May 28, 2006
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There’s a Doubting Calvinist named Dave. Yesterday, Dave had a tough day struggling with lust, and was continually rude and arrogant towards his parents.
Thus, when reflecting on his “bad day” late last night, Dave thought, “I don’t feel like a spiritual man,” and wondered, “Am I really a Christian?” Needless to say, Dave drifted off to sleep, doubting whether or not he was united with Christ, or just a hypocrite dead in his sins. ….
Fastfoward to the next day — Today, Dave wakes up and finds that he is able to control his thoughts about adultery, and to also be polite to his parents. In fact, it’s soon time for church, and before long all yesterday’s problems are forgotten as Dave feels “full of grace” singing hymns. Just after the service, Dave fellowships with his Arminian friend Nick, and enjoys debating the pros-and-cons of limited atonement.
By 10pm, in his room alone, Dave’s no longer disturbed with yesterday’s questions about his assurance of salvation. He drifts off to sleep comfortable with the idea that he’s saved, and not under condemnation. In his sleep, Dave dies. To his shock and horror he hears for the first time the terrible weeping, wailing and nashing of teeth. Dave went to hell. Why?
Dave in the parable is no different from any other Doubting Calvinist. A Doubting Calvinist is someone who claims to believe that Christ finished the requirements for the Elect’s salvation on the cross. However, they say they sometimes doubt whether or not Christ fulfilled the Law for them in particular. In other words, Doubting Calvinists sometimes doubt their salvation.
Perhaps you are a doubting Calvinist. Well Mr/Mrs Doubting Calvinist, it’s actually not that “humble” to question your salvation. Read 1 John 5:10. “The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.”
God has testified that everyone who believes the gospel, “IS justified”, “IS born of God,” “IS saved,” and “shall NOT come into judgment”. Now, if it was possible for someone to believe the gospel, but doubt their salvation, then that would mean a believer could CALL GOD A LIAR. Because if a believer could doubt their salvation, they would be denying God’s promise to save ALL believers. And that’s a denial of the gospel. To think, “I believe the gospel, but I am not sure I am saved” is to imply that someone can believe the gospel and not be saved. It’s just as heretical as thinking, “God lied when he said all believers are saved.”
Now can someone who believes God’s testimony, not know they are a believer? The Bible says if you have a bare belief of the bare truth, you are saved. How can a believer doubt they are saved? Why would they call God a liar? He is The Amen, The Faithful, and True. “Is He a son of man that he should repent?” He does not lie. And he says, “if you confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.”If your assurance does not match
that of the Apostles, you are lost. You are calling God a liar. God
says that ALL believers will be saved, and you are saying, “I’m a
believer, but I do not know that I’m saved.” Well, God says EVERYONE
who believes that Christ was risen from the dead IS SAVED (Romans 10).
Clearly, you are IGNORANT of this promise.
Am I a perfectionist? People of accuse me of being a perfectionist. They seem to think that if believers didn’t doubt, then believers would have to be perfect. But this is blantanly false. There is a clear difference between having full assurance of salvation and being fully sanctified. Paul for instance, was fully assured of his salvation by still a wretched man. He could say, Christ “will guard MY deposit to the last day” and “I run accordingly, as NOT UNCERTAINLY; so I fight, as not beating air.” And of course, even while he knew he was saved Paul knew he was the “chief of sinners” and a “wretched man”.So, YES, God does convicts my conscience of sin and death. I know that “the soul that sins shall die.” But how do I know this? By the Word. Well, doesn’t the Word ALSO say, “EVERYONE believing in this one IS JUSTIFIED”? I must be EQUALLY certain that I am a sinner, as that I am justified. God has said both. And remember — the unregenerate know and understand NOTHING about God (Psalm 14:1). But I UNDERSTAND GOD, so I must be regenerate!
It’s not like a bare belief of the bare truth is a common thing. Actually, it’s rare. It’s a privilege of the regenerate ALONE. “The natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit” only the regenerate man ever has or ever will. And there is only ONE FAITH. You either believe the gospel or you don’t. You’re either completely ignorant or fully in the light. And can someone be in the light and doubt it for a moment?
Christ says, that “the one receiving His testimony has SEALED that God is true” and that “whoever may drink of the water which I will give him will not thirst, NEVER! But the water which I will give to him will become a fountain of water in him, springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14). Now, if believers never thirsts for everlasting life, then believers never doubt their salvation. Because if a believer could doubt their justification they would be thirsty for justification. Something Christ says will never happen.
