Overheard in a pastor’s study

Troubled parishioner: I know that God is utterly reliable. He always keeps his promises. I just don’t know if the promises are for me.

Pastor: But you hear the absolution every week, right?

TP: Sure, but how do I know that God is talking to me?

Pastor: You hear the absolution, right?

TP: Yes.

Pastor: That’s God’s word.

TP: Sure, but how do I know God is talking to me?

Pastor: You heard it. That means he’s talking to you. Believe what he says. Believe that He has forgiven you, and live your life as if you believed it. Besides, you’ve been baptized.

TP: Yeah, but a lot of people are baptized and don’t believe.

Pastor: Exactly.

TP: Then how can baptism be any help here?

Pastor: Your question is whether God had ever made promises to you personally. I’m saying there is absolutely no room for doubt on that point, since you were baptized. You received God’s mark and promise in baptism, not somebody else, not people in general. God promised to be your God. Questioning whether you ever received the promise is simply an act of unbelief. Suppose you get an invitation in the mail to an exclusive party at the governor’s mansion. You can’t believe that the governor would invite you, but the invitation is official. Refusing to go because you’re not sure the governor really wants you is not healthy skepticism. It’s distrust about the governor’s motives. If the invitation is real, then you received an invitation and the governor wants you to show up.

TP: But how can I know that I’m not one of those baptized people burning in hell?

Pastor: God promised you all blessings in Christ when you were baptized. You are supposed to believe God’s promises, and He keeps His promises.

TP: But he made promises to the people burning in hell too. What happened to them? Didn’t God keep His promises to them?

Pastor: God did make promises to them, but they didn’t trust the promises they were given. God told them they belonged to Him, but they said, “No, we don’t want to belong to you. We want to be our own men.” God said, “I forgive you sins,” but they said “We’d rather wallow in our guilt.” God said, “I offer you all blessings in Christ. Trust me, and you’ll have them,” but they said “We think we can find a better deal elsewhere.” They insulted God with their every breath, and they condemned themselves and were condemned to hell because they refused to trust the utterly trustworthy God.

TP: But how can I know that I’m not going to end up like that?

Pastor: You didn’t listen. You can know you won’t end up like that if you trust God. That’s what trusting God means . Trusting God means trusting Him to rescue you from hell, and from the various self-deceptions that lead to hell.

TP: But I know some people who said they were Christians, and then later stopped going to church, said they couldn’t believe anymore.

Pastor: Right. True faith is persevering faith. Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.

TP: So, how can I know for sure that I’m not going to end up like that? How can I know that my faith is not self-deceived or temporary?

Pastor: The same way you know that you’re going to be delivered from hell, raised from the dead to a glorified body, live in fellowship with God forever. You trust God to save you from the vacillation of your own faith, you pray for a faith that lives and continues to the end, and you trust God to give you that gift. Look, it sounds as if you’re looking for some kind of knowledge that is different from, but more certain than, trust in God’s promises. You’re not content with believing the promises of God, but want to step outside your faith and examine it like some precious gem, for genuineness. But there’s nothing more certain than God’s promises, and there is no more certain kind of human knowledge than faith in those promises. Don’t try an end-run around faith; don’t look for a backdoor that will ensure you can get it. The front door’s open, God has invited you in; trust him and join the party.

TP: OK, I think I got it: God promises to save those who trust Him; I reflect on myself and see that I trust Him; therefore, I’m assured that I’ll be saved.

Pastor: That middle step is not a problem by itself, but it could lead to problems. You shouldn’t seek assurance in your own faith. Assurance is an aspect or a quality of faith, and saying that you gain assurance by looking at your faith is saying that you are assurance by your own assurance and that you are putting your trust in your act of trust. You don’t put your faith in faith; you put faith in God and His promises. Glancing at yourself in the mirror is OK, but don’t stay fixed at the mirror, asking whether your faith looks sufficiently strong. Glance in the mirror, but spend your time looking at, meditating on, hearing the promises that God has given in His word and in His sacraments. Hear them and believe them. And relax and have a beer.