ASSURANCE OF HEART

by Harry A. Ironside

CHAPTER EIGHT

THERE IS A VERY PRECIOUS LINE of truth unfolded in John's first epistle that has to do with the experimental side of Christianity. In I John 3:18-19, we are both exhorted and encouraged in the following words:

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him ."

Now this assurance of heart is the result of the Spirit's work in the believer, following the full assurance of faith.

The moment I take GOD at His Word and trust the Lord JESUS as my Saviour, I have eternal life, and I know it on the authority of the Holy Scriptures, which over and over link the present possession of this life with faith in the One whom GOD gave to be the propitiation for our sins.

And as I go on in the Christian life I have abundant corroborative evidence through the Holy Spirit's continuous work in my inmost being that this is indeed far more than a doctrine which I have accepted.

I find from day to day positive proofs that I am in very truth a new man, " created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them ."

Thus my assurance deepens. While at the beginning I rested everything for eternity upon the naked Word of GOD, I find, as I continue in faith, overwhelming confirmation of the truth of that Word in the manifestations of eternal life actually imparted to me a sinner, through grace.

Let us look carefully at some of these corroborative proofs which assure our hearts before Him.

First, the believer becomes conscious of an inborn love for the will of GOD .

" Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in him " (I John 2:3-5).

It is not natural for the unbeliever to delight in the will of GOD. The unsaved man loves his own way and resents being asked to yield his will to another.

An English Barrister Counsels a Young Man  Mr. Montague Goodman, a well-known English barrister, who is also a widely recognized minister of CHRIST, recently related the following incident which will illustrate this point:

"Sitting in my study with me one evening was a young man whom I had known from his early boyhood. He was about to set out for the Far East and had come to say good-bye. We talked in a candid, friendly manner, and I sought to commend CHRIST to him. I shall not readily forget his reply. It was given without any trace of hostility or bitterness. He said, 'I want to do as I like. I don't see why I should surrender my liberty to JESUS CHRIST, or anybody else.' ”  "In so saying he was but expressing the mind of the whole race of which he was a member. For the universal truth concerning mankind is just this: ' We have turned everyone to his own way .'

This is a man's condemnation before GOD; he is not prepared to subject himself to the will of GOD. He is set on having his own way, and resents any interference with it.

He says in effect to GOD, ' Not Thy will, but mine be done .'

He wills his own will, and this is universally true whether that will may be vulgar or refined, sensual or intellectual, honest or dishonest, cruel or kind. He claims the right to be the master of his fate, the captain of his soul."

But now consider what takes place at conversion. I trust in CHRIST as my Saviour and I own Him as my Lord. His all-embracing love wins my heart. I yield my will to His. Henceforth, however conscious I may be of daily failure, I find the supreme desire of my heart is to do as He would have me. I love His commandments.

How truly Bonar's beautiful old hymn sets this forth:

”I was a wand'ring sheep, I did not love the fold, I did not love my Shepherd's voice, I would not be controlled; I was a wayward child, I did not love my home, I did not love my Father's voice, I loved afar to roam.

The Shepherd sought His sheep, The Father sought His child; He followed me o'er vale and hill, O'er deserts waste and wild:

He found me nigh to death, Famished, and faint, and lone; He bound me with the bands of love He saved the wand'ring one.

 JESUS my Shepherd is; 'Twas He that loved my soul, 'Twas He that washed me in His blood, 'Twas He that made me whole:

'Twas He that sought the lost, That found the wand'ring sheep; 'Twas He that brought me to the fold, 'Tis He that still doth keep.

 I was a wand'ring sheep, I would not be controlled, But now I love my Shepherd's voice, I love, I love the fold:

I was a wayward child, I once preferred to roam; But now I love my Father's voice, I love, I love His home!

A Changed Attitude Gives Assurance  This change of attitude gives me heart assurance that I am now a child of GOD by a second birth.

Nothing else can properly explain the subduing of my once proud will, and my earnest desire to obey the commandments of GOD as set forth in His Word.

