Full assurance of Faith

Let us read our text together:

Philippians 3:1–11 ESV

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Prayer:

Introduction

On the 31st of October 2024 a significant event was celebrated around the world. It is an annual day that celebrates the dead and brings the many hard one truths of the past and places them front and center once more. I am not talking about Halloween (which is also celebrated on October 31st). I am referring to reformation day, the day when evangelical Christians around the world remember the rediscovery of historical Christian truths. A period in history known as the protestant reformation. A point in time when God used Martin Luther to confront some of the heretical and erroneous catholic doctrines and re-establish historical and biblical Christian truths. Luther did that by nailing his 95 thesis to the door of the Wittenberg Church. A document that was later copied and sent through Europe, ultimately changing the course of Church history and the history of the Western World. One could argue that evangelical Christianity is in fact that back bone of modern Western Civilization. But what idea, what thought, what doctrine is at the heart of the reformation? What doctrine is at the heart of the historical evangelical Christian faith?

Is it the removal of the sale of indulgences? important, but no.

Was it the translation of the bible into vernacular German? Important, but no.

Is it the supremacy and authority of scripture over the church traditions? Important, but no.

It is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. This is THE foundational doctrine of the evangelical church. But what is justification?

How many of you could answer that question. What does it mean to be justified before God? What does the word ‘justification’ mean?

JUSTIFICATION—a forensic term, opposed to condemnation. As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands.

(M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893), 401).

In other words, justification is the act by which God declares the sinner righteous in the eyes of the law.

Prior to Luther’s protest of the Catholic Church and its doctrines, justification was understood through the writings of Augustine of Hippo. Augustine used Romans 5:5–6 as the key verse for his understanding of justification. It reads, “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Augustine appears to argue that God’s justifying work in salvation occurs as God pours out his spirit into the hearts of people. Augustine argument was that the sinner, once saved, becomes more and more righteous, more and more just, more and more worthy of heaven as God pours out his Spirit into their hearts. In other words, Augustine argued that justification is a rejuvenating transformational process that occurs throughout the life of a Christian by faith. Now we will not argue that rejuvenation and inward transformation is an essential part of life as a Christian, it is. But we must determine on what basis people are made right with God. Does God make us worthy and more just and therefore deserving of eternal life as Augustine argued? Well let us evaluate the evidence of Augustine’s theology.

The effect of Augustinian theology on Europe was awful. The time from Augustine death to the protestant reformation, somewhere between 500 and 1500AD is known historically as the dark ages. Why? Because the Roman Catholic tradition used theology as a weapon to suppress common men and women. The light of the gospel was deliberately hidden from their eyes by the religious elite for their own self-enrichment and power. It was a time of unspeakable tyranny and oppression.

At the trial of Joan of Arc in 1431, the judges had the following to say about her:

"This woman sins also when she says she is as certain of being received into Paradise as if she were already partaker of that blessed glory, seeing that on this earthly journey no pilgrim knows if he is worthy of glory or of punishment, which the sovereign judge alone can tell”.

Joan of Arc had assurance of faith - the catholic judges said that was impossible and heretical. The catholic judges argued that a person must be worthy of paradise and that God alone will be the judge of that. A person must be worthy!! Where does that thinking come from? It comes from Augustine’s idea of the doctrine of justification.

The Roman Catholic Church abused the ignorance of the common man and the people of Europe lived in fear because both Augustine of Hippo and the Roman Catholic Church robbed them of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, robbed them of a belief in the promises of God, and sold them the terrible idea that one is saved by faith and works. That a person must be worthy of heaven - that is a terrible idea.

In the spirit of the Reformation and remembering that key doctrine of Justification brought to light once again by Martin Luther, My hope this morning is to evaluate this question in light of Philippians 3:1-11. How is a sinner saved? Is it possible to be assured of salvation before God?

We will study our text under three headings.

We will study our passage this morning under Four headings:

The Assurance of Faith (vs. 1)

False assurance (vs. 2 - 6)

Fanatics (2 - 3)

Feathers (4 - 6)

Justified by Faith (vs. 7 - 9)

Sanctified by Faith (vs. 10 & 11)

1) Assurance of faith (Vs. 1)

Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.”