I challenge every doubter on the face of the earth to show me a SINGLE believer in the Bible — Paul, John, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, etc etc — doubting their salvation. You will not find one. Why? Because they DID NOT CALL GOD A LIAR. God has declared that “everyone believing in this One IS JUSTIFIED”, “IS born of God”, “HAS everlasting life”, and “will NOT come into Judgment”. If you are not certain of these facts you are calling God a liar.
How can a believer doubt? For YOU ARE ALL SONS OF GOD through faith in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26) WE KNOW THAT WE ARE OF GOD, and the whole world lies in the evil. (1 Jn 5:19). So that you no more are a slave, but a son, and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ. And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba! Father! (Gal 4:7,6).All believers cry Abba. And you can’t cry Abba, unless you know God is your Abba, can you? So all believers must know God is their Abba. That’s why they can thank Him in prayer for His mercy. Thus, no believers can doubt their salvation at any time. Otherwise, believers would not have access to God at all times.
“And this is the witness: that God gave us everlasting life, and this life is in His Son.” (1 John 5:11)
Notice that John uses the word, “us”. He gave “us” — believers — everlasting life. But think about this. Someone doubting their salvation can’t say, “God have given me / us everlasting life.” A doubter can’t say that. In other words, a doubter cannot confess what John calls “The Witness”. They are not confessing full assurance of salvation, like the Apostle John did. They do not have the faith of the Apostles. And anyone without the FAITH OF THE APOSTLES is damned. Peter ONLY wrote to those, who had “obtained EQUALLY PRECIOUS FAITH with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:1)The conviction of
the Holy Spirit to the gospel causes an INFALLIBLE ASSURANCE of the
truth in the believer. “If you have faith as a grain of mustard, you will say to this
mountain, Move from here to there! And it will move. And nothing shall
be impossible to you.” (Matthew 17:20) And “the one believing in the Son of God has the WITNESS IN HIMSELF.” (1 Jn 5:10)
Nothing of God’s promise will seem impossible, but the believer will
be FULLY PERSUADED. Abraham “did not stagger by unbelief at the
promise of God, but was empowered by faith, giving glory to God, and
being FULLY PERSUADED that what He has promised, He is also able to
do.” (Rom 4:20).
If your assurance does not match that of the Apostles, you are lost. You are calling God a liar. God says that ALL believers will be saved, and you are saying, “I’m a believer, but I do not know that I’m saved.” Well, God says EVERYONE who believes that Christ was risen from the dead IS SAVED (Romans 10). Clearly, you are IGNORANT of this promise.Inherent in the gospel message is a promise by God to save all believers. Think of Acts 13:39, where God says that believers are justified from all things. God has declared by His infallible Word that all believers will be saved. And this promise of God is so essential to the gospel message, that anyone who doubts that any believer will be saved (including themselves), is calling God a liar in His promises. “Whoa!”, you say, “but what about sin in the believers life? Can’t we doubt because of that?” In fact, if you are a Presbyterian or someone who subscribes to the Three Forms of Unity, then your confessions actually use this exact reasoning (read Chapter 18 of the WCF, and the 5th Head, Article 11 of the Canons of Dordt). They say that believers can be uncertain as to whether or not Christ’s blood and righteousness are sufficient to save them from their sins. These affirm that the Bible is not sufficient to convict all believers that they are saved. Believers, instead, must look for “marks of grace”, not in the face of Jesus Christ, but in themselves! These people see the Word of God as only one out of many sources of truth. They think that they can derive the truth of salvation for themselves by doing good works. Acts 13:39 and Romans 10:9 are not enough for such people. God’s promise does not assure them of salvation for all believers.
True believers maintain that the Word of God is 100% sufficient to convince an elect sinner of salvation by Christ’s blood and righteousness alone. These people are of the seed of Abraham, for like him, they are “fully persuaded” of God’s promises. They have the apostolic faith, for they can say with the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, the One loving me and giving Himself over on my behalf.”(Gal2:20) Of course, saving faith is not believing that Christ died for me. Saving faith is the passive conviction of the gospel record – that Jesus Christ laid down His life for the sheep, and is the end of the Law for righteousness for them. When a person, however, for the first time believes the gospel, they straight away know that they are a believer, and are saved.