I hope none will be so foolish as to suppose that John's use of the word " commandments " has reference simply to the ten words given at Sinai. It goes far beyond that. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Bu t over and above this we have the commandment of our Lord JESUS CHRI ST, embracing all that He taught while He was here on earth as to the behavior of His disciples; and also that which He has since revealed by His Spirit, as set forth in the New Testament Scriptures.

The regenerated man longs to do those things that please his Lord; and as he walks in obedience, that divine love which was shown in all its perfection at the Cross wells up in his own heart, as CHRIST becomes increasingly precious the better He is known.

In the second instance, let us consider what is written in I John 3:9:

"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God ."

This has puzzled many a careless reader, and even some who are more careful. Satan himself has used it to distress GOD's dear children, when GOD meant it to comfort sensitive, conscientious souls.

The devil says to such an one, "You know you are not sinless. You frequently fail in thought and word and deed, therefore you commit sin, and so you cannot be a child of God." The troubled mind is inclined to accept this as clear and logical, even when the heart that has trusted CHRIST rebels against it, and feels instinctively that there is something wrong and fallacious in such reasoning.

It will help us to see that the tense of the verb here is what has been called the "present continuous."

It is not a question of occasional, or even of frequent failure, bitterly lamented and grieved over.

It rather implies a course of behavior that is characteristic. With this in mind it will be well to go back to verse 6 and read the entire section as given with a critical eye:

 "Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not; [does not practice sin] whosoever sinneth [practiceth sin] hath not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth [practiceth] righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth  [practiceth] sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth [practiceth sin] from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy [or annul] the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit [practice] sin, for His seed remaineth  [or abideth] in him and he cannot sin, [be practicing sin] because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not  [practice] righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother ."

How Two Different Families Act

See how the two families, the unregenerated and the regenerated, are here depicted.

Unsaved men practice sin. Whatever fine things there may be in their characters, as judged by the world's standards, they delight in having their own way. This is the essence of sin.

"Sin is the transgression of the law ."We are told that " until the law sin was in the world ," and although sin was not imputed as transgression because no written standard had yet been given, nevertheless sin manifested itself as self-will, or lawlessness, and was seen everywhere among fallen mankind. Lawlessness is the refusal of a person to submit his will to Another, even to GOD Himself, who has the right to claim his full obedience.

 In this the children of the devil show plainly the family to which they belong. But with the believer it is otherwise. Turning to CHRIST he is born from above, as we have seen, and thus possesses a new nature.

This new nature abominates sin, and henceforth dominates his desires and his thinking. Sin becomes detestable. He loathes himself for the follies and iniquities of his past, and he yearns after holiness. Energized by the Holy Spirit, his life trend is changed. He practices righteousness.

Though ofttimes conscious of failure, the whole trend of his life is altered. The will of GOD is his joy and delight.

And as he learns more and more the preciousness of abiding in CHRIST he grows in grace and in knowledge, and realizes that divine power is given him to walk in the path of obedience. His new nature finds joy in surrendering to JESUS as Lord, and so sin ceases to be characteristic of his life and character.

This leads us on to the third corroborative evidence of the new birth.

"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death " (I John 3:14).

There is a difference between the love spoken of here and a merely human affection. Two different words are used to distinguish these two aspects of love in the Greek New Testament.

The word here chosen by the Spirit is used throughout to designate a love that is divinely imparted. It far surpasses mere natural affection. It is implanted in us when we are born again.

What a marvelous thing is this love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit given unto us! It links us to all saints everywhere. Instinctively the newly converted soul feels that he belongs to a new family and he claims all such as are saved as his brethren and sisters in CHRIST. Before the great change came, he shrank from the company of Christians and preferred to associate with worldlings. Now he seeks out fellow believers, like those of old, concerning whom we read, " and being let go, they went to their own company ."

Line of Demarcation Becomes Evident

Nor is this a passing notion, for as the years go on the line of demarcation only becomes stronger. The world becomes less and less attractive, and the family of the redeemed becomes more and more precious.

Love of the brethren is an abiding proof of the new life, and so the heart is assured before GOD.

