Blessed Assurance

All of us have probably experienced a degree of doubt at some point in our Christian life. I have found an excellent resource that I believe will help anyone struggling with doubts concerning their salvation. It will also be a tremendous resource for a pastor ministering to someone dealing with this issue.

It is entitled Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God's Grace, edited by Burk Parsons from P&R Publishing. Each chapter is by different contributors such as Al Mohler, Sinclair Ferguson, Philip Graham Ryken, John MacArthur, Jerry Bridges, R.C. Sproul, and several others. As the back cover says, "Each author writes with a pastoral desire to help lay Christians understand God's promises and live in the fullness of of his grace."

It is a short book, less than 200 pages, so it is an easy read for anyone. However, in spite of its size, it is packed with invaluable pastoral counsel that will help people gain assurance they have been lacking, or even that they may be trusting in false security, and understand how assurance is related to other areas of the Christian life. I share with Ligon Duncan's comments concerning this book:

"Thankfully a band of faithful brothers has given us this book to clear the fog, present the truth, protect us from wrong-headedness, and help us on our way. True, evangelical assurance enlarges our hearts with peace and joy, fills us with love and thankfulness to God, and strengthens and motivates us to glad, gospel obedience..."