The New Life

Assurance of Faith.
the glory, and being fully assured that what was
promised God is also able to perform.
Then the Scripture names also works : by unfeigned
love we shall assure our hearts.^ Here carefully observe
this : assurance by faith in the promise, without
works, comes first.
The godless man who receives
grace knows this only from the word. But then,
later on, assurance is to follow from works. " By
works was faith made perfect. " The "^
tree is planted
in faith ; without fruits. But when the time of fruit
arrives, and no fruit appears, then I may doubt. The
more clearly I at the outset hold the assurance of
faith, without works, on the w^ord alone, the more
certainly shall works follow.
And both^assurance of faith and by works—come
by the Spirit. Not by the word alone, and not by
works as something that I myself do, but by the
word as the instrument of the Spirit, and by works
as the fruit of the Spirit, has a child of God the
heavenly certification that he the Lord's.'
O let us believe in Jesus as our life, and abide in
Him, and assurance of faith shall never be lacking
to us.
O my Father, teach me to find my assurance of
faith in a life with Thee, in cordial reliance upon
Thy promises, and in cordial obedience to Thy commands.
Let Thy Holy Spirit also witness with my
spirit that I am a child of God. Amen.
J I John iii. i8, 19.
' John XV. 10, 14 ; Gal. v. 6
;
Jas. ii. 22 ; 1 John iii. 14.
^
3 John iv. 13 ;
Rom.
viii. 13, 14
183
; i John iii. 24