How Might a Christian Gain Confident Assurance of Their Salvation?

Introduction

Opening Language - Assurance: In the Christian tradition, there is a phrase that has been handed down to us to describe a very important aspect of our faith. The phrase is “assurance of salvation.” Assurance has to do with one’s certainty about the legitimacy of their faith. A person can be saved, and yet not have a total assurance. Assurance is that sweet inward marking of confidence of their position in the Lord. A certainty that they are in Christ, that they are truly a recipient of grace, that heaven is theirs, and that the Holy Spirit is in them.

Personal: Do you have an assurance of faith? Or do you, like so many, often question the legitimacy of your faith, and wonder if there was a way to know if you really had saving faith or not?

Series Context: We are wrapping a sermon series through the Song of Solomon. If you are new with us this weekend, we have seen that the Song of Solomon is intended to be read allegorically. In this book, a husband a wife share a love song, but the love song is representative of a much greater love song between a much greater groom and a much greater bride. It is to point towards Christ and His Church.

Sermon Context: Today, we come across what many scholars believe are the two most important verses in the Song of Solomon, and what I might say are two of the more memorable and distinguished verses in all of Scripture. The scene takes place in the final chapter of the book. In verse 5, the bride and the groom are walking hand in hand, in love with each other, and the bride is leaning on her groom’s shoulder. And as she leans upon his shoulder, an allegory for the way we lean upon Christ in adoration, she says these words in our text today.

Song of Solomon 8:6–7 “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.”

This text, though only two verses in length is divided into two sections. First, the bride pleads with her husband for an assurance of his love. She wants to know that he’ll never change his mind, that they’ll never lose the precious love they share in this moment. Then second, she makes her case, her defense if you will, for why an assurance ought to be given.

The Bride’s Plea for Assurance

First, let us look at the bride’s plea to be granted an assurance of the groom’s love.

Song of Solomon 8:6 “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm

Set Me as a Seal: What is a seal? We have come across the imagery of a “seal” many times before in Scripture. You may recall the image of kings who wore signet rings upon their finers. When a letter was written by the king, he would dip his signet ring in wax and seal the envelope closed. That seal is a royal marker. It communicates to everyone who sees the letter that it originated with the King. The idea being communicated is that the seal does not wear out. It’s a permanent marking and engraving of belonging.

Upon Your Heart: She doesn’t ask for a seal upon a letter, but a seal upon his heart. The heart is the seat of the affections and loves. She has just experienced seven chapters of intimacy and being pursued by her groom. She doesn’t want it to end. She wants to remain forever sealed upon the deepest affections of the groom, upon his heart.

Illustration - High Priest: Many commentators see a direct line to the image of Aaron in the Old Testament here. We are told in Exodus 39 that the that the High Priest Aaron, when he entered the Holy of Holies, to meet with the Lord was to wear an ephod (like a jacket for ceremonial purposes) of Gold. Upon that ephod over the heart of Aaron were twelve stones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel

Exodus 39:14 “There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.”

And so Aaron, being that wonderful High Priest, who deeply cared about the people, bore the names of those whom he loved upon his heart as he approached the Lord. Is this not the cry of every Christian, that Christ our great High Priest, would carry us upon his heart in all of his priestly duties? That as he goes before the Father, and interecedes for the saints, that our name would be emblazened upon his heart, and that he would plead of us, because of his love for us.

On Thy Arm: Then she requests to be a seal upon his arm. The arm is typically the image used to describe the part of the body that provides active care for others. The arm is a symbol of a man’s strength, and his protection. Is this not also the plea of every Christian, that we would be sealed forever under his protection. That the very one who spoke the universe into being with the word of his mouth, would use that same strength to guard our faith. That the one to whom every knee will bow, and every angel confess, would be our eternal protector and provider.

Wrap Up: This is the bride’s plea. And it is a plea for assurance. The truth is that for a Christian, assurance is ours, it has been guaranteed. This groom is not going to leave his bride. But the bride doubts, doesn’t she. And so she pleads for assurance of faith. “Tell me husband that you will never leave me, that you will never forsake me. Tell that this love is real.”

