The Need for Confidence and Assurance

  Matthew 5:37

   A popular song I remember from a long time ago had a rejected lover pleading in these words: “Please don’t say ‘no,’ say ‘maybe.’ Say ‘come back in the spring,’ say any old thing, but don’t say no.’” Several premises are implied.  First, Yes is a final answer: it is acceptance and commitment. Second, No is a final answer too: it is rejection and refusal of a relationship. But Maybe is not final. It means the person can be still be influenced and persuaded before the final answer is given. With ‘maybe’ one can still hope. So, if you can’t say ‘yes,’ say ‘maybe.’

   We use that same philosophy very often in our lives. When we do not want to make a decision we say, “Let me think about it. I’ll tell you later.” When we intend to say ‘no’ but want to ‘let the person down easy,’ we say ‘maybe.’ When we don’t really want or intend to do something we may say such things as: I’ll consider it. I’m still thinking about it.  Someday perhaps. Not now but in a little while. Not unless we were the last two people alive on the earth. Not until hell freezes over. But these are all ways to say ‘maybe’ because they are not a firm ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ They leave the situation open. They leave room for some feeble fragile hope: “At least she didn’t say NO.”

   Of course there’s another fact of life we have learned to live with: one who says ‘yes’ or ‘no’ may change his mind later on. So some refuse to take any answer as final. They keeping nagging until they get the answer they want.

   The premise for the present lesson is this: there is a time to say ‘yes’ and a time to say ‘no,’ and there may be a time to say ‘maybe.’ But only ‘yes’ and ‘no’ actually make for stability, and stability is what everybody needs. We need to be able to feel confident, assured, certain. We want our hope to be well grounded, firm and sure – an anchor for the soul, and not a place marker.

   Among the things in which we need to have confidence four matters stand out as most important: (1) confidence in God, including confidence in His Christ and the salvation he provides; (2) confidence in scripture as God’s perfect revelation to man; (3) confidence in one’s salvation and hope of heaven; (4) confidence in the existing church as the one true people of God. We can add another, never more important than today: confidence in our preachers, teachers, and church leaders.

   Above all, we want to have confidence in God: Does He exists? Has He revealed himself to us, or will He do so? When these questions are asked about God, do not say ‘no’ or ‘maybe.’ Say ‘yes’ and be prepared to support the answer with convincing evidence (1 Peter 3:15. Be ready to give an answer to those who ask you a reason for the hope that is in you).

   God’s existence cannot be proved by physical evidence. He is invisible to human eyes (Jn. 1:18, 1 Jn. 4:12; Col. 1:15-16). God cannot be seen, heard, or measured as a physical entity. He must be seen with the eyes of the mind, the eyes of faith (Heb. 11:27, Eph. 1:18). But faith is not some unfounded rumor, some nebulous feeling, nor a list of the things one believes. Faith is conviction based upon available reliable evidence (Heb. 11:1). It may be based upon philosophical rather than physical evidence, reason and logic more than sight, hearing, or touch.

   Faith believes that a Creator God must exist because no other answer to the question of where and how the world began makes any sense. Only creation satisfies all the questions one may ask about the origin and nature of the existing world. Regardless of how convincing the ‘big bang’ theory of matter diversifying and life proliferating from the explosion of initial matter may be to some, the question of the origin of that initial matter has to be answered. It did not produce itself and it is not eternal, so it must have had a creator. There must have been purposeful intelligent design in the creation of the world, and that demands an intelligent and purposeful Creator powerful enough to implement his design and produce a world according to his own will. We commonly speak of that Creator as God, the God who must exist. Anyone who denies the necessary existence of God discredits himself and shows himself to be intellectually dishonest.

