Lacking Assurance: Reasons Why

Reasons We Lack Assurance

Lack of understanding and conviction of the basis of our salvation and sanctification

It’s not necessarily that we think depending on ourselves is the key to possessing and experiencing the kind of certainty that is ours as a result of our salvation, but we may live as if we believe our behavior provides the certainty.

This is what many in the churches in Galatia began to believe as a result of some persuasive false teachers’s influence.

Galatians 3:1-5.

Galatians 3:1–5 ESV

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

False teachers were teaching that one must be circumcised to be saved, and people were buying it.

Paul presents salvation as an argument for justification by faith.

5 Questions

How was Christ preached to you? (1)

Paul is confronting error. He is addressing the Galatian’s mental laziness (foolish).

Who has cast a spell on you and brought you under this lie and sold you this bill of goods?

When Paul preached the gospel to them very plainly and vividly. He preached Christ crucified (end of v. 1). This was a an explicit portrayal of Christ and His atonement. Publicly portrayed means to write for public record or reading. It’s like Paul posted a picture of the crucifixion for all to see.

But the people’s eyes had been diverted from this vivid image, and were instead looking to the Mosaic Law for their hope and means of salvation.

This question strikes at the heart the struggle we have with our own assurance of salvation. We must be clear in our minds, especially when we contend with challenges that emerge as a result of spiritual warfare, trials, our own sin. We need to ask ourselves, what is the basis of my salvation? We are justified by faith alone. Faith in Christ crucified.

Perhaps we can ask, who has bewitched me or what is bewitching me. Come back to Christ crucified.

2. How did you receive the Spirit? (2)

Did you receive the Spirit is asking how were you saved?

2 possibilities: human achievement (works of the law) or divine accomplishment (hearing with faith)

It is either or… mutually exclusive… no other categories

Of course, the Galatians and all Christians receive the Holy Spirit apart from any works. This is the appeal Paul is making to the Galatians.

Paul is not as much challenging their salvation as much as pressing them to think through the basis of their salvation. Was it by works or was it by faith?

3. How are you being sanctified? (3)

Paul is attempting to shock the Galatians back into truth - Are you so foolish?

Paul is presupposing that they have begun by the Spirit. In other words, Paul is assuming that they are saved. But he is addressing their shallow growth.

Paul is making the point that the only way to live faithfully to God, that is, live out our salvation is by the power of the Spirit.

John 16:8–11 ESV

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

It was the Holy Spirit who opened our eyes, who pulled us out of darkness, who resurrected us out of our spiritual death… are we somehow to proceed from there by means of our own wisdom and strength?

They did not understand that justification and sanctification are inseparable. Wherever there is justification, there will be sanctification.

I want to quickly follow that up by saying that justification and sanctification are different. Justification is a historical event that is accomplished by the Holy Spirit through faith on the basis of Christ’s atoning work. Sanctification is a progressive work that the Holy Spirit works in believers as they express ongoing faith in the eternal effects of the atoning work of Christ.

If one is justified by the Spirit through faith, you will be sanctified by the Spirit through faith. If you are justified by works, you are sanctified by works. We can’t mix and match.

We have received the Holy Spirit in our regeneration and He now indwells us and enables us to live faithfully to God. The Holy Spirit is at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

So this in no way diminishes our responsibility to pursue righteousness, but we can only expect to increase in godliness by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 2:6 ESV

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

4. Did you suffer in vain? (4)

Suffer = experience (either positive or negative experience). IN this context a positive experience in the Lord is in view. They have heard the gospel, heard Christ clearly portrayed as crucified in the proclamation of the gospel, received the Holy Spirit.

Did you experience experience all of this blessing from God in vain? Was your conversion futile or genuine?

Paul’s is saying, surely you have been converted.. you were transformed by the gospel. you have already been placed in the kingdom and… you have already been saved.

So why would you be led astray from the truth as if something is lacking.

5. On what basis did God perform miracles? (5)

so then is implied in the beginning of v. 5. This means that Paul is summarizing everything he has said to this point.

The miracles that occured while I was with you, says Paul, that validated that I was a man of God… that I am an apostle, occured by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 14:3 ESV

So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

these miracles that Paul and Barnabas were enabled to do validated their ministry.

The question is, did these miracles occur because of human effort? Was their keeping of the Mosaic law the power of these miracles?

Acts 14:8–10 ESV

Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.

Why was this man healed? His works? His keeping of the law? It was faith grounded in and based upon the power of God.

And Paul’s argument is that this is all-the-more true in the area of receiving and living by the Spirit. We were like this lame man in Acts 14. God granted the miracle of our salvation, and is working, by that same power our sanctification.

Conclusion

Our experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit is not dependent on our effort.

Hearing the truth and exercising faith in the truth is what God honors to provide a stronger conviction and clarity of the truth. This is the substance of our assurance.

Experiencing God’s gift of assurance requires that we are saturated with the gospel. This is accomplished primarily through the preaching of the word, but must also come by meditating upon and preaching the truth to ourselves daily.

We can be sure that if we are justified, we are being sanctified. The difficulties of our lives and even our doubts are used by God to bring about maturity in us which will yield assurance. We must remember however, this is a process.