This love is a very practical thing. The true child of GOD cannot be content with loving " in word or in tongue." He will manifest love in active benevolence and in gracious behavior. This truth is stressed everywhere throughout the first epistle of John.

" Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God " (1 John 4:7).

It is a remarkable fact, however, that after emphasizing these internal evidences of the new birth so clearly in the early part of his letter, the apostle comes back in the closing portions to the great outstanding truth that the surest proof of all is simple faith in the testimony of GOD.

It is because the more conscientious a soul is , the more he will distrust himself and his experiences, and hence it will not do to build upon these experiences apart from the great foundation truths of the Gospel.

So in I John 4:13-16 we are told:

" Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him ."

 Reading this, one might ask, "But how do I know that He has given the Spirit to me?"

 The answer is that it is the Spirit who bears witness to the eternal verities of the Gospel. He indwells all who have trusted CHRIST as their personal Saviour. If you have done this and confess that JESUS is the Son of GOD, you may know that GOD by the Spirit dwells in you, and you in GOD. His love has been revealed in the Gospel. Nature manifests His power and wisdom.

It is the Cross that tells of His love and grace.

 Dr. Horatius Bonar, author of one of whose well-known hymns we have quoted before, has brought this out most strikingly in another poem, not so widely known.

"We read Thee in the flowers, the trees, The freshness of the fragrant breeze, The songs of birds upon the wing, The joy of summer and of spring.

We read Thee best in Him who came To bear for us the Cross of shame Sent by the Father from on high, Our life to live, our death to die."

When our Saviour had made purification for sins He was taken up into Heaven and seated on GOD's right hand. The Holy Spirit then came down to earth to give power to the testimony of the work so blessedly accomplished, when the Roman spear pierced the side of the dead CHRIST and " forthwith came there out blood and water ."

That blood and water bore mute witness to His holy life given up for sinners. To this the Spirit adds His divine record. And so, as we are informed in I John 5:8, " There are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one ."

Thus GOD has given abundant testimony to the perfection of the redemptive work of His Son.

And now He calls on man to receive that testimony in faith and thus be eternally saved. We credit the testimony of men in whom we have confidence, even though they speak of matters beyond our knowledge or our ability to verify.

Surely, then, we should accept unquestioningly the witness that GOD has given concerning His Son! To do otherwise, to refuse to trust His record, is to make Him a liar. To believe the record is to receive this divinely given message into the very heart and soul. Therefore John tells us, " He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself ."

And so John brings us back to that which we dwelt on in an earlier chapter of this book:

" These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God " (I John 5:13).

It becomes evident, then, that the term " these things " embraces all that the venerable apostle has been setting before us in this epistle of light and love.

Go over it again. Take it up point by point.

Follow the Spirit's presentation of "the message" from verse to verse and theme to theme.

Receive it as it is in truth the very Word of the living GOD, and know beyond any cavil or doubt that you are born from above and have everlasting life as a present possession. And so your heart shall be assured before Him.

"Blessed assurance, JESUS is mine!

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of GOD, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood."

 

ASSURANCE UNTO ALL MEN

by Harry A. Ironside

CHAPTER SEVEN

IN THE LAST ANALYSIS, the real basic ground for this assurance, not only of the individual salvation of each believer but of the eventual carrying out of the divine program in its entirety, rests solely upon the resurrection of our Lord JESUS CHRIST. 

This is emphasized by the Apostle Paul in his great sermon addressed to the Athenian philosophers on Mars Hill, as recorded in Acts 17:1-34. There, after pointing out the unreasonableness and wicked folly of idolatry, he declared the truth as to the Unknown God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and added: 

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). 

He had himself received ocular proof of that resurrection of which he spoke. The risen CHRIST had appeared to him, as he fell to the ground on the Damascus road, overcome by a supernatural light from Heaven. And at this very time there were living many witnesses of the greatest miracle of all the ages, for when writing to the Corinthian church, some years later than his visit to Athens, he enumerated over five hundred who could bear positive testimony to the resurrection of our Lord, " of whom ," he added, "the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep " (I Corinthians 15:5-6). 

