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Our Rich Liturgical Heritage

Words of Assurance

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The Rt Revd Dr Peter Brain

The Book of Common Prayer gives us a masterful and memorable summary of Biblical teaching about salvation in four texts in the first order Communion Service.

Introduced as: ‘Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him’ and in our two more recent Australian Prayer Books as: ‘Hear the words of assurance for those who truly turn to Christ’.

There can be no greater comfort than assurance of salvation. Just as loving fathers and mothers want their children to know that they are deeply loved and belong, even more so our Heavenly Father. Sadly, many people feel that assurance of one’s own salvation is arrogance. But Scripture sees it as the believer’s birthright to have the comfort of assurance through faith in Christ.

Grounding our salvation in God’s grace in Christ, brings an assurance that leads to humility before God and a gratitude expressed in joyful obedience and wholehearted Christlike service. The four texts are distinctively pastoral and combined keep us from doubts by enabling us to enjoy our relationship with God. Let me illustrate, using the AAPB texts.

The first is the welcoming call of Jesus: ‘Come unto me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28). Spoken by our Lord in the context of formalism and legalism we hear his welcoming word followed, by the grace-laden assurance ‘I will give you rest’. Not ‘I might, if you are good enough or religious enough’. Because salvation is God’s generous gift, we receive it confidently from him, knowing that he means what he says and will gently help us embrace and obey his teaching (11:29-30).

The second grounds our Lord’s welcoming word, in the will of God. ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). God’s eternal plan was to demonstrate his love, through the giving of his Son, making salvation possible for sinners who deserve to perish without him. Out of love, God the Son adds our humanity to his divinity and then willingly bears the penalty for our sins. All to pave the way for believing sinners to enjoy eternal life. A life that begins the moment we put our trust in Jesus. Once again, the recipients are believers not ‘whoever earns, works for or tries hard’. Since salvation comes to us through Christ, as evidence of his love, assurance is entirely appropriate for believers.

All this is based upon God’s word. Hence the third text: ‘The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ (1 Timothy 1:15). Whilst this assured grace of God led him to a new life full of Christian service, it never caused Paul to put any confidence in his efforts. Had he made this fatal mistake it would have led him to become again, a proud pharisee, looking down on others, or one full of discouragement and doubt as he recognised his own shortcomings. Indeed, in the following verse Paul adds his biographical testimony, at the end of his life, to God’s amazing grace in dealing with his sins once and for all and drawing him to Christ with the words ‘of whom I am the chief’. Humbled, yet fully assured by God’s grace, enabled him to face persecution with confidence to the end.

The fourth word, grounds our whole life and focus as believers upon the saving work of the Lord Jesus. ‘If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the perfect offering for our sins (1 John 2:1-2). If our salvation has to do with what we do, assurance would be arrogance indeed. But since it is based on the gracious atoning sacrifice of God the Son, in our place, to be received by faith alone, not to have assurance would be a failure to trust God’s generous welcome, will, word and work for us. The efficacy of the general confession, absolution, and feeding on the bread and wine as means of grace are totally dependant on our Lord’s gracious work for us on the Cross received by trusting faith. Our works, devotion and discipleship flow from God’s grace toward us. We are able to share the testimony of the verse. ‘I will not work my soul to save, For that my Lord has done. But I will work like any slave, For love of God’s dear Son’.


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