   If one is not persuaded that God exists and that He responds positively to those who seek Him, he not only cannot please God, but has nowhere else to go for answers to spiritual questions (Heb. 11:6). Faith in God comes from hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17). The scripture tells us who and what God is, what He has done, is doing, and will do. Our confidence in God is tied inextricably to our confidence in the scripture itself. If one is not persuaded by the word of God in the Bible he will not be persuaded at all. That leads us to our next point.

   We want to have confidence in the scripture as the revealed word of God. The Bible properly translated and understood does not contradict itself in anything. Contradictions destroy confidence. Every apparent contradiction in the Bible can be explained. The key is in proper translation and proper interpretation. Proper translation eliminates contradictions in the text itself. Most people are limited to the use of translations because they have no knowledge of the original Biblical languages, and it will always be that way. No translation can be perfect – unless the translators are directed and inspired by God. Translations are not inspired. Some translations are little more than in-house productions that present denominational or other religious bias.

   There are two things every Bible student can do to prevent being misled by translators. First, avoid denominational or theologically biased translations. Being “easy to read and understand” does not mean “accurate and trustworthy.” Nor does “difficult and challenging” mean “inaccurate and untrustworthy.” Second, read more than one translation. If there are significant differences, read another.

   Most apparent contradictions and other problems in understanding the Bible are the result of improper interpretation. There are many who claim the Bible says something it doesn’t really say, or teaches something it does not really teach.  Undiscriminating hearers just take their preacher’s word for everything. Whenever a preacher comes along and contradicts what they have heard and believed before, they may say, “Now I don’t know who to believe or what to believe.” It never seems to occur to them that they should read the Bible itself and see whether either preacher is telling the truth.

   The Bible does not produce divisions and denominations. The interpreters of the Bible are guilty. Your confidence in the scripture should come from scripture itself, and not from a trusted or beloved preacher. Avoid anybody who says, “You can take my word for it.” An honest person will tell you, “You can take God’s word for it.” God does not lie, distort, or misrepresent the truth. Nor does He approve and bless people who lie, distort, or misrepresent His truth, His word in the Bible. It is complete and perfect as it is. That is why it contains the admonition not to add to it, delete from it, or change it in any way, or reinterpret it by any faulty hermeneutic (Rev. 22:18-19, Gal. 1:6-8).

  We want to have assurance of our salvation, and how salvation is accomplished by God, His Christ, His Holy Spirit and ourselves. People with normal moral sensitivity and properly developed conscience are aware that they are not perfect and sin-free. Having said that, we must admit that some persons have a faulty conscience (1 Tim. 4:2), based upon faulty standards and false assumptions about sin. Some do not have normal moral sensitivity but are “past feeling” with regard to such things (Eph. 4:19). We have no message of hope for such people. But to those who are aware of their sins and their need for salvation, those who are searching for a way to resolve their sin problem and be reconciled to God – for all of them we have a message of assurance and hope.

  We have assurance that in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ God made possible the removal of all human sin (John 3:16-17). God gave Christ to die for us, so that each of us can be saved and justified in him (Rom. 5:6-11). We have assurance that Jesus Christ is able and willing to save all who come to God through him, in the way that he prescribes. His life was given as the perfect and all sufficient sacrifice for human sin. He is “the author and source of salvation to all who obey him” (Heb. 5:9). He is “able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through him” (Heb. 7:25). If we commit ourselves in penitent faith to Jesus as Lord, there should be no question in our minds about whether or not he accepts and saves us (Rom. 10:9-12). Scripture makes it abundantly clear that personal faith, repentance, and baptism into Christ are the initial requirements for salvation (Acts 2:38-41, Rom. 6:1-4, Col. 2:11-12, Gal. 3:26-27). It is up to us individually to do these things or not..

