DEALING WITH THOSE WHO LACK ASSURANCE AND WITH BACK–SLIDERS
I. THOSE WHO LACK ASSURANCE.
Those who lack assurance may be divided into two classes.
1. _Those who lack assurance because of ignorance._ 1 John v. 13, will
show all such that we may know that we have eternal life. Often times
when you ask people if they know they are saved, or if they know their
sins are forgiven, or if they know they have eternal life, they will
reply, “Why no one knows that.” You can say to them, “Yes the Bible says
that all who believe may know it,” and then show them 1 John v. 13. John
i. 12 shows that Christ gives to as many as receive Him, power to become
the Sons of God. A good way to use this verse is to ask the inquirer
questions regarding it. “What does every one who receives Him receive
power to become?” The inquirer if he is attentively looking at the verse
will answer, “A son of God.” Then ask the next question, “Have you
received Him?” If he replies “Yes,” then ask him, “What are you then?”
It will probably be necessary to go over it several times but at last
the inquirer will see it and say “I am a son of God.” John iii. 36 can
be used in a similar way. Ask the inquirer “who do these verses say has
everlasting life?” “He that believeth on the Son.” “Do you believe on
the Son?” “What have you then?” In a little while he will see it and say
“Everlasting life.” Then have him say over and over again “I have
everlasting life,” and have him kneel down and thank God for giving him
everlasting life. One night I found a young man upon his knees at the
close of the service in great distress. I showed him from the Bible how
Jesus Christ had borne his sins and asked him if he would accept Christ
as his Saviour; he said he would; but he seemed to get no light and went
out of the meeting in deep distress. The next night he was there again,
professing to have accepted Christ but with no assurance that his sins
were forgiven. I tried to show him from God’s word what God said of
those who accepted the Saviour, but the light did not come. Finally he
rose to leave the meeting. I had just shown him from John iii. 36 that
God said that “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” As
he turned to leave me, he said, “Will you pray for me?” I said “Yes.” He
walked a little way down the aisle and I called to him and said, “Do you
believe I will pray for you?” He turned with a look of astonishment and
replied, “Yes, of course.” “Why do you think I will pray for you?” I
then asked. “Because you said so,” he replied. I said “Isn’t God’s word
as good as mine?” He saw it at once, that while he had been willing to
believe my word, he had not been willing to believe God’s word, and he
received assurance on the spot and knew that he had everlasting life.
John v. 24 and 1 John v. 12 can be used in a similar way.
Acts xiii. 39 is very useful in dealing with this class of persons. Ask
the inquirer: “What does this verse say that all who believe are?”
“Justified.” Then ask him, “Do you believe?” “What are you then?” It
will probably take two or three times going over it before he sees it
and when he answers “I am justified,” tell him to thank God for
justifying him and confess Christ, and see to it that he does so. Many
inquirers of this class stumble over the fact that they have not the
witness of the Holy Spirit. Show them from 1 John v. 10 that the witness
of the word to their acceptance is sufficient, and that, if they believe
not this witness of God in His word, they make Him a liar. Show them
further from Eph. i. 13, that it is after we believe the testimony of
the word that we are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The
natural order in assurance is this: First, assurance of our
justification, _resting on the “Word of God.”_ Second, public confession
of Christ, “with the mouth,” Romans x. 10. Third, the witness of the
Holy Spirit. The trouble with many is that they wish to invert this
order and have the witness of the Holy Spirit before they confess Christ
with the mouth. From Matt. x. 32, 33, we learn that when we confess
Christ before men, then He confesses us before the Father. We cannot
reasonably expect the witness of the Spirit from the Father until we are
confessed before the Father. So confession of Christ logically precedes
the witness of the Spirit.
It is very important in using these texts to make clear what saving
faith is; because many may say that they believe when they do not, in
the sense of these texts, and so get a false assurance and entertain
false hopes and never find deliverance. There is a great deal of
careless dealing with those who lack assurance. Workers are so anxious
to have inquirers come out clearly that they urge them on to assurance
when they have no right to have assurance of salvation as they have not
really accepted Christ.
John i. 12, and 2 Tim. i. 12, make very clear what believing
is—receiving Jesus or committing to Jesus. Romans x. 10, will serve a
similar purpose by showing that it “is _with the heart_ man believeth
unto righteousness.”
2. _Those who lack assurance because of sin._ The trouble with those who
lack assurance is, often, that there is some sin or questionable
practice which they ought to confess and give up. John viii. 12; Is. lv.
7; Prov. xxviii. 13; Ps. xxxii. 1‒5, are useful passages in dealing with
this class of men, for they show that it is when sin is confessed and
forsaken and we follow Christ, that we receive pardon, light and
assurance. Often times it is well when one lacks assurance to put the
question squarely to him: “Do you know of any sin on to which you are
holding or anything in your life which your conscience troubles you
about?”
II. BACK–SLIDERS. There are two classes of back–sliders and they should
be dealt with in different ways.
1. _Careless back–sliders; those who have no great desire to come back
to the Saviour._ With such persons use Jer. ii. 5, drive the question
right home, “What iniquity have you found in the Lord?” Show them the
base ingratitude and folly of forsaking such a Saviour and Friend. Very
likely they have wandered away because of unkind treatment by professed
Christians, but hold them right to the point of how _the Lord_ treated
them and how they are now treating Him. Use also Jer. ii. 13, and show
them what they have forsaken and for what. Have them read the verse and
ask them, “is not that verse true? When you forsook the Lord did you not
forsake the ‘fountain of living waters’ and turn to ‘broken cisterns
that can hold no water?’” Illustrate the text by showing how foolish it
would be to turn from a fountain of pure living water to broken cisterns
or muddy pools. God has greatly honored this verse in bringing
back–sliders back to himself. Use Jer. ii. 19. When they have read it
ask them whether they have not found it “an evil thing and bitter”
having forsaken the Lord their God. Prov. xiv. 14; 1 Kings xi. 9, and
Luke xv. 13‒17, can often times be used with effect with an impenitent
back–slider, showing him the result of his wandering. I have a friend
who always uses Amos. iv. 11, 12, and often times with good results.
2. _Back–sliders who are sick of their wanderings and sin and desire to
come back to the Lord._ These are perhaps as easy a class to deal with
as we ever find. Jer. iii. 12, 13, and 22, will show them how ready the
Lord is to receive them back and that all he asks of them is that they
acknowledge their sin and return to him. Hos. xiv. 1‒4, is full of
tender invitation to penitent back–sliders and also shows the way back
to God. Is. xliii. 22, 24, 25, and Is. xliv. 20‒22; Jer. xxix. 11‒13;
Deut. iv. 28‒31; 2 Chron. vii. 14; 1 John i. 9; ii. 1‒2, set forth God’s
unfailing love for the back–slider and His willingness to receive him
back. Mark xvi. 7; 2 Chron. xv. 4; xxxiii. 1‒9, 12, 13, give
illustrations of great back–sliders who returned to the Lord and how
lovingly He received them, 1 John i. 9; Jer. iii. 12‒13; 2 Chron. xv.
12, 15; vii. 14, show just what steps the back–slider must take to come
back to the Lord and be restored to his favor, viz: humble himself,
confess his sins and turn from his sin. Luke xv. 11‒24, is perhaps the
most useful passage of all in dealing with a back–slider who wishes to
return for it has both the steps which the back–slider must take and the
kind of reception he will receive.
When a back–slider has returned he should always be given instructions
as to how to live so as not to back–slide again. The instruction to be
given will be found in Chapter xii. sec. 15.