Gaining True Assurance
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We need to understand the proper biblical doctrine of election, and we need to understand the proper biblical doctrine of salvation, because those two concepts are inseparably related.
Theology is not merely theoretical, as what you believe informs how you live. Right doctrine should lead to right living. And so when it comes to gaining assurance of our salvation, we need to ensure that we understand what the Bible teaches about salvation and why we can have assurance. Welcome to the Saturday edition of Renewing Your Mind. I'm your host, Nathan W. Bingham. Our feelings can deceive us because our feelings change, but the promises of God, the Word of God, remain the same. And on today's edition, R.C. Sproul will consider the doctrines of election and salvation to help us grow in our assurance. Before we get to today's message, don't forget that you can own this entire series, plus Dr. Sproul's title, Can I Be Sure I'm Saved?, when you give a donation of any amount at renewingyourmind.org in support of the daily outreach of Renewing Your Mind. Well, here's Dr. Sproul on election and gaining true assurance.
We're going to continue now with our study of the question of the assurance of salvation. We've spent quite some time already examining false and counterfeit methods of assurance, and we've seen that one of the most critical problems that we face with respect to false assurance is the having a false understanding of salvation and its requirements. And so now we're going to turn our attention to how can we actually gain a true and sound basis for our assurance of salvation. And I think the first place that we have to look, again, is at theology. Again, in our day and age, people tend to downplay the importance of theology, but when we examine Peter's charge that we be diligent in making our election and our calling sure in order that we might grow and produce the fruit of our sanctification, we see there in his thinking the close relationship that exists between election and assurance.
Now, we need to understand the proper biblical doctrine of election, and we need to understand the proper biblical doctrine of salvation, because those two concepts are inseparably related. We can distinguish between election and salvation, but we can never tear them apart. Some people think that after we are saved, that becomes the grounds of our election. So in a certain sense, salvation precedes election. Those who hold the view of election that we call a prescient view or a foreknowledge view of election are those who believe that God elects to salvation salvation. those people whom he knows from eternity from his perspective of foreknowledge. He looks down the quarter of time, and he knows in advance who will respond positively to the offer of the gospel and who will not. And on the basis of his prior knowledge of what people do in response to the gospel, he makes his decree or decision of authority. election. So when he sees people exercising faith and entering into a state of salvation, on that basis, he elects them.
But that view of election I don't think is a biblical view. I don't think that it explains election. I think it fundamentally denies the biblical view of election. And unfortunately, it is a doctrine of election that in the final analysis makes the deciding factor rooted and grounded in something that we do. rather than purely on the grace and mercy of God. And I think people that take that view of election are of the same group, basically, that struggle inevitably with their assurance because their assurance is tied to their performance, as it were. But as I understand the Scripture, election is unto salvation. so that if you are elect, you are saved. And if you are saved, that's the clearest sign that you are numbered among the elect.
And let's state it another way. None of those who are saved are not elect. and none of those who are elect fail to be saved. Salvation flows out of election. So if I wanna be sure of my salvation, the first thing I need to know is am I numbered among the elect?
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