Horace Bushnell declared that the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST is the best attested fact of ancient history. Think of the authoritative sources for any other outstanding event, and compare them with the proofs of the resurrection, and you will realize the fairness of this remark. 

The writers of the four Gospels were men of the sincerest piety and probity, as their works attest. 

They unite in giving unqualified testimony to the resurrection of CHRIST. 

The other New Testament writers - Paul, James, Peter, and Jude - definitely mention or clearly imply the same glorious fact. They all speak of CHRIST JESUS as the living One, who once died for our sins. Concerning what other ancient historical event can the testimony of so many eyewitnesses be cited? 

Even the enemies of the Gospel bore unwilling witness to the resurrection by their clumsy efforts to interpret to their advantage the empty sepulcher on that Resurrection Sunday. They knew JESUS had predicted that He would rise again in three days, and so they went to Pilate demanding that steps be taken to prevent His disciples from stealing the body of their Master. 

Pilate gave them a guard and commanded the sealing of the tomb, and grimly added, "Make it as sure as ye can! "But all their efforts were in vain.

When the appointed hour struck, angelic hands broke the Roman imperial seal and rolled back the stone revealing an empty crypt - the body was not there. 

Certainly none of His foes rifled that grave. They were determined to keep the body of JESUS there as long as time should last. And if they could have produced that body later, in order to disprove the message of the resurrection, certainly they would have done so. And it is preposterous to credit the story circulated by the wily priest hood that His disciples came by night, and stole away His body, for even they "knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." 

The amazing thing is that His enemies remembered what His friends had forgotten. The empty tomb was as great a shock to those who loved JESUS, as it was a fearful portent to those who hated Him. 

Christ's Bodily Resurrection Real

Only the personal appearances of the risen CHRIST convinced them of the reality of His resurrection. 

The forty days during which He appeared to them on many occasions, instructing them concerning the kingdom of GOD, furnished ample proof that He had really triumphed over death, and this glorious fact gave them that confidence which enabled them to stand against all opposition, witnessing to every man that GOD had raised His body from the grave. They beheld Him as He was taken up from them into Heaven in that same body, and after receiving the Pentecostal enduement they went about bearing witness to the resurrection of their Lord with great power. 

This is the outstanding message of the church. He who died for our sins lives again for our justification.

The resurrection of the material body of flesh and bones is the proof that GOD is satisfied with the redemptive work of His Son. It declares that GOD can now be just and the Justifier of him who believes on the Lord JESUS. To say that though CHRIST is dead physically He is alive spiritually will not do. That might be true of any man. 

It would be no evidence of divine satisfaction in His work. 

Some years ago an eloquent New York preacher , who denies the physical resurrection of the Saviour, declared "The body of Jesus still sleeps in an unknown Syrian tomb, but His soul goes marching on!"

Many applauded this as a wonderful explanation of the influence of JESUS down through the ages. But it is utterly false and fallacious. If the body of JESUS still rest s in the grave, He was not what He professed to be and is powerless to save. 

This heresy (for heresy it is) is not new. It became prevalent in certain circles even in apostolic days, as I Corinthians 15 proves. In the Corinthian church there were some who accepted the teaching of the Sadducees and denied the reality of a literal resurrection. Sternly, Paul challenges them in the well-known words: 

"Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished . If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (I Corinthians 15:12-19). 

Here is sturdy logic indeed, and withal inspired by the Holy Spirit. If CHRIST be not risen we have no Gospel to preach, and there is no message of deliverance for poor, lost sinners held captive in chains of iniquity. Faith in a dead CHRIST will not save anyone. 

The Gospel is the dynamic of GOD unto salvation because it proclaims a living, loving Redeemer who is waiting to manifest His power on behalf of all who trust in Him. 

What the Resurrection of CHRIST Attests  

Let us then notice carefully what the Word of GOD tells us about this glorious truth. 

