Attacks on Assurance, Part 1
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-13
Originally preached May 7, 1961
Scripture
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
The Christian can struggle with assurance of salvation, feel tormented by past sins, or disbelieve that they could truly be saved. In this sermon focused on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “Attacks on Assurance (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones diagnoses the real cause of struggles with assurance. Often the devil causes the Christian to question whether anyone can be sure of their salvation or he makes them feel presumptuous to be so certain of their salvation. The truth is that only the devil makes one look back at sin—Christ makes them look back to His work on the cross. That is where the Christian must place their confidence. God commands His people to be certain of their salvation and to know the truth that they are saved as seen in 1 John 5. Christians are encouraged to not be so busied with the state of their spiritual health that they make themselves ill but instead lay hold of the promise of salvation and rest in Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The devil attacks the realm of assurance and experience. He tries to persuade us that assurance of salvation is impossible or unnecessary.
- The Roman Catholic church teaches that no one can have assurance of salvation in this life. They believe it is presumptuous. Some Protestants also believe assurance is presumptuous.
- The Bible teaches that assurance of salvation is possible and we should seek it. 1 John 5:13 says we can know we have eternal life.
- The devil will try to convince us that if we lack assurance, we are not truly saved. But it is possible to be a Christian without assurance, especially due to lack of teaching. Assurance should come from understanding justification by faith.
- The devil will try to make us look to the past, bringing up past sins, wasted time, lost opportunities, or what we could have accomplished. But we must forget the past and press on. God can restore the years the locusts have eaten.
- The devil will try to shake our assurance by bringing up a particular past sin. We must realize our past sins are forgiven and we are new creations in Christ. Our present belief is what matters.
- The devil will attack us through variations in our experiences, feelings, and enjoyment of God. But our relationship to God does not depend on our feelings. We must focus on God's grasp of us, not our grasp of Him.
- Our feelings fluctuate but God does not change. We can lose our hold of Him but He will never lose His hold on us. We must draw comfort from His grasp of us, not our grasp of Him.
- When the devil shakes us over varying feelings, we must remember we are saved by God, not our feelings. Rely on God alone and our feelings will be restored.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding the Wiles of the Devil According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What are the "wiles of the devil" that Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses in his sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the devil exercises his wiles or schemes in multiple ways. He attacks the church in general by "producing a travesty of the church" that looks different from the New Testament church. He also attacks individual believers by targeting their mind, experience, sensibilities, will, and volition. The sermon particularly focuses on how Satan attacks Christians in the realm of assurance of salvation, trying to rob believers of the joy of their salvation even when he cannot rob them of salvation itself.
How does the devil attack believers' assurance of salvation?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the devil attacks believers' assurance in several ways: 1. He queries the very possibility of assurance, making Christians believe they can never be sure of salvation 2. He pushes the opposite extreme, claiming one cannot be a Christian at all without complete assurance 3. He makes believers look back at their past sins and wasted years with vain regret 4. He resurrects specific past sins to torment believers 5. He uses variations in Christian experience and feelings to make believers doubt their salvation
Can a person be a Christian without having assurance of salvation?
Yes, Dr. Lloyd-Jones is very clear that one can be a genuine Christian without having assurance. He states: "It is possible for one to be a true believer, and yet for various reasons to lack assurance of salvation." He cites 1 John 5:13 as evidence: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life." The believers already believed but needed to gain assurance. Lloyd-Jones explains that lack of assurance is often due to "defective teaching" or looking too much at oneself rather than Christ.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about Christians looking back at their past?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly warns against looking back at one's past with regret. He states: "It's always the devil who makes you look back, because what he's doing is this. He wants to spoil the present and the future." He emphasizes that regrets about the past are useless since we cannot undo it. Instead, he reminds believers of God's promise: "I will restore the years that the locust hath eaten." He encourages Christians to set their faces "steadfastly towards the future that is so glorious before you."
How should Christians respond to variations in their spiritual experience?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that variations in spiritual experience are normal for Christians. He says: "If you know no variations at all in your experience, I take leave to put the question as to whether you're a Christian at all." The problem comes when the devil persuades believers "to pay too much attention to our states and our moods and to our feelings instead of our relationship to Him." The solution is to remember that "whatever I may feel, it is the relationship that matters, and my feelings do not make the slightest difference to the relationship." He uses John McNeil's illustration of a father and children - whether the father "feels" the connection or not, the relationship remains unchanged.
What illustration does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use to explain the security of salvation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones shares an illustration used by Scottish evangelist John McNeil. McNeil described returning home after years away and being so tired that he didn't "feel" that the children were his. His wife responded, "John, it doesn't matter whether you feel it or not. You're their father." Lloyd-Jones applies this to the Christian experience - our feelings may fluctuate, but our relationship with God remains constant. He quotes a hymn: "Let me no more my comfort draw from my frail hold of thee, in this alone rejoice with awe thy mighty grasp of me." Our security lies not in our grip on God but in His grip on us.
Can the devil rob Christians of their salvation?
No. Dr. Lloyd-Jones states emphatically: "The devil cannot rob us of our salvation. Try as he will, that is something he cannot do. But while he cannot rob us of the salvation itself, he can most certainly rob us of the joy of salvation or the enjoyment of the salvation or the rejoicing in the salvation." This explains why some believers become "miserable Christians" - not because they've lost their salvation, but because they've lost the joy of it through the devil's deceptive tactics.
The Book of Ephesians
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.