May 20 – LD 20, Day 7: The Holy Spirit, the Author of Assurance
by Prof Herman Hanko
Read: Romans 8:1-17
The teacher who leads us
to learn all these lessons we have to learn to know our only comfort wants to
be sure that they are lessons in the truth that lead us to make the truth of
Scripture our very own; for if they did not lead us to make these truths our
very own, we still would not have comfort.
It is possible to read
the Scriptures that tell us about the suffering and death of Christ and to
conclude: Yes, there was once a man who was also God, who died on the cross in
order to pay for the sins of some people whom God gave to him. But I have no
idea whether or not I am one of those people.
That kind of speech may
sound strange to you, but there are many people in the church, even in
so-called Reformed Churches, who believe this very thing. They claim to believe
in everything Scripture teaches as being factual, but they claim also that they
do not know whether that truth of Scripture is true for them. In fact, they
rather doubt that it is meant for them. They are born with this doubt; they
live all their lives with this doubt; and they die without ever knowing whether
they are or are not a true child of God.
This is a terrible way
to live; and, as a matter of fact, it is sinful to live this way. God’s people
may not doubt. They would be like an orphan, made a part of the family,
showered with all the love all the children receive, given the same food,
drink, place to study and sleep and gifts that all the children receive. They
are even mentioned in the father’s will as one of the heirs. But all the time
they say to themselves and to others, “I do not know whether I really belong to
this family or not. Maybe I don’t.” The parents of such a child would have
reason to be angry with that child.
The Holy Spirit works
assurance in the hearts of the people of God. He works such assurance by the
Scriptures themselves when he works faith in our hearts to believe the
Scriptures. He works that assurance that we are the children of God when we are
surrounded by the tokens of God’s love, and his love is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit. We are assured of our membership in the family of
God when the Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are the children of God.
And if we are children, then we are also heirs of salvation and the blessedness
of heaven in Father’s house when we die.
And so we say with our
teacher: “He is also given me, to make me
partaker of Christ. He comforts me and he abides with me
forever.” Even in heaven we will still have the Holy Spirit in us.