1. The resurrection of the Lord JESUS attests the truthfulness of His claims concerning His divine person and mission.

To His enemies He said, " Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up ." But He spoke of the temple of His body. To His disciples He declared, " No man taketh it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father ."

He definitely told them that the Son of man must be betrayed into the hands of sinners, and He added, " They shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again " (Luke 18:33).

Therefore if He failed to come out of the tomb in a resurrected, physical body of flesh and bones, all that He claimed regarding Himself and His saving power was invalidated. But He did not fail!

It was not possible that He would be held by death. He fulfilled His word by rising again on the third day.

2. His resurrection attests the truth of the prophetic scriptures .

The Old Testament abounds in prophecies of Messiah's death and resurrection. In Psalm 16, David foretold concerning Him, " Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [Sheol, or Hades, the abode of the dead]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." Both Peter and Paul show us that this passage had its fulfillment in the resurrection of CHRIST.

Isaiah wrote seven hundred years before His birth, " When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand" (Isaiah 53:10).

Here is a remarkable statement. Death was not to end the activities of the Lord's Servant. After He had given His life as an oblation for sin, He was to prolong His days, and so in resurrection be the Administrator of GOD's great plan for the blessing of mankind.

3. The resurrection of the Lord JESUS was the display of omnipotent power on our behalf .

In Ephesians 1:17-23 we have the apostle's prayer for all believers.

He asks that the eyes of their hearts might be opened, in order that they might know the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and the " exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead."

The same mighty energy that was put forth to revivify the body of JESUS, and raise Him from among the dead, is the power that quickens dead souls into newness of life and energizes children of GOD so as to enable them to live even on earth a heavenly life of victory over sin, while they walk in fellowship with Him under the control of His Holy Spirit.

4. The resurrection of CHRIST is the proof that the sin question has been settled to GOD's satisfaction.  On the cross our sins were laid upon Him. He voluntarily accepted responsibility for them. He bore them in His own body on the tree. " He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for [or, on account of] our justification." (Romans 4:25). 

Do not, I beg of you, read these words carelessly.

When GOD raised His Son from death it was His way of expressing His recognition of the perfection of His finished work. If sin had not been forever put away, He would never have come forth from that grave; but having paid for us the uttermost farthing, death had no claim upon Him. By raising Him GOD declared to all created intelligences His full approval of and His acceptance of the work of His blessed Son.

5. CHRIST's resurrection is therefore the believing sinner's assurance that his record is now clear .

GOD Himself has no charge against him who puts his trust in JESUS. So we read in Romans 8:32-34:

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us ."

Observe that no voice can now be raised to condemn the one who rests in CHRIST's finished work. His death and resurrection effectually forbid the raising of the sin question again, as far as any believer is concerned. The resurrection is like a receipt for full payment made. On the cross the mighty debt we owed was settled. A risen CHRIST tells us that every claim has been met and GOD holds nothing against the believer.

"Now we see in CHRIST's acceptance But the measure of our own, He who lay beneath our sentence Seated high upon the throne."

6. His resurrection is the token that through Him GOD will judge the world .

That judgment is based on man's attitude toward the One whom the Father delights to honor. If men receive Him as Lord and Savior they will never have to come into judgment for their sins, because He was judged in their room and stead. But if men refuse Him and spurn His grace, they will not only have to answer before Him for all their sins, but in addition to all the rest, they will be judged for rejecting Him who died to save them.

7. It is His resurrection which alone gives validity to the Gospel message and delivers the believer from the fear of death .

Turning now to II Timothy 1: 8-10, we read this important admonition:

"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel ."

Do not, I beg of you, read these words carelessly.

Go over them again and again, until their force and their solemnity and their preciousness have gripped your soul.

Our entire salvation hangs on the truth that our Savior, JESUS CHRIST, has abolished (that is, annulled the power of) death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.

He went down into the dark stream of death. All its waves and billows rolled over Him. But He came up in resurrection life never to die again. And so for us the waters of this Jordan have been rolled back, and there is a dry way through death for all who believe. Listen to His triumphant words, " I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? " (John 11:25-26).

