Full Assurance - chapter 4 of Maturity by Sinclair B. Ferguson (subtitle: Growing up and Going On in the Christian Life)

This is my study notes of Chapter 4. I am reading the book for the second time with my partner in discipleship.

Message Bible says:

Colossians 1

1:11  We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul--not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy,

1:12  thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

1:13  God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much,

1:14  the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

1:19  So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding.

1:20  Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe--people and things, animals and atoms--get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross.

1:24  I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world--the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering.

1:26  This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open.

1:28  We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.

Introduction:

There are two common pilgrimage questions.

1. What about assurance: the uncertainty about the reality of our faith and the genuineness of God's love for us
2. What about guidance: how we know the will of God in making decisions in our lives.

• False Assurance
• False assurance is a kind of faith and assurance that builds on self-confidence, my service and my gifts.
• Lack of assurance
• 
  

 Clarifications

 

Our salvation and our assurance of it are related but not identical.

• - Faith is a direct activity, directed to Christ. It says: "Since I am a sinner, and you are able to save, I trust you to be my savior."
• Assurance is a reflect activity of faith. It says: I am confident that because I now trust God he will save me. Assurance is our reaction to the gift of salvation.

Foundation

1. No separation, because all negative forces have ganged up on Jesus at the cross to separate him from His Father, and failed.
2. No codemnation
3. No accusation
4. No opposition

Romans 8:31 既 是 這 樣 ， 還 有 甚 麼 說 的 呢 ？ 神 若 幫 助 我 們 ， 誰 能 敵 擋 我 們 呢 ？

32 神 既 不 愛 惜 自 己 的 兒 子 ， 為 我 們 眾 人 捨 了 ， 豈 不 也 把 萬 物 和 他 一 同 白 白 的 賜 給 我 們 麼 ？

33 誰 能 控 告 神 所 揀 選 的 人 呢 ？ 有 神 稱 他 們 為 義 了 （ 或 作 ： 是 稱 他 們 為 義 的 神 麼 ）

34 誰 能 定 他 們 的 罪 呢 ？ 有 基 督 耶 穌 已 經 死 了 ， 而 且 從 死 裡 復 活 ， 現 今 在 神 的 右 邊 ， 也 替 我 們 祈 求 （ 有 基 督 . . . . 或 作 是 已 經 死 了 ， 而 且 從 死 裡 復 活 ， 現 今 在 神 的 右 邊 ， 也 替 我 們 祈 求 的 基 督 耶 穌 麼 ）

35 誰 能 使 我 們 與 基 督 的 愛 隔 絕 呢 ？ 難 道 是 患 難 麼 ？ 是 困 苦 麼 ？ 是 逼 迫 麼 ？ 是 飢 餓 麼 ？ 是 赤 身 露 體 麼 ？ 是 危 險 麼 ？ 是 刀 劍 麼 ？

Diverse ways leading individuals to Assurance 

Spirit works in a variety of ways. He brings us one by one to say: "The Son of God ... loved me and gave himself for me' (Gal. 2:20) - which is, surely, to express assurance in its simplest but also its highest form.

This assurance of salvation is typically accompanied by 4 features:

• Satisfaction with God's way of salvation.

We owe everything to him and nothing to ourselves.
We no longer rest in ourselves and our record as a reason to be assured of our salvation
Christ now fills our horizon. He is our assurance.

•  A new sense of security in Christ stimulates a new desire to serve him. 
• He had learned that his security was found in Christ alone. That set him free to live and labour for him.
• Assurance fills our hearts with love for Christ.

     He is not only the foundation of assurance but he is himself the fountain from which we daily drink.

•  Boldness to live our lives for Christ.

    We have nothing to fear, because his hand is always there to grab hold of my hand. This is the quiet confidence that encourages us to believe that we are "more than conquerors through him who loved us Rom 8:37

Through the worship experience in the car yesterday morning at 10am, I will experience in ever more profound ways how much he loves me.