Assurance versus presumption

[Brian1975]

I have a real struggle understanding the difference between a weak faith, or lack of assurance, with presumption, or a false faith. I think the Bible teaches both. How does one ascertain which they have? I think there is much in the Psalms about God hiding His face from His people. This means that the confession is correct when it says "True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted." I never believed faith and assurance were the same thing, and this encouraged me. But I've wrestled with the question as to whether I am being encouraged in a false faith. My church's (PCA) confession (Westminster) teaches this in Chapter XVIII. (Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation).

This passage has given me a lot of comfort in my Christian life, or so-called Christian life. It's a very different view of assurance than is taught by most modern evangelicals. Almost the opposite view in that modern evangelicals say that you're not sure you're saved, or you don't know a date, you can't be saved. This is almost saying that if you don't doubt your salvation at least at one time or another you cannot be saved.

I want my salvation to be the real kind, not false. I keep praying that I would not be one of the bad soils in the parable of the sower. The way I interpret that parable is that the stony ground and thorny hearers aren't really Christians at all. I often see myself as the man in the parable of the talents who buries his talent because he thinks his Lord is a "hard man." I don't want to be this way. I want to bear fruit.

So a question I have had for a long time- which I've never been able to get an answer for- is does one have to absolutely know they are not a Christian- that is, do they have to be certain they are a fake "Christian"- before they can become a real Christian? Or can they kind of "fake it until they make it"? I don't mean literally fake it, but one might be a true Christian but beset with all these doubts that they are not- but act on the little faith they have- and then the faith grows. A baby doesn't know its being born and I've heard Christians give the testimony that they had a period in their lives when they didn't give much evidence that they were Christians. They say well I might have become a Christian when I was 8, but I might have been truly born again when I was 20, I don't know. Maybe God was pruning me that I might bear more fruit, or maybe I wasn't bearing fruit at all and God graciously grafted me in. Then other people say I was absolutely convicted my profession was false and I truly became a Christian. I know repentance isn't perfect. But the dilemma I find myself in is that if I truly am a Christian with weak faith, I'm not going to grow if I constantly think I'm not a Christian. But if I'm not a Christian and I think I can "fake it until I make it" am I just making things worse? So I go about most of the time trying to "fake it"... and sometimes I pray to God that I'm not a Christian and that He would save me. It seems like there are two paths I could take: either I say I have weak faith and try to grow or I say I don't really have faith and ask Christ to really save me for the first time. I'm afraid of taking the wrong path.

 

[timfost]

One of the wonderful things about serving an absolutely sovereign God is that He can actually give you what you ask for in prayer. He also promises to give the Spirit to those that ask (Luke 11:9-13). Don't wait for an experience where you somehow magically have perfect assurance. Assurance always comes out of struggle. You said: "I keep praying that I would not be one of the bad soils in the parable of the sower." Remember, don't just pray about what you don't want to be, but pray about what you want to be. Don't just trust God for your salvation, trust Him in every detail of your day. When you bump your head, live like (believe) that God even ordained this for your good. And when you feel like you have assurance, don't rest in the assurance but rather Christ. The Christian life is never comfortable. Pray that you would see your sin more so that you constantly look to your Savior and remember, "a broken and a contrite heart, these, O God, You will not despise" (Ps. 51:17).

1. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, 1 am not my own, 2 but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, 3 who with His precious blood 4 has fully satisfied for all my sins, 5 and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; 6 and so preserves me 7 that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; 8 indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation. 9 Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, 10 and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him. 11

[1] Rom. 14: 7– 8. [2] 1 Cor. 6: 19. [3] 1 Cor. 3: 23. [4] 1 Pet. 1: 18– 19. [5] 1 Jn. 1: 7; 2: 2. [6] 1 Jn. 3: 8. [7] Jn. 6: 39. [8] Matt. 10: 29– 30; Lk. 21: 18. [9] Rom. 8: 28. [10] 2 Cor. 1: 21– 22; Eph. 1: 13– 14; Rom. 8: 16. [11] Rom. 8: 1. 2.

 

[Brian1975]

Thank you timfrost. I love the Heidelberg Catechism. I will have to look up those Scripture references.

 

[MW]

It has been said many times before, but it is worth repeating, that it is a good sign of genuine faith when a person is concerned to have genuine faith. It is not an infallible sign, but it is already moving in the right direction.

The main concern is to ensure that our faith is in the Saviour. The danger is in making a Saviour of our faith. The ultimate reason why faith does not fail is due to the fact that the Saviour prays that it will not fail. The strength of faith is in looking out of oneself for strength.

"Presumption" and "despair" are both weaknesses of faith because they indicate a lack of balance in looking out of oneself to the Lord. Upon what is one presuming, and of what is one despairing? These types of "soul-states" are a matter of balance for a patient in the hands of the Physician. The one under the care of Another has to presume that he will be cared for, and yet he must not presume that he will be cared for in his own way. He must despair of help from any other, and yet he must not despair of the help of the Healer.

 

[jwithnell]

Friend, you have a difficult struggle, one that you may be surprised to find that many others share or have shared. You cannot look to yourself or your experiences: you must look to the objective truth in God's word. This is not presumption; it's trusting that God's word is true. It is also true that we are called to examine ourselves, particularly as we approach the Lord's table. But that stands as a necessity for all Christians to make sure we are not leading a careless life, particularly when it comes to coddling sin and not seeing it in light of God's word.

So what can you do right now? I didn't see a church affiliation (or for that matter any of the signature that is normative here.) Assuming you are part of a solid church, you should avail yourself as much as possible to the fellowship of the saints and the means of grace presented to you there. Try to spend time with those who have matured in their faith. Share your concerns and heed their counsel. I don't just want to toss a book your way, but you might find JC Ryle's book Assurance to be quite helpful.

 

[Verkehrsteilnehmer]

Friend, you have a difficult struggle, one that you may be surprised to find that many others share or have shared. You cannot look to yourself or your experiences: you must look to the objective truth in God's word. This is not presumption; it's trusting that God's word is true. It is also true that we are called to examine ourselves, particularly as we approach the Lord's table. But that stands as a necessity for all Christians to make sure we are not leading a careless life, particularly when it comes to coddling sin and not seeing it in light of God's word.

So what can you do right now? I didn't see a church affiliation (or for that matter any of the signature that is normative here.) Assuming you are part of a solid church, you should avail yourself as much as possible to the fellowship of the saints and the means of grace presented to you there. Try to spend time with those who have matured in their faith. Share your concerns and heed their counsel. I don't just want to toss a book your way, but you might find JC Ryle's book Assurance to be quite helpful.

Yes, JWithnell is right: attend to God's means of grace, as you are probably already doing, I hope. But one general concern of mine is that there are so many reformed people influenced by Abraham Kuyper and those who followed him in their promoting of presumptive regeneration, hypercovenantalism, etc. We all need to hear the Gospel and pray the God would turn our hearts toward him every day and throughout the day.
Dave Maurmann
PHX
OPC

 

[jwithnell]

Richard Sibbes is so comforting to those who are struggling!