Does not your heart reply, "Yes, Lord, I do believe; I rest my soul forevermore upon Thy sure testimony, and I confess Thee as my Saviour and my Lord"?

GOD's Assurance That CHRIST Arose  It is thus that GOD gives assurance unto all men in that He hath raised CHRIST from the dead.

If Satan should try to discourage you by occupying you with your own unworthiness and your manifest shortcomings, do not attempt to argue with him, but look up to the throne of GOD and there contemplate the risen One who once hung a bleeding Victim on the cross of shame, and whose lifeless body once lay in Joseph's new tomb. Remember, He could not be yonder in the glory if one sin remained unsettled.

Therefore, every believer can sing with assurance:

"The Lord is risen, with Him we also rose, And in His death see vanquished all our foes.

The Lord is risen, we stand beyond the doom Of all our sins, through JESUS' empty tomb.”  The young convert was right, who said, when this truth was revealed to him by the Spirit:

"If anyone is ever to be kept out of Heaven for my sins, it will have to be JESUS, for He took them all upon Himself and made Himself responsible for them. But He is in Heaven already, never to be turned out, so now I know that I am secure as long as He lives, the One who once died in my place."

This expresses it exactly, for faith is just saying "Amen" to what GOD has made known in His Word. The believer sets to his seal that GOD is true, and so rests everything for eternity on the fact that CHRIST, who died for our sins on the cross of shame, has been raised to endless life.

It is noticeable that the entire Trinity of the Godhead is concerned in this marvelous event, and each divine Person participated in our Lord's rising from the dead.

As we have already seen, His resurrection is attributed to Himself: "I lay down my life, that I might take it again." Again He said, " Destroy this temple; and in three days I will raise it up ."

It is also attributed to the Father: " The God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep . "The Holy Spirit is likewise recognized as the direct Agent in bringing to pass this stupendous miracle:

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you ."

And so each Person of the Godhead is concerned in proclaiming the testimony of JESUS and His resurrection to men and women everywhere - those who are dead in trespasses and sins, until quickened by the same mighty power that raised up our blessed Lord and set Him at GOD's right hand in the highest Heaven.

”Whoso hath felt the Spirit of the Highest, Cannot confound or doubt Him or deny:

Yea, with one voice, O world, though thou deniest, Stand then on that side, for on this am I.”  

FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE

by Harry A. Ironside

CHAPTER SIX

ONE OF THE LITERATI of this world has told us that "hope springs eternal in the human breast." Regarding some phases of life this may be true, but concerning the eternal future the Word of GOD tells us that in our unregenerate state we were in a hopeless condition.

In Ephesians 2:11-12, we read: " Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world ."

But when one trusts in CHRIST all this is changed. From that moment on, the believer has a "good hope through grace." In Romans 8:24-25, we are told: "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it ."

Note, this does not say we hope to be saved, but we are saved by, or perhaps more properly, in hope. He who has the full assurance of faith and of understanding, and knows on the authority of the word of Him who cannot lie that he is already justified and eternally saved now, has the hope set before him of the redemption of his body at the return of the Lord JESUS, when he will be conformed fully to the image of GOD's Son. This hope buoys him up as he faces the manifold trials and vicissitudes of life, and gives him courage to endure as seeing Him who is invisible.

The opening section of the fifth chapter of Romans may be pertinently quoted here (vv. 1-5):

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us ." (Rom 5:1-5)

We have already seen that our assurance is not based upon an emotional experience, but on a " Thus saith the Lord ." But we should by no means belittle experience. The renewed man enjoys true Christian experience which is produced by the knowledge of CHRIST as the One who undertakes for him in all the varied trials of the way. These are designed by GOD to work together for the perfecting of Christian character. It is therefore a great mistake to shrink from trouble, or to pray to be kept free from tribulation.

Praying for Patience

The story has often been told of the younger Christian who sought the counsel and help of an older brother, a minister of CHRIST "Pray for me," he entreated, "that I may be given more patience." Down on their knees they dropped and the minister pleaded with GOD, "O Lord, send this brother more tribulations and trials!"