Do you see the distinction between believers and Doubting Calvinists? Of course the latter will doubt their salvation, whenever they sin grievously! After all, they are basing their assurance, not on the declarations of Scripture that all believers will be saved, but on their own “marks of grace”. Now, what will happen when such a person sins grievously? Well, if they are consistent, they must maintain that they have less marks of grace, and thus, less evidence of salvation and therefore … less certainty of salvation by Jesus Christ’s blood and righteousness.
Assurance is founded on the alone, immediate, direct evidence of God’s testimony. His witnessed and manifested own infallible truth is communicated by the Holy Spirit to the Christian’s own understanding and conscience. Every believer has the witness and the undeniable evidence in themselves personally. This is not in consequence of lengthy reasoning but immediate, and directly delivered and communicated — received from God Himself — the sole Lord and Instructor of his conscience, who speaks truth and teaches knowledge and understanding, showing the mercy to whom He will.
Acts 13: 39 And everyone believing in this One is justified from all things which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses.
Romans 10:9 If you confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
I challenge every doubter on the face of the earth to show me a SINGLE believer in the Bible — Paul, John, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, etc etc — doubting their salvation. You will not find one. Why? Because they DID NOT CALL GOD A LIAR. God has declared that “everyone believing in this One IS JUSTIFIED”, “IS born of God”, “HAS everlasting life”, and “will NOT come into Judgment”. If you are not certain of these facts you are calling God a liar.
Comments (16)
Uncertainty does not make an assertion untrue. When I wake up in the morning, I may have a doubt as to whether it is cloudy or not based on the amount of light coming in the window, but that doesn’t change the fact that, in reality, it is sunny outside. All I have to do is look out the window. I believe the same to be true for Christians and their salvation. I may one day struggle with sin and wonder if I am saved, but that doesn’t mean that I am not. If someone doubts their atheism, does that automatically make them a Christian? No.
Hi Jeremy!
There’s a BIG problem with your analogy. You write, “When I wake up in the morning, I may have a doubt as to whether it is cloudy or not based on the amount of light coming in the window, but that doesn’t change the fact that, in reality, it is sunny outside. All I have to do is look out the window. I believe the same to be true for Christians and their salvation. “
What’s the BIG problem with this analogy? The analogy is flawed because the Bible teaches that believers NEVER have to “look out the window” to see the light. Paul says the gospel light shines RIGHT INTO THE BELIEVERS HEART.
God “shone in our hearts to give the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. But WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS…” (2 Cor 4:6).
The light literally shines INTO the heart of the believer !! But Jeremy doesn’t like this doctrine. He thinks believers have to “look out the window” as if God can’t get the light into the believer’s mind.
Now, suppose you are out at the park playing baseball at midday. Can you doubt you are in the light ?? The only possible reason someone could doubt they are in the light, is their BLINDNESS.
Believers do indeed have midday sun shining in their hearts. And Paul says because they have this light, they KNOW they are saved.
“The eyes of your mind having been enlightened, FOR YOU TO KNOW THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints … Let no one deceive you with empty words … for you then were darkness, but are now light in the Lord … But all things being exposed by the light are clearly revealed, for everything having been revealed is light. Because of this, He says, Arise, sleeping ones and stand up out of the dead ones, and CHRIST WILL SHINE ON YOU.”(Eph 1:18, 5:6)
Paul says “The eyes of your mind having been enlightened, FOR YOU TO KNOW THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING.” Is God a complete failure like Jeremy implies? Does God fail to make known the hope of His calling to all believers? Are their believers out there who go without hope for a time?
Elsewhere, Paul commands believers to GIVE THANKS to God for delivering them. Now, can believers follow Paul’s command? Can they give thanks? Because to give thanks you need to know God has saved you.
“Giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for a share of the inheritance of the saints IN LIGHT, who delivered us out of the authority of darkness” (Col 1:12)
The Apostles say it over and over again. IF YOU BELIEVE, YOU ARE SONS OF LIGHT. Why call them a bunch of liars?
“You are all sons of light and SONS OF DAY; we are not of night, nor of darkness.” (1 Thes 5:5)
Lastly, Jeremy writes, “If someone doubts their atheism, does that automatically make them a Christian? No.”
My response: That’s true. Doubting Atheists are not Christians. And guess what? Funnily enough, Doubting Calvinists are not Christians either. Because they’ve got something in common, doubting Atheists and doubting Calvinists. They’re both doubters! And doubters and unbelievers!