Paul tells these brothers, these Christians in Philipi, to rejoice in the Lord. But why should Christians rejoice in the Lord? What reasons are there, among all of the many and various sufferings in the world, why should I rejoice. There are a few reasons for Christian joy. Firstly, Christian Joy comes from a right relationship with God. Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Christ has reconciled us to God, that is something to be joyful about. Secondly, Christian joy is produced by the Spirit of God Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” and thirdly, that Christian joy is built on Truth Galatians 1:9 “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” Now all three of these are important. But there is a fourth, one that comes through so beautifully in this text. That is, christian Joy comes from the assurance of faith.

Chapter 3:1 is the topic sentence for the entire Chapter. Paul is telling these Philippians Christians what he will address in this section. So we can ask then, what do you mean Paul when you tell say “rejoice in the Lord?” Why is it safe for you to write these same things to us? What are these same things?

The doctrine of Christian assurance produces confidence in the Lord that Augustine’s and the Roman Catholics view does not. The Catholic Church was able to use and exploit the ignorance of the masses in Europe because of a fear of God that only a works based view of salvation can produce. A fear that God would condemn them for their unrighteousness. Why? They were taught that they had to earn their salvation. That they needed to be made worthy of the Kingdom of God.

Martin Luther and John Calvin opposed the doctrine of Justification as taught by Augustine. Calvin built on Luther’s work and separated out two main ideas in the salvation of human beings. Calvin called them Justification and sanctification. Calvin says, “Even the sentiment of Augustine [on justification], or at least his mode of expressing it, cannot be entirely approved of. For although he is admirable in stripping man of all merit of righteousness, and transferring the whole praise of it to God, yet he classes the grace by which we are regenerated to newness of life under the head of sanctification. Scripture, when it treats of justification by faith, leads us in a very different direction. Turning away our view from our own works, it bids us look only to the mercy of God, and the perfection of Christ”. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/did-augustine-get-justification-wrong

Why does God turn our eyes away from our own works to look only on the mercy of God and the perfection of Christ? Because man is unreliable and wholly incapable. The idea that man can earn salvation through his own works, or even be made worthy of salvation through the Spirit of God is not what the bible teaches. Notice what Paul does not say. He does not say rejoice in your righteous acts. Nor does he say, rejoice in your own worthiness. No! He says rejoice in the Lord.

Paul then says, “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you”. Paul is reminding them of something something that is safe for them. His reminder takes two forms. He reminds them of what false assurance looks like, and he reminds them of True faith. Let us look at these together now.

2) False Assurance (vs. 2 - 6)

A warning about fanatics

Paul first sounds a warning and a reminder to Christians in verse 2. Now I spoken on these two verses before and so I don’t want to revisit everything that I said their, but I do want to remind you of three things:

a) Judiazers defiance of Peter and the other Apostles

Paul uses such harsh terminology for those who continue to insist upon circumcision as a means of salvation because those who insist upon it do so in defiance of the will of God and the decree of the apostles. In the book of Acts we will soon come to a section in Chapter 15 where the question of circumcision came before the apostles at a council in Jerusalem. Acts 15:1 “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”” They were insisting that justification came through circumcision. In Acts 15:5 “But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.””

The apostles disagreed and they said Acts 15:10 - 11

Acts 15:10–11 ESV

Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

Once the apostles had agreed that salvation was indeed by grace alone through faith alone, the church in Jerusalem sent messages to all the churches, first to Antioch and then to all the known Churches. Yet, the Judiazers defied them.

B. Judiazers taught heresy

The Judiazers were leading people in the Church astray by their heresy. So Paul calls them out on it using similar language to the language that Jesus used for the Pharisees. Jesus called the Pharisees a brood of vipers, Paul calls the Judiazers dogs. Jesus called the pharisees hypocrites, Paul called the Judiazers mutilators of the flesh. Jesus called the pharisees children of hell, Paul calls the judiazers evildoers. The point is that the judiazers were teaching that gentile Christian’s had to keep the law of Moses to be made right with God. They had no concept of the gospel.

