πŸ“–πŸ’‘πŸ‘‘ How Full Is Your Assurance?

β€œFor I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them… That their hearts might be comforted… unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding…” (Col. 2:1,2).

No wonder the Apostle Paul was willing to endure β€œgreat conflict” for the saints to whom he ministered, that their hearts might be comforted by β€œthe full assurance” that can be ours with a proper β€œunderstanding” of how simple faith saves us in the dispensation of grace (Col. 2:1,2).

But as we rightly divide the Word of truth (II Tim. 2:15), we find that to obtain the assurance of salvation, God required more than just faith of the Hebrews. In Hebrews 10:22, for instance, we read:

β€œLet us draw near with a true heartΒ in full assurance of faith,Β having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,Β and our bodies washed with pure water.β€œ

Here we see that in a day when God required water baptism for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4; 16:16; Acts 2:38; I Pet. 3:21), Hebrews could not enjoy β€œfull assurance of faith” unless their bodies were β€œwashed with pure water.” Of course! While men have always been saved by faith, when God required certain works as an expression of that faith, there could be no salvation without a performance of whatever work He required (except when this was impossible, as with the thief on the cross), and no assurance apart from that expression of faith.

We see this again in I John 3:17-19:

β€œBut whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?… let us not love in word…but in deed and in truth. AndΒ herebyΒ we know that we… shallΒ assure our hearts before Him.β€œ

Clearly, if John’s readers wanted to assure their hearts, they had to express their faith by sharing β€œthis world’s good” (things like food and clothing) with fellow Hebrews in need of these things. Here it must be remembered that John wrote these words with the coming Great Tribulation in view. (The Hebrew epistles were written to 1st century Hebrews to instruct them as to how to be saved and enjoy the assurance of faith, even amid the terrors of the Tribulation. Had the dispensation of grace not interrupted God’s prophetic program, these people would have lived to see that terrible time. Even after the mystery was introduced, it was thought that the Rapture would take place quickly (as Paul’s use of the word β€œwe” in I Thessalonians 4:15,17 indicates) and that the time of Jacob’s trouble would then come upon them.) After the Beast issues his mark, many Hebrews will find themselves unable to buy this world’s good without it (Rev. 13:17). Thus God has ordained that men seeking salvation in that day must express their faith by helping Hebrews in need (James 2:14-17 cf. Matt. 25:31-46). Under this arrangement, there can be no salvation without these works, and no assurance of salvation apart from these mandatory expressions of faith.

Nor could this brotherly benevolence be a one-time occurrence. Such charity will have to beΒ maintainedΒ throughout the duration of the Tribulation, as we see in Hebrews 6:10,11:

β€œFor God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love…in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligenceΒ to the full assurance of hope unto the end.β€œ

The words β€œunto the end” here help us understand the meaning of verses like Matthew 24:13, where Hebrews were told, β€œHe that endureth to the end shall be saved.” In a day when β€œthe love of many shall wax cold” (v. 12), true believers will maintain their love for their brethren by continuing to supply them with this world’s goods all the way to the end of the Tribulation. Of course, this will become increasingly difficult as Daniel’s seventieth week wears on, especially since true believers will themselves be unable to buy food or clothing without taking the mark. No wonder these Hebrews are exhorted to β€œshew the same diligenceΒ to the full assurance of hope unto the end.” There can be no assurance of salvation in that day withoutΒ continuingΒ in these necessary expressions of faith.

How then can believersΒ todayΒ enjoy β€œthe full assurance” Paul described in our text? Well, notice that Paul speaks of β€œthe full assuranceΒ of understanding” (Col. 2:2). To attain the full assurance of salvation today, in the dispensation of grace, God does not ask us toΒ doΒ something, He asks us toΒ understandΒ something. And He doesn’t leave us guessing as to what it is we must understand, for Paul goes on to talk aboutΒ β€œthe acknowledgment of the mystery” (2:2). The only way to enjoy the full assurance of faithΒ todayΒ is to acknowledge that the mystery has introduced an era in which works are no longer required as expressions of faith. There can be no assurance of salvation without an β€œunderstanding” and an β€œacknowledgment” of this dispensational change.

If you are suffering from a shortage of assurance, it is a man-made shortage, caused by men (perhaps wellmeaning men) who taught you God’s Word without rightly dividing it. Β source

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[…] peace with God? By faith–if we simply believe that Christ died for our sins and rose again, not only are we justified freely by His grace, we also receive assurance that we are right with God. This means that God has nothing against us, having judged our sins at Calvary. The believer can […]

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