BLESSED ASSURANCE
Fanny J. Crosby, blind from the age
of six weeks, wrote hundreds and hundreds of hymns, including "Jesus, Keep
Me Near the Cross," "Tell Me the Story of Jesus," "A
Wonderful Savior," "Rescue the Perishing," "I Am Thine, 0
Lord," "To God Be the Glory" and many others. Like most of you
in my audience today, I grew up singing her hymn, "Blessed
Assurance." If you have not sung this beautiful hymn lately, I need to
remind you of the comfort and inspiration this grand old hymn provides.
"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! 0 what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his spirit, washed in his blood.
Perfect submission, perfect delight! Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of love. Perfect
submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest; watching and
waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his love. This is my
story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long; this is my story,
this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long." Mrs. Crosby wrote
this hymn in 1873.
The Greek noun rendered
"assurance" is used very infrequently in the King James Version. I
shall read some of the verses where the word is used. Paul informed the
Colossians: "For I would that you knew what great conflict I have for you,
and for them in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the
flesh; that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and
unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement
of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ" (Col. 2:1-2).
Paul told the Thessalonians: "For our gospel came not unto you in word
only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; as you
know what manner of men we were among you for your sake" (1 Thess. 1:5).
The book of Hebrews is full of
assurance, although it only uses the word two times. "For God is not
unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward
his name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we
desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance
of hope unto the end; that you may be not slothful, but followers of them who
through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:10-12). The same
author exhorted his readers: "Let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and
our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:22).
The verb form of the word appears
five times in the Greek New Testament. In introducing his account of the
gospel, Luke wrote: "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in
order a declaration of those things that are surely believed among us ... It
seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the
first, to write unto you in order, most excellent Theophilus" (Lk. 1:1,3).
The expression, "most surely believed," is from the Greek verb. In
the following passage, the Greek is rendered "being fully persuaded."
Paul wrote concerning Abraham: "He staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully
persuaded that, what he had promised, he was also able to perform" (Rom.
4:20-21). Later in the book of Romans, Paul used the same expression (Rom.
14:5).
In his letter to a young preacher,
Paul exhorted: "Watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an
evangelist, make full proof of your ministry" (2 Tim. 4:5). In that same
chapter, Paul informed Timothy of the hardships he had endured for the gospel's
sake. "At my first answer (or defense) no man stood with me, but all men
forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding
the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be
fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of
the mouth of the lion" (2 Tim. 4:16-17). In this chapter, the verb is
rendered "make full proof of' (v. 5) and "might be fully known"
(v. 17). Incidentally, the word "faith" has a secondary meaning of
assurance and is so translated. Paul told the Athenian philosophers: "The
times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to
repent: because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; whereof he has given assurance
unto all, in that he has raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31).
In view of modern ideas about
truth, can we still have the assurance the Bible specifically and unequivocally
claims to provide for the faithful? If the people within the so-called
"Emerging Church Movement" were right - and they most definitely are
not right - we could never sing the old songs, "Blessed Assurance,"
"I know the Lord Will Find a Way," "I Know My Name Is
There," "I Know Whom I Have Believed," and similar hymns, with
any confidence. We would have to change the songs from "I Know" to
"I Have a Hunch." Am I misrepresenting the beliefs of the leaders in
the Emerging Church movement? Please listen to these examples.
John Shelby Spong's book, Into
the Whirlwind: The Future of the Church (Minneapolis:
Seabury, 1983), claims "we are entering a brand new world where certainty
more and more will be seen as a vice, and uncertainty as a virtue possessing
integrity and a willingness to risk security in a quest for truth" (p.
26). If what the former Episcopal bishop says is true that "certainty more
and more will be seen as a vice," it would be illogical to sing
"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine." The Bible leaves absolutely no
doubt we can know God and his will. The Apostle John has written: "And
hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments" (1 John
2:3). Oddly enough, there are many ideas of which Spong is absolutely certain:
Jesus was not born of a virgin; he did rise bodily from the grave; he did not
ascend into heaven; the Bible is full of contradictions; the book of Daniel
does not belong in the Bible; premarital sex is not necessarily wrong. Spong
may not be certain of the great truths of God's inspired word, but there is no
reason you and I cannot be. Did not Paul tell a young preacher: "I know whom
I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12)? The tense of the verb
means: "I have come to know and I still know whom I have believed."
Incidentally, Spong is not in the Emerging Church movement, but he is a
postmodernist. So are most of the leaders in that movement.
At one point in Christ's ministry,
many of his disciples were turning back and walking no more with him. Jesus
Christ asked the twelve: "Will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered
him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we
believe and are sure that thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God"
(John 6:66-69). The tense of the verbs "believe" and "know"
assure us: "We have come to faith and continue in it." "We have
recognized the truth and are holding on to it" (Rogers & Rogers, p. 198). How could the apostles or anyone else
experience "blessed assurance" if human beings cannot be absolutely
sure? The author of Hebrews provides wonderful insight into the very nature of
faith. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Charles Williams renders that verse.
"Now faith is the assurance of things we hope for, the proof of the
reality of the things we cannot see."
Brian McClaren is by far the most
influential leader in the so-called "Emerging Church movement." One
of his books, A Generous Orthodoxy (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2004), denies that getting it right is of great importance.
"From this viewpoint, 'getting it right' is beside the point: the point is
'being and doing good' as followers of Jesus in our unique time and place,
fitting in with the ongoing story of God's saving love for planet earth"
(p. 192). This brief excerpt raises a number of vital questions. Did Jesus
teach that "getting it right" is beside the point? What did Jesus
mean when he told some of the Jews who believed on him: "You shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32)? Do you remember
one of the reasons the church in Thessalonica had some serious problems? They
did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. "For this
cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that
they all might condemned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2: 11-12). If "getting it right' were
beside the point, what difference would it make whether the Thessalonians loved
the truth or believed in a lie?
