How much good works is required to pass the test of saving faith?

[AMR]

Your link is too long...

Well, if you are looking for McTheology sound bites, you will continue to be confused. Why not dig deeper on matters of such importance?

I'd really like to know where Calvinists find their assurance of salvation...

Anytime you want to know what Calvinists believe, chances are good you will find your answer here:

Westminster Confession of Faith

Exposition of the above here:
An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith

Yes, the "links are too long" above, too, but worth the time and effort.

Imagine the edification possible by reading the exposition of the following chapter from the WCF:

Chapter 18. Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation

1. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God, and estate of salvation (Job 8:13-14, Micah 3:11, Deut. 29:19, John 8:41) (which hope of theirs shall perish): (Matt. 7:22-23) yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love Him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before Him, may, in this life, be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, (1 John 2:3, 1 John 3:14,18-19,21,24, 1 John 5:13) and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed. (Rom. 5:2,5)

2. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope; (Heb. 6:11, 19) but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, (Heb. 6:17-18) the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, (2 Pet. 1:4-5, 10-11, 1 John 2:3. 1 John 3:14, 2 Cor. 1:12) the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God, (Rom. 8:15-16) which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption. (Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 4:30, 2 Cor. 1:21-22)

3. 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: (1 John 5:13, Isa. 50:10, Mark 9:24, Ps. 88, Ps. 77:1-12) yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. (1 Cor. 2:12, 1 John 4:13, Heb. 6:11-12, Eph. 3:17) And therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, (2 Pet. 1:10) that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, (Rom. 5:1-2, 5, Rom. 14:17, Rom. 15:13, Eph. 1:3-4, Ps. 4:6-7, Ps. 119:32) the proper fruits of this assurance; so far is it from inclining men to looseness. (1 John 2:1-2, Rom. 6:1-2, Tit. 2:11-12, 14, 2 Cor. 7:1, Rom. 8:1, 12, 1 John 3:2-3, Ps. 130:4, 1 John 1:6-7)

4. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God’s withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light: (Cant. 5:2, 3, 6, Ps. 51:8, 12, 14, Eph. 4:30, 31,Ps. 77:1-10, Matt. 26:69-72, Ps. 31:22, Ps. 88, Isa. 50:10) yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; (1 John 3:9, Luke 22:32, Job 13:15, Ps. 73:15, Ps. 51:8, 12, Isa. 50:10) and be the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair. (Micah 7:7-9, Jer. 32:40, Isa. 54:7-10, Ps. 22:1, Ps. 88)

Asking someone within the Reformed community about their feelings about their personal assurance is quite personal and the more reticent person is likely to tell you that speaking about such things borders upon prideful boasting.

Our Confessions speak much about the bona fide marks of salvation.

"faith grounded upon the truth of God’s promises"
"Spirit enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to which the promises of life are made"
"never left without such a presence and support of the Spirit of God"
"growing up to assurance of pardon of sin"
"in giving us daily more and more assurance of forgiveness; which we are the rather emboldened to ask, and encouraged to expect"
"as he is able and willing to help us, so we by faith are emboldened to plead with him that he would, and quietly to rely upon him, that he will fulfill our requests"
"and to enable them unto all holy obedience, as the evidence of the truth of their faith "
"being convinced of his sin and misery"
"not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel,"
"receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness"
"we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation"

Not a few stumble by confusing assurance as faith, yet "assurance of grace and salvation not being of the essence of faith" and "true believers may wait long before they obtain it" forgetting that "yet are they never left without such a presence and support of the Spirit of God, as keeps them from sinking into utter despair". Many have eschewed checklisting our assurance of faith for fear of being accused of works-based attitudes. Yet we are admonished to examine ourselves. How else do we examine ourselves without prayerful and honest looking to the "bona fide marks"? I am often loathe to answer the question "How do I know I am saved?" for fear of simplistic "Do this and live" checklists. It takes careful assessment of the questioner's motivations, knowledge, and understanding. Only after much discussion wherein I have convinced myself the question arises from a repentant believer do I forge ahead with probing the "bona fide marks" in the hope that the person has genuinely sought the shelter of the Cross in their walk of faith.

The state of my assurance is between me and God and I would be loathe to discuss it publicly for many reasons, not the least of which was given above.

