A Believer's Assurance

Introduction:   The oldest book in the Bible appears to be that of Job.  Job begins with a dialogue between God and the accuser Satan.  We learn from the discourse that Satan will be allowed to test the character of Job.  The rest of the book proves the essential loyalty of the One God who will hold and keep Job’s faith through it all.  While Job’s assurance is thoroughly tested, he comes out in the end with a much stronger faith in the One who would not allow his person or soul to be destroyed.

How much we need to learn from the different character studies in the book of Job.  There we are and all of our friends and family, fallen creatures wondering all the while what the Creator God is up to and how He intends to make use of our frail abilities to stand before the world in His precious Name.  Sometimes, we do indeed let the world get the better of us and we thereby struggle with this enterprise of faith into which the Spirit has called us to serve our Father and His Son.

Regularly, even weekly we need to be encouraged to know that “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”  (Romans 8: 16-17)

I often think that the seven day week was specifically designed by the Creator to remind us how quickly we might forget Him and His word – if there were not a regular day set aside for remembrance of His creative purpose and the great gift of His only Son to seal the Covenant of redemption which He freely gives to us, who will take the necessary time to thank Him and gather to worship in His Name.

Now while neither I nor any other commentators on Psalm 119 would use these passages as a document of systematic doctrine, we have seen and understood more than in just passing the truths that David would learn in the seasons of life through which he passed while editing this great compendium of prayerful verse.  Since the twenty-two sections follow the Hebrew alphabet – we may understand that in his own way, David would outline the ABC’s of the faith that he understood and grew into over many years.

Development:   So far we have considered the bondage of will and perseverance, two of many doctrines that would comfort the soul throughout the years that it takes to grow into a healthy and enduring faith in the One who calls us and keeps us as His own.  This is important for us to remember, the faith does not emerge completely in that essential moment of its catching!  Faith, while its initial calling is complete in its effectiveness – is not initially completely understood.  It takes much time and study to fully comprehend the Amazing Grace that has been unleashed by the power of the Spirit through the Son and guaranteed by the Father.

In today’s portion of this incredible psalm – we like David, may have our eyes opened to comprehend the personal assurance that may be ours once we have been delivered from the bondage of our will and once we begin to appreciate and understand the promise of God’s word.  We begin in verse forty-one with that attitude adjustment which is so necessary to turn our eyes to the God of heaven.  He shall come to us, we do not go to Him!

“Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord –

                Your salvation according to Your promise,

The psalmist knows that God has to accomplish something in his heart before he like Job can answer the taunts of the Accuser.  In a newer translation the “mercies” are translated as “unfailing love”.  While the psalmist does indeed love the Scriptures, he longed in this section to experientially know the salvation contained therein.  He was not satisfied to read the word alone, he longed to experience the quiet assurance of the Holy Spirit.

Assurance is the Reformed doctrine that confirms and describes that experience.  This is how our Confession details this doctrine:  “Such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love Him in sincerity, endeavouring 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.”

Further on in Chapter Eighteen we read that “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 ordinary means, attain thereunto.  And therefore it is the duty of every one 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 Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance.”

The Apostle John describes assurance in these words:  “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.  By this we know that we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked.”  (1 John 2: 5-6)

“The proof is in the pudding” as an old saying goes.  Are you growing in Christ day by day?  If you are that is evidence that Christ is with you.  But, as Paul suggests we should test ourselves in these matters.  The theologian A.A. Hodge listed seven qualities necessary for comprehending the comfort of this doctrine.  First he dealt with the qualities of assurance in four ways.

“Are you proud or humble in the faith?”  Pride as the Bible reports goes before a fall.  True faith teaches us to be humble in the sense that proper education makes us realize how little we can ever know of everything that is knowable.

“Are you diligent in practicing holiness or are you self indulgent, promising to improve tomorrow, next week, or next year?”  True faith compels us to learn how to put on righteousness.

