Growing in Assurance: The Journey of Faith
Summary
In this session, we delve into the profound topic of assurance of faith, focusing on the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 18, paragraph 3. This paragraph addresses the intricate relationship between faith and assurance, emphasizing that while assurance is not inherent to the essence of faith, it is attainable through diligent pursuit. Assurance is likened to an acorn, containing the potential of an oak tree, symbolizing the seed of assurance present in faith. However, the full assurance, akin to the mature oak tree, often requires time and spiritual growth to develop.
The journey to assurance involves several key elements: the relationship between faith and assurance, the time required to attain it, the means to achieve it, the duty of pursuing it, and the fruits it yields. Assurance is not instantaneous; it often requires believers to navigate through challenges and time. As faith matures, so does assurance, growing alongside other spiritual graces.
The means to attain assurance are rooted in spiritual disciplines, primarily the diligent study and meditation on the Bible, which serves as the primary road to holiness and assurance. The sacraments also play a crucial role, offering a tangible experience of God's promises. Prayer is highlighted as an invaluable gift, providing direct communion with God, which naturally fosters assurance. Additionally, afflictions, though not a traditional means of grace, often serve to deepen assurance by strengthening faith through trials.
The pursuit of assurance is a duty, as emphasized in 2 Peter 1:10, urging believers to diligently seek it through the use of these means. The fruits of assurance are manifold, including spiritual peace, joyful love, humble gratitude, and a heightened aspiration for holiness and heaven. Assurance transforms trials, produces contentment, and inspires earnest evangelism. It is a pursuit worth every effort, promising profound spiritual rewards.
Key Takeaways:
1. Faith and Assurance Relationship: Assurance is not separate from faith but is a mature expression of it. Like an acorn containing the potential of an oak tree, faith holds the seed of assurance, which grows over time into full assurance. This growth requires patience and spiritual maturity. [04:10]
2. Time and Growth in Assurance: Assurance often requires time and spiritual growth. It is not an immediate gift but develops as believers mature in their faith. This process is akin to the natural growth of an infant into adulthood, where spiritual graces increase with age and experience. [06:09]
3. Means to Attain Assurance: The right use of ordinary means, such as Bible study, sacraments, prayer, and meditation, is essential for growing in assurance. These spiritual disciplines are the pathways through which the Holy Spirit nurtures and strengthens our faith. [10:00]
4. The Role of Prayer: Prayer is a vital means of communion with God, fostering assurance through a personal relationship with Him. It is a precious gift, more valuable than any earthly possession, providing believers with direct access to the throne of grace. [20:01]
5. Fruits of Assurance: Assurance yields various spiritual fruits, including peace, joy, gratitude, and a desire for holiness. It transforms trials into opportunities for growth, heightens our longing for heaven, and inspires us to serve and evangelize with renewed vigor. [24:03]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:22] - Introduction to Assurance of Faith
- [01:09] - Duty of Diligence in Assurance
- [02:18] - Prayer for Guidance
- [02:58] - Five Aspects of Assurance
- [03:33] - Faith and Assurance Debate
- [04:10] - Seed of Assurance in Faith
- [06:09] - Time Required for Assurance
- [07:18] - Growth in Spiritual Life
- [08:28] - Misconceptions About Assurance
- [09:29] - Exceptions in Assurance Growth
- [10:00] - Means of Assurance
- [11:08] - Importance of Bible Study
- [12:32] - Personal Example of Assurance
- [14:36] - Meditation and Spiritual Growth
- [17:41] - Sacraments and Assurance
- [20:01] - The Gift of Prayer
- [22:48] - Afflictions and Assurance
- [23:23] - Duty and Fruits of Assurance
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Assurance of Faith
Bible Reading:
- 2 Peter 1:10
---
Observation Questions:
1. What does 2 Peter 1:10 urge believers to do regarding their calling and election? How is this related to the pursuit of assurance? [01:09]
2. According to the sermon, what is the relationship between faith and assurance as described in the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 18, paragraph 3? [03:33]
3. What are the "ordinary means" mentioned in the sermon that believers should use to attain assurance? [10:00]
4. How does the sermon describe the role of prayer in fostering assurance? [20:01]
---
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the analogy of an acorn and an oak tree help explain the relationship between faith and assurance? What does this suggest about the nature of spiritual growth? [04:10]
2. In what ways might the time required to attain full assurance be similar to the natural growth process of an infant into adulthood? [06:09]
3. How do the sacraments complement the Word in providing assurance, according to the sermon? [17:41]
4. Why might afflictions, though not traditional means of grace, be instrumental in deepening a believer's assurance? [22:48]
---
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current spiritual disciplines. Are there specific areas, such as Bible study or prayer, where you feel you could be more diligent in pursuing assurance? What steps can you take to improve in these areas? [10:00]
2. Consider a time when you faced a significant challenge or affliction. How did this experience impact your faith and assurance? What did you learn from it that you can apply to future trials? [22:48]
3. The sermon emphasizes the duty of pursuing assurance. How can you incorporate this pursuit into your daily routine? What practical changes can you make to ensure you are actively seeking assurance? [23:23]
4. Prayer is described as a precious gift. How can you deepen your prayer life to enhance your relationship with God and grow in assurance? Are there specific times or methods of prayer you find most effective? [20:01]
5. Assurance yields various spiritual fruits, including peace and joy. Identify one area of your life where you desire more of these fruits. What specific actions can you take to cultivate them? [24:03]
6. How can you use the sacraments as a means to strengthen your assurance? Reflect on your experiences with the sacraments and how they have impacted your faith. [17:41]
7. Think about someone in your life who might be struggling with assurance. How can you support and encourage them in their faith journey? What practical steps can you take to walk alongside them?
