Re: Assurance of faith (was: Sin & Evolution)

Samantha Gore wrote:
> Thanks for the replies. I can understand and accept all the information
> about evolution. Bottom line is I want someone to tell me that I am
> forgiven, and saved. That I will have peace in this life and rest in the
> next. And that there is the hope of justice for everyone who's ever
> suffered at the hands of other people in this life. I've spent some time
> today looking on Google for articles to help me but there is virtually
> nothing - the combination "Evolution Redeemer" eventually turned up one
> article by George here on the ASA site. Everyone is busy defending the
> science of evolution, which is valid and valuable, but I think it would
> be helpful if someone could spend more time defending the gospel (not
> just theism) in the light of your scientific understanding. No wonder
> the Creationists are so influential.
>
> Perhaps I shouldn't say that. I just want someone to tell me my faith in
> Christ is certain. Perhaps I should have known better than to watch your
> debates - I should know my limitations and keep away. Too late now.
> Sorry! S.

Samantha,

To your quest for assurance of faith, I can only respond by giving you a
short account of how such an assurance was given me. That was many years
ago, but it has held up like a deep, unchanging stream beneath all the
surface waters troubled by life's vicissitudes. I get the impression that my
uncertainties before that may have been somewhat similar to yours.

Jesus said, "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the
doctrine, whether it is from God or [whether] I speak on My own [authority]"
(John 7:17). By God's grace, this word put the responsibility of deciding
what I really wanted squarely on myself. Yes, basically, I wanted to do
God's will, since it was (intellectually) clear to me that this was the only
rational way of living this life - if indeed He is God the Creator and Jesus
His Son. So, in a personal prayer, addressing Jesus, I put myself into His
hand. And - wow! - the peace and joy and assurance flooding into my heart
was unspeakable and enduring - the stream I spoke of above.

What may have helped move me in this direction was another word (Romans
10:8-11), 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and
in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God
has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be
put to shame."

Later, I understood that what happened was this (Romans 8:16), "The Spirit
Himself [i.e. the Holy Spirit] bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God", implying that assurance of faith is not based on any
intellectual or other insight or knowledge I might have, but on God's own
gracious work in my heart.

Intellectually, it is sort of a paradox. On the one hand, the assurance of
personal salvation is God's unmerited gift (just as salvation itself), and
on the other hand, He grants us complete freedom of accepting His offer of
salvation or refusing it. _He_ knocks at the door of my heart, but leaves it
up to _me_ to open the door if I want to do so (Rev. 3:20).

Of course, all this fully depends on what we read in the Bible. Is that
reliable? There are many very weighty reasons for believing that it is
indeed, but at the end of the day, I have to accept, by faith, that this
evidence has more weight than anything opposing it. If I accept that, it
implies that the Bible (as a whole entity) is not just like any other book,
but has a very special quality not duplicated by anything else. God is its
real Author. There are the concepts of inspiration and revelation, which
have been much maligned, usually without giving a fair consideration to
these concepts in a biblical context.

Basically, there is but one truth, God's, and genuine, reasonable
interpretations of biblical texts and of scientific data cannot contradict
each other. Thus, if we are seeking truth, we have to find a way of
harmonizing our views derived from different sources. And much of what is
being discussed on this list has to do with this question of finding the
best interpretations. This is where topics like sin and evolution etc. are
coming in.

Please feel free to ask more specific questions!

Peter

-- 
Dr. Peter Ruest, CH-3148 Lanzenhaeusern, Switzerland
<pruest@dplanet.ch> - Biochemistry - Creation and evolution
"..the work which God created to evolve it" (Genesis 2:3)