Mack: Can a believer still have assurance of Salvation if he remembers a time in his life? When he was more godly than he is now.
Paul: Yes. Absolutely. I believe that God. What is the greatest way we can glorify God? Isn’t it in what I said (in the previous question) It is recognizing He is savior complete savior that we contributed nothing to our Salvation, not even our sanctification. We contributed nothing to our Salvation but our sin. And I want to tell you there are… I remember when I was younger. I went through a period of time where I could pray. I was consumed by prayer. For a long period of time in my life. I could, it was as easy to pray as it was to breathe. But I also wondered why can’t everybody else pray? I mean why do people tell me they struggle with prayer? I just can’t understand that. It just seems. And then one day. I began to struggle with prayer. And I realized it was absolutely necessary so that I would recognize that any times of empowering or devotion in my life. Were the result of God’s grace achieving some purpose in my life. And so we will always go through those times where we think we’re doing really well and then all of a sudden God will open up a door. To show us something that we didn’t know was there. That is, is not what it should be. We realize hold it, in this area I’m an infant. I couldn’t even see this, now I see it. Marriage is a really good means of doing that. I mean, I was really spiritual until I got married and then you know… There is a sense though. We’re just talking about the general struggles. We’re not talking about a believer who supposedly apostates or something like that. But yeah, you’ll have times where it’ll seem like times of weakness. Let me just say it this way? Have you ever had a day? Where you got up super early. You prayed for two hours. You read your Bible. You go out to the coffee shop you witness to the first person, and you haven’t done that in a long time. But by 10:00 o’clock. You’re judging all of Christendom. Why can’t everybody do this? You know? And it’s those. It’s those little like smackdowns that shows you hold it anything I’ve achieved in my life is it’s not been me as Paul said but the grace of God in me for a purpose.
Michael: Yeah, I think this question really ties into the previous question. When we start talking about assurance and sanctification, there’s a great deal of confusion going on around here, specially with the doctrine of sanctification, and I think the two are connected because we’re all thing often judging our position with God by our progress in sanctification, which is very, very dangerous in fact. I would suggest that that is not the test of faith, and again, as Paul said, we’re not dealing with somebody’s apostatizing. When I would read those biographies of men like Andrew Bonar’s biography and it’s everyday he’s bemoaning the fact that he’s so ungodly so un-Christlike like he doesn’t have a passion for Christ-like he thinks he ought to have. And I’m reading it as a younger guy and thinking what’s the problem here? Now as an older guy. I get it. I think that is what sanctification is, and I think that is the fuel to drive us to Christ where he becomes our assurance, not our progress. Does that make sense? He’s our assurance, he’s our anchor. Because the closer you do grow in holiness, the more you feel unholy. At least I think that’s the way it’s worked in my life and is working, so… Yes. You can feel ungodly and still be a Christian.
Mack: Two of my favorite verses about lacking sanctification. David said he shall perfect that which concerns me. What a promise. He will perfect that which concerns me. And then the Apostle Paul. God is at work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. The Christian, no matter what they feel or experience, is never not being sanctified. Progressively. Our next question for Michael.
Outline:
0:00 – Mack reads the question.
0:12 – Paul Washer’s response.
3:08 – Michael Durham’s response.
5:04 – Mack Tomlinson’s closing comment.