Devotional
Day 1: Assurance as the Maturity of Faith
Assurance is not separate from faith but is a mature expression of it. Like an acorn containing the potential of an oak tree, faith holds the seed of assurance, which grows over time into full assurance. This growth requires patience and spiritual maturity. [04:10]
Hebrews 6:11-12 (ESV): "And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
Reflection: Consider an area in your life where you feel uncertain. How can you nurture your faith in this area to allow assurance to grow over time?
Day 2: The Journey of Time and Growth
Assurance often requires time and spiritual growth. It is not an immediate gift but develops as believers mature in their faith. This process is akin to the natural growth of an infant into adulthood, where spiritual graces increase with age and experience. [06:09]
James 1:4 (ESV): "And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Reflection: Identify a spiritual discipline you can commit to this week to aid in your spiritual growth. How can this discipline help you develop patience and maturity in your faith journey?
Day 3: Pathways to Assurance
The right use of ordinary means, such as Bible study, sacraments, prayer, and meditation, is essential for growing in assurance. These spiritual disciplines are the pathways through which the Holy Spirit nurtures and strengthens our faith. [10:00]
Colossians 3:16 (ESV): "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
Reflection: Choose one spiritual discipline to focus on today. How can you incorporate it into your daily routine to deepen your assurance and faith?
Day 4: The Gift of Prayer
Prayer is a vital means of communion with God, fostering assurance through a personal relationship with Him. It is a precious gift, more valuable than any earthly possession, providing believers with direct access to the throne of grace. [20:01]
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV): "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Reflection: Set aside a specific time today to pray and communicate with God. What specific concerns or praises will you bring before Him to deepen your assurance?
Day 5: The Fruits of Assurance
Assurance yields various spiritual fruits, including peace, joy, gratitude, and a desire for holiness. It transforms trials into opportunities for growth, heightens our longing for heaven, and inspires us to serve and evangelize with renewed vigor. [24:03]
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV): "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Reflection: Reflect on a recent trial you have faced. How can you view this experience as an opportunity for spiritual growth and a deeper assurance in your faith?
Quotes
"This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it: yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given them of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto." [00:00:36]
"So, here is the debate. Does 18.3 mean to say that assurance is altogether separate from faith, or does it mean to say that full assurance is something different from the seed of assurance that is in faith? And I would argue the latter, when it says, 'This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long before he be partaker of it,' isn't saying that in faith itself there's not the seed of assurance." [00:03:43]
"So, the Puritans wrestled with this and what they said was this, 'In every exercise of faith, there is the seed of assurance like a little acorn, but that acorn is not yet an oak tree. So, assurance belongs to the well-being of faith, because assurance is like the full tree.' So, there's not a total separation there?" [00:05:07]
"Now, what about the time involved, the time involved in attaining assurance? 18.3, 'A true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of assurance.' Now, remember, we're talking about the full oak tree now. We're not talking about incipient insurance in the beginnings of faith, all believers have that." [00:05:54]
"An infant does not usually grow up in one day, so grace usually grows with age, and as faith increases, other graces increase as well. Now, that's not to say, that's not to say that in the Bible and in Puritan thinking, some beginning believers don't display a lot of zeal. When you first find Christ, you're full of what the Puritans used to call 'first love.'" [00:06:39]
"Normally, believers grow in assurance as they season in grace. Then Westminster addresses the means of assurance. This is a very important point. It goes on to say this, 'Being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given in the name of God, the believer may without extraordinary revelation,' that's again against Roman Catholicism, and then here come the keywords, 'in the right use of ordinary means attain to assurance,' the right use of ordinary means." [00:09:36]
"Well, they're the spiritual disciplines, of course, and there are probably about 15 of them if you want to detail them all. But, in the Puritan mind, there are four major means or spiritual disciplines that we must use to grow in assurance. The first is, of course, as you would expect, the Bible, God's Word. Both law and gospel, precept and promise." [00:10:27]
"To say it as simply as possible, if you spend little time alone with God, and little time alone with His Word, you shouldn't expect large dosages of growth in assurance because you're not using the book that the Holy Spirit uses to grow you. Let me give you a poignant example of that in my own life." [00:12:13]
"Prayer is the most valuable gift in all the world. My dad sat me down when I was nine years old one day, and he said to me, 'Son, do you know the difference between a believer and an unbeliever?' And I said, 'No, Dad,' because I learned to say, 'No, dad, to all his questions because he always said something more, and he said, Well, a believer has a place to go.'" [00:19:44]
"You see, prayer is far more important than anything on this earth. You have the ear of the God of the universe when you're a believer and you go to Him in prayer. This is amazing! This is amazing! Do you realize the value of the gift of prayer? When my parents died, they had very little possessions in this world." [00:20:41]
"Assurance is the fruit of strengthened and seasoned faith. When I ask people, God's people, 'When did your assurance grow the most?' Most of the time they tell me it was just when they were in the midst of affliction. Now, the Confession goes on and speaks about the duty of assurance, the duty of pursuing it." [00:22:48]
"Those fruits are various. We can speak of spiritual peace, joyful love, humble gratitude, cheerful obedience, heartfelt mortification of sin, the stimulation of service, earnest evangelism. All of these things are involved. Assurance transforms our trials. It produces contentment; it heightens our holiness and it makes us aspire to heaven to be with Jesus forever in sin-free, Immanuel's land." [00:23:39]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Jan 08, 2025. Do you have any questions about it?