R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 116

Don't Look for Assurance in Extraordinary Experiences

In this brief clip from his teaching series Assurance of Faith, Joel Beeke describes how the Canons of Dort give Christians guidance on how to understand the relationship between conversion and assurance.

Transcript

The Canons of Dort, head five, article 10, states specifically when targeting the Roman Catholic view as false, that, "We ought not to look for assurance from a peculiar revelation contrary to or independent of the Word of God" end quote. For them, you see, our Dortian fathers, the application of the plain Word of God by faith, which is the King's royal way to assurance that produces by the Spirit's grace the normal conversion experience, if I can use the word "normal," of God's children in terms of what the catechism calls "misery, deliverance and gratitude," or "sin, salvation, service."

In other words, the normal experience is that, I see my sinfulness, I flee to Christ, find everything in Him, and then I live a life of service, of gratitude, of sanctification to one degree or another. But you see that kind of normal conversion for some people is not enough for conversion. They're looking for something extraordinary; something unexplainable, extra biblical, mystical, special revelation, and the Reform said, "Don't do that, because you'll probably wait all your life and never get it." Yes, there are people of God who do have some very special experiences; we don't deny that. But that's like dessert after a meal. It's sweet, it's wonderful to have it, great intimacy with God, but the normal conversion, don't disparage that. Don't look for wrong kinds of experiences. Don't think that conversion requires a Damascus road voice from heaven type of experience like Paul had.

A False Sense of Assurance

“Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God, and estate of salvation (which hope of theirs shall perish): yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring 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.” (Westminster Confession of Faith 18:1)

This section teaches that unregenerate people may possess a false sense of assurance but that genuine believers may attain a true sense of assurance. Assurance must be considered for the four kinds of people in the world.

The first group of people are not saved and are aware that they are not. They are unregenerate and they know it. They have no interest in becoming Christians.

The people in the second group are in a state of grace, but they are not sure that they are saved. The confession, as we will see, says that assurance of salvation is possible and indeed should be sought. Nevertheless, not everyone who is in the state of grace has yet arrived at the conclusion that he is in that state. Such people may think or hope they are saved but may not have full assurance that they are. Their degree of assurance vacillates from firm to shaky. During our study of the perseverance of the saints, we indicated that they can fall seriously and radically, but not fully and finally. When people are in the midst of a serious fall, they can have grave questions about the state of their soul.

The third group of people is easy to explain. They are in a state of grace and are assured of their salvation.

What complicates the whole question of assurance is the fourth group: those who are not saved but think that they are. There are two groups who possess assurance of salvation, but only one of those groups actually has salvation. So if someone has assurance of salvation, how can he be sure that his assurance is genuine, and not the false assurance of the hypocrite and the unbeliever? And how can people who are not saved nonetheless have full assurance that they are?

The main way that people acquire a false sense of assurance of their salvation is by having a false understanding of the way of salvation. Many people hold to justification by death, which is the creed of the universalist. The reasoning goes like this: “All people are saved by a loving and merciful God. Since I am a person, it follows that I am saved and cannot lose my salvation.” Our purpose here is not to debate the claims of universalism, which cannot be substantiated from the Bible, but to show how people can come to a false sense of assurance by being universalists.

Probably the most prevalent doctrine of justification in modern culture is the doctrine of justification by works. Most Americans, including those who call themselves evangelicals, believe that people will get into heaven if they live a good life. They think: “I am pretty good.I do the best that I can, and haven’t done anything terribly wrong. God will be satisfied.” Christians may think: “I look forward to the day when I will be welcomed into heaven. After all, I’ve gone to church for forty years, I have been a Sunday school teacher, I’ve given money to the church and other good causes, and I’ve never murdered anyone or committed adultery.” The confidence of such people is based upon their own goodness, which is not the biblical understanding of salvation.

This false concept of salvation is pervasive in our culture, and it is as pernicious as it is pervasive, because it completely obscures and denies the true gospel. What is so damaging about it is that it gives people a false sense of security. Jesus warns us about that in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt.5–7). Near the end of the sermon, He says of the day of judgment, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’” (Matt.7:22). They do not say “Lord” twice for emphasis but for intimacy. About fifteen times in the Bible, the personal form of address is used twice to express a deep level of personal intimacy. That is why this warning of Jesus is so terrifying. Jesus is saying that people are going to come to Him on the last day not only confessing Him as Lord but also claiming an intimate, personal relationship with Him. He is talking about people who will approach the judgment with a strong sense of assurance of their state of grace and of their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They will claim to have cast out demons in His name, to have preached, to have worked, to have been engaged in the missionary activity of the church, and to have been involved in evangelism. But Jesus says, “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (v.23).