So Paul calls out those who are teaching falsehood and leading other astray. Paul does this in the letter to the Galatians as well saying, Galatians 1:9 “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

C. Paul reminds the Philippians that real circumcision is of the heart

Philippians 3:3 “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—”

The term, “for we” refers to back to the reference in verse 1 to the brothers. It is a first person plural pronoun, where Paul includes himself and his readers, which includes Jew and Gentile alike. When he says that Jew and Gentile Christians together are the circumcision he is pointing to a truth that he explains in some detail to the letter to the Romans. Circumcision is not an external sign of God’s favour, it signifies the internal changes that God creates in the hearts of Christian men and woman.

Romans 2:28–29 “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”

In both our passage in Philippians Paul speaks about the role of the Spirit. The Spirit changes our hearts so that we are able to worship God. This was first promised in Ezekiel 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” This is finally fulfilled in the new testament Chruch. To be saved by God, we need the inward circumcision of the heart, we need the inward change brought about by the Spirit of God.

Why do we need it?

According to our passage, so that we may glory in Christ and put no confidence in the flesh. The phrase “to put no confidence in the flesh” stands in contrast to what we have just learned about the Judiazers who did place their confidence in their circumcision and in the flesh. Christians don’t do that. Christians recognise that their is nothing to be confident about (something Paul touches on in the verses to follow). So if Christians do not put their confidence in their own flesh, then where is their confidence. Paul says that they glory in Christ. The word glory here is the Greek word ‘kauchaomai’ and it can also mean ‘to boast’. To glory in Christ here means to boast in Christ. Christians realise that there is nothing righteous within themselves, nothing good or worthy of honour, and so they look to another. Christians look to Christ as their substitute (an idea that Paul will build upon in the coming verses).

The feathers in Paul’s Cap:

Philippians 3:4–6 ESV

though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Paul has four reasons to boast in himself - four feathers in his cap:

His Jewish history

The reason why Paul goes through his own Jewish history is to show that he is a true Jew. That his bloodline has not been defiled by a gentile bloodline. Part of the reason why the Jews despised the Samaritans was because they were a mixed race - part Jew and part Gentile. The mosaic law required that all male offspring of the Jews be circumcised on the eight day (Gen 17:12). Check Paul had been. Paul came from one of the tribes of Israel, but not just any tribe, the tribe of Benjamin. This was significant because Israel was divided into a northern and southern kingdom during the reign of Kind Solomon’s son Rehaboam. Nine tribes took Solomon’s rebellious servant Jeroboam and made him King. They kept the northern territories and maintained the name Israel. The three other tribes, Judah, Benjamin and, Levi made Rehaboam King and they kept the Southern territories with Jerusalem as the capital city (see 1 Kings 11). When Israel was conquered by the Babylonians in 722BC, these tribes mixed with the gentiles and their bloodlines were forever afterwards regarded as defiled. Many lived still regarded themselves as Jews and lived in Samaria at the times of Christ. Paul was not a Samaritan. He was a true Hebrew. The first feather in his cap.

Paul a pharisee

When Paul says that he was a Pharisee as to the law, he means that he belonged to the Jewish religious sect that had a specific interpretation of the law. The Pharisee group started during the Maccabean revolt between 167 and 160 BC. The revolt was against a group of Greek Macedonians called the Seleucids who controlled palestine and Jerusalem at that point in History. The Pharisees emphasised law keeping as the means of salvation over animal sacrifices and became the dominant religious sect in Judaism and were highly thought of and regarded by the Jews for the religious piety. Paul was a part of this highly regarded, highly religious and piuos group. The second feather in his cap.