How would Brian McClaren or anyone
else know the meaning of "being and doing good" if they do not get it
right? Many modern theologians, like John Shelby Spong and Leslie Weatherhead,
do not condemn premarital sex. Can we know we are being and doing good in
sexual matters if we have little or no interest in "getting it
right?" Paul told the Thessalonians: "For this is the will of God,
even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication" (1
Thess. 4:3). The word "fornication" would be better-translated
"sexual immorality." The word clearly includes adultery (Mt. 19:9),
incest (1 Cor. 5:1), premarital sex (1 Cor. 7:1-2) and homosexuality (Jude 7).
The Bible and the Bible alone gives us infallible information on what being and
doing good means.
In their book, Adventures in
Missing the Point (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), Brian
McClaren and Tony Compolo urge Christians to drop any affair they may
"have with certainty, proof, argument-and replace it with dialogue,
conversation, intrigue and search" (p. 84). That is not the way our Lord
approached his message and mission. The Jews strongly objected to the Lord's
claim to be equal with God (John 5:17). He did not say, "Let's have a
dialogue about it." He made arguments to sustain what he had told the
Jews. In addition, he listed a number of witnesses: John the Baptist, the works
he performed, the scriptures and Moses. McClaren and Compolo need to read Dr.
John R. W. Stott's book, Christ the Controversialist (Downers
Grove: InterVarsity 1970). Dr. Stott says that Jesus was not only a
controversial figure; he engaged in controversy. When he did not agree with the
Jewish leaders, he debated them (p. 7). Dr. Stott maintains: "The proper
activity of professing Christians who disagree with one another is neither to
ignore, nor to conceal, nor even to minimize their differences, but to debate
them" (p. 22).
The apostles did not drop any
affair they had with certainty, proof and argument. The Apostle Paul demanded:
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (l Thess. 5:21). I
need to make two comments on the word "prove." The word means to test
or to examine with the expectation of either accepting or rejecting. Paul
exhorted the Roman Christians: "Be not conformed to this world: but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2). Proving a proposition
requires reasoning and presenting legitimate arguments. The tense of the verb
demands that Christians constantly prove what is good.
The Apostle John warned his
readers: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether
they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world"
(1 John 4:1). The word "prove" in this verse is the same as the word
in Romans 12:2. Christians in every age must examine what preachers teach to
ascertain if they are preaching the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the
truth. The Apostle John also wrote: "For many deceivers have entered into
the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a
deceiver and an anti-Christ. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things
which we have wrought, but that we may receive a full reward. Whosoever
transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God. He who
abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son. If there
come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your
house, neither bid him God speed. He who bids him God speed is partaker of his
evil deeds" (2 John 7-11).
Tony Compolo mentions the fact that
in the past there have been arguments about evolution versus creation. "In
the emerging culture," he argues, "we may say, 'Let's assume that
evolution is true. Is it possible that evolution itself could be a creation of
God, a process which God would create in order to create new things" (p.
101)? The answer to Compolo's question could not be simpler: No! There is a
great gulf fixed between evolution and creation. Evolution destroys the very
basis of the Bible's teaching on creation and on many other topics. The two
ideas are absolutely incompatible. Compolo's observation reminds me of Michael
Ruse's book, Can a Darwinian Be a Christian? (New York: Cambridge
Press, 2001). The answer to Dr. Ruse's question is an emphatic NO. If a person
is a died-in-the-wool Darwinian, he cannot be a Christian. If he is a committed
Christian, he cannot be a Darwinian.
The "great and precious
promises" of the gospel (2 Pet. 1:4) furnish the foundation for the
blessed assurance genuine Christians enjoy. The Apostle Peter informed his
readers: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count
slackness, but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). What are some of the
"great and precious promises" God has made to fallen humanity? I have
time to discuss briefly two of those promises - the forgiveness of our sins and
the hope of eternal life.
The Apostle Paul tells us of the
sinfulness of every human being on earth. "They have all gone out of the
way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no,
not none .... For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"
(Rom. 3: 12, 23). John says: "And there shall in no wise enter into it any
thing that defiles, neither whatsoever makes an abomination, or makes a lie:
but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Rev. 21:27). If we
are all sinners and sinners cannot enter into the heavenly home, how can we be
forgiven and enter into the joys of our Lord?
"Without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and
that he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him" (Heb. 11: 6).
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God
sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved" (John 3:16-17). Jesus told some of his fellow
Jews: "I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if
you do not believe that I am he, you shall die in your sins" (John 8:24).
Do these passages on faith mean we
are saved by faith only? If they mean that, we have some very serious problems
with the scriptures. The Bible specifically and unequivocally demands
obedience. Paul asked the Roman Christians: "Do you not know, that to whom
you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey,
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be
thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you. Being then made free from
sin, you became the servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6:16-18). When were
the Roman Christians freed from sin? They were made free from sin when they
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered to them. Does
that sound like faith alone?
Jesus Christ began his personal
ministry by telling his listeners: "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand" (Mt. 4: 17). He continued to emphasize the necessity of
repentance (Lk. 13:3,5). The apostles also preached repentance. Paul told the
Athenian philosophers: "The times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commands all men everywhere to repent: because he has appointed a day in which
he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained;
whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he has raised him from the
dead" (Acts 17:30-31). Jesus also taught that we must confess him before
men so he will confess us to God in the last day (Mt. 10:32-33).
Our Lord promised: "He who
believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe shall be
condemned" (Mk. 16:16). We must continue to walk in the light that we may
continue to have the forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:7).
Winford
Claiborne
The International Gospel Hour
P.O. Box 118
Fayetteville, TN 37334