 

[Ribosome]

AMR, I appreciate you putting those bits from Chapter 8 and the part about marks of salvation... you clarified the Calvinist view of assurance of salvation for me. This was a nice summary of the stuff I heard for years in Calvinists sermons, but now I see that there is an official paper about it all.

However, after reading your quotes, I see that there is no assurance of salvation available to a Christian (in Calvinism) after all. The WCF pretty much just says to test yourself if you have fruits... if you love God sincerely, sin a lot less and do good works etc. But how does one measure sincerity/love for God, and what is the bare minimum required to convince myself that I am saved/one of the elect? We all know we remain imperfect and commit sin daily and continue to have a degree of sin in our hearts 24/7/365/lifetime. One would have to judge his sincerity and amount of good works relative to something else... and that was never able to give me assurance of my salvation when I was a Calvinist.

This issue caused me so much stress... it's really unfortunate that I was brainwashed into this soteriology when I was a new Christian. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot or most Calvinists live with no assurance of salvation like I did.

 

[hedrick]

Your link is too long... however, this test you bring up, does it have anything to do with self-analysis of changed heart / good works? I'd really like to know where Calvinists find their assurance of salvation... so far it sounds to me like there is none in this soteriology. However, I've heard so many Calvinist sermons about assurance of salvation, that I'm paranoid I'm missing something. Assurance of salvation in Calvinism, to me, rests completely on whether one is elect or not, so in order to have assurance, how does one discover if he is elect or not?

No, I oppose the concept of getting assurance from self-analysis. The problem is that it encourages people to rest their confidence in themselves. No matter what the specific kind of analysis, the results can’t be good. Our confidence is in God’s promises and what Christ has done.

Your first reaction is probably: But those promises only work for the elect. How do I know I’m elect? But Reformed don’t tell people to first figure out whether they’re elect and then believe in Christ. Election is God’s decision to call us The person simply responds to the call.

I think election is something best thought of after the fact. When you reflect on the fact that you’re a Christian, and look at how you got there, you see God’s signature on the whole process. But for our main response to God, election doesn’t add anything separate. If you try to check for election while responding to God, you’re going to be like a little kid learning to ride a bike who gets tied up in watching his own feet. Responding to God is based on learning about God, not yourself.

How do you know that someone else loves you? It comes out of your relationship to them. If you tried to come up with some kind of objective test that your wife loved you, that would almost certainly poison your relationship. Jesus’ followers trust him. They hear his voice. Assurance is part of faith. Remember that the Reformation definition of faith has a large component of trust. Faith isn’t just believing that God exists, but trusting him. Assurance comes out of that trust.

The obvious question is: but what’s to prevent someone else from having the same confidence? I understand the problem. People think other people love them on a regular basis, and are deluded. But how could there possibly be an objective test that would be applied by sinners and always give the right answer? That’s not what assurance of salvation is. Reformed haven’t come up with some wonderful objective test that sinners (who by definition are deluded about their own situation) can apply to see whether they’re elect. I certainly hope no Calvinist claims that we have. Assurance is part of faith.

I still recommend the paper on Calvin's doctrine of assurance. It's long, but you can get a pretty good idea after the first few pages. http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/vox/vol11/calvin_lane.pdf

Some Calvinists have tried to come up with tests which, while not claimed to be perfect, can produce a presumption that you are elect. That's probably what you're asking about. I don't think Calvin would agree that doing this is a good idea, because it inevitably shifts our focus from Christ to ourselves.

[Be aware that AMR and I may not be giving exactly the same answer.]

 

[AMR]

This issue caused me so much stress... it's really unfortunate that I was brainwashed into this soteriology when I was a new Christian. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot or most Calvinists live with no assurance of salvation like I did.

As was stated from the WCF (did you read the exposition by Shaw linked earlier?):

"True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God’s withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light: (Cant. 5:2, 3, 6, Ps. 51:8, 12, 14, Eph. 4:30, 31,Ps. 77:1-10, Matt. 26:69-72, Ps. 31:22, Ps. 88, Isa. 50:10) yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; (1 John 3:9, Luke 22:32, Job 13:15, Ps. 73:15, Ps. 51:8, 12, Isa. 50:10) and be the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair. (Micah 7:7-9, Jer. 32:40, Isa. 54:7-10, Ps. 22:1, Ps. 88)"

It is to believers that assurance belongs. It does not belong to those who "know" just how much or how excellent is their faith. It is the Object of our faith that saves, and it is His hold on us, not our hold on Him. Faith the size of a grain of mustard seed is more than enough to save the weakest sinner--let it only be in Christ.