“But THE ONE DOUBTING, if he eats, he HAS BEEN CONDEMNED, because it is not of faith” (Rom 14:23)
“For THE ONE WHO DOUBTS is like a wave of the sea, being driven by wind and being tossed; for DO NOT LET THAT MAN SUPPOSE THAT HE WILL RECEIVE ANYTHING from the Lord; he is a double-souled man, not dependable in all his ways.” (Jam 1:6-8)
The light shines in the hearts of all believers. And it’s impossible to have the glorious Gospel of Christ in your heart, and not to know it. Thus, believers are privileged to cry Abba Father, and to give thanks because they know they are redeemed. Those, however, he think they believe the gospel, but are not sure they are saved are calling God a liar. They are saying it is possible to believe the gospel and be lost. Thus, they are saying God lied about ALL believers being saved. As to those that don’t even know whether or not they believe — talk about unbelief. What, can a man believe something and not know He is believing it?
DO YOU NOT PERCEIVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU, UNLESS YOU ARE DISAPPROVED? 2 Cor 13:5
Andrew Bain
hmmmm…. i wonder what your name is. is it david? no? hmmmm…
oh! i know what it is!
Hey man. I don’t think you are interpreting some of the words of scripture correctly, like when the Bible says “IS justified”, “IS born of God,” “IS saved,” Most people interprete the ”IS” to refer to the current state of affairs, or what in reality is the case, which you do correctly, but then you also add an additional interpretive step in there simultaneously and conclude that it also means “is convinced in their mind for the rest of their life at all times,” which the scripture never asserts. Then use these re-interpreted phrases as the bulk of your proofs to support your opinion, which seems a little presumptuous. It’s bad logic. For me to believe that, I would have to see an explicit assertion in scripture like, “no believer will ever doubt there salvation.” So I counter-challenge you to proove your opinion on more solid proof than trying to extract universal negatives from affirmative statements. Show us one place in scripture, just one, that explicitly speaks about when a believer doubts their salvation it automatically means they never were saved.
In terms of people in the Bible doubting, let’s look at John the Baptist, a pretty righteous guy who was prophesied about in the Old Testament. The guy of whom Jesus said, “there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist…” (Luke 7:28), and of whom Luke 1:15 says, “15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.” He’s the guy who also saw the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus after John baptized him himself: (Matt 3:13-17) 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
. So we sould expect someone who IS a great prophet, and who IS filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb, and who saw the spirit of God descending on Jesus, and who heard God himself say “this is my Son…,” surely he would be the least likely person to doubt about anything pertaining to God. But (Matt 11:2-3) 2 When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?.”
What? John the Baptist, are you serious? You’re kidding right? He clearly saw the signs from God, and clearly “was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth,” and at one time was convinced that this was the Christ (John 1:29-34, “29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”)
My point is that if the John the Baptist can doubt who Christ was, how can you be so confident that someone is not saved who doubts today?
I basicly agree with Bain that we really shouldn’t doubt. I don’t doubt, period. I think many people doubt because they look for “marks of regeneration” that are mistaken. They are looking at their works not because they are trying to gain salvation by works, or to trust in works, but they are confusing regeneration with their works. They miss the fact that regeneration does not guarantee them victory over all sin. It does guarantee you will struggle with sin, however. Everyone knows that the man that says he believes and refuses to do anything at all about their sin does not truly believe, for if they truly believed, that belief would cause them to fight against sin… not just sit there and wallow in it and enjoy it. So for a person to be warranted in doubting, they would have to be living like an unbeliever, and if they are living like an unbeliever, they still need to be saved. Yet since many doubters doubt because of this messed up idea, I would have to be placed in the camp of tolerant, because to me it looks like they are mistaken and not trying to trust in works. To this I’m sure Bain will call me twice a child of hell or something… since I’m so close yet fall short of his little camp. By the way I listened to your .mpg discusion and I find it sick how you laugh at people you think are perishing… if that is really true, it definately ISN’T funny, it would be very, very sad indeed, and cause you to fall flat on your face before God, praying that he may have mercy on legions of unsaved ‘pretended christians’. To me it seems glib, sonsorious, and without any compassion. I don’t know your heart but that’s how it comes across to me, and the demeanor seems ugly and a turn-off. If you enjoy coming across that way, fine but it won’t convince anyone.
you’ve never once doubted?
I think this is pretty good logic, and basically true, except that you make some assumptions about the nature of Dave’s doubts. I think it’s more common to doubt that you really believe than to be sure you believe but doubt God will come through on his promises. That’s been my own experience in my walk with God… never doubting God, but sometimes feeling guilty and doubting myself.