  We can be sure of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and about His part in our salvation. He is involved in immersing the penitent believer into Christ and into the Lord’s church (1 Cor. 12:13). He is received as a gift from God when one is baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38, 5:32, 19:5-6). He dwells in the faithful Christian, sanctifying him to God and keeping his relationship to God open and strong (Rom. 8:9-11). He assures us that if we are obediently following where he leads us by his word that we are the children of God (Rom. 8:14-17). Does the Spirit save us and dwell in us miraculously? Does He impart some miraculous power to us or miraculous evidence of his indwelling? No to all these questions? Is his work and his presence physically discernible or provable? No. It is a matter of “faith which comes by hearing the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). The Bible tells me it is true, and that settles the issue . Do I know how the Spirit of God dwells in me and works for me? No. I cannot know it. Do I know that the Spirit of God dwells in me and works for me? Yes. Am I sure? Am I confident? I am just as sure of this as I am sure that the Bible is the word of God.

  Can anybody be confident and sure – completely assured – of his own salvation? We certainly want to be. Does anybody want to live in doubt and fear, unable to know if he is good enough or has done enough for God to save him? I don’t know anybody who wants that. We want the peace of mind that only assurance of salvation can give. If you trust the Bible (trust the God, Son, and Spirit revealed in it) then you only have to know two things. (1)You must know what the Bible says you must do to be saved and stay saved. (2)You must know whether or not you have done and are doing what is required. This is the substance and meaning of Rom. 8:14-17. The Spirit of God has taught us what to do (leads us to obey God through his word). Our own spirits must say that we have accepted and applied the leading of God’s Spirit in his word. If we can say yes to the Spirit, we are also saying yes to God and to His Christ. We can know assuredly that we are saved and safe.

  We want to have confidence in the church, in its preachers, teachers, leaders. There was a time when you could depend upon preachers in the church of Christ to say the same thing with regard to salvation, the church, worship, marriage, and many other things and give a statement from scripture to back it up. That was then. Now one is likely to hear philosophies, or insights from “leaders and lights” in “other churches.” You will often be exposed to the opinions and inclinations of the preacher, as if he were somehow an authority on anything. With preachers preaching so many different things, and churches going in so many directions, what is a person to believe? How can one be sure of anything when so many differing opinions are expressed by church leaders, teachers, and preachers?

  It is more important now than ever before to search the scripture and see for yourself if the preacher or teacher is telling the truth (Acts 17:11). God’s word remains constant and everybody should be measured by it, not by anyone or anything else (2 Cor. 10:12-18). If people simply refused to follow any teacher who contradicted the scripture and refused to believe or accept anything that could not be found plainly stated in God’s Word, all denominations, divisions, sects, splinters, and splits in professing Christianity would cease to exist. Religious people would find themselves to be of the same mind and judgment, thinking and doing the same thing, with no divisions among them. This is precisely what God’s word says should be the case 1 Cor. 1:10). So why do people not do it?

  The trouble with most people is that either they are too lazy to search the scripture for themselves or they simply do not have enough confidence in their own ability to do it. So they depend upon people they trust. Their confidence in another is well placed only if that person knows the truth, knows how to apply it, and has enough integrity to adhere faithfully to it. The congregation often suffers from what Marshall Keeble called “the baby bird syndrome.” Birds in the nest lean back, close their eyes, open their mouths, and swallow whatever mama or papa bird drops in. If mom and pop aren’t careful, or if they don’t know what their babies can safely eat, they may bring them a poison that will kill them. And the babies may die never knowing that their beloved mom and dad have done them in. In the church too many sit on the pews with their eyes closed and their mouths open, swallowing whatever the preacher drops in. And there’s not a preacher alive who has the sense God gave a mama bird. Preachers have no God-given instinct in the matter. They have to be taught what is right and wrong, what is safe and not safe. If they are not careful they can poison the people who listen to them, and those people may die without ever knowing their beloved preacher did them in. It is no big thing if birds poison and kill their offspring. But a preacher or teacher who poisons the mind and spirit of another person may certainly be held accountable for it by God. You surely have more sense than a baby bird. If so, you will not believe everything any person tells you. You will “test the spirits (prophets, preachers, teachers) to see if they are truly of God” (1 John 4:1).