His religious zeal

Much like fanatical Islamists of the present age, the pharisees were a fanatical group marked by religious zeal and passion before, during, and after the time of Christ. Much of their religious fanatacism was directed at the ministry of Jesus Christ whom they viewed as a threat. It was the zeal of the pharisees that pushed pilot to crucify Christ, it was their zeal pushed the religious leaders to arrest and imprison the followers of Christ after his death, and Paul both embraced and embodied the jewish religious spirit of zeal. No place is that more clear than in Acts 7 at the stoning of Stephen. We also know that Paul’s zealous reputation preceded him as well. Once Paul was converted to Christ, the Christian disciples in Jerusalem didn’t want to him for we are told, “Acts 9:26 “And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.” They knew Paul hated and imprisoned Christians because they heard about it from others. Paul was zealous and his reputation confirms this. The third feather in his cap.

Blameless under the law

The was a common belief among the Pharisees specifically (but among the Jews more broadly) that it was possible to keep the law of God. We see this idea in the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17 - 21

Mark 10:17–21 ESV

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

The man believed thought that he was doing well and was expected to be affirmed and celebrated by Jesus when he told the Lord that he had kept the law. But that was not how Christ responded. It is clear from our passage, that prior to Paul’s conversion, he also believed that he was blameless before the law. Had this been true it also would have been the fourth feather in his cap.

Justified by Faith Alone (vs. 7 - 9)

Justification - Legal declaration

Philippians 3:7 “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”

The word gain here can also be translated as ‘advantage’. Paul had a massive advantage over others if salvation came by keeping the law. But after Paul’s conversion he knows that salvation doesn’t come by keeping the law. And so Paul takes these feathers out of his cap.

The feather representing his Jewish history - counts for naught.

The feather representing his belonging to the club of the Pharisees - counts for naught

The feather representing his religious zeal - counts for naught.

The feather representing his blamelessness under the law - counts for naught.

Paul realised that his personal religious triumphs meant nothing in the sight of God. Paul could not justify himself or make himself right before the law. Why? The law could never be kept in the first place. The pharisees and Paul had a fundamental misunderstanding of the demands of the law. The Old Testament law demanded that the people of Israel be purified by the shedding of blood. Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”

The pharisees pushed that aside as trivial and arrogantly assumed that they wouldn’t need animal blood if they didn’t break the law. But what they lost sight of what the concept of substitutionary atonement. The animal is a substitute for the person. The messiah would be the ultimate fulfillment of this and would become the legitimate sacrifice once for all for the sins of his people. It is this truth that Peter is driving at in Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”” The law can’t do it, animal sacrifice can’t do it, the death of Christ on the cross alone is the means of salvation for all people.

It is this truth that Paul points to when in verse 8 he speaks of counting everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.

The phrase ‘surpassing worth’ is a comparative value statement. Paul is comparing two things of value. The first thing that Paul values was those feathers in his cap, he highly valued them and not just him, they were highly valued by his Jewish society. But since Paul has been saved, he now values knowing Christ, he counts that to be of greater worth. The value of knowing Christ far exceeds the value of his previous accomplishments. It far exceeds the value of all of his good works. But what about knowing Christ makes it far more valuable than his own good works?

The word knowing here that Paul uses is the greek word gnosis and it refers to knowledge of or about someone or something. Paul counts knowledge of Christ of surpassing worth. Knowledge is the foundation of faith. We cannot believe in what we do not know.

The phrase “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” is also evidence of Paul’s submission to Christ. It speaks of a reorientation of Paul’s entire value system so that he rejects what he previously believed to be true and now embraces what Christ taught to be true. The arrogance that Paul once exuded has now been shattered and Paul embraces the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord, another way of putting it is that Paul embraces Christ as his master.

Paul then says, Philippians 3:8B “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”.

Paul says that he suffered the loss of all things… like the rich young ruler, the process of change for Paul was hard. Not only would he himself have had to give them up, but he would have faced and, we know from the book of Acts, he did face opposition and persecution as a result of his rejection of Judaic beliefs and his embrace of Christ.

Paul says that he counted them as rubbish. In the Greek this can also mean animal excrement, and it shows how intensely he despised his own good works. Similar terminology is used by Isaiah 64:6 “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Our righteous deeds are as a filthy garment says Isaiah. They are as animal excrement says Paul. Why?

