graceTALK Question:

If a Christians assurance is connected to his or her dependence on God, does that mean that the assurance in being a Christian will go up and down over time since our dependence on God goes up and down?

 

Yes.  Now let me try to show why I believe this to be true.

In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul addresses them as:

 … the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours (I Cor. 1:2).

Clearly, Paul expresses the identity of the church at Corinth as “Christian.” Yet, Paul confronts these Christians regarding their quarreling and division (1:11), being deceived (3:18) approving of immoral activity in the church (5:1-12), lawsuits being brought against each other (6:1-11) etc., etc.  Paul’s perspective was that the believers in Corinth were not depending on God, as they should as evidenced by their actions. Even worse, the believers at Corinth didn’t give Paul’s words of admonishment serious attention because in his second letter (written in the following year), Paul calls them to examine themselves to see if they are truly Christians:

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Cor. 13:5).

To Paul, the presence of Christ abiding in them (see John 15) pivots on whether or not they, after examination, would pass “the test.”  What is the test?  It is whether or not they are willing to revisit and repent of the areas of rebellion mentioned in his first letter to them.  There is an escalation of the threat level in the mind of Paul from his first letter to his second.  Could the obstinacy of the church at Corinth indicate more than spiritual immaturity? Could this be a sign that they (those who are continuing in sinful living) were never Christians in the first place?

 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21     I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.  13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them.  2 Cor. 12:20-13:2

We know that the examination and test involves church discipline due to Paul quoting the teaching of Jesus from Matthew 18:15-21:  “Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”  Therefore, it is through the process of examination and testing that Paul wants their assurance to either grow or shrink based on the evidence found in their lives.  The assurance of the people at Corinth directly related to their dependence on, or allegiance to, obeying Jesus.   A desire for and evidence of obedience to Jesus would either give assurance or take it away.

In our lives today we should also see a similar dynamic.   All of us will, over the course of time, examine our lives and we will either see dependency or independency in our devotion and reliance on God at any given time.  Therefore, my assurance will naturally fluctuate.  During times of obstinacy and disobedience my assurance should go down.  However, the Lord has promised to discipline His children and that occurs through a variety of ways, but in this passage it occurs through the means of church discipline.  It is during times of being disciplined that His children should repent and assurance grows.  When discipline comes and repentance is avoided or disregarded then assurance should diminish.  It is during times when a person is avoiding or disregarding the admonition of God that His Church must be resolute.  The Church is a key player in the process of loving confrontation with a view to restore a child of God.  The primary way this is to be done is through calling to remembrance the Gospel.  It is in the truth of the glorious Gospel that people are to be humbled and renewed in their affections to love and trust Jesus.  When a rebellious Christian slams against the worship-renewing wonder of the free gift of righteousness through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; the pleasures of sin are to lose their grip on their affections.  If this does not occur then the assurance a person has is not only misplaced, it could be altogether counterfeit.