From the WLC:

"Q. 80. Can true believers be infallibly assured that they are in the estate of grace, and that they shall persevere therein unto salvation?

"A. Such as truly believe in Christ, and endeavor to walk in all good conscience before him, may, without extraordinary revelation, by faith grounded upon the truth of God’s promises, and by the Spirit enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to which the promises of life are made, and bearing witness with their spirits that they are the children of God, be infallibly assured that they are in the estate of grace and shall persevere therein unto salvation. 1 John 2:3; 1 Cor. 2:12; 1 John 3:14, 18-19, 21, 24; 1 John 4:13, 16; Heb. 6: 11- 12; Rom. 8:16; 1 John 5:13.

"Q. 81. Are all true believers at all times assured of their present being in the estate of grace, and that they shall be saved?

"A. Assurance of grace and salvation not being of the essence of faith, true believers may wait long before they obtain it; and, after the enjoyment thereof, may have it weakened and intermitted, through manifold distempers, sins, temptations, and desertions; yet are they never left without such a presence and support of the Spirit of God, as keeps them from sinking into utter despair. Eph. 1:13; Isa. 1:10; Ps. 88:1-18; Ps. 77:1-12; Song of Sol. 5:2-3, 6; Ps. 51:8, 12; Ps. 31:22; Ps. 22:1; 1 John 3:9; Job 13:15; Ps. 73:15, 23; Isa. 54:7-10."

The "graces" that you are enabled to see in yourself to which the promises of life are made are discussed in the WLC:

1. Faith (Question 32)
2. Justification (Question 73)
3. Good works (Question 73, 75)
4. Repentance unto life (Question 75, 76)
5. Sanctification (Question 75)

I believe assurance can be gained from our walk of faith from feeding our faith and starving our doubts by not neglecting daily Scripture study, rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer (Romans 12:12), fellowship with other believers, keeping stewardship of the secular and spiritual gifts God has given you, and with regular assembly with others to worship God, receive instruction, access the ordinary means of grace, and be subject to discipline (see also here, and Genesis 15:1-6; Prov. 3:5-8; Romans 5:1-11; Eph. 6, 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Hebrews 10:19-25, 35-39; Hebrews 11:1,6).

From the Canons of Dordt:

"Article 12: The Assurance of Election

"Assurance of this their eternal and unchangeable election to salvation is given to the chosen in due time, though by various stages and in differing measure. Such assurance comes not by inquisitive searching into the hidden and deep things of God, but by noticing within themselves, with spiritual joy and holy delight, the unmistakable fruits of election pointed out in God's Word-- such as a true faith in Christ, a childlike fear of God, a godly sorrow for their sins, a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and so on.

"Article 13: The Fruit of This Assurance

"In their awareness and assurance of this election God's children daily find greater cause to humble themselves before God, to adore the fathomless depth of his mercies, to cleanse themselves, and to give fervent love in return to him who first so greatly loved them. This is far from saying that this teaching concerning election, and reflection upon it, make God's children lax in observing his commandments or carnally self-assured. By God's just judgment this does usually happen to those who casually take for granted the grace of election or engage in idle and brazen talk about it but are unwilling to walk in the ways of the chosen."


That we can be certain of our full assurance, without any sort of extraordinary revelation, is clear from Scripture. We need to trust God's word, not our fickle feelings, when He says "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:13

It is through the Scripture that the Spirit bears witness to us that we are God's adopted children. The underlying text of the New Testament for "assurance" means "full assurance, certainty". The word (pleroforia) with this clear meaning appears only four times in the New Testament: 1 Cor. 2:2; 1 Thess. 1:5; Heb. 6:11; 10:22.

At the end, in the day of the Lord, I do not expect confidence flowing from having had "done this or that." God has made of me what He willed, and I am entirely a product of his choice.

Rev.19:7-8: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

Personally I want no single thread of mine marring the fine linen, for I have added nothing to his work.