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The True Position of Assurance | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to Reformed Thinking, your deep dive into crucial
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  insights and fresh understanding that truly change how you
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  approach central truths. We sift through sources,
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  research, and timeless wisdom. Right, and we offer you a quick
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  pathway to being well informed, complete with some surprising
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  details and just enough light heartedness to keep you engaged.
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  Our core aim is really to clear away the noise, yeah.
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  And bring the essential ideas into sharp focus.
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  Today we're embarking on a deep dive into something absolutely
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  foundational to our spiritual walk the path to faith, placing
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  our trust in Christ, and, well, that wonderful inner quietude
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  known as assurance. It's a subject many sincere
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  individuals wrestle with, isn't it?
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  Definitely often wondering if their faith is sufficient or if
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  they've truly grasped it. Perhaps you've asked yourself,
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  am I truly in a right standing with God?
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  Or is my hope just, you know, wishful thinking?
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  That's such a common question, and it often springs from a
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  misunderstanding, really, of how faith and assurance actually
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  unfold. For our material today, we're
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  turning to Charles Spurgeon. He was a remarkable figure from
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  the 19th century, widely known for his clarity and practicality
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  in teaching on these very subjects.
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  Persian. Yeah, very.
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  Very. And he addresses what he saw as
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  a widespread misconception, one that caused frankly considerable
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  sorrow for many believers, particularly regarding the
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  proper order and nature of faith and assurance.
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  Right, so we're looking to untangle a common spiritual Not
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  here. We want to clarify what faith
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  genuinely entails, how it comes about, and it's distinct yet
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  closely related connection with assurance.
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  By the close of this deep dive, you should gain a clearer view
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  of the vital process God uses to bring people into a right
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  standing with Him and to grant comfort to their souls.
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  It's about discovering the blueprint God Himself lays out
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  for us. It's not guesswork.
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  OK, let's get into it. To kick us off, Spurgeon
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  identifies a common misstep many seeking souls make.
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  What exactly is this misstep and how does he illustrate it for
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  us? He was great with illustrations.
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  He really was. The central misstep, as Spurgeon
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  frequently pointed out, is expecting assurance to be
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  present before salvation, or even thinking it serves as the
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  ultimate proof of salvation itself.
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  Instead of seeing assurance as, you know, a natural spiritual
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  outcome of faith, people often demand it first.
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  Like a prerequisite. Exactly a prerequisite.
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  He uses several memorable analogies to paint this picture.
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  He talks about individuals who seek ripe fruit upon a tree and
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  spring when they only find blossoms, maybe just tiny buds,
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  they wrongly conclude the tree is barren.
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  They forget the harvest season is still way off.
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  That makes immediate sense. It does.
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  And this isn't just a minor error.
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  It sets up a spiritual expectation that simply doesn't
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  align with God's established way of working in a soul's life.
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  It causes what Spurgeon called great trouble for those
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  genuinely seeking. How so?
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  Well, they mistakenly believe their faith is insufficient
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  simply because it hasn't yet reached a certain degree of
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  certainty, even when they've already placed their trust in
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  Christ and salvation is actually there.
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  So they're looking for a feeling.
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  They're focusing on a feeling or some outward manifestation,
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  rather than on the foundational, interactive, trusting.
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  So it's like someone demanding to see the finished painting
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  when the artist has only just started sketching on the canvas.
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  Precisely. That's a great way to put it.
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  Another image he uses is someone going to the head of a river and
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  finding only a little rippling brook OK, and then concluding it
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  can never reach the sea. You wouldn't expect a mighty
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  river right at its source, would you?
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  No, of course not. The greatest rivers begin as
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  just trickles. This illustrates the
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  misunderstanding of spiritual beginnings versus full growth.
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  A new faith, even if it feels small or comes with doubts and
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  fears, is still a genuine starting point.
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  It has the same trajectory, the same divine purpose, as the most
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  robust faith destined for, you know, the vast ocean of God's
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  presence. The vital aspect isn't its size
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  at the start, but its true origin.
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  Is it from God? That makes so much sense.
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  We tend to judge by immediate grandeur, don't we?
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  We want the Big River now. We absolutely do.
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  And he offers yet another quite poignant image.
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  Little children who, because they can't speak plainly right
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  after being born, wrongly think they're not children of God at
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  all. It is.
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  They might compare themselves to mature believers who he calls
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  giants in the church, those doing mighty spiritual exploits.
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  And because these new converts are young, perhaps spiritually
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  feeble, they misinterpret their spiritual youth as a sign
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  they're outside of grace. They see others serving
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  confidently and think that's not me.
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  Exactly. They see these spiritual Titans,
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  and while it might be inspiring on one level, it often leads to
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  misjudging their own real standing.
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  They are indeed children of God, just at an earlier stage.
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  They need nurture, not condemnation.
