How Being Known Aids Assurance by Jordan Dahl for Core Christianity
Have you ever struggled to feel certain of your salvation? You’ve believed the gospel of salvation in Christ, that he died for the forgiveness of your sins and rose again for your justification (Rom 4:25). Perhaps there was a time of great joy when you first believed. But, for some reason or another, doubt creeps back in now and then. You wonder, am I really saved? We often hear Bible teachers hold up the high standard of holy, Christian living, and when we take a look in the mirror at our own sinfulness compared to God’s holy standard, we’re overwhelmed with guilt and shame. We might wonder whether the Holy Spirit is truly at work in us if we have these struggles. Virtually all Christians wrestle with these doubts at some point in their lives. What should we do when we feel this way?
To begin, we can search the Scriptures for what’s true, asking God to guide us into that truth. Our assurance comes from the objective truth of what God has accomplished for us in Christ. But this truth will sink in more deeply in the context of our local church community. The command in Hebrews 10:25 that we not neglect meeting together is for the purpose of “encouraging one another.” Encouragement is one of the central acts we in the church are to do for one another, especially when we gather each week. Surely, that encouragement includes telling the truth of the gospel of God’s grace to each other for when we doubt ourselves. The simple question, “How was your week?” in the times before or after the Sunday worship service can be the gateway into deeper Christian fellowship and mutual encouragement.
Walk in the Light
However, it can be difficult for others to encourage you if they don’t know your troubles. When someone asks, “How was your week?” you have to be honest for people to be able to encourage you. The apostle John tells us to “walk in the light” and in doing so we’ll have “fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7). If you confess your struggle with assurance and struggle against sin to fellow believers in the church, odds are that you will find you’re not alone. This is just as John went on to say that anyone claiming to be without sin is simply not telling the truth (1 John 1:8). But there’s great news for those who “walk in the light” of honesty before God and the Christian community: “he is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
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