“Are you willing to search your heart and look at your motives for being in Church, or would you rather not think about why you are really here?”  The true faith leads us to want our Lord’s correction and to be enabled to grow in sanctification.

"What is the reason for your aspiration?"  Does the strength of your conviction prove the validity of your assurance?   Or is the important thing in aspiring, the character of your conviction.

I once read about the great capitalist J.P. Morgan, whose last will and testament spent a third of its words commending the Christian faith to any who would listen.  The secret of his business success was the fact that he would only invest in the character of the people he dealt with.  He also demonstrated his character as well.  On one occasion he spent twelve million dollars to recover some stock that he had sold when he discovered that the information he had based the sale on was inaccurate.

Second, A.A. Hodge described the proper foundation for assurance.  Thre assurance rests upon three things, all of which are absent in the case of those who are falsely amused.

1.        True assurance rests upon an infallible certainty of what God says.  False assurance rests upon what man says.

2.        True assurance rests upon the evidence presented by the actual possession of those graces which God promises.  False assurance rests upon the appearance of the same.

3.       True assurance rests upon the testimony of the Holy Spirit within our hearts by applying the word of God to our lives.  False assurance rests upon the testimony of the spirit of error by suppression of the word of God.

I know that is a lot of words to consider in such a short period of time.  So here are some further thoughts to summarize this idea.  Does the spirit speak to us directly and apart from the Word of God?  Very many evangelicals talk openly of hearing voices or trusting in emotional impulses.  I can remember being very jealous of Charismatic friends who walked and talked with the Lord in the manner of Enoch.

I have always had to dig, dig, dig into the scriptures.  A.A. Hodge, amonst others would assure us that this is really how assurance truly works.  We trust in His written word, even as our psalmist continues in the same vein:

So shall I have an answer for those who taunt me,

                Since I trust in Your word.

Do no deprive me of  the word of truth,

                For I have hoped in Your ordinances.

Our hope of assurance can be found in God’s word, His laws, regulations, truths and ordinances.  Both the Apostles James and John note that people whose character is influenced by God’s laws show that God’s salvation is their possession.  Now before we make the mistake of having a false assurance based upon our good deeds, we should note the character of the prayer in verse forty-three.  See how the psalmist pleads that the “word of truth” be not snatched away?  Augustine comments on this passage that the prayer here is that through human weakness the psalmist fails to confess the Word of God as truth, then he hopes that God will not allow him to remain in that sin.

What it all boils down to is this.  Self-improvement programs will never ever amount to any heavenly good.  Neither will they succeed in the long run of eternity!  No indeed, the focus for our sanctification and assurance must be completely in the revealed word of God sealed for us by the Holy Spirit.

For the Christian the Word of the Lord is a blessed thing, to be meditated on, to be studies and to be obeyed.  Pity the poor Pagans who would drive all knowledge of the Holy One from the public square and then they wonder why the world is going to hell in a sports car!

Conclusion:  The last verse before us today depends upon the verse before it.  And it is in this sense that it depends.  The essential theme verse for my ministry has always been John 8:32:  “You shall know the correct doctrine and that truth will set you free from sin.”  I know that my translation is not too popular.  A good sincere Christian friend asked me not to publish that translation too far, since it would only confirm in the minds of many that we were hung up on doctrines.  And yet, as we consider the relationship between verse forty-four and forty-three, how else can we explain our perseverance, assurance and even sanctification unless our daily performance hearkens back continually to the very word of our God?

Do no deprive me of  the word of truth,

                For I have hoped in Your ordinances.

So shall I keep Your law continually,

                Forever and ever.

Yes, we do indeed hope in the person of Christ, and we experience the assurance that we are His and He is ours through the Holy Spirit, but our regular means of communication remain prayer from us and reading of His word to us.  Therefore, if you would know assurance in your heart, you must read and study His revealed word on a regular schedule and conform your life to that word as your are convicted and encouraged.  May the Lord so encourage you and apply His gift of assurance thereby.  Amen.