  The validity and rightness of a preacher cannot be determined by the number of people who trust him and follow him. God’s acceptance and approval of a church cannot be determined by the number of people who attend and support it, the number of people who believe in it, rejoice in it, and are willing to defend it. The best thing to say to your preacher or teacher is: “I will follow you only as long as I can be sure you are faithfully following Christ, and I intend to check you by the scripture.” You may hurt their feelings, but it is the only safe way, the only way to have assurance and confidence that you aren’t being led astray.

  We want to have confidence in all members of the church. We want to be able to confide in each other.   Do you know why people do not confide in each other more? It is not that we don’t need anybody to confide in, or that there’s nobody who wants or needs to confide in us. We don’t reveal ourselves to others because we do not trust them --we don’t believe they are trustworthy. If we have been hurt before by people who couldn’t keep a confidence we may not be willing to risk it again. We are vulnerable, and don’t want to risk hurt and damage to our fragile self-esteem. We may think people will think less of us or hold us in contempt if we tell the truth about ourselves. We are afraid they will tell others, who will then treat us in the same hurtful way. We are afraid they may use against us the things we have confided to them – they may blackmail or coerce us into doing whatever they want by threatening to tell what we do not want told. So we bundle ourselves up and wall ourselves in.

  I suppose that is why the confessional used by some churches is so effective. It is theoretically secret, conducted behind a veil of anonymity. The confessor supposedly doesn’t know who is hearing his confession, but believes it is someone who can advise him properly, and absolve him of guilt. The one hearing the confession supposedly doesn’t know who is confessing, and is only concerned with resolving the conflict and absolving the sin. It is theoretically confidential. One is not allowed to tell and cannot be forced to tell anybody else – not the police or even another counselor. One can tell another person almost anything if he knows the person’s lips are sealed and the information can never be repeated to anybody, and cannot or will not be used against him.

  So, as much as we want to, we are very reticent about trusting others and confiding in them. Ordinary people are not sworn to secrecy, and experience has shown that people are not always able to be impartial and unbiased. We may not trust them because we judge them to be very much like ourselves, and we know we can’t be trusted with confidences and secrets. We have told many things we were asked not to tell. Of course we asked those we told not to tell anybody, but they weren’t able to keep the secret any more than we. We also know that our attitudes towards others can be and often have been affected adversely by knowledge of their weakness and sin and need. We measure others by ourselves and end up unable to trust anybody.

  Did you know the Bible teaches us to confide in each other and help each other, with no loss of respect, love, acceptance and fellowship? Examine the weak brother’s position (Romans 14:1, 15:1). Not so you can argue with him, browbeat him and gain some victory over him, but rather that you can understand him enough to help him. Convert him when he is wrong, stand by him when he is right – even if he exercises his liberty to disagree with you. You can’t help somebody you don’t understand, and you can’t understand somebody you won’t listen to. Others will generally not confide in you unless they believe you are worthy of their trust, that you will keep their confidence.

  If you know someone is in need, go and offer to help. Even if you find you can’t really help the offer and the willingness to help will mean more to the person than you might think. The fact that someone cares, really cares, and is “open” to him may restore the person’s confidence in himself, in other people, in the church, and even in God. If you know a person has sinned or is sinning in some matter, go tell him his fault, just between you and him alone – and hope it will go no further, either from him or you (Mt. 18:15-20, Gal. 6:1-2). Confess your faults to one another and pray for each other (James 5:16, 19-20). If the other person’s sins are forgiven, you have saved his soul from death. If your sins are forgiven, your own soul is saved from death. You and your brother will have gained each other. You don’t rejoice when you lose a brother; you rejoice when you have gained one.

  The church needs a revival of true concern, acceptance, fellowship, and outreach. We want to see it. We need to see it. But it will never happen if we are waiting for somebody else to get it started.

– Gerald Cowan