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  So what's the core message Spurgeon is really driving home
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  for us with all these vivid analogies?
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  Well, it seems to be that we absolutely must avoid putting
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  the last things first, OK? And confusing A blessing that
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  flows from grace for the very root of grace itself, he says.
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  This error pierces them through with many sorrows.
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  That's strong language. It is.
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  It's like looking for the pinnacle before the foundation
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  is even laid, or the cream before the milk has settled, or
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  even the harvest before you sow the seed.
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  This misplaced expectation creates real, agonizing doubt.
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  And it can lead to this painful cycle of just constantly seeking
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  something. Seeking something that's meant
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  to follow naturally instead of resting in the truth of what God
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  has already done. Through their initial act of
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  faith, they chase a feeling or an experience that might not be
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  there yet. Or, frankly, it might not be
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  God's timing to grant it. You've hit on it exactly.
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  The core issue is confusing the fruit with the root.
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  Spot on. And to correct this, this common
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  misunderstanding, Spurgeon directs our attention to a clear
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  divine blueprint. It's found in Ephesians chapter
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  one, verse 13. Ephesians 1.13.
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  OK, this passage, he argues, lays out a distinct progression.
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  First hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
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  That's the foundational intake of God's message, the seed being
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  sown. Got it, hearing. 2nd believing
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  in Christ. Spurgeon defines this simply as
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  trusting Him. This is the heart's active
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  response to that message, the seed taking root.
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  Believing is trusting, OK? And thirdly, after that you
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  believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
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  That is assurance. So it comes after believing.
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  Explicitly after this sequence is absolutely key to
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  understanding the full path God sets before us.
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  It's not one big, confusing leap, but a divine process with
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  clear, discernible steps. Each step builds on the one
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  before it, and the Holy Spirit is consistently active enabling
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  each one. OK, that framework is really
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  helpful. Hearing, believing, then
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  sealing, which is assurance. That's the biblical order.
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  Let's hone in on that initial step, then hearing.
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  Why is hearing so foundational, and what specific qualities must
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  this message possess? It can't be just any message,
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  right? Absolutely not.
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  Spurgeon asserts quite clearly that faith cometh by hearing
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  Romans 10.17. And this isn't just any hearing,
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  mind you, but listening specifically to the preaching of
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  the Gospel. The Gospel message itself.
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  Yes, he calls it God's soul saving ordinance, meaning it's
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  the specific method God has chosen and ordained to bring
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  people to trust Him. He chose what the Bible calls
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  the foolishness of preaching as the means to save those who
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  trust. Sounds simple, almost too
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  simple. It does for such a profound
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  outcome, but that's God's way. He emphasizes that God has
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  always raised up individuals throughout history to faithfully
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  proclaim His Word. Like a continuous chain.
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  In a sense, when one departs, another arrives.
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  Think Elijah's mantle falling on Elijah, or Paul passing the
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  torch to Timothy. It ensures a kind of spiritual
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  lineage, not of office necessarily, but a faithfully
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  proclaiming the gospel down the generations.
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  A succession of truth telling. Exactly.
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  And when Christ is lifted up in that preaching, Spurgeon notes,
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  people are drawn to hear. Sometimes they're drawn even
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  against their initial inclinations.
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  There's an inherent attractiveness in the message
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  itself that captures attention. Even if it doesn't immediately
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  lead to salvation. Right.
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  Even then, the truth of Christ resonates, its savour goes
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  forth, whether it ultimately leads to new life or sadly
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  reveals a deeper rejection. It sounds like it cuts through
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  all the noise. So what exactly defines the word
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  of truth, the gospel of your salvation?
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  What are its non negotiable characteristics?
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  OK, first it must be the word of truth.
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  This means it's infallibly true, utterly reliable.
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  Rock solid. Yes, rooted in a Thus saith the
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  Lord, based entirely on the revelation of the Most High God.
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  It is, he argues, the highest truth without which humanity
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  would perish, adrift in spiritual darkness.
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  Not just you truth, but the truth.
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  Precisely. It has a unique substance and
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  weight, standing above all other words or philosophies.
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  And as believers, we can know its veracity, not just
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  intellectually, but because, as Spurgeon says, we've proved it
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  in our own souls. We've experienced its life
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  giving reality. OK, so it must be truth.
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  What's up? Second, this word of truth is
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  distinct from the law, while the law shows God's perfect standard
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  and our failure. Because it's our need.
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  Exactly. It shows our need, but the
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  gospel highlights that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
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  Moses revealed gospel truth, certainly, but often veiled in
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  shadows, types, ceremonies. Christ brings it plainly into
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  the light. He's the substance.
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  He is the substance. The central, undeniable truth is
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  that God was made flesh and dwelt among us, and that Jesus
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  Christ came into the world to seek and to save sinners.
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  This truth, Spurgeon insists, excels all other revelations.