"Hold," exclaimed the other, "I did not ask you to pray that I might have tribulations but patience."

"I understood you," was the reply, "but we are told in the Word that ' tribulation worketh patience .'"  It is a lesson most of us are slow to learn. But note the steps as given in the passage above: tribulation, patience, experience, hope; and so the soul is unashamed, basking in the enjoyment of the divine love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit who dwells within.

With this before us, it ought to be easy to understand what is meant when in Hebrews 6:10-12 we read of " the full assurance of hope ."

"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises ."

As one walks with GOD, and learns to suffer and endure as seeing Him who is invisible, eternal things become more real than the things of time and sense, which are everything to the merely natural man.

Thus there comes to the heart a trustful calm, a full assurance, based not alone upon the revealed Word but upon a personal knowledge of communion with GOD, which gives implicit confidence as to this present life and all that lies ahead.

One was once asked, "How do you know that JESUS lives - that He has actually been raised from the dead?"

"Why," was the answer, "I have just come from a half-hour interview with Him. I know I cannot be mistaken."

And this testimony might be multiplied by millions who, through all the Christian centuries, have borne witness to the reality of the personal companionship of CHRIST JESUS by the Spirit, drawing out the heart in love and devotion, and answering prayer in such a way as to make it impossible to doubt His tender care.

The Young Man Convinced

The late Robert T. Grant told me that on one occasion, while traveling, he was sitting in the Pullman, reading his Bible, and he noticed the people around; many with nothing to do. He opened up his bag and got out some Gospel tracts , and after distributing them, he sat down again.

A young man left his own seat and moved over to the preacher, and asked, "What did you give this to me for?"

"Why, it is a message from Heaven for you, to give you rest in your soul," replied Mr. Grant.

The young man sneered and said, "I used to believe in that stuff years ago, but when I went to school and got educated, I threw it all overboard. I found out there's nothing to it."

"Will you let me read to you something I was going over just a moment ago?" Mr. Grant asked. " ' The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want .' Is there nothing in that, young man? I have known the blessedness of that for many years. Is there nothing in it?"

The young man replied, "Go on, read what comes next."

" ' He maketh me to lie down in green pastures : he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake .' Is there nothing in that?"

"Pardon me, sir, let me hear some more," said the young man.

" ' Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shad ow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me .' Is there nothing in that?"

Then the young man cried, "Oh, forgive me, sir, there is everything in that! My mother died with those words upon her lips and besought me to trust her Savior, but I have gotten far away from Him. You have brought it all back. Tell me more."

And as GOD's servant opened up the truth as to the way of salvation, the young man who had been so careless and unbelieving was convicted of his sin, and led to trust in CHRIST and confess Him as his own Savior right there in that Pullman car.

Yes, there is everything in the blessed companionship of CHRIST, the Lord, both in life and in death, and it is this that gives the full assurance of hope.

But, unhappily, this assurance may become clouded and in a measure lost by spiritual negligence and carelessness in regard to prayer and feeding upon the Word.

Therefore the need of such an exhortation as we have before us, which urges us to " shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end "!

The Unhappy Backslider  

Peter speaks of some who through waywardness have gotten so far out of fellowship with GOD that they have forgotten that they were purged from their old sins. This is a sad state to be in. It is what is commonly called in the Old Testament "backsliding"! " The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways " (Proverbs 14:14).

An old preacher I knew as a boy used to say, "Backsliding always begins in the knee." And this is very true indeed. Neglect of prayer will soon dull the keen edge of one's spiritual sensibilities, and make it easy for a believer to drift into worldliness and carnality, as a result of which his soul's eyesight will become dimmed and he will lose the heavenly vision.

The backslider is shortsighted. He sees the things of this poor world very vividly, but he cannot see afar off, as he could in the days of his former, happy state. To such comes the exhortation, " Anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see ."

Get back to your Bible and back to your knees.

Let the Holy Spirit reveal to your penitent heart the point of departure where you left your first love, and judge it definitely before GOD.