Our destiny is not determined by whether we know Jesus but by whether He knows us. Obviously, He knows everyone’s name, but when He says, “I never knew you,” He means, “I never knew you in a personal, intimate, saving way; you are pretending.” It is frightening, but possible, that we may have false assurance. That is why we must examine ourselves carefully to make sure that our profession of faith is in fact genuine.

The first and basic reason why people arrive at a false sense of assurance is that they have a false understanding of salvation. They think that they are saved by their good works. Other people believe that they are saved automatically through the sacraments of the church. In this view, the classic Roman Catholic view, the gifts of God are communicated ex opere operato, “by the working of the works,” through the sacramental ministry of the church. There are literally millions of people whose confidence rests on the ministrations of the church. This mentality is not restricted to Roman Catholics but is shared by many Protestants who think that if they are church members, that is all it takes to be saved.

When there is a false sense of assurance, the doctrine of salvation is probably wrong. There are people who say: “Doctrine doesn’t matter. All you need to know is Jesus.” The question then is, “Who is Jesus?” If we answer that question, we are engaged in doctrine. Our theology has to do with the content of the Christian faith, with the teaching of the Bible, with the most important issues of human existence, namely, how we can relate to the living God. That is a doctrinal question. If our doctrine is wrong, it can lead to a wrong sense of assurance. On the other hand, even if our doctrine is right, that is not enough to give us real assurance of salvation. We are not justified by holding to the doctrine of justification. The devil can earn a perfect score on a systematic theology exam. The devil knows the truth, but he hates it, and his heart remains estranged from it. Just having the doctrine of justification correct in one’s mind is not a guarantee of salvation. One can have an incorrect understanding of the doctrine of justification and still be justified. It is possible to have the wrong doctrine, but the right content in the mind and heart, and not be able to articulate it.

Suppose the right doctrine is the doctrine of justification by faith alone, which means justification by Christ alone, and someone says he understands that the only way he can be saved is by putting his faith in Jesus and resting on His righteousness alone. He says further that he is indeed resting on Christ, that he has faith, and that therefore he is sure that he is in a state of salvation. Can a person delude himself about the state of his faith? Yes. Can we think we have saving faith and not have it? Can we have it and not be sure we have it? Yes, we can really have it and not be sure that we have it. We can really not have it and be sure we do have it. That is why we have to study the Scriptures diligently and prayerfully, so that we can learn to distinguish between true assurance and false assurance.

This excerpt is adapted from Truths We Confess by R.C. Sproul. In Truths We Confess, now thoroughly revised and available in a single, accessible volume, Dr. Sproul introduces readers to this remarkable confession, explaining its insights and applying them to modern life. Order the hardcover book today.

Martin Luther's Visit to Rome

Martin Luther's visit to Rome was one of the most disappointing episodes of his entire life. In this brief clip, R.C. Sproul takes us back to Luther's moment of crisis on the “sacred steps.”

This Reformation Month, watch a short video every day on the history and insights of the Protestant Reformation. And don't forget that for this month only, you can request your free digital download of R.C. Sproul’s video teaching series Luther and the Reformation plus the ebook edition of The Legacy of Luther, edited by R.C. Sproul and Stephen Nichols at ligm.in/Reformation. Offer ends October 31, 2019.

Transcript

500 years ago an obscure Augustinian monk from the monastery in Erfurt Germany had a crisis experience on this very spot. This is right across the street from the St. John Lateran Church and this portion of the building houses the Scala Sancta, that is the sacred steps which were part of the journey that Jesus made during his interrogation and trial under Pontius Pilate. Now in 1511, when Luther came here, like all the rest of the pilgrims, he had to ascend the staircase on his knees until he got to the top of the stairs. And in a wave of doubt, he stood up and said aloud, 'who knows if it is true?' Luther's visit to Rome was one of the most disappointing episodes of his entire life. He was overwhelmed by the obvious presence of corruption among the clergy here in the city, and all the attempts that he had made to find peace with God through his work in the monastery were dashed in the smithereens with the disillusionment that the experienced here.

Take Sin Seriously

Here’s an excerpt from Take Sin Seriously, Geoffrey Thomas' contribution to the October issue of Tabletalk:

Take Christ seriously. Yes, of course. For every look at your sin, take ten looks at Christ. But will you want to look at Christ if you have not seen your need? Will you see your need if you have not seen your sin?

Why is the Son of God taken for granted in the visible church today? Only because sin is taken lightly. The rediscovery of the glory of Christ’s salvation is our most pressing need. The most mature man of God needs a fresh vision of Jesus Christ so that he cries out, “Hallelujah! What a Savior!” This is the mark of a growing and a revived congregation, and that fullness of the Spirit as He glorifies the Son comes in large part by means of a conviction of our sin and a realization of our need of this glorious Deliverer from sin’s dominion, perversity, and condemnation. So, young Christian, take sin seriously.