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  It's like towering mountain over a plane, or the sun outshining
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  all lesser lights. It's the essential truth
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  demanding our focus. Got it.
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  Truth distinct from law, centered on Christ.
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  What's the third thing? 3rd beyond simply being true, it
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  must be the Gospel, which literally means good news, Good
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  news. Yes, this is something totally
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  new to the world's natural religion, something fresh from
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  God, not cooked up by human tradition or expectation.
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  It is infinitely good for one soul designed to meet and
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  satisfy the craving appetite of your poor hungry spirit.
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  It has to actually be good news. It must be.
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  It must be evangelical doctrine bringing genuine joy in real
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  life to the weary soul. Anything less, anything that
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  doesn't proclaim Christ's saving work as the answer to our
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  deepest need, well, it's just not the gospel.
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  So it's not about what you see or observe then?
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  It's not about impressive displays or elaborate
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  ceremonies. Precisely.
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  Spurgeon is very clear that faith does not come by by
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  seeing. It doesn't come by observing
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  elaborate rituals or sacred symbols or even divinely
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  appointed ordinances if they're viewed as the source of faith
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  itself. So looking at sacraments doesn't
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  create faith. No.
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  He explicitly states that people don't get faith by watching a
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  priest handle bread and wine or by observing baptismal water.
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  While those things might engage the senses, they don't
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  spontaneously generate the living faith God gives.
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  Salvation primarily enters through irrigate, not I gate.
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  Ear gate not I gate. I like that.
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  It's memorable, isn't it? While God and His sovereignty
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  can certainly work in other ways, the usual way grace enters
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  the soul is through the diligent hearing of the preached gospel.
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  Not through human tradition or speculation or poetic musings,
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  but through that old evangel, the pure message proclaimed by
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  Christ and his apostles. OK.
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  And there was one more part to that phrase.
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  Gospel of your salvation. What does that mean?
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  Ah yes, it must be the gospel of your salvation.
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  You have to perceive it as the means of salvation personally
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  for you. Not just generally for anyone,
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  but for me. Exactly.
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  It needs to connect with your own condition as a Sinner, as
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  someone who is lost, and you must earnestly desire it to
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  address that specific desperate need you feel.
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  The preacher's aim, then, is to help people recognize that this
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  liberating message is for them, that it meets their specific
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  individual need. So when you grasp it by faith.
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  When you grasp it by the hand of faith, truly accepting it into
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  your heart, it then becomes your salvation in a deeply personal
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  way. If you know you're lost, then
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  the message that Christ came to save the lost applies directly
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  to you. It's not just a general truth
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  out there. It becomes a particular saving
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  truth for you. This sounds like it places a
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  significant expectation on the hearer.
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  Then what is our part in this crucial initial step?
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  What's the listener's responsibility?
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  Hearing the gospel message, Spurgeon argues, carries
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  tremendous spiritual responsibility.
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  It is a great privilege, not something to be taken lightly.
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  A privilege, OK. He paints a stark picture.
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  Imagine the damned in hell knowing what they would give,
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  what unspeakable price they'd pay for just one more chance to
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  hear it. Wow.
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  And the saved in heaven never cease blessing God for it.
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  On a dying bed. The memory of hearing a gospel
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  sermon will hold an entirely different weight than it does in
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  everyday life. So we shouldn't take hearing for
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  granted. Never.
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  Even if someone has heard it long in vain, they should never
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  stop listening because the spiritual principle remains.
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  Faith cometh by hearing. God doesn't withhold faith from
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  those who genuinely desire it and actively seek it through His
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  appointed means. The seed of the Word might lie
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  buried for a long time, dormant, unseen, but if it was never
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  heard, it could never quicken a soul.
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  So keep listening, even if you don't feel anything yet.
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  Absolutely, and he also urges believers to pray for those who
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  preach, understanding that their proclamation, however eloquent,
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  is ineffective without the Holy Spirit's accompanying life
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  giving work. Supporting the preacher through
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  prayer. Yes, like Aaron and her holding
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  up Moses's hands, hearers themselves should also be
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  diligent, actively drinking in the Word as the thirsty earth
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  absorbs water, giving their whole attention and soul to it.
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  Not just passively sitting. There no actively receiving
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  waste, no opportunities, no Sunday services in places where
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  the gospel isn't truly and faithfully preached.
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  Receive it as newborn babes eagerly receive nourishing milk
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  because it's the only thing truly able to save their souls
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  and bring them to spiritual maturity.
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  It's an active posture of reception.
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  OK, that covers hearing really well.
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  So after that foundational act of hearing, the next crucial
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  step is believing. How does Spurgeon precisely
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  define this belief, and how does he link it directly to the idea
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  of trusting? Spurgeon makes it crystal clear
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  belief is directly synonymous with trust in Christ.
