“The Ground of This Assurance”

Accordingly, this assurance does not derive from some private revelation beyond or outside the Word, but from faith in the promises of God which he has very plentifully revealed in his Word for our comfort, from the testimony “of the Holy Spirit testifying with our spirit that we are God’s children and heirs” (Rom. 8:16–17), and finally from a serious and holy pursuit of a clear conscience and of good works. And if God’s chosen ones in this world did not have this well-founded comfort that the victory will be theirs and this reliable guarantee of eternal glory, they would be of all people most miserable.

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The assurance of one’s salvation is not strictly a theological matter, but essentially a pastoral one. How can God’s people live in the knowledge that God will deliver them from the guilt and power of sin, despite the flesh (the sinful nature) continuing to create sinful thoughts and desires within which often manifest in sinful acts and behaviors? Anyone who has ever wrestled with the question, “how can I know that I will be saved?” has dealt with the matter addressed in this article.

The Dutch Arminians (along with Roman Catholics) contend that the Reformed view of the assurance of one’s salvation (that you can presently know that you will be saved) leads to the sin of presumption—we presume that God will save us despite the possibility of serious future sin and the possibility of apostasy (falling away). The challenge raised is that a Christian may believe the gospel at present, but cannot be assured that at some future point they will not fall into serious sin or renounce the faith. To presume that we can have such assurance, it is claimed, makes people indifferent to sin and lazy and careless in the pursuit of holiness. “If I can’t lose my salvation (and have a false assurance that I will not) then what motive do I have to avoid sin or strive to make progress in the Christian life.” The critics of the Reformed view often opt for suitable motivation through asserting that the Christian life is grounded in the “fear of punishment and hope of reward.”

In previous articles under the fifth head of doctrine, the Canons addressed the reality of indwelling sin in believers, and emphasized the fact that despite the temptations and struggles of the Christian life, true believers will persevere to the end of their lives in faith and repentance because Jesus preserves them through his present work as mediator and intercessor.

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