See how sin smashes in pieces the law of God. Two tables with safe, good, holy, just, spiritual, and profitable rules—sin dashes them down and destroys both tablets. Is that an insignificant action? To disdain and destroy the holy law of God, the summary of God’s nature and perfections?

Continue reading Take Sin Seriously, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

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This Is Not Luther or Calvin. This Is Jesus.

Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. In this classic clip, R.C. Sproul explains that this message of salvation is Jesus’ message.

This Reformation Month, watch a short video every day on the history and insights of the Protestant Reformation. And don't forget that for this month only, you can request your free digital download of R.C. Sproul’s video teaching series Luther and the Reformation plus the ebook edition of The Legacy of Luther, edited by R.C. Sproul and Stephen Nichols at ligm.in/Reformation. Offer ends October 31, 2019.

Transcript

The thing that I want to get across to you is this, that unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now let me just stop for a minute. That’s not Billy Graham, and it’s not R.C. Sproul, and it’s not some television evangelist making that declaration. It is not Augustine, it’s not Aquinas. It’s not Athanasius, it’s not Luther, it’s not Calvin, it’s not Edwards. It is Jesus. The founder of the Christian faith, who is now making a statement that calls attention to something that is necessary for every human being.

How Can I Obtain Eternal Life?

There is no other way to be reconciled to God apart from faith in Jesus Christ. From one of our Ask R.C. events, R.C. Sproul reminds us of our need both for complete forgiveness and for Christ's imputed righteousness.

To get real-time answers to your biblical and theological questions, just Ask.Ligonier.org.

Read the Transcript

Why Was the Reformation Necessary?

The church is always in need of reform. Even in the New Testament, we see Jesus rebuking Peter, and we see Paul correcting the Corinthians. Since Christians are always sinners, the church will always need reform. The question for us, however, is when does the need become an absolute necessity?

The great Reformers of the sixteenth century concluded that reform was urgent and necessary in their day. In pursuing reform for the church, they rejected two extremes. On the one hand, they rejected those who insisted that the church was essentially sound and needed no fundamental changes. On the other hand, they rejected those who believed that they could create a perfect church in every detail. The church needed fundamental reform, but it would also always need to be reforming itself. The Reformers reached these conclusions from their study of the Bible.

In 1543, the Reformer of Strasbourg, Martin Bucer, asked John Calvin to write a defense of the Reformation for presentation to Emperor Charles V at the imperial diet set to meet at Speyer in 1544. Bucer knew that the Roman Catholic emperor was surrounded by counselors who were maligning reform efforts in the church, and he believed that Calvin was the most capable minister to defend the Protestant cause.

Calvin rose to the challenge and wrote one of his best works, “The Necessity of Reforming the Church.” This substantial treatise did not convince the emperor, but it has come to be regarded by many as the best presentation of the Reformed cause ever written.

Calvin begins by observing that everyone agreed that the church had “diseases both numerous and grievous.” Calvin argues that matters were so serious that Christians could not abide a “longer delay” for reform or wait for “slow remedies.” He rejects the contention that the Reformers were guilty of “rash and impious innovation.” Rather, he insists that “God raised up Luther and others” to preserve “the truth of our religion.” Calvin saw that the foundations of Christianity were threatened and that only biblical truth would renew the church.

Calvin looks at four great areas in the life of the church that needed reform. These areas form what he calls the soul and the body of the church. The soul of the church is composed of the “pure and legitimate worship of God” and “the salvation of men.” The body of the church is composed of the “use of the sacraments” and “the government of the church.” For Calvin, these matters were at the heart of the Reformation debates. They are essential to the life of the church and can only be rightly understood in light of the teaching of the Scriptures.

We might be surprised that Calvin placed the worship of God as the first of the Reformation issues, but this was a consistent theme of his. Earlier, he had written to Cardinal Sadoleto: “There is nothing more perilous to our salvation than a preposterous and perverse worship of God.” Worship is where we meet with God, and that meeting must be conducted by God’s standards. Our worship shows whether we truly accept God’s Word as our authority and submit to it. Self-created worship is both a form of works-righteousness and an expression of idolatry.

Next, Calvin turned to what we often think of as the greatest issue of the Reformation, namely, the doctrine of justification:

We maintain, that of what description so ever any man’s works may be, he is regarded as righteous before God, simply on the footing of gratuitous mercy; because God, without any respect to works, freely adopts him in Christ, by imputing the righteousness of Christ to him, as if it were his own. This we call the righteousness of faith, viz., when a man, made void and empty of all confidence of works, feels convinced that the only ground of his acceptance with God is a righteousness which is wanting to himself, and is borrowed from Christ. The point on which the world always goes astray, (for this error has prevailed in almost every age,) is in imagining that man, however partially defective he may be, still in some degree merits the favor of God by works.

