Tim Challies, theo-blogger par excellence, has just recently posted a couple posts on the issue of assurance of salvation. I wish I could quote both posts in full here, but that wouldn’t work out so well; so instead click here first, and then here second to read both posts in full. I am sorry to say that I am seriously disappointed (understatement) to have read what I read over at Tim’s on this all important issue; especially since Challies has a massive following. While I am not going to quote Tim in full, I will quote a few snippets from him; ones that should give you an idea about what Tim thinks, and how he approaches this all important (pastoral) issue. Here is what Challies thinks about the possibility that folks could have what the Puritans called temporary faith—Tim did not use this language, but that is what he is describing and believes is a real possibility; he says:

It is possible and even normal for the non-Christian to experience a false assurance of salvation.

A foreshadowing of one of the most terrifying scenes the world will ever experience unfolds in Matthew 7, in a section often titled “I Never Knew You.” “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” When the final judgment comes, there will be many who will be shocked to learn that they are not true believers. They will go to the grave confident that they are saved, but come to the judgment and find that they are to be cast out of Jesus’ presence. This ought to be sobering for all who consider themselves Christians. No wonder that Paul sought confidence in his salvation, declaring in 2 Timothy 1:12 “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.”

[I]t is a sad but undeniable fact that many people who think they are Christians are not. At the final judgment many will approach Jesus convinced that they are saved only to be told that Jesus never knew them (and hence that they never knew him). The fact is that many people ultimately depend upon themselves for assurance of their salvation. This applies to believers and unbelievers. A person may be truly saved yet look to himself for assurance of this salvation. This is dangerous ground to tread; when a person experiences a time of doubt his misplaced assurance can drive him to despair. When our assurance rests on something we have done, a promise we have made or a prayer we have prayed, we have placed our assurance on shaky ground.

And then Tim appeals to the writings of Donald Whitney to provide the resolution to the problem that he unwittingly (or wittingly) has provided in the previous quotes. Here are the “Marks” a wounded Christian (or maybe not, according to Challies) should look for and to for comfort through this dark night[s] of the soul:

Marks of Salvation

To begin answering this I will once more turn to Donald Whitney, whose work on this subject has done much to shape my understanding of assurance. I will provide an outline of the marks of salvation that he provides. He begins with a discussion of the inner confirmation from the Spirit, showing that the Holy Spirit ministers to us through the Word of God to open our hearts and minds to the Bible in ways that give us assurance. He then teaches that assurance may be experienced partly through the attitudes and actions the Bible says will accompany salvation. Here are several questions which can guide us as we seek assurance:

Do you share the intimacies of the Christian life with other believers?

Do you have a deep awareness of your sin against the Word and love of God?

Do you live in conscious obedience to the Word of God?

Do you despise the world and its ways?

Do you long for the return of Jesus Christ and to be made like Him?

Do you habitually do what is right more and sin less?

Do you love Christians sacrificially and want to be with them?

Do you discern the presence of the Holy Spirit within you?

Do you enjoy listening to the doctrines of the apostles taught today?

Do you believe what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ?

These biblical principals, taken as a whole, can do much to assure the believer that God is working in his life, or to show the unbeliever that he needs to be made right with God.

Since this is already lengthy in and of itself; I am just going to post this as is, and then follow up with another post. I will sketch, somewhat, the Puritan soteriology that Tim’s approach mimics; and then suggest a way around this problem, theologically and scripturally. I will say here though, that Tim, unfortunately is barking up the wrong tree with this kind of approach to this issue. I am persuaded that the way this issue of “assurance” is usually framed (pace Challies) is through an anthropology and theology that is fundamentally flawed; thus leading to symptomatic and even psychological problems as evinced by the tradition that Challies finds himself situated in.

How might you respond to this? I will provide my response via my next post. So don’t expect me to give anything away in the comments. But I will be happy to hear your thoughts prior to me giving my own (maybe your thoughts here will shape my response).