Struggling With Assurance
“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” – John 6:37
If you live a life questioning your salvation, I understand. I've been there.
The gospel was not given so that believers would spend their lives wondering if they are saved. One of the enemy's strongest weapons is doubt. When we live in doubt, it's difficult to move forward.
How can we be the aroma of Jesus in this world and be a confident help when we're filled with doubt? Let me start by saying this: If your lack of assurance bothers you, that means you are longing for assurance. You care about your standing with God, and that's a good thing.
One of the big reasons we doubt is we're programmed to look at ourselves for proof of our salvation. If you think about it, that's a problem, isn't it? It's common to ask ourselves questions like, am I doing enough? Is my faith strong enough? Am I reading the Bible enough? Have I defeated the sin in my life? Or maybe we think that if I was really saved, I would feel differently, and I wouldn't struggle with life the way I do. Our natural tendency is to agree that we are saved by God's grace through what Jesus has done for us, but then look to what I'm doing or not doing in order to feel assured.
This is not a formula for finding peace or being free or being joy-filled. When we look to ourselves and what we're doing, we're putting ourselves under the burden of the law, the very thing that Jesus came to free us from. The Apostle Paul said something very interesting as he was amazed at his salvation.
He said, "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them." Notice he didn't say, "I was the worst." He said, "I am the worst." (1 Tim 1:15)
As the Apostle Peter urged Christians to pursue the fruit of their salvation, he also knew that some had made little progress. Interestingly, he didn't say to those who were struggling, "I don't think you're saved." Rather, he said that they need to remember that they were forgiven (2 Peter 1:9).
If we ever get to the place where we feel good about our own effort, we're probably lying to ourselves. We're probably comparing ourselves to other sinners and feeling good about it. Am I reading the Bible enough? No.
Have I defeated sin in my life? No. Is my faith strong enough? No. How could anyone ever look to their own performance and have assurance? You can, however, gain assurance by continually looking to Jesus and trusting him.
He died to save his children and he promised to keep them safe even though they are weak. It's difficult for us to really understand that we bring absolutely no merit to God. He saves his children and keeps his children not because they do their part, but because he loves us.
I'll paraphrase what Martin Luther said: we are righteous because we are covered by the righteousness of Jesus and not because we don't sin. We are both saint and sinner at the same time. Does this mean we shouldn't care about our sin? Of course not.
Confess your sin to Jesus. Repent. But my salvation does not depend on my performance.
Keep looking to Jesus. As he becomes everything to you, your doubts will disappear and your faith will deepen. He is for you.
Jesus, we are helpless and needy. Your mercy is much greater than our sin. Thank you for not considering my good works as a condition for your love. I have none. Please cause me to see you and all that you are for me.
Song: His Mercy Is More