These foundational matters that form the soul of the church are supported by the body of the church: the sacraments and the government of the church. The sacraments must be restored to the pure and simple meaning and use given in the Bible. The government of the church must reject all tyranny that binds the consciences of Christians contrary to the Word of God.

As we look at the church in our day, we may well conclude that reformation is needed—indeed, is necessary—in many of the areas about which Calvin was so concerned. Only the Word and Spirit of God will ultimately reform the church. But we should pray and work faithfully that such reform will come in our time.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

Luther’s Excommunication

To be excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church is to be told that your soul is damned to hell. In this brief clip, Stephen Nichols explains how Martin Luther responded to his excommunication.

This Reformation Month, watch a short video every day on the history and insights of the Protestant Reformation. And don't forget that for this month only, you can request your free digital download of R.C. Sproul’s video teaching series Luther and the Reformation plus the ebook edition of The Legacy of Luther, edited by R.C. Sproul and Stephen Nichols at ligm.in/Reformation. Offer ends October 31, 2019.

Transcript

My favorite response from the Roman Catholic Church to Luther’s posting of the Ninety-Five Theses was Pope Leo X’s first response. When a copy of the theses finally made its way to him down in the Vatican, Leo X quipped, “Ah, the ramblings of a drunken German monk. He’ll think differently when he sobers up.” I think Leo X significantly underestimated what he was dealing with in this German monk. On the one hand, Luther never sobered up. This was only the beginning of the challenge between Luther and his church. From the posting of the Ninety-Five Theses until April of 1521 at Worms, there was one singular movement, and it ended with that decisive action of excommunicating Luther.

We need to remember what this means. This is a moment in time when to be outside of the Roman Catholic Church meant that you are outside of salvation. The Roman Catholic Church at this time believed that it held the keys to the kingdom. Literally, when Christ said to Peter, “You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church,” that was taken as Christ giving the keys of heaven to Peter. Then, as Roman Catholic doctrine understands it through Apostolic succession, Leo X was now the holder of the keys. That decision to excommunicate Luther meant nothing short of saying we are condemning you. We are saying that your soul is damned to hell.

That was the result of the Ninety-Five Theses. That’s how the Roman Catholic Church fundamentally responded to Luther. How did Luther respond? “Well, you’re not the true church. You’ve abandoned your calling as the church. The true church is the church that preaches the Word of God—that preaches the gospel. And the true church is the church that exercises the sacraments aright and according to the Word of God.”

Faith Comes by Hearing God’s Promises

Faith comes by hearing God's promises. In this brief clip, W. Robert Godfrey explains what John Calvin taught about faith, knowledge, and gospel preaching.

This Reformation Month, watch a short video every day on the history and insights of the Protestant Reformation. And don't forget that for this month only, you can request your free digital download of R.C. Sproul’s video teaching series Luther and the Reformation plus the ebook edition of The Legacy of Luther, edited by R.C. Sproul and Stephen Nichols at ligm.in/Reformation. Offer ends October 31, 2019.

 

Transcript

Calvin wanted to say to his people, 'faith is knowledge.' In order to believe, you have to know something. Faith is not just an emotion; faith has content. And for Calvin, the stress of the content was always the promises of God. It's the preaching of the gospel that works faith. The preaching of law is necessary. It's necessary to bring us to repentance. It's necessary to guide us in the Christian life but the preaching of the law does not bring faith. Faith comes from hearing the promises of the gospel. That's very much the spirit of John Calvin. Faith is knowledge, knowledge particularly of the promises of the gospel, knowledge particularly of God's will to save us in Jesus Christ.

Martin Luther’s Evangelical Breakthrough

In this brief clip from his teaching series A Survey of Church History, W. Robert Godfrey examines the event that changed Martin Luther's life. Watch the entire message for free today.

Transcript

Martin Luther later in his life would look back and say, “I came to this evangelical breakthrough.” And now the psychologist love it that he says, “I came to the evangelical breakthrough while sitting on the toilet.” Freudians have had a ball with that. What serious historians have noted is that actually there was no toilet where he said he was sitting and that in the idiom of that day, “Sitting on the toilet” meant being depressed, being melancholy, being down, down in the dumps. It's not about a location. It's about a spiritual state and Luther says, “I was really depressed about the state of my soul,” not depressed in a technical, psychological way. “I was sad. I was distressed about the state of my soul and in that state I began to think. If God is alive, I am dead.” He said, “I came to hate God because all I saw was a God of judgment.” He said especially the phrase “The righteousness of God filled me with fear and hatred. How could I ever measure up to a righteous God?” But now, his mind filled with Scripture. It suddenly all fell into place. He said, “It was like the gates of Paradise had open to me and I realized that what God’s talking about in the Bible is not the righteousness He demands of me but the righteousness He gives to me in Jesus Christ” and that's what changed Luther’s whole world. That's what made him a Protestant and I think that happened probably early in 1518 and turned Luther's whole life around.