I also don’t understand the huge emphasis on Dave being Calvinist… because the whole Calvinist / Arminian debate is all from God’s perspective… it really doesn’t have implications for us on this side of eternity, in my opinion.
Example: Dave feels very committed in his faith to Jesus today. Tomorrow, his faith wavers, he dies, and goes to hell.
Arminian explanation: Dave was free to waver in his beliefs, and he died at an eternally unfortunate moment.
Calvinist explanation: He was never saved in the first place. He may have seemed like he was part of the elect, but he wasn’t.
But these are describing the same thing with the same final conclusions, it’s just that the Calvinist has to retroactively assert the final outcome to the past to make things consistent. But it works out the same in my mind.
Good ideas though, for sure. Don’t call yourself a believer and then not believe in what God can do for you… that would be silly.
I am a devout Calvinist, and subscribe to the Westminster Standards. Thus, I believe that assurance of salvation, while available to all Christians, is not necessary for salvation. You can be saved and trusting in God while still being confused about whether your faith is strong enough to be truly genuine. At the moment I do not doubt my salvation, but if I did, I would not lose my salvation.
Show me where God promises that true believers will always be absolutely certain of their eternal state.
You should strive not to doubt. A strong faith is preferable to weak faith, but weak faith that doubt is still faith, and a believer will not be damned for that weakness. THere is a difference between true faith that is so aware of remaining sin that it doubts its own love for God and real doubt of God’s promises. You can doubt whether God’s promises apply to you in particular without doubting them generally.
Faith, and belief, All those who believe on Jesus Christ WILL be saved, If you don’t believe it you won’t
That is undisputed. The question is whether you can believe while still questioning whether or not your faith is true saving faith.
What’s up Andrew?
Just a few remarks. As for non-Christians having posessing no knowledge of God, does not Romans 1 teach the very opposite? Speaking of unbelievers, Paul writes, …”since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (Romans 1:19). If God has made it plain, how can they not know it? Of course, this is not to say that they know that God is a Trinity or that “Christ died to save sinners.” They do know, however, that there is a God of eternal power and glory (vs.20). This knowledge, however, is “surpressed by their wickedness” (vs.18). They are self-deceived. Granted that it sounds contradictory to say that a man can at the same time know and not know the same thing, Greg Bahnsen has written an excellent article showing how this is possible. It is not that the non-Christian both believes p and -p; rather, he believes p and also believes (falsely) that he does not believe p (he is surpressing the truth in unrighteousness.). It distinguishes between levels of consiousness, and, hence, does not imply a contradiction. I suggest you read his article on “The Crucial Concept of Self-Deception in Apologetics.” It can be found on Covenant Media’s website.
I completely agree with you that saving faith consists of assent to Scriptual propositions. I cannot agree with you, however, when you say that he who doubts his salvation is lost. Granted that the one who doubts makes God a liar. This is a sin, and a serious sin at that, but it was forgiven (with the rest of our sin) at the cross. Within the mind there is both belief and doubt. Although for the most part one may believe, from time to time a doubt enters which whispers, “What if you are not amongst the elect,” and you begin thinking about the sinfulness of your life and become worried that you may not be saved. This worry, however, can be rejected and most often is. The fact that such doubting thoughts enter one’s mind does not prove that the doubter is not saved; only that he is still a sinner. As Spurgeon said, “God will accept a faith which is mingled with doubts, and even a trembling hand can receive a golden gift.” He will even accept a faith which is so weak it can only cry out, “Lord I believe; help, Thou, my unbelief.” It is well known that Luther struggled frequently with doubt, as did Calvin from time to time. Do you deny that they were saved? Do you think that Calvin is now in hell?
Although Paul’s faith was doubtless strong as strong can be, we are not all apostle Pauls. Merely to show examples of strong faith which doubts not at all from Scripture does not at all prove that one who has in his mind both faith and (at certain times) a bit of doubt is lost. One cannot validly arrive at a universal conclusion upon the basis of select examples.
Although I am far from a chronic doubter (does doubt, in order to be doubt, have to be fairly consistent, or are even momentary and fleetining thoughts doubts?), I believe that God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and if I am not regenerate (supposing for argument’s sake that I am not) I desire very much to be so. Does an unregenarate man desire to be regenerate? Also, I believe I can in all sincerity say unto God, in whatever circumstance, “Thy will be done.” Is this an act of the reprobate mind? If it be granted that the unregenerate cannot do such things, or desire to do such things (and would not this be pleasing to God?), then it follows that one who does such things has, in fact, been regenerated; and some of these regenerate minds have moments of doubt…
But I’m off to work right now. I hope to post more on this subject later tonight. Good discussion!