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  Belief equals trust. Yes, he views it as the
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  essential act, the ACT indispensable to salvation.
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  If you want to boil down to the simplest word he says, it is
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  just this trust in Christ. He offers a relatable analogy.
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  Imagine trusting a reliable friend to pay a debt for you.
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  Once you're thoroughly convinced of Christ's perfect
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  truthfulness, once you know he's worthy of credit, that he means
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  exactly what he says and that he's fully capable of
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  delivering, then he argues it's simply not possible to genuinely
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  say, I cannot believe you. Because you know he's
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  trustworthy. Exactly.
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  To deny belief, then, would be, in His words, lying unto my own
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  soul, or even worse, making God a liar by doubting His very
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  nature and His revealed character.
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  If you truly see God as truthful, you can't help but
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  believe in a person you are certain is true.
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  Unbelief from this angle isn't just weakness, it's a profound
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  insult to God's integrity. That's a strong point, calling
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  unbelief an affront. But if, as Reformed theology
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  teaches, the Spirit gives the ability to believe, how is it
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  still an act of the individual as often Feels like a paradox,
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  doesn't it? It does, and it's a vital
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  theological nuance that Spurgeon clarifies beautifully, I think.
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  He affirms that faith in Christ is the work of God's Holy
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  Spirit. No one, he insists, believes
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  without the Spirit first, quickening their dormant spirit
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  and illuminating their understanding to truly perceive
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  Christ's truthfulness and His suitability as Savior.
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  So the ability comes from the spirit.
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  The ability to believe is undeniably a gift of the Holy
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  Spirit. The Spirit removes the natural
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  unbelief of the soul which is ingrained in our fallen nature,
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  so that we can even want to believe.
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  OK, but where does the human action come in?
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  Right, Spurgeon is quick to balance this.
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  While the Spirit works in man to believe, it is the man who
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  believes. The Holy Spirit doesn't believe
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  for the person. Oh, I see, the individual is
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  quickened, made spiritually alive, and then their quickened
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  spirit lays hold of revealed truth.
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  So the individual isn't passive in the act of believing.
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  They actively yield their faculties, their mind, their
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  will to be taught and to rest on Christ.
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  Like a student learning. Kind of like a teacher imparting
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  knowledge. The teacher gives the truth and
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  makes it understandable, but the student must still actively
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  acquire it by yielding their mind.
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  So it's a divine work that results in a genuine, active
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  human response. It's not God pulling strings,
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  it's a divine awakening leading to personal trust.
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  So this brings us to the significance of this faith.
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  What does it mean that faith is due to Christ, and why is it so
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  indispensable for salvation? Spurgeon states that to doubt
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  Christ is the unkindest cut you can give to Christ.
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  Unkindest cut. Wow.
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  Yeah, what he means is that disbelieving him insults him
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  more deeply than even his physical sufferings did, because
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  it questions his very truthfulness, his integrity, his
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  divine character. He considers it due to him that
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  you should with your whole heart lean upon him and give him all
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  your confidence. It's what he deserves, given who
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  he is. Exactly.
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  Christ, the faithful and true witness, demands our belief
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  because He is truth Incarnate. To doubt that eternal arm
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  holding the universe or those bleeding hands that open heaven
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  for sinners, well, Sproggin sees it as deeply insulting.
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  And essential for salvation. Absolutely essential to
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  salvation 1 cannot get there without the life giving grace of
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  faith he makes a powerful distinction here while you may
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  get to heaven with 1000 doubts and fears, and even without
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  other graces of the spirit, things he calls ornaments
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  beautiful expressions of spiritual.
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  Growth like patience or joy? Right, things like that.
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  But faith itself is utterly necessary.
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  It's the vital principle, the shell which holds the kernel of
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  the inner spiritual life, the core, the core.
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  If anyone seeks visions or dramatic experiences or deep
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  terrors of conviction or personal revelations, instead of
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  simply trusting Christ, they are in effect shutting themselves
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  out of true peace and ultimately salvation.
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  God, he says, won't set his seal to your faith until you set your
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  seal of trust to His Word. That distinction between faith
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  is essential and other graces, as you know, beneficial extras
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  is so helpful. Does the strength of this faith
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  determine one's salvation then? Does have to be really strong
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  faith? Absolutely not, and this is such
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  a comforting truth Spurgeon wants us to grasp.
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  Salvation is not required in any particular degree of faith.
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  That's huge. It is even little faith, like a
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  seemingly tiny grain of mustard seed, or a faint smoking flax
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  about to go out, or a bruised Reed ready to snap.
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  If it is genuine trust in Christ, it is entirely
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  sufficient for salvation. So quality over quantity.
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  Exactly. Faith is judged by its quality,
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  its genuineness, not its quantity or intensity.
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  If there's simply true faith, even if you feel like you're
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  scarcely a healthy infant in grace, you're still truly seen
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  by God, and your salvation is certain.
