Westminster Confession of Faith

Chapter 18

1. Breakfast
2. Introduction
3. False And True Assurance ¶1
3.1. Venn Diagram 1
3.2. Venn Diagram 2
3.3. True Assurance Possible
4. The Basis Of True Assurance ¶2
4.1. Objective Assurance (Assurance Of Faith)
4.2. Subjective Assurance (Assurance Of Hope)
4.2.1. Not A Peering Into The Secret Will Of God
4.2.2. Look At Work Of Christ Within Us
4.2.3. Do Not Focus On The Old Man
4.3. The Testimony Of The Spirit
4.4. The Spirit Applies Salvation To Us
5. The Means, Duty, And Result Of Assurance ¶3
5.1. A True Believer May Not Have Infallible Assurance
5.2. Duty And Diligence In The Ordinary Means Of Grace
5.3. Results Of Assurance
6. True Believers And Loss Of Assurance ¶4
6.1. Why Assurance Is Shaken
6.1.1. From The Christian
6.1.2. From God
6.2. The ‘Seed’ Of Grace
6.2.1. Support From Despair
6.2.2. Assurance Revived
7. Errors
7.1. Rome
7.2. Arminianism
7.3. Wesleyianism
7.4. Deficient Reformed Tradition
7.5. Pietism And Quietism
7.6. Federal Vision
7.7. Easy-believeism
7.8. Liberalism
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed
it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have
strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Heb 6.17–18

1. Breakfast
Whereby the recipient fails to learn not to expect this every time.

2. Introduction
Why assurance? and an overview of WCF 18.
This chapter ties in well to WCF 14.3 which discussed the waxing and waning of faith. Many are falsely
assured and many true Christians are unassured they are children of God. True assurance looks to Jesus and
the promises of the Gospel. The Scriptures command us to make our election and calling sure, and provide
us with means. When we lack assurance as a result of our sin or God removing it, God leaves a seed of faith
in the true believer, and in time God grants to assurance through ordinary means.

3. False and True Assurance ¶1

Wait a moment: there’s a false assurance as well as a true assurance? Now I’m confused.
This section references three types of people: unregenerate sinners who have false assurance of salvation,
believers who do not have assurance of salvation, and believers who have assurance of salvation. One of the
most terrifying passages of the Gospel is in Matthew: 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?’
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

4. The Basis of True Assurance ¶2

Christ. Full Stop.

4.1. Objective Assurance (Assurance of Faith)

There is no subjective assurance without objective assurance.
True assurance looks to Christ; it is Christocentric. True assurance finds its primary ground in the promises of
the Gospel. Without a right understanding of salvation there is no true assurance. 1 All of what we’ve learnt in
past few weeks work to assure the Christian he is a child of God. If you lack assurance meditate on the
promises of God; work through the historia salutis and ordo salutis. False assurance is androcentric.

4.2. Subjective Assurance (Assurance of Hope)

Subjective assurance is not ompahloskepsis.
We cannot search the secret will of God to determine if we are elect, if Christ died for us, etc. It is an
impossible labyrinth.2 For the subjective basis of assurance (which is a secondary basis) we look to the work
of Christ in us as applied by the Spirit. We cannot focus on the old man or indwelling sin; if we peer into a
garbage heap we will find garbage. Godly introspection takes the promises in the Word and the marks of the
Christian in the Word (not our own inventions3 ) and sees if they are present within us. This is a binary test.
False assurance exalts our works without reference to Christ.

4.3. The Testimony of the Spirit

The Spirit points to Christ both objectively and subjectively.
The Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture and the author of the graces within us, he gives us the grace of
illumination without which we could not discern the work of Christ within, but would be deceived. 4

4.4. The Spirit Applies Salvation to Us

The Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to us in all aspects of salvation.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is a seal of our salvation, marking us as God’s own.

1 Ref Dog Vol 3 p 573 Bavinck

2 R Scott Clark states, ‘We don’t decide for whom Christ died or who is elect a priori. We do it after the fact (a posteriori). We never ask,
“Am I elect?” or “Did Christ die for me?” We only ask, “Do I believe?” If I believe, it is because I am elect and Christ died for me etc.
Never, ever try to guess the secret will and providence and decree of God. It is forbidden in Deut 29:29. Heidelblog
3 ‘To refuse to have assurance on the ground that one is not sufficiently sanctified is a form of unbelief. Stop it. Repent of it. Of course

you are not sanctified enough! You’re a wretch. Jesus didn’t obey and die for nice, sanctified people. He obeyed and died for you and
me.’ Ibid.
4 AA Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith

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. Rom 8.38–39
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed
it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have
strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Heb 6.17–18

5. The Means, Duty, and Result of Assurance ¶3

How we may find this assurance and what effects it has.

5.1. A True Believer May Not Have Infallible Assurance

Assurance may wax and wane.
Jean Calvin states5 that believers always have to contend with their unbelief. (Mark 9.24: ‘I believe, help
thou my unbelief!’) Similarly, assurance may wax and wane and while faith grasps the promises of God, our
faith is not full. But the basis of our salvation (and assurance) is not the quality of our faith but it is our
Saviour Jesus Christ.

