Gospel Assurance and Warnings (Recovering the Gospel)
Few things are more important than the question of the assurance of our salvation. The dangers of false assurance are obvious, and Scripture warns us that the number of falsely assured in churches is legion. The tragedy of the unnecessarily troubled is that they never gain the footing that produces the fruit of the Spirit and compels great acts of obedience. Just as I would want my children to know for certain they are mine, God wants His children to know that they are His. Washer has provided a great and thorough resource for those wanting to plumb the depths of the question Am I really saved? and to teach it to others. This book is loaded with scriptural analysis and pastoral advice. It is a necessary book for the library of anyone entrusted with the care of souls. --J. D. Greear, PhD, author of Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved and Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity RevolutionaryPaul Washer has given us a tremendously helpful tool to seek solid assurance that we are saved from sin by God s grace. The Word of God is like a mirror for self-examination. The Epistle of First John particularly helps us examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Washer applies 1 John in a masterful way to this question, explaining a dozen marks of saving grace in the soul. At the same time, this book does not encourage us to rest on our past experiences but to press forward in spiritual growth in dependence upon the Spirit of Christ. Here is sweet help for God s children struggling to enjoy assurance of their Father s forgiveness and acceptance. And here is a sober warning to the self-deceived. May God use this book for His glory to the comfort of His people and the conversion of lost sinners. --Joel R. Beeke, president, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan