If you are a Christian
you need to know that the whole topic of assurance of salvation is a difficult
one to communicate. The reality is that
only the Holy Spirit and the Word of God can rightly cause the heart of a man
or woman to rise up at say, "I am His; and He is mine." Likewise it can be most dangerous to simply
feel assured of one's right standing with God based upon outward expressions (see
Matthew 7:21-23). At the same time,
accompanied by Gospel-centered thinking it is not only wise it is necessary to
pause and self-examine.
Thomas Brooks (1608–1680) was an English non-conformist Puritan preacher
and author. He wrote the book, Precious
Remedies Against Satan's Devices.
One of the schemes of Satan is to try to persuade Believers that their
salvation isn't real. They are
counterfeits. He writes, " Satan
does not labor more mightily to persuade hypocrites that their graces are true
when they are counterfeit; than he does to persuade precious souls that their
graces are counterfeit, when indeed they are true, and such as will abide the
touchstone of Christ."[1] One "remedy" that he suggests is to
examine your life with the view of looking to the reality of God's true graces
to the genuine Christian. I find these
not only important for self-examination, but also a meaningful way to
pray. I have taken the liberty of
paraphrasing what Brooks has enumerated as ten characteristics of true saving
grace.
#1.
True saving grace changes the nature of a person. It is not moral rehabilitation. Moral
rehabilitation is like caging a lion, the lion is still a lion.
#2.
True saving grace creates a reality that is supernatural. Moral revolution can always be accomplished
through self-will and reason. Saving
graces are impossible apart from God's work.
#3.
True saving grace enables the Believer to serve God with true joy and
delight. Moral efforts are restrained by
duty and done begrudgingly.
#4.
True grace in a man or woman makes them very fearful of the health of
their own heart more than their behavior.
#5.
True grace enables Christians to pursue holy conduct in the face of any
adversity.
#6.
True grace enables a person to ignore the gains of this world in order
to embrace the treasures of Christ in the Gospel and bear his or her Cross for
the Lord's sake.
#7. True
grace enables the soul to pursue godliness with right motives: through God, in
love of God and in the power of God seeking the glory of God.
#8.
True grace will cause a Believer to follow Christ through the desertion
of sin and obedience to His will.
#9.
True grace enables the Christian to rest in Christ finding Him the sole
good that he or she desires.
#10.
True grace enables the soul to find pleasure and satisfaction in Christ
and what He offers - alone.
May God enable us to see this work of grace
in all our lives; and may our hearts be inclined to seek to find these
evidences in our lives rather than the temporary, carnally-produced efforts of
personal rehabilitation.
[1] Thomas Brooks. Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices (Kindle
Locations 2188-2190). Chios Classics. Kindle Edition.
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