In order to gain Christ. But what about Christ did Paul stand to gain?

Well he answers that in the verse that follows. He says, Philippians 3:9 “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—” Paul stood to gain Christ’s righteousness. Here it is, brothers and sisters. The greatest truth in all the world. A truth that Paul stressed over and over again in all of his letters to the Churches. A truth that Augustine was ambigious about and a truth that was lost for nearly a thousand years, and then so wonderfully rediscovered by Martin Luther and taught at such a cost by all of the great reformers in the centuries that followed.

It is wonderfully simple, but profound. A person cannot be justified by their own works, no matter how good they are. Nor is justification a process of transformation. When a person is justified by God they are lawfully declared righteous not based on any merit or worthiness of their own, but based on the merits of Jesus Christ only.

Salvation cannot be earned through the acquisition of indulgences, as the catholics taught. It cannot be earned through keeping the law as the judiazers tuaght. You must put your faith in Christ alone! By faith, Paul was given the moral perfection that God required from him and God therefore declares Paul righteous. Paul was not declared righteous by keeping the law, he was given a perfect and pure righteousness of another, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where you and I have failed in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds Christ succeeded. The moral corruption that we have all inherited from our parents, Jesus Christ did not inherit. His conception was miraculous, his life and example perfect, his death subsitutionary, and his resurrection a vindication that when Christ died on that Christ he died once for all so that by faith we could be released from the power, the penalty and the presence of sin.

But, have you embraced the Lord Jesus Christ as your own? Do you, like Paul realise that all of your good works are rubbish and like the excrement of animals? Do you see that you need the righteousness of Christ that comes only through faith? If not, then see it now. Believe now. Turn from relying on your own works and believe in the finished work of Christ and be saved!

So what are the benefits of believing the Doctrine of Justification by faith alone?

4) Sanctified by faith

Relational closeness with the Lord (vs. 10)

Philippians 3:10 “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” The word know here is the Greek word ginōskō and it carries with it an intimacy in relationship. It is used as a euphamism for sexual intimacy for example in Matthew 1:25 “but knew her not until she had given birth to a son”. Paul’s desire was to experience relational closeness with the Lord Jesus Christ and it is one of the wonderful benefits of salvation. Knowing Christ. It is this relational closeness that Paul speaks of this in Romans 5:5 “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” We experience relational closeness with God as he pours his love into our hearts through his spirit. This allows us to love God in return and to enjoy Him.

But it also leads to our lives being transformed so that we look more like Christ on the day we die than when we first came to know him. This is power of his resurrection. Paul speaks of this as well in Philippians 2:12–13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Those who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, will not continue in their sins. But by the inner workings of God’s Spirit and the righteous effort of the Christian they grow in holiness and look more and more like Christ.

Absolute confidence (vs 11.)

“That by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead”

When Paul speaks here of attaining the resurrection from the dead, he is telling his readers of his hope for life after death. Remember that Paul is imprisoned and he is uncertain of his future at this point in time. He speaks in this Philippians 1:21 - 25

Philippians 1:21–25 ESV

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,

Paul has also been rocked by the near death of Epaphroditus, Philippians 2:26 - 27

Philippians 2:26–27 ESV

for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

There is a deep longing in Paul to return to his Lord and to retire from his labours on earth. The chords that have tied him to the earth are breaking one by one as the eyes of his heart long to return home. There is a wonderful confidence in Paul that can only be true of the those who know that their sins have been forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ. That they cannot and will not be worthy of heaven in themselves, but depend fully on the merits of Jesus.

I want to close by wrewriting the judgement against Joan of Arc by the Catholic priests that condemned her of Heresy, and I will close with this:

“This woman did not sin when she says she is certain of being received into Paradise because she is already a partaker of that blessed glory, seeing that on this earthly journey every Christian pilgrim knows that he is worthy of glory only on the merits of the sovereign judge, Christ Jesus our Lord.

Brothers and sisters, that was true of Joan of Arc. May it be true for you too.