Immanuel
Protestant Reformed Church
Lacombe, Alberta

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The approach of the author, David J.Engelsma, in the pamphlet to the precious doctrine of assurance is the approach of a pastor and teacher. The author received his theological training from the Protestant Reformed Seminary. He was ordained into the ministry in 1963 and served aspastor of Loveland Protestant Reformed Church from 1963-1974 and as pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of South Holland from 1974- 1988.

In 1988 he was appointed to the chair of Dogmatics and Old Testament Studies in the Protestant Reformed Seminary where he served faithfully until being declared emeritus in 2008. He has been a staunch and vigorous defender of the Reformed faith.

As editor of the Reformed periodical, The Standard Bearer, for many years, he has written many articles in defense of the biblical Reformed faith. He has authored several books such as: Better to Marry, Common Grace Revisited: A Response to Richard J. Mouw's He Shines in All That's Fair, The Covenant of God and the Children of Believers, Hyper-Calvinism And The Call Of The Gospel, Marriage, The Mystery Of Christ And The Church, Prosperous Wicked and Plagued Saints:An Exposition of Psalm 73, Reformed Education, The Sixteenth-Century Reformation of the Church, and The Reformed Faith of John Calvin: the Institutes in Summary.

The Evangelism Committee of the Protestant Reformed Church of South Holland presents this pamphlet to the reading public with enthusiasm. The truth that the author of this pamphlet presents is of the greatest interest to the life of the church and the child of God in the world. It is the precious truth of the assurance of one’s salvation, that is, the absolute assurance and confidence that one is elect, a child of God, and the heir of all the blessings of salvation thatare ours in the cross of Jesus Christ and by the application of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It is in the confidence of this truth that the Apostle trumpets in Romans 8 that the believer, in the face of a host of differing trials and tribulations, is more than a conqueror. About this same confidence the Apostle says in 1 Corinthians 15 that the absence of it makes us of all men most miserable.

Overagainst this precious truth of the assurance of salvation the author earnestly contendswith the error that, under the guise of piety, inexcusably robs many souls of this comfort of the gospel by making assurance a fruit of our working, and by denying that assurance is of the essence of faith.

The error is serious. The author likens it to Arminianism and the Romish works righteousness. He thoroughly demonstrates this severe, but just, condemnation of this error and exposes it as a theology of doubt and a form of classic mysticism.

The error is also widespread. It is promoted in books by renowned authors. It is preached from the pulpits of many churches that have the name Reformed. It is accepted among Reformed and Presbyterian theologians as an accurate teaching of Calvinistic and Reformed spirituality.

The doctrine that he teaches over against this sickly mysticism is the wholly wonderful and gracious gift of assurance of one’s own salvation by the work of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This is not the exclusive possession of a few “super-saints” who have, after a life-long quest, finally attained this assurance by their work. This is the gift of the Holy Spirit to all of God’s people, the young and the old, the new convert and the aged saint, and the parent and the child.

The author’s treatment of this glorious—and comforting—truth is a treatment by a pastor and a teacher who ministered to God’s people in the churches and who in the seminary taught others so to preach the gospel as the balm of Gilead. Our prayer in publishing this pamphlet is we believe similar to the author’s in writing it: that the exposure of a prevalent error to which many have been held captive and the clear explanation of the truly Reformed and biblical doctrine of assurance, might deliver those in bondage to a theology of doubt into the freedom, comfort, and peace of the precious gift of assurance.

• Foreword
• Scripture: Romans 8:1-17
  

1. Introduction
2. Controversy over Assurance
3. Assurance, an Indispensable Work of the Spirit
4. Biblical Doctrine: Sealing
5. Sealed, When and How?
6. Witnessing with Our Spirit
7. Justified by Faith
8. The Assurer
9. By the Gospel of Grace
10. Beyond “Mere Faith”
11. By the Truth
12. Whom the Spirit Assures
    
    

Also available as a pdf download

• The Gift of Assurance

Scripture: Romans 8:1-17

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.