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  Little faith, Spurgeon assures us, will carry you all the way
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  to heaven through Jesus Christ. Even just looking to Jesus.
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  Even if you just look to Jesus out of the corner of your eye,
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  as he puts it through tears and doubt, yet you see Him to
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  salvation. The focus is always on the
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  object of faith, Christ, not on the strength of your grasp.
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  That is incredibly reassuring, especially for anyone wrestling
• 19:42
  with doubt. But for some, the idea that
• 19:44
  little faith is enough might feel counterintuitive.
• 19:48
  Don't we often equate strong faith with strong feelings or
• 19:51
  unwavering certainty? How does Spurgeon handle that?
• 19:54
  That's a really common and understandable point.
• 19:56
  Spurgeon acknowledges that faith is very variable.
• 19:59
  It can ebb and flow like the tides.
• 20:01
  High tide. Low tide.
• 20:02
  Right when faith is at high tide, full flood, you're not
• 20:05
  more saved than before. And when it's at low tide, the
• 20:08
  ebb, you're not less saved. Salvation, he states, clearly
• 20:11
  does not lie in faith, but in Christ.
• 20:14
  And faith is but the connecting link between the soul and
• 20:16
  Christ. Just the link.
• 20:18
  Just the link, the hand that receives, not the source of the
• 20:20
  gift. And once this faith, this
• 20:23
  incorruptible seed, this new divine life principle, God
• 20:27
  implants, once it's received, it shall live and abide in him
• 20:30
  forever. It lasts.
• 20:31
  It lasts. It speaks to the imperishable
• 20:34
  nature of true faith in regeneration.
• 20:36
  Unlike earthly seeds, this spiritual life is divinely
• 20:39
  sustained. It's a gift that, once given,
• 20:41
  cannot be lost or destroyed. It ensures permanence even
• 20:44
  through seasons of doubt, dryness, or severe temptation.
• 20:48
  Even at its weakest, this true faith sparkles like a jewel in
• 20:51
  the dark mine and never can drown.
• 20:53
  It might flicker, but it cannot be extinguished by God.
• 20:57
  OK, so if we can't just try harder to believe, if it's not
• 21:00
  about willpower, how exactly does the Spirit work, this faith
• 21:04
  in us? It sounds less like an effort
• 21:06
  and more like an awakening. It is absolutely more than
• 21:09
  willpower. The Spirit of God works
• 21:11
  according to the laws of mind. Belief comes by force of
• 21:14
  evidence, not by simply trying to conjure it up.
• 21:17
  Force of evidence. Yes, you can't pump faith up
• 21:19
  from your own mind by sheer determination, just like you
• 21:22
  come to believe a news report because you trust the source and
• 21:25
  the evidence, not by just willing yourself to believe it.
• 21:28
  The Spirit leads in a way consistent with how our minds
• 21:31
  work. God doesn't violate the laws of
• 21:33
  the human mind He created. He works within our nature.
• 21:36
  So how does he present this evidence?
• 21:37
  Well, the Spirit often leads individuals to think about
• 21:40
  Christ in a fresh, compelling way.
• 21:43
  His crucifixion, His resurrection, and especially how
• 21:46
  His work perfectly meets their conscious needs as sinners.
• 21:51
  Seeing the connection. Seeing the connection, they
• 21:54
  begin to perceive the profound wonder of God clothed in human
• 21:58
  flesh to suffer for human sin, and how through Christ, God can
• 22:01
  be both perfectly just and condemning sin and perfectly
• 22:05
  gracious in forgiving sinners. By considering the overwhelming
• 22:09
  evidence from the Bible, the consistent testimony of others
• 22:12
  who have tried and proved it, and truly perceiving the gospel
• 22:15
  truth's personal impact in their own soul, well, one is
• 22:19
  irresistibly led to believe God's Word.
• 22:21
  So it's a process of seeing the truth in its relevance.
• 22:24
  Yes, the spirit works in this internal yet rational way,
• 22:28
  leading from the evidence given to a settled conviction and
• 22:30
  trust in the testimony born. Spurgeon offers a particularly
• 22:34
  insightful analogy here. He compares many people to a
• 22:37
  judge who diligently listens to every accusation brought against
• 22:40
  him, but absolutely refuses to hear the advocate for the
• 22:42
  defense. Interesting.
• 22:44
  He says many believers do this. They focus relentlessly only on
• 22:48
  their sins, their failures, Satan's accusations.
• 22:51
  They listen to every complaint, every doubt.
• 22:54
  But when Christ stands up, ready to present His perfect
• 22:56
  atonement, His finished work, his glorious righteousness, they
• 23:00
  often recoil, saying would be presumptuous to hope.
• 23:04
  Too good to be true. Something like that.
