Lisa du Plessis’s Reviews > What Is Reformed Theology?: Understanding the Basics > Status Update

“As part of the process of our sanctification, perseverance is a synergistic work […] a cooperative effort between God and us. We persevere as he perseveres. […] [The] gospel calls us to strive as diligently as we can to meet the highest standards of the law. Such calls drive us to an ever increasing dependence on grace.” (p249)

“We persevere in grace because God persevere in his love towards us.” (p246)

“Even the regenerated person with a liberated wil is still vulnerable to sin and temptation, and the residual power of sin is so strong that without the aid of grace the believer would, in all probability, fall away. But God’s decree is immutable. His sovereign purpose to save his elect from the foundation of the world is not frustrated by our weakness.” (p245, on perseverance)

“[Those] who make a profession of faith, give outward evidence of conversion, and then repudiate the faith,[may be] true believers who have fallen into serious and radical apostasy but [will] repent of their sin and be restored before they die. If they persist in apostasy until death, then theirs is a full and final fall from grace, which is evidence that they were not genuine believers in the first place.”(244)

“[It] is impossible for the elect to fully it finally fall from grace. It is possible, however, for the believers to experience a serious and radical fall […] such as David and Peter. Though their fall was dreadful, it was neither full nor final. Both were restored to repentance and grace.” (p242)

“We are accepted in God’s “Beloved”, a reference of course to Christ. The grounds of our justification are the merit of grace, merit of no mere temporary value but of eternal value and efficacy. […] Our election is likewise in Christ, and there is absolutely no danger or possibility that he will lose his own election.” (p242)

“‘God does not require full and perfect faith, but sincere and “unfeigned” faith. Fulfillment of God’s promises depends on the matter received, Christ’s righteousness, and not upon the degree of assurance exercised in the receiving. […] justifying faith and the experience of doubt often coexist.’” (p240, Beeke)

“Sin is the great enemy of assurance. […] Then we must flee to Christ in confession and repentance, seeking his pardon and finding our solace in the Consolation of Israel. He alone can restore us to the joy of our salvation and the assurance of it.”

“Assurance of salvation is not of the essence or being of the Christian life, but it is of the well-being of the Christian life […] it is linked to our growth in sanctification. Assurance is connected with the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and this fruit is the very essence of our sanctification. [It] promotes such things as love and thankfulness to God […] the motivation for Christian obedience.” (p237)

“The certainty of our assurance […] rests on the “promises of salvation”. […] Unlike fallen humanity, God is absolutely a covenant keeper. […] His promises are clearly recorded for us in sacred Scripture, and these promises are corroborated and confirmed inwardly by the sure and certain testimony of the Holy Spirit himself, who is not only holy, but also the veritable Spirit of Truth.” (p234)