Francis Roberts on striving after assurance

[Reformed Covenanter]

Strive after well-grounded Assurance of a good spiritual state. Labour not only, That God, Christ, Grace, and Glory may be yours: but also, That ye may know assuredly they are yours. Assurance is possible; For God’s Spirit is given to help us to it, &c. Many have attained it. ...

For more, see Francis Roberts on striving after assurance.

 

[Tom Hart]

Thank you for this! A relative of my wife's has expressed a decades-long struggle with assurance. I will ask my wife to share this with her.

 

[Ed Walsh]

Thank you for this! A relative of my wife's has expressed a decades-long struggle with assurance. I will ask my wife to share this with her

Hi Tom & All,

If there's any way I can help I would be happy to give it a try. Let me know.

Below is Question 36 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Below that are the first three sub-questions from Fisher's Catechism. I stopped with Question 3 because I want to give my testimony that the answer is true. For 40 years I struggled with assurance, but the last five years all that has changed. I now enjoy, by Grace, what is called full assurance of faith. And on a regular basis, and there are days which are exceptions, I do deeply enjoy the three answers to that questions--Assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost. I consider myself very privileged indeed. All hail the great Triune God Yahweh.

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Question 36. What are the benefits which, in this life, do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
Answer: The benefits which, in this life, do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.

OF ASSURANCE​

Q. 1. Are not justification, adoption, and sanctification, pregnant with many blessings?
A. Yes; their name may well be called GAD, (Gen. 30:11,) for troops of blessings attend them; some in this life, some at death, but the best of all in the life to come.

Q. 2. What are the benefits which flow from them in this life?
A. There are five of them mentioned in the answer; namely, “assurance of God’s love,” Rom. 5:5; “peace of conscience,” Rom. 5:1; “joy in the Holy Ghost,” Rom. 14:17; “increase of grace,” Proverbs 4:18; and “perseverance therein to the end,” 1 Pet. 1:5.

Q. 3. Which of these benefits flow from a sight and sense of justification, adoption, and sanctification?
A. Assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

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There are a total of 71 sub-questions in Fisher's catechism regarding Question 36 of the Shorter Catechism. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will upload a PDF of the entire 71 questions and answers.