Four Pillars of Our Insurance

What the bride does next is she provides four defenses, or reasons, why her pleadings should be granted. These four reasons, if you are willing, are four pillars for you to rest upon if you are seeking an assurance of faith. These four pillars, you will notice have nothing to do with us, and everything to do with Christ and his love. This is important, because if our assurance of faith is dependent on our strenght of faith, then our assurance will waiver with each day. But if our assurance is built upon the unchanging nature of Christ and his love, then it is strong, it is a bulwark to build our entire life upon.

#1 CHRIST’S LOVE IS IRRESTIBLE

Her first defense of her plea is in verse 6. Why ought God set her as a seal upon his heart. Reason #1, because this kind of love is irrestistable. We read in verse 6,

Song of Solomon 8:6 “for love is strong as death…”

The Text: What is the comparison that she is making with love and death? Her point is that death is a certainty. Every person is given to live and then to die. The grave always beckons us near. The strongest men among us ultimately succumb to its power. The wisest sage cannot outsmart death. The richest businessman in the world cannot purchase his way out of death. The most cunning thief cannot outmaneuver it. It is certain. It beckons us all. Death is inevitible. One cannot more escape death than they swim to the bottom of the ocean. One can not more escape death than they can jump to the moon. It’s claws grasp us, and draw us in.

This Love is the Same: This kind of love, this particular kind of love that flows from this particular groom, has that edge to it. It is irresistable. This is a very important doctrine of the Christian faith. In fact, it is called “Irrestistable Grace”, and here we have a wonderful verse supporting and strengthening our understanding of this doctrine. When Christ determines to pour his love upon an individual, we could no more resist that love than we can resist death itself. Christ’s love is an overwhelming and transforming love. Like death itself, there is no escape from it. It is as strong as death.

Not Saying: When we say that Christ’s love is irrestistable, we are not simply saying that it is so good that you would have to be foolish to not want it. It’s not irresistible the way my wife’s chocolate pie is irresistible. Though I am incapable of resisting my wife’s chocolate pie. No, Christ’s love is irresistible because it grips you, and transforms you into a person who wants His love, and can’t live without it. This bride in Song of Solomon, is no begruding slave who is chained to her master, forced to love him against her will. She is a loved woman, who cannot imagine not loving her groom.

So it is with Us: And so it is with a Christian. The Christian is not a begruding slave to Christ. Christ has poured out his love upon us overwhelmingly. And his love is of such a sort that it transforms our hearts and minds to freely delight in Christ. The very heart and mind that was once used to resist God, to fight against God, to enjoy sin, and to serve the Devil, is suddenly wrapped in a concrete blanket of Christ’s love, and that process transforms us, so that our free will and freely choosing mind, choose Christ, desire Christ, hate sin.

1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

First Pillar: So, what is this first pillar of our assurance. The first pillar is that we couldn’t resist his love if we tried. You see, when your heart beats for the true Christ, longs for the true Christ, delights in the true Christ, that is evidence that Christ has already poured his love out upon you. Because you couldn’t long for the true Christ without his love first transforming you. Pillar #1, Christ’s love is irresistible.

#2 CHRIST’S LOVE IS FIERCE

The second reason the bride gives that she should be sealed upon her groom’s heart is that Christ’s love is fierce. She says,

Song of Solomon 8:6 “…jealousy is fierce as the grave….”

That word fierce is a difficult word to translate. Translators over the years have tried to capture the essenece of what the bride means here. If you have the Old King James version, you will read that phrase says “jealousy is cruel as the grave.” Newer translations like the Christian Standard Bible translate the word as “unrelenting.” I like that. But in fact I think our ESV translations captures the idea well in the word “fierce.” When we think of that word fierce, I think of my old soccer days when we would head into a game against a fierce opponent. We knew it was going to be a tough game, because they would be unrelenting. They would use every bit of energy, and every tool, and every play, and every opportunity to find a way to gain the victory over us. They would be fierce, unyielding, overcoming, physically tough.

