{"id":520,"date":"2015-06-28T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/?p=520"},"modified":"2015-06-27T16:25:18","modified_gmt":"2015-06-27T21:25:18","slug":"what-does-the-bible-say-about-assurance-in-these-changing-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/2015\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-assurance-in-these-changing-times\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the Bible say about assurance in these changing times?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2–3—NKJV)<\/cite> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When the well-heeled Christian can be rattled and shaken by this world, it is not surprising in the least that the average believer may find himself shackled within the walls of \u201cDoubting Castle.\u201d Our world seems unrecognizable to many of us who are over middle age. Rock-solid institutions are being swallowed in the quicksand of modern \u201csensibilities,\u201d moral strictures are being burned at the stake in the public arena, societal norms are being dismantled so that they can be rebuilt according to different philosophical engineering, and benign agencies are being weaponized as tools that can be used to assure full compliance. With so many people claiming to be Christians but lacking real Scriptural assurance to prove it, the consternation of many is a very real thing. Now more than ever we hear the question, \u201cWhat is this world coming to?\u201d <\/p>\n

Thanks be to our God that He says much in His Word about assurance (1 John 5:13). His assurance is not just the assurance of a well-meaning aunt who will tell you what she thinks will make you feel better, even though what she says is divorced from reality. God\u2019s words are sure. He is nothing if He is not able. He is the one true God and in Him we trust. He alone gives assurance worth the getting. <\/p>\n

Among men, every one who has real knowledge in a subject can quickly spot when someone else is simply trying to make up for his lack of knowledge by overwhelming you with words, and working too hard to prove he knows what he does not know. The same is generally true among Christians. Everyone wants everyone else to think he is a good Christian so that he can \u201cbuck up\u201d his own comfort level by playing the comparison game rather than \u201ciron sharpening iron.\u201d Many churches have become mutual admiration societies because we dare not lose our own spiritual self-assurance by appearing judgmental. Yet, all the rest of our society is judging Christians, and churches in general. No wonder Peter states in 1 Peter 4:17–19, \u201cFor the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now \u2018if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?\u2019 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.\u201d <\/p>\n

From the verse in Colossians you must realize that God has a much different agenda in building assurance in His children. With times changing for the worse, the assurance of many nominal Christians will wane as the price for authentic Christianity ramps up. Our verse addresses the antidote for \u201cChristianity Lite.\u201d The Greek term used by Paul in the phrase \u201call riches of the full assurance of understanding\u201d means \u201c\u2019a bringing to full measure or maturity.\u2019 Combined with \u2018understanding,\u2019 it denotes the ripe, intelligent persuasion of one who enters into the whole wealth of the \u2018truth as it is in Jesus.\u2019\u201d The Pulpit Commentary further states, \u201cin this inward \u2018assurance,\u2019 as in a fortress, the Colossians were to entrench themselves against the attacks of error.\u201d Safe haven for the harried soul is only found in understanding God\u2019s truth; not only that, but full assurance of understanding God\u2019s truth; and not only that, but the riches of full assurance of understanding God\u2019s truth! <\/p>\n

God\u2019s truth about sin is not often man\u2019s \u201ckid glove\u201d definition of sin. Man\u2019s attempts at compassion and charity are not often God\u2019s precise definition of compassion and charity. Man\u2019s concept of a clear conscience is rarely God\u2019s prescription for a clear conscience (1 Peter 3:16, Hebrews 9:14). God\u2019s truth about full assurance is not often man\u2019s perception of full assurance of the faith (Hebrews 6:9–12). <\/p>\n

All riches of full assurance of understanding are in Christ, defined by Him and contained in Him. All other attempts for satisfaction are doomed to fail. His wisdom is here described as hidden treasures. Yet, in each and every discovery of God\u2019s truth, every genuine believer finds comforting encouragement. This is why Paul reminds the Colossians of the need to be knit together (to coalesce, to force to unite). It is imperative in this day of stormy change and undertow in culture that you first know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. It is just as imperative that you are joined together with other authentic, spiritually consistent believers for the mutual sharpening that you both give, and get alongside one another so that you can benefit from the full assurance that God alone grants His obedient children (Hebrews 10:22–25). Trust and obey. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2–3—NKJV) When the well-heeled Christian can be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}