Acknowledge the sins and failures that have caused eternal things to lose their preciousness.

Cry with David, as you confess your wanderings, " Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation ."

And He who is married to the backslider will give you again to know the blessedness of fellowship with Himself, and once more your peace will flow as a river and the full assurance of hope be yours.

As you walk with GOD your faith will grow exceedingly, your love unto all saints will be greatly enlarged, and the hope laid up for you in heaven will fill the vision of your opened eyes, as your heart is occupied with the Lord Himself who has restored your soul. For it is well to remember that He Himself is our hope. He has gone back to the Father's house to prepare a place for us and He has promised to come again to receive us un to Himself, that where He is we may be also.

This is a purifying hope.

In I John 3:1-3 the Spirit of GOD tells us so: " Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure ." The third verse has been translated, " Every man that hath this hope set on him, purifieth himself ," etc.

As we are occupied, not with the signs of the times, or simply with prophetic truth, but with the coming One who is our hope, we must of necessity become increasingly like Him. We shall learn to hate the things that He cannot approve, and so, cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, we shall seek to be perfected in holiness as we await His imminent return.

"So with this hope to cheer us, And with the Spirit's seal That all our sins are pardoned Through Him whose stripes did heal; As strangers and as pilgrims, No place on earth we own, But wait and watch as servants Until our Lord shall come."

This hope will be the mainspring of our loyalty to Him whom we long to see. We are exhorted to be like servants who wait for their Lord, and are occupied for Him, that whether He come at morn, at noon or at night, we may be ready always to meet Him, and so not be ashamed before Him at His coming. " Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing " (Matthew 24:46).

No wonder this is called a " blessed hope ," as in Titus 2:11-14:

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works ."

The Great School of Grace  

It is not merely that we are now saved by grace but we are also in the school of grace, here to learn how to behave ourselves in such a manner as to have the constant approval of Him who has made us His own.

And so grace is here presented as our instructor, teaching us the importance of the denial of self, and the refusal of all that is contrary to the mind of GOD, in order that we may manifest by clean and holy lives the reality of the faith that we profess, while we have ever before our souls that blessed hope of the appearing of the glory of our great GOD and Savior JESUS CHRIST.

At His first coming He died to redeem us from all lawlessness, that He might purify us unto Himself a people of His own possession, zealously engaged in all good works.

At His second coming He will redeem our bodies and make us wholly like Himself in all things.

What a wonderful hope this is, and as we live in the power of it what assurance we have of the unchanging love of Him whose face we soon shall see!

Often when the dead in CHRIST are being laid away, we are reminded that we commit their precious bodies to the grave " in the sure and certain hope of a glorious resurrection ."

And this is a most blessed truth.

For when the hope of the Lord's return is realized, the saints of all past ages who died in faith will share with those who may be alive upon the earth at that time, in the wonderful change that will then take place when " the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord In the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord " (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

How bright a hope is this and who knows how soon it may be realized!

Let us not falter, nor give way to doubt or unbelief, but give diligence in maintaining " the full assurance of hope " until it gives place to full realization. Often we may feel that " hope deferred maketh the heart sick ," but the consummation is sure.

Meantime let us be busy in our MASTER's service, and particularly in trying to win others, bringing them to share with us in the joy of GOD's salvation. When at last our little day of service here is ended, not one of us will feel that we have given up too much for CHRIST, or be sorry that we have labored too earnestly for His glory; but, I fear, many of us would then give worlds, were they ours, if we could only go back to earth and live our lives over again, in sincerity and unselfishness, seeking alone the honor of Him w ho has redeemed us.

It is better to be saved so as by fire than not to be saved at all, but surely none of us would desire to meet our MASTER empty-handed, but the rather to " come . . . with rejoicing " into His presence, when our hope is fulfilled, bringing our sheaves with us.

Let us then remember that we have  "Only a little while to tell the wondrous story Of Him who made our guilt and curse His own!

Only a little while till we behold His glory, And sit with Him upon His throne."

And so may we ever heed His command, " Occupy till I come "!