I do not believe that God intended for us to live in guilt and shame. I believe that he wants us to be assured and happy in our lives before him. John wrote,

"This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 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." (1 John 5:13.)

"Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence toward God." (1 John 3:19-21.)

I still recall the first sermons and the preacher who presented messages on assurance and our hope of eternal life. After so long a time, it was refreshing and delightful to hear the biblical foundation upon which assurance can be possessed. Since learning those truths, I have been sensitive to those who struggle without hope and assurance. There are some continuing reasons why some do not have confidence before God.

It is possible, of course, to have a false hope and baseless confidence. Paul wrote, "For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified. But he that judges me is the Lord. Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God." (1 Cor. 4:4-5.) We should be cautious about speaking for the Lord. He will judge us. However, from the Scriptures we can learn the will of God and the basis for our redemption. That knowledge of the Gospel is very important.

But why do we still struggle with a lack of confidence and grace before God?

One of the major reasons for a lack of assurance among Christians is the presence of sin. Many Christians, even after obeying the Gospel, never make a clean break with sin. I do not mean that it is possible for a Christian to be sinless. John wrote, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:8-10.) Therefore, I am not talking about sinlessness, but I am talking about a conscious continuation in some sin and a continuing courting of sin.

I recently read an interesting statement about the subject of sin. The writer asked, Do you know the most dangerous sin? The most dangerous sin is the one that you get away with. At least, it is the one that you think that you got away with it. "Be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23.) This sin is dangerous because we will keep on committing it. It does not have to be all seven of the so-called deadly sins either. It most often is just one favorite sin. Jesus said to the rich young ruler, One thing thou lackest. He did not lack a dozen things, but only one. For most human beings, there is one pesky sin that we must conquer. I am not talking about little things, but rather big things that will damn the soul. I am talking about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. John wrote that these are "all that is in the world." (1 John 2:15-17.)

We must die to sin, to its love and practice. Jesus said, "Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and dies, it abides alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life will lose it, and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." (John 12:24-25.) "He that is dead is freed from sin." (Rom. 6:7.) "For in that he died, he died unto sin once, but in that he lives he lives unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof." (Rom. 6:10-12.) "What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:21-23.)

The apostle and elder Peter made an important statement about the effect of lust upon the soul. He wrote tenderly, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." (1 Peter 2:11.) Sin will destroy a believer spiritually. It will make you ineffective in the work of the Kingdom. It will destroy your confidence and hope first. Then it will destroy your participation in any meaningful way. Lusts will destroy prayer, singing, teaching and caring about the lost. Sin destroys the spiritual heart of a believer. It is like cancer to the body.

The Hebrew writer admonished, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, (for he is faithful that promised)." (Heb. 10:22-23.) Jesus said to the apostles, "Have faith in God." (Mark 11:22.) He urged them to always trust in God. No one should think that such trust and faith comes easily or naturally. A faith which gives real assurance must be properly grounded and secure.

"If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister." (Col. 1:23.)

Jesus along with every Bible writer urges men to have faith in God.

"Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. . . But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 10:38-11:1, 6.)

"Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." (Heb. 12:28-29.)

"But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Isaiah said, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, Their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. . . But to Israel he said, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." (Rom. 10:16-18, 21.)

Assurance of salvation cannot be given to those without a real faith in God. Faith is grown patiently through teaching and in good soil. It cannot grow in the wayside, the thorny and the stony of heart. Assurance cannot be given to those who do not want it. There are many people who are weak in faith.

The Bible names only one thing that produces faith. It comes by hearing the Word of God. But we often think incorrectly that other things can produce faith. I want to name three things. We especially think that fear can produce faith. It is true that the fear of God is the beginning of both wisdom and knowledge. (Proverbs 9:10, 1:7.) But in order to fear God one must first believe that God is. In the weeks following the terrorists attacks against our nation, attendance at services jumped from 42% to 47%. The two Sundays immediately following the attacks our attendance increased by 12%. Fear does not and cannot produce faith. Neither can sorrow can produce faith. Sometimes people think that personal sorrow will convert people. Sorrow can touch the heart of those hardened by sin, but it cannot produce faith. But it requires a special kind of sorrow to lead one to repentance. It is called godly sorrow. "For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world works death." (2 Cor. 7:10.) Loud sermons shouting at people do not produce faith. That would be like throwing seed at hard ground. It does not work. Exercising dominion over someone’s faith does not increase his or her faith. Paul wrote, "Not that we have dominion over your faith, but we are helpers of your joy; for by faith you stand." (2 Cor. 1:24.) Faith is a personal matter. Manipulation, dominion and control do not produce or help faith to grow. It stifles growth and maturity.

I am convinced that many do not have assurance because they know that they do not earnestly seek after the things that belong to the Kingdom of God. Paul wrote these sad words: "For I have no man likeminded who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own and not the things which are Jesus Christ’s." (Phil. 2:20-21.) That is an accurate description of multitudes. Jesus preached, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33.) We can have confidence before God only when we seek first the Lord’s Kingdom and the things which belong to Him.

We do people a disservice when we do not tell them the truth about what the Lord requires of a disciple. Here it is:

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27.) Crosses refer to places where people die. Jesus gave himself on a cross. To be his disciple, so must we die in giving up our lives to follow him.

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33.)

"No man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62.)

Fulfilling minimum requirements is a trait of those who have a "letter of the law" understanding of Scripture. If the Bible does not require me to assemble on Sunday evenings or Wednesday evenings, then I am not going to do it. I will give only what the Scriptures demand. There are many problems with this approach to obedience. It fulfills only the minimum physical requirements. It does not demand a correct surrender of the heart to God. This is what Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount. We can never have assurance as long as we know that our hearts are not right with God.

The real question is not how much we are doing; rather it is a question of spiritual commitment. Have I surrendered my life to God completely? This is not a matter of earning one’s salvation, but receiving it.

Many do not have assurance because of confusion over the gift of God to lost man and man’s response to the Gospel. Paul stated that Israel failed to obtain justification because they sought it as if by works of the Law.

"But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed." (Rom. 9:31-33.)

"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident, for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith, but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." (Gal. 3:11-12.)

"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 the hope of the glory of God." (Rom. 5:1-2.)

"God, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit. For the letter kills, but the spirit gives life." (2 Cor. 3:6.)

In order to be assured of salvation, we must understand the gracious gift of God to mankind. We must surrender our hearts fully to God without any reservation. Christians must be honest about their continued involvement in sin. We must draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of salvation.