Assurance of Salvation
A Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
Scripture
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Sermon Description
Can a person be assured that they are saved or is salvation something that only God can know? In his sermon on Romans 10:9–10 titled “Assurance of Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers these questions by bringing the listener to Scripture. In the Bible, the answer is much more gracious and loving than the answers given commonly by people. Salvation is a work of God, not of humans, and how wonderful this truth is. If salvation was dependent on works, no one should have assurance of salvation. Think about how often people fail on the simplest of tasks and how often they let down those who love them most. Yet saving faith is given by God and because this is the case, they can rest in the assurance that God is the author of their salvation. Dr. Lloyd-Jones will show in this sermon on the assurance of salvation that it is the object of the Christian’s faith that gives assurance and it is God’s desire for every Christian to be assured of their salvation. Thank God He does not leave His children in the dark but has given a way to be bold in their salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon begins by revisiting Paul's definition of saving faith from Romans 10:9-10. Saving faith involves believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth.
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The sermon then discusses the character of saving faith. Saving faith involves the whole person, especially the heart. The heart is the center of the personality.
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Saving faith is not a natural endowment that all people have. It is a gift from God. Not everyone has faith - only believers have faith.
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An important question is whether saving faith provides certainty or assurance of salvation. The Catholic church teaches that individuals cannot have assurance of salvation. The Protestant Reformation taught that believers can have assurance of salvation.
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Early Protestant reformers like Luther and Calvin taught that assurance of salvation is essential to saving faith. If you lack assurance, you lack saving faith.
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Later Protestant theologians like William Perkins argued that assurance of salvation is not essential to saving faith. There are degrees of faith, and even "infolded faith" (saving faith) does not require full assurance.
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The Westminster Confession of Faith (1643) affirmed that assurance of salvation is not essential to saving faith. Saving faith can exist without assurance. However, believers should seek assurance through ordinary means.
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The sermon argues that saving faith always provides some degree of knowledge and certainty. However, the degree of assurance can vary. Saving faith is certain about God's promises and Christ's sufficiency but may lack assurance of one's own salvation.
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The sermon argues that if someone is concerned about lacking assurance, that concern itself is evidence of saving faith. The unregenerate person has no desire for assurance.
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The sermon argues that saving faith involves obedience and confession, not just belief. If faith lacks obedience and confession, "there's something wrong." Faith is a whole, not divisible into parts.
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The sermon criticizes the view that evangelistic faith involves accepting Christ as Savior alone, while deeper faith involves accepting Christ as Lord. True saving faith accepts Christ as both Savior and Lord. Christ cannot be divided.
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The sermon argues that if someone claims to believe but feels no different and has no new desire to obey God, that person is likely not truly saved. Salvation delivers us from sin, not just punishment.
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Confession with the mouth proves the genuineness of faith in the heart. Confession distinguishes true faith from false profession and intellectual assent.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.