Assurance of Salvation…

December 30, 2005 | 4:17 AM

I thought I’d try to get one good post in before I leave on my 3 week journey that will take me to Nashville, Birmingham, and Atlanta. I’m not sure how much I’ll be posting in that time because, quite franky, I’ll be in class for the latter two weeks and there’ll be a lot of work involved. On to the post.

I’m going to be honest, one of the things that I struggle the most with is assurance of salvation. I’ve heard there are guys out there who would immediately tell me that because I sometimes question my own salvation, I am not saved, because “God would not make one question his own salvation for no reason.” Of course, my reply would be, “Satan can, especially when he knows how incredibly frustrating and essentially paralyzing it can be to think that.” I’ve thought very, very hard on this subject. If my only requirement is to confess and believe (Romans 10:9) then by all means, I am secure. Unless in the belief there is a sense of following God totally and completely. In which case, how much is enough? And are my fruits considered works? You can see how this could become a theology of works over (out of?) faith.

Along those same lines, let’s once and for all address my biggest frustrations with the Calvinist theology. Someone from the Calvinist camp, PLEASE address this for me. To be honest, this is one of my biggest hang ups. Often there is the double predestination concept that God chooses those who go to Heaven and those who go to Hell. This is the “Limited Atonement” part of TULIP, I gather. Now, surely this seems to go against the message of Jesus in different parts, and I’m not looking to debate Calvinism by any means, but I want to ask all Calvinists this question (for my own sake):

Is it possible for a person who is not of God’s elect to be so completely and utterly desperate to be with Him and not ever be with Him?

Is it possible, I’m asking, for a person to believe wholeheartedly in God, in Jesus, in the Spirit, and desire so completely to serve Him with as much humility as humanly possible, and not be saved, because he is not elect? If there is one thing that can utterly derail a person’s confidence, it is the concept that he can want desperately to be saved and be rejected by the Almighty God. I know from personal experience.

Next up, I’m asking for someone to address these verses in Hebrews. Last summer Scot McKnight wrote a series on his Post-Calvinism experience. Read them here (start at the bottom and read up). In these posts he explains that he has concluded that a person can, in fact, lose his salvation. In particular, read this post, because it deals with the sin involved in one’s losing of salvation.

So my question is more likely this, with regard to Scot McKnight’s posts: What are examples of that sin? One person asked the question better. McKnight said, “This is not about those who ‘wonder’ if they’ve committed this sin; this is something these folks know they have done and are proud of it.” A commenter asked, “What about those of us who have committed this sin (or at least something that looks very similar) and are now ashamed of it? In our culture today, both the culture of the church and the larger culture, I’m far from the only one.” McKnight never responded publicly. What is the answer to that question?

OK, I’ve said a lot and I’ve asked a lot. Someone out there, answer my questions.