5.2. Duty and Diligence in The Ordinary Means of Grace

No extraordinary revelation, e.g., no liver shivers.
The way we grow in our faith is the way we grow in assurance: Word, Sacrament, Prayer, and Discipline. We
are commanded to make our calling and election sure. But as true faith loves God we will love the means
which God gives us to know we’re a child of him.

5.3. Results of Assurance

True assurance because it bases on the work and promises of God yields godly fruit.
‘For the godly, looking upon [God’s] face is sweeter than life, but its withdrawal is more bitter than death.’ 6
When we look to Christ for our assurance we act in thankfulness to God.

6. True Believers and Loss of Assurance ¶4

Psalm 88.

6.1. Why Assurance is Shaken

With a surprising answer.
The Christian who neglects to regularly use the means of grace or falls into a particular sin which he does
not fight against may lose his assurance. However, God may withdraw his face and remove their assurance.
Hosea 5.15 ‘I will return again to my place, / until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, / and in
their distress earnestly seek me.’ suggests that God does this to test our faith and increase our reliance on
him.

6.2. The ‘Seed’ of Grace

Similar to his people in the world, God always leaves a remnant of grace in the heart of the believer.
‘I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will
put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.’ Jer 32.20. The Lord gives grace to the 88th
Psalmist for he knows to whom to cry. After many of Jesus’ disciples leave him for his hard teaching (of
election) Jesus asks the Twelve if they will leave too, to which ‘Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom
shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,!and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are
the Holy One of God.”’ Jn 6.68–69. By this grace God revives the assurance in believer; it is revived the
same way it was first received.

7. Errors
There are only two major errors of assurance which crop up repeatedly. Perhaps Satan is unimaginative:
perhaps he doesn’t need to be imaginative.

7.1 No Assurance
Some ‘theology’ is so deficient it cannot admit assurance.

5 Inst. 3.2.17
6 Cannons of Dordt, Head 5. Article 11

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. Rom 8.38–39
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed
it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have
strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Heb 6.17–18

7.1.1 Rome
Assurance is the greatest heresy of the Reformation.
Assurance a mortal sin 7, inclining men to looseness.

7.1.2 Arminianism
Without the doctrine of perseverance/preservation there can be no assurance.
The Arminian believes that we keep ourselves in God’s favour by the exercise of our will. As Anslem said,
‘You have not yet considered the depth of your sin.’

7.1.3. Wesleyan Methodism

Variations on a theme.
Since Wesleyan Methodism uses emotionalism extensively, one is necessarily assured of the grace of God for
him in the catharsis of conversion. However he cannot have certainty he will persevere.

7.2. Misplaced Assurance

We misplace assurance when we base it on anything else besides the promises of the Gospel in the Word.

7.2.1. Deficient Reformed Tradition

Two unbiblical pseudoreformed practises in Reformed history (and present).
The first is seeking the secret things of God: trying to ‘read’ the mind of God to see if we are elected, if Christ
died for us, etc. Duet 29.29 declares this streng verboten. The other is omphaloskepsis, inspecting every part
of ourselves, wondering if we are sanctified enough.

7.2.2. Pietism and Quietism

Omphaloskepsis and extraordinary revelation.
The practise of inordinate introspection has its height in pietism. Likewise quietists wait to hear an
extraordinary revelation they are truly saved.

7.2.3. Methodism
Mistaking emotionalism as assurance and seeking after euphoria.

7.2.4. Federal Vision

Mistaking the sign with the thing signified.
The Federal Visionaries deny any subjective assurance and mistake proper external assurance, placing it in
the sacraments, visible church attendance, and faithfulness.

7.2.5. Easy-believeism
Perhaps better called easy-assuranceism.
When the Gospel and the result of grace is truncated, a truncated assurance results.

7.2.6 Liberalism
Assurance in a God remade in our own image.

7 Council of Trent. Session 2 Chapter 9

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. Rom 8.38–39
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed
it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have
strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Heb 6.17–18

Bibliography
Perhaps the best part, not only because you can read better writers but it signifies the end of my writing.

Bavinck, Herman, Gereformeerde Dogmatiek (1904) trans. Vriend, John; Reformed Dogmatics (2008) Baker
Academic
Beeke, Joel, Sermons ‘Our Greatest Confidence Assurance 1’ and ‘Our Greatest Confidence Assurance 2’
Berkhof, Louis, Manual of Reformed Doctrine (1933) Eerdmans Publishing
—— Systematic Theology (1949, 2005) Banner of Truth
Calvin, Jean, Institutio Christianae Religionis (1509) trans. Battles, Ford Lewis; Institutes of the Christian
Religion, (1960) Westminster John Knox Pres
Clark, R. Scott, Heidelblog ‘Can I Have Assurance’, Jan 31, 2009
Council of Trent, Public Domain
Hodge, A.A., Commentary on the Confession of Faith, Public Domain
Hodge, Charles, Systematic Theology, Public Domain
Horton, Michael, Putting Amazing Back into Grace. (1991) Baker
Synod of Dordt, The Decision of the Synod of Dordt on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the
Netherlands Public Domain
Williamson, G.I., The Westminster Confession for Study Classes, (1964) Presbyterian and Reformed

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. Rom 8.38–39
Venn Diagram 1: The Three (Four) Types of People in WCF 18.1

Assured Believers

Venn Diagram 2: The Relation of True and False Assurance in WCF 18.1-2

False Assurance True Assurance