What’s up Andrew?
Just a few remarks. As for non-Christians having posessing no knowledge of God, does not Romans 1 teach the very opposite? Speaking of unbelievers, Paul writes, …”since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (Romans 1:19). If God has made it plain, how can they not know it? Of course, this is not to say that they know that God is a Trinity or that “Christ died to save sinners.” They do know, however, that there is a God of eternal power and glory (vs.20). This knowledge, however, is “surpressed by their wickedness” (vs.18). They are self-deceived. Granted that it sounds contradictory to say that a man can at the same time know and not know the same thing, Greg Bahnsen has written an excellent article showing how this is possible. It is not that the non-Christian both believes p and -p; rather, he believes p and also believes (falsely) that he does not believe p (he is surpressing the truth in unrighteousness.). It distinguishes between levels of consiousness, and, hence, does not imply a contradiction. I suggest you read his article on “The Crucial Concept of Self-Deception in Apologetics.” It can be found on Covenant Media’s website.
I completely agree with you that saving faith consists of assent to Scriptual propositions. I cannot agree with you, however, when you say that he who doubts his salvation is lost. Granted that the one who doubts makes God a liar. This is a sin, and a serious sin at that, but it was forgiven (with the rest of our sin) at the cross. Within the mind there is both belief and doubt. Although for the most part one may believe, from time to time a doubt enters which whispers, “What if you are not amongst the elect,” and you begin thinking about the sinfulness of your life and become worried that you may not be saved. This worry, however, can be rejected and most often is. The fact that such doubting thoughts enter one’s mind does not prove that the doubter is not saved; only that he is still a sinner. As Spurgeon said, “God will accept a faith which is mingled with doubts, and even a trembling hand can receive a golden gift.” He will even accept a faith which is so weak it can only cry out, “Lord I believe; help, Thou, my unbelief.” It is well known that Luther struggled frequently with doubt, as did Calvin from time to time. Do you deny that they were saved? Do you think that Calvin is now in hell?
Although Paul’s faith was doubtless strong as strong can be, we are not all apostle Pauls. Merely to show examples of strong faith which doubts not at all from Scripture does not at all prove that one who has in his mind both faith and (at certain times) a bit of doubt is lost. One cannot validly arrive at a universal conclusion upon the basis of select examples.
Although I am far from a chronic doubter (does doubt, in order to be doubt, have to be fairly consistent, or are even momentary and fleetining thoughts doubts?), I believe that God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and if I am not regenerate (supposing for argument’s sake that I am not) I desire very much to be so. Does an unregenarate man desire to be regenerate? Also, I believe I can in all sincerity say unto God, in whatever circumstance, “Thy will be done.” Is this an act of the reprobate mind? If it be granted that the unregenerate cannot do such things, or desire to do such things (and would not this be pleasing to God?), then it follows that one who does such things has, in fact, been regenerated; and some of these regenerate minds have moments of doubt…
But I’m off to work right now. I hope to post more on this subject later tonight. Good discussion!
It seems that you think that the unbelief of doubt calls God a liar. While this is true, so does the unbelief of lust, or anger, or selfishness. Why the special status on one specific version of unbelief. All of it makes God a liar, because all of it doubts the kingship of Christ. All of it says we are King not you. Basically for one not to call God a liar, one would have to be sinless. Not only is your position exegetically indefensible, but historically indefensible–well, in reformed circles anyway.
I think you’ll find your theology concerning doubt quite contrary to the Reformed faith.
“All believers cry Abba. And you can’t cry Abba, unless you know God is your Abba, can you? So all believers must know God is their Abba. That’s why they can thank Him in prayer for His mercy. Thus, no believers can doubt their salvation at any time. Otherwise, believers would not have access to God at all times.”
Check out http://www.monergism.com and their section on assurance. I think it’ll clear up some of your misconceptions about assurance and doubt.
If your theology is correct, William Cowper was not a Christian — nor even Martin Luther. They both struggled to believe that they were truly saved.
God is more compassionate on our doubt than you think, Andrew.
if you didn’t doubt, you wouldn’t question…
if you didn’t question, you wouldn’t learn….
if you don’t learn…then you are ignorant.