Assurance

'Tis a point I long to know,

Oft it causes anxious thought;

Do I love the Lord, or no,

Am I His, or am I not?

Do not ever say that unless a man knows that he is saved, he is not. There are some Christians who do truly know Christ, who are yet in doubt about their knowledge of him. All of God's children have faith, but they do not all have assurance. A man may have faith sufficient to flee to Christ, lay hold of Christ, trust Christ, and be a true child of God; and yet to his last day never be free from anxiety, doubt, and fear.

Our Lord does not regard the quantity of faith, but the quality of faith. He does not measure its degree, but its truth. He will not break any bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax.

We must distinguish between faith and assurance. Faith is the root, essential to life. Assurance is the flower, the sign of health. You may have the root without the flower; but you cannot have the flower without the root. Even so, you may have faith without assurance, but you cannot have true assurance without faith. Faith is the poor trembling woman who crept up to the Savior, and touched the hem of his garment. Assurance is Stephen standing calmly before his murderers, saying, "I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." Faith is Peter crying, as he began to sink, "Lord, save me!" Assurance is that same Peter declaring, before his captors, "Him hath God exalted with his right arm to be a Prince and a Savior." Faith is the penitent thief crying, "Lord, remember me!" Assurance is Job, sitting in the dust, covered with sores, saying, "Though he slag me, yet will I trust him." Faith is the trembling voice, "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief." Assurance is the cry of the confident soul, "We shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Who is he that condemneth?" Faith is life, how blessed the gift! Assurance is more than life. It is health, strength, joy, power, beauty, and peace. Yet, both faith and assurance are gifts of divine grace. If you would have assurance, you must cease to look for it in yourself. You must look to Christ alone.

Don Fortner