• 23:06
  But Spurgeon says to gain faith, you must look at the fair side
• 23:09
  as well as the foul. You have to meditate on Christ,
• 23:12
  atonement and God's boundless promises.
• 23:14
  Promises like though your sins be a scarlet, they shall be as
• 23:17
  white as snow. It's never presumption to
• 23:20
  genuinely listen to God's truth, and doing so can melt the
• 23:23
  hardest heart and gently lead it to trust in Christ alone.
• 23:27
  Look at the defense, not just the prosecution.
• 23:29
  That's practical. OK, That leads us to the third
• 23:31
  step, the one people often mistakenly put first, the
• 23:34
  ceiling of assurance. How does Spurgeon clearly show
• 23:37
  this is distinct from faith itself?
• 23:39
  They often get lumped together. They do, and Spurgeon is
• 23:42
  meticulous here. Assurance, which he also calls
• 23:45
  ceiling, is essentially the witness of the Holy Spirit with
• 23:49
  our spirit that we are born of God.
• 23:51
  It's that inner testimony. The Spirit telling us we belong
• 23:54
  to God. Yes, and he shows it's distinct
• 23:57
  from faith because the biblical text itself, Ephesians 1.13
• 24:01
  states after that you believed you were sealed.
• 24:04
  The sequence again. The sequence explicitly reveals
• 24:06
  order, not synonymity or simultaneity.
• 24:10
  While assurance is certainly akin to believing, and it grows
• 24:13
  out of faith, it is not the act of believing itself.
• 24:16
  One is the cause, the other is the subsequent effect.
• 24:18
  OK, distinct because of the timing.
• 24:20
  Any other distinctions? Yes, there's also a clear
• 24:23
  difference in the nature of the action.
• 24:24
  Faith is active. You trusted.
• 24:27
  You believed it's where the mind and will actively do something,
• 24:31
  like you signing a document. Our action enabled by grace.
• 24:36
  Sealing, however, is passive. He were sealed.
• 24:39
  It's something one receives. The Holy Spirit stamps the seal
• 24:42
  himself, Spurgeon explains. No hand wanted there except his
• 24:46
  own. He imprints his own divine
• 24:49
  impression to make the spiritual document valid, recognized.
• 24:53
  It's granted to you, not generated by you.
• 24:55
  So faith is active trust, sealing is passive perception.
• 24:59
  Precisely, and one more distinction.
• 25:01
  Faith is both a duty as well as a privilege.
• 25:04
  It's commanded throughout Scripture.
• 25:05
  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 25:08
  Assurance, however, is a privilege only, not commanded.
• 25:10
  You're never told. Be sealed.
• 25:12
  Exactly. You're never exhorted in the
• 25:14
  Bible to be sealed. While every Christian certainly
• 25:16
  should pray for it and long for it, it's a wonderful spiritual
• 25:19
  advantage. It's not a subject of divine
• 25:21
  command. Salvation comes by faith.
• 25:23
  The Christian life is lived by faith, but neither salvation nor
• 25:26
  living are ever attributed to sealing or to assurance as the
• 25:30
  means. So you can be saved without
• 25:31
  assurance. You absolutely can be saved
• 25:34
  without assurance, but you cannot be saved without faith.
• 25:38
  Faith is the essential life principle.
• 25:39
  Assurance is a delightful confirmation of that life.
• 25:42
  So does this ceiling of assurance always come
• 25:45
  immediately after faith, or is there a timeline involved?
• 25:48
  Does it happen right away for everyone?
• 25:49
  Not always, Spurgeon says. Perhaps not often.
• 25:52
  Oh, OK. While some individuals might get
• 25:54
  a full sense of assurance right away, feeling that certainty as
• 25:58
  soon as they trust Christ, many, many do not.
• 26:01
  He gives some powerful real life examples.
• 26:04
  Like who? He talks about a Mr. Frogmorton,
• 26:07
  A valuable minister who, despite faithful service, lacked
• 26:10
  assurance for a staggering 37 years. 37 years.
• 26:14
  Wow. Yes, his ministry was often
• 26:17
  gloomy because of it, yet he received that glorious assurance
• 26:20
  triumphantly, just before his passing, in his friend Mr.
• 26:23
  Dodd's home. At the very.
• 26:25
  At the very end, he also recounts the moving story of Mr.
• 26:28
  Glover, a martyr who had been without assurance for years,
• 26:31
  wrestling with doubt. But he gained it dramatically.
• 26:34
  Right at the stake where he was about to be burned.
• 26:36
  He cried out. He has come.
• 26:39
  He has come just as the flames were lit.
• 26:41
  Incredible timing. Incredible and Spurgeon even
• 26:44
  mentions that some good individuals, truly God's
• 26:47
  children, may go to heaven like some children put to bed in the
• 26:51
  dark without experiencing full assurance on this earth.