“Jealousy”: The bride says that “jealousy is fierce as the grave.” Why does she use the word jealousy. The word jealousy can have a positive and a negative way it is used. Negatively, if we say that is a very jealous, it could mean that they are a person who is very unsure of themselves, and often full of a spirit of rivalry and suspicion. But throughout the Bible, the word jealousy is often used in a positive way as well. When the 10 Commandments are given, we read that God is a jealous God. When giving the second commandment to not bow down to man idols he says

Exodus 20:5 “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…

How can that be a good term. “Jealousy” here, is used to describe God’s desire that you would be his and his alone. In this regard we might think of the jealousy of a good father towards his children. That good father delights in his children, he has promised good things to his children, he has promised his life to his children. And so, if he were to find his children becoming overly affectionate with another man who was not their father. His jealousy would be good, it would be one of fighting for his children, for their protection because he knows he is the only good father to those children, and any other person trying to fill that need in the child’s life is only masquerading. That would be a good jealousy, emanating from a good father.

God’s Jealousy is Fierce: Did you know that God’s jealousy for you is fierce. For we were indeed like those children. Our sin had led us to seek out love in other places besides the one true and living God. But Christ’s jealousy is ferocious as the grave. This jealousy drove God the Son to empty himself of the form of divinity, and to take on human flesh. We talk about unrelenting love, look at the incarnation, where divinity entered humanity, on a divine rescue mission, to save His beloved. Christ is a fierce savior, who would sit back in ease while his beloved entertained false lovers. He came for us. Christ threw his body into the fire for us, by allowing himself to be arrested, and put on trial for crimes he did not commit. What drove him? It was a jealousy for you! Jealousy for his Beloved! A jealousy rooted in his great desire that you would be his and his alone.

Beaten: He was beaten, scourged, mocked, and derided. But his love was fierce. He did not recant. He did not seek a way out. I venture to say that no jealous love has ever been witnessed quite like the jealous love of Christ for his beloved.

Angels Held Breath: And the bride says that this jealousy is as the fierce as the grave, and I say that she didn’t go far enough. Because there was a moment when Christ was crucified on the cross, when the grave looked as if it had proven more fierce than Christ and his love. There was a moment when the angels themselves held their breath in agonizing wonder of how the story would end. Had death proven stronger than God’s jealousy? But no! His jealousy is fiercer than we can imagine. Christ marched through death a a conquering hero. Christ’s jealousy for you is so fierce, that he would die a human death in order to defeat deaths hold over you.

To the Beginning: And so, what is the second pillar of a Christian’s assurance. It is the fierceness of Christ’s love for you. He stopped at nothing to rescue you from Hell. He conquered the greatest enemy known to man, death itself. He proved himself valiant, and he will not now let you down. Would he who went to such great lengths to rescue you, not also secure you?

#3 CHRIST’S LOVE IS DIVINE

The third pillar is that Christ’s love is divine. The bride says of the groom’s love that

Song of Solomon 8:6 “Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.”

This verse is the only verse in the entire eight chapters of Song of Solomon where the name of God is used, “The very flame of the Lord.” On the one hand, the bride is looking to her husband and she is saying that the source of our marital love is God himself. That’s the fountain from where it flows from. Her point is that their love is so strong not because of their strength to love each other over a long period of time, or to commit to one another for a long period of time. Their love is strong because it it flows from the source of love itself. On the other hand, as this entire book is intended to be read as an allegory, this verse is a little key to interpreting the entire book of Song of Solomon. We are talking about God’s love for His Church.

Covenant of Redemption: I have taught on this recently, but it is fitting to teach on it again now. At the center of the universe is a fountain of love. An ocean of love. God, our trinitarian God, is holy and righteous and true. And the scriptures say that he is love. Before there was ever time, or space, or humanity, God existed and therefore love existed. God is the source of all that exists. He is the utmost and supreme power in the universe. When he spoke, atoms spun into existence. When he spoke, the laws of logic and gravity and thermodynamics appeared.

“Flame of the Lord”: The Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit (the three members of the Trinity), one God eternally existing in three persons, shared an infinite and intimate love with each other. The three of them basking in the infinite ocean of love which was their existence. There was no lack. There was no need for creation. Their love was perfect and it was divine. And here in verse 6 it is described as the “very flame of the Lord.” I like that language. It is very fitting. Because whatever is placed in a flame catches fire, and becomes part of that flame.

The Son’s Commitment: In the Covenant of Redemption, God the Father covenanted with God the Son, to extend their love to a fallen and degenerate people. In the Covenant of Redemption God the Father said to God the Son, “My Son, here is group of humanity, of our creation, that are drenched in sin and worthy of our full justice. Justice demands full satisfaction for every sin of theirs. Their sin will be the eternal ruin of them. What shall be done for them?” And God the Son looked to God the Father and replied, “My Father, such is my love for my beloved, that I would go through Hell to rescue them. I covenant with you, to do just that. I will pay their penalty. I will take their judgment upon my own shoulders. I will suffer under your wrath, in order that they can eternally share in this flame of love that we share.”

