struggled bad, bad, bad. Suicidal at one time. John Newton, 
his friend, saved him. You know how he saved him? He 
said, Cooper, let's write a book of hymns. If you ever see the 
only hymns, that was Newton and Cooper. Newton had a pastor's 
heart. He saw his brother struggling. 
He saw his brother despondent. He saw his brother sorrowful 
and melancholic. And so the way that he sought 
to rescue him was employ his services for the kingdom of Christ 
in the composition of hymns. So there is that God's withdrawing 
the light of his countenance and suffering, even such as fear 
him to walk in darkness and to have no light. And yet look at 
how the confession ends. The thing that we need to appreciate 
is that a lack of assurance, as we see at the beginning of 
paragraph three, does not mean a lack of salvation. You may 
lose some assurance, but as a child of God, you don't lose salvation. You may struggle, you may be 
despondent, you may be melancholic, you may be sorrowful, but to 
heaven you will finally get. Yet are they never destitute 
of the seed of God and life of faith. That love of Christ and 
the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty 
out of which by the operation of the spirit, this assurance 
may in due time be revived. And by the which in the meantime, 
they are preserved from utter despair. There may be despair, 
but it won't be utter despair. And in that we can greatly rejoice. Well, I doubt all your questions 
are answered, but I think that this is at least a place to come 
to search the texts that are indicated, the proof texts underneath 
the several paragraphs, wrestle with 1 John, wrestle with those 
passages concerning the internal testimony of the Spirit, but 
above all, look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be 
saved. That's the final analysis. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You that there 
is a book devoted to us knowing that we have eternal life. I 
pray for your blessing upon this church. I pray that there wouldn't 
be an imbalance, that the fullness of the grace of God in the gospel 
would be proclaimed, that sinners by grace would believe on it, 
they would find that joy of salvation, and that they would find that 
growth in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray 
that you would go with us now Watch over our church in this 
coming Lord's Day. Bless this conference that is 
coming up next week. May it be a time where you are 
glorified, even Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Bless the men 
who will be traveling here to preach and speak the truth and 
love to the people of God. And may you bless our attempts 
to increase fellowship and camaraderie with other brothers in our community. 
And we pray through Christ the Lord. Amen. Well, any questions 
or comments on any of that? Remember, no Bible study next 
Wednesday night. Next Wednesday. I'll send out 
an email to remind everybody. But yeah, no Bible study next 
Wednesday. Yes, sir. This next chapter, 
is this the version you're writing? Yes. That's not in the three 
forms. I think it's Calvin even believed 
that. I guess there's books in the 
books Yes, yeah. I know I read Renahan's exposition 
today on the chapter. He leaned a lot on Beakey. So 
Beakey did his doctoral thesis on assurance, full assurance 
or something like that. And then he's got a couple of 
briefer works. But no, I, Renahan thought Beakey did well with 
it, so.