• 26:54
  Put to bed in the dark. That's evocative it.
• 26:56
  Is Christ ascended in a cloud? Gideon saw the Angel in smoke.
• 27:00
  Similarly, many devoted people ascend with clouds of darkness
• 27:04
  round about him, yet they still reach heaven safely.
• 27:06
  This just underlines that assurance is not to be looked
• 27:09
  for before faith. Don't put the cart before the
• 27:11
  horse. Exactly.
• 27:12
  You wouldn't seek the pinnacle before the foundation or the
• 27:14
  cream before the milk. Assurance follows faith, but the
• 27:18
  apostle Paul does not say how soon it will arrive.
• 27:21
  It comes in God's perfect timing for each person.
• 27:23
  That brings his tremendous comfort knowing God works at his
• 27:26
  pace with us. So if faith is found, in whom?
• 27:30
  In Christ? Where do we find this assurance?
• 27:33
  Is it also found in Christ? Yes.
• 27:34
  Just as faith is found in whom Christ, assurance must also be
• 27:38
  found in whom Christ. The spiritual source for faith
• 27:42
  is Christ himself, and the source for assurance must be the
• 27:45
  same. Keep looking to Jesus.
• 27:46
  Keep looking to Jesus. As you continue to meditate upon
• 27:50
  what Christ did for you, His completed work, His sacrifice,
• 27:54
  His perfect righteousness, your assurance of your standing in
• 27:58
  Him, your interest in Him grows. To enjoy spiritual health
• 28:01
  perpetually, and S Spurgeon describes it, a heaven upon
• 28:05
  earth. You must continue to feed upon
• 28:07
  the flesh and blood of Christ. Symbolically of.
• 28:09
  Course, symbolically, yes, consuming his sacrifice,
• 28:12
  applying it to your soul and hold him fast.
• 28:15
  Christ is the life giving fountain that first quenched
• 28:17
  your spiritual thirst, and he must continue to be that
• 28:20
  fountain until you drink freely from the river of life in
• 28:22
  paradise itself. It's a continuous engagement
• 28:25
  with Him. So assurance grows through
• 28:28
  ongoing focus on Christ. How does the Spirit actually
• 28:32
  grant this assurance? Is it always some dramatic
• 28:35
  moment, or can it be more subtle, more gradual?
• 28:38
  Like faith itself, assurance is fundamentally the work of the
• 28:41
  Spirit of God, and he grants it in several ways, not always with
• 28:45
  dramatic fanfare. Sometimes it comes through
• 28:47
  experience. So when believers know that God
• 28:51
  is true because we have proved Him, there's a lived reality
• 28:54
  where God's promises hold true in their daily lives, providing
• 28:57
  and accumulating evidence of His faithfulness Over.
• 29:00
  Seeing him work day by day. Exactly.
• 29:03
  It also comes through the hearing of the Word.
• 29:05
  As you continue to listen to the gospel proclaimed and meditate
• 29:08
  on it, your faith is confirmed. The steady intake of gospel
• 29:12
  truth strengthens conviction and helps you see how the promises
• 29:14
  apply personally to you. So consistency in hearing helps.
• 29:18
  It does, but there is beyond these undoubtedly a special and
• 29:22
  supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
• 29:24
  This is where the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we
• 29:26
  are born of God. Romans 8.
• 29:28
  Point sense team. The direct witness.
• 29:30
  The direct witness. This is distinct from just
• 29:33
  examining evidence or analyzing feelings.
• 29:36
  It's an internal, sometimes indescribable heavenly calm that
• 29:40
  brings immense joy and confidence, a deep certainty
• 29:43
  within the soul. What might that feel like?
• 29:45
  Well, you might have felt it during a quiet moment of
• 29:47
  meditation. Or maybe it's stole over you
• 29:50
  unexpectedly, like a gentle dawn.
• 29:52
  Spurgeon says It can even arrive right in the middle of sharp
• 29:55
  conflicts or severe trials, or in peculiar moments of loss.
• 29:59
  Even in hardship. Even then, he even suggests it
• 30:02
  can be particularly anticipated and experienced at the threshold
• 30:05
  of death as God prepareth his children for glory.
• 30:08
  It provides this profound sense of God's presence and acceptance
• 30:12
  that goes beyond logic. This sounds incredibly
• 30:14
  desirable. If it's not essential for
• 30:16
  salvation, why should believers actively pursue it?
• 30:19
  What does it truly offer us? Assurance is desirable to the
• 30:22
  highest degree because it is an earnest of the inheritance.
• 30:25
  It's described as part of Heaven on Earth.
• 30:28
  A foretaste. Exactly.
• 30:29
  It's not just a down payment or a pledge that's eventually
• 30:32
  returned. It's a tangible portion, a
• 30:34
  genuine foretaste. He compares it to one cluster
• 30:38
  from the vines of Eshkol, A taste of the Promised Lands
• 30:40
  fruit before you fully enter. Like a sample of heaven A.