In Time: And so God the Son, bound himself by covenant, to this work. And in the right time, he fulfilled that covenant. God, the Son, took on flesh and bore the wrath of God on our behalf. And in so doing, the flame of the Lord, that eternal love of the Lord that has shined for eternity passed, was given to man.

The Brides Plea/Our Plea: What is third pillar of assurance communicating. The faith you have, and the love Christ has for you, did not begin in your lifetime. He bound himself by covenant, with God the Father, to rescue you from sin, Satan, and death. The love you have for Christ, is the very “flame of the Lord” that has existed between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit throughout all eternity past. It is yours by covenantal right. The Son does not waver on his covenants. The Son does not change his covenantal hold. When you waiver on your assurance, build your case on the covenant of Redemption.

#4 CHRIST’S LOVE PERSEVERES

The fourth and final pillar is that Christ’s love perseveres.

Song of Solomon 8:7 “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.”

Two Images: Now there are two ideas in this verse that work together. The bride is making the point that there is nothing in all creation that can possibly extinguish the flame of the Lord’s love. She first says that even were oceans and rivers to be poured on top of that flame, it would not be extinguished. Why? Because it is the very flame of the Lord. The one who made the oceans and the rivers and the waters is the one who sustains that flame. There is nothing external that can extinguish this love. It will persevere through every obstacle and challenge and trial of your life.

Man’s Wealth: Then second, she compares this love to a man’s wealth. The idea here is that she imagines a man trying to buy this love with all the wealth of his entire estate. And she says “What a fool he would be.” Because this love cannot be purchased. It cannot be gained by any earthly means. It is of such a kind that it can only be bestowed on you from above. This means that this love is an act of grace. You can’t earn it. You can’t sustain it. You didn’t buy it to begin with, and you don’t rent it once you have it. It’s free, and always will be free. So whether you perform up to par on any given day or not, it continues to be freely given and freely sustained. This means that there is nothing internally you could ever do to extinguish this love.

Put Them Together: You put these together, and what do we discover. That there is nothing, in all of creation, whether external to yourself, or internal from within yourself that cause this flame, once it has been given, to be taken away from you. It perseveres.

It is in Christ’s Hands: Christian saint, once Christ grants you real saving faith, that faith is in his hands. You are secure, eternally. You might ask, “Well what about those that have fallen away from their faith?” And the answer is clear from all that we have seen, that they never had true saving faith to begin with. Because true saving faith is impossible to fall away. Waters cannot quench it. Money cannot sustain it. It’s a gift of grace through and through. Christ, the great grace provider does not grow weary. Christ does not faint. The ground of our assurance of faith is Christ Himself, and Christ is unable to fail in this task. This is why the Apostle Paul can say with confidence.

Romans 8:35–39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Wrap Up: The fourth and final pillar of your assurance is that Christ’s love will persevere. When you hit difficult roads, trying seasons, and weak moments of faith, build your case for assurance on Christ’s persevering love. We may grow weary, but He won’t. Let no one take that confidence you. If the devil himself tries to take it from you, you tell that liar he can go back where he came from. Christ love perseveres.

Conclusion

Assurance is the fruit of faith. It is a blossom that develops over time. If you want assurance, you must ask yourself then if your faith is real. Do you have the signs in you of saving faith? I like to say that there are three simple signs to ask yourself if you’re wondering that question.

Do you have a love for the true Christ? This is an important question because there are many false versions of Christ out there. Do you love the true Christ as he is presented to us in Scripture? The second person of the Trinity who took on flesh and died for you?

Do you have a love for God's Word as the final authority in your life? As a tool to lead you into obedient and righteous living?

Do you have a love for Christ's bride, the Church?

If these things are there, if even in degrees, it seems to me that you have been granted grace upon grace. That truly your name is sealed upon the heart of God in such a way that it can never be removed. Your name is sealed upon his arm, in such a way that he has covenanted to always defend you. This love is stronger than death. It is fiercer than the grave. It is the very flame of the Lord.