• 30:43
  Sample of heaven or a stray note from the harps of angels.
• 30:47
  A fragment of heavenly music, or a drop of the spray from the
• 30:51
  fountains of life. One ingot of gold from the
• 30:54
  pavement of heaven, 1 ray of heavenly light from the eternal
• 30:58
  Sun of Righteousness. It's a genuine taste of future
• 31:01
  bliss right here, right now. That sounds amazing.
• 31:04
  It is. And if you've ever known this
• 31:06
  assurance, Spurgeon says you will pant till you have it
• 31:09
  again. Because after seeing the
• 31:10
  sunlight of God's favor, you simply can't settle for the
• 31:13
  candlelight of your doubts and fears and the dungeon of
• 31:15
  despondency. It's invigorating for spiritual
• 31:18
  service and incredibly calming for the soul.
• 31:20
  But what if you lose that feeling?
• 31:23
  What if assurance fades? If assurance is lost, as it
• 31:26
  sometimes can be in seasons of spiritual trial or maybe
• 31:29
  neglect, you must still hang on, Jesus.
• 31:32
  That's the key. Back to faith.
• 31:33
  Back to foundational faith. Job's attitude is held up as the
• 31:37
  supreme example. Though he slay me, yet will I
• 31:40
  trust him? This means trusting Him even if
• 31:43
  you can't feel His love in your heart, even if all outward signs
• 31:47
  seem to contradict His goodness. Trusting his character, not your
• 31:50
  feelings. Precisely True faith, even at
• 31:53
  its weakest, sparkles like a jewel in the dark mine and never
• 31:56
  can drown. It might live through the flames
• 31:58
  of affliction or temptation, but it will never be consumed.
• 32:02
  Once that incorruptible seed of faith is received, it shall live
• 32:05
  and abide in Him forever. It endures.
• 32:07
  It endures. Spurgeon even shares a
• 32:10
  surprising observation. Jesus attributes salvation's
• 32:13
  crown to faith itself, not directly to himself.
• 32:16
  When he says, Thy faith hath saved thee.
• 32:19
  That's interesting. It is Jesus takes the royal
• 32:21
  crown of salvation's glory and places it metaphorically on the
• 32:24
  head of the poor humble woman's faith, sending her away in
• 32:27
  peace. And faith, maybe surprisingly,
• 32:30
  continues even in heaven. Faith continues in heaven, I
• 32:32
  thought. Faith becomes sight.
• 32:34
  We often think that, but Spurgeon points to 1st
• 32:36
  Corinthians 13 now abideth faith, hope, charity, these
• 32:40
  three. He suggests we will continue to
• 32:43
  trust God for our resurrection body, for future celestial
• 32:46
  glory, for the eventual gathering of all God's chosen
• 32:49
  ones, and for an eternity of bliss.
• 32:52
  This active, happy faith, imperishable and enduring, will
• 32:55
  live and reign even when physical sense and earthly sight
• 32:59
  are gone. It's a relationship of trust
• 33:01
  that transcends this life itself.
• 33:03
  What a clear and well rich deep dive into faith and assurance.
• 33:07
  It really is clear that God has provided us with a distinct
• 33:10
  spirit worked path to genuine peace and that inner certainty.
• 33:14
  Indeed, and understanding these distinctions, the order of
• 33:17
  hearing, then believing or trusting, and then the sealing
• 33:20
  of assurance, it helps clarify the path so much.
• 33:23
  It offers such immense comfort. How so?
• 33:25
  Well, just knowing that salvation rests wholly in
• 33:27
  Christ, grasped by faith alone. While assurance is a sweet
• 33:30
  subsequent gift from the Spirit, it truly liberates us from that
• 33:33
  often crushing burden of needing to produce a specific degree of
• 33:37
  feeling or experience before we can truly trust or find lasting.
• 33:40
  Peace. It takes the pressure off,
• 33:42
  needing to feel assured to know you're saved.
• 33:44
  Exactly. Your standing isn't based on the
• 33:47
  intensity of your assurance, but on the reality of your trust in
• 33:51
  Christ. This raises an important
• 33:53
  question for you, our listener. How does understanding that
• 33:56
  faith is an act of trust you exercise and assurance is a
• 34:01
  received gift from the Spirit? How does that truly shape your
• 34:05
  view of your own spiritual journey?
• 34:07
  Or perhaps how you might encourage others who are
• 34:10
  grappling with these very questions.
• 34:12
  It's something worth pondering, definitely.
• 34:14
  We trust this deep dive has given you a much clearer
• 34:16
  understanding of the path to faith, trust, and assurance.
• 34:20
  Join us next time for another journey into the core of vital
• 34:23
  truths here on Reform Thinking.