True and False Assurance
A Sermon on True Assurance from Ephesians 6:10-13
Originally preached April 30, 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
Why is true assurance so central to the Christian life? Followers of Christ can and should know that they are now children of God and have been set free from sin and death. But, as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains in this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “True and False Assurances,” there is a false assurance that leads to death. This is when people who do not know Jesus and who do not believe in His gospel are blinded by the devil and tricked into believing that they are saved. All Christians must examine themselves to see if they truly know God. Many in the church have given only an intellectual assent to the gospel, while others are so caught up in an emotional experience that they have deceived themselves. The answer is to look to Scripture and its main descriptions of what it means to be a true Christian. This sermon contains the timeless message of the need not only of salvation, but also of a true and biblically grounded assurance that should give all of God’s children a lasting and steadfast hope in Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- Christians are meant to have assurance of salvation and know the joy of their salvation.
- The devil tries to rob Christians of the joy of their salvation through his wiles and subtle attacks.
- The devil first tries to give Christians a false assurance and peace through a hurried and forced conversion without a true change of heart. This results in an artificial and superficial faith.
- Characteristics of a false assurance include:
- No radical change or new life, just a modification of the old life.
- Never troubled or questioned about one's faith. Always perfectly content and self-satisfied like the Laodiceans.
- A great dislike of self-examination. They preach against examining one's own faith.
- Their lives do not correspond to their claims. They lack the marks of a true faith like humility, wonder at God's grace, and a desire for holiness.
- They believe there is nothing more to attain and are completely self-satisfied. They do not hunger and thirst for righteousness like true Christians.
- When the devil's attempt to give a false assurance fails, he changes tactics. He becomes an accuser and tries to make Christians doubt their salvation by shaking their foundation.
- The devil cannot rob Christians of their salvation, but he can rob them of the joy and assurance of their salvation through his wiles and attacks.
- Christians can lack assurance of salvation because of the devil's wiles, even though they are truly saved. The devil tries to make them as miserable as if they were not Christians at all.
- The sermon will continue by exploring how the devil applies his wiles to rob Christians of the joy of their salvation.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Martyn Lloyd-Jones's Sermon on the Wiles of the Devil
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the devil's main method of attack against believers?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the devil's main method of attack is to produce confusion. He specifically states: "The devil has only one method, and that is always to produce confusion. And he does that, as we've seen by driving us from one extreme to another." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "the greatest of all dangers in the christian life is to swing from one extreme to another. That is the way the devil always tries to delude us."
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the purpose of assurance in the Christian life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that assurance is a fundamental aspect of salvation that God intends for believers to have. He states: "God has not only provided a way whereby we can be saved, he not only does save us, but he lets us know that he's done it. And I say this is a very glorious and wonderful aspect of the christian life." He emphasizes that "the Christian is not meant to remain in doubt and in uncertainty" and cites 1 John 5:13 as evidence that believers are meant to "know that ye have eternal life."
What are the two main ways the devil attacks believers' assurance of salvation?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the devil attacks believers' assurance in two primary ways: 1. First, by giving a false assurance or counterfeit peace: "The first thing he does is to try to give us a false assurance, to give us a false rest, a false peace and a false joy." 2. Second, if that fails, he does the opposite: "Having failed there, he turns right over, and what does he do here? Ah, no, this is the point at which he begins to appear as the accuser of the brethren." Lloyd-Jones explains that "he first of all tries to make us think we're wonderful christians, and all is well. Then, having failed there, he comes right round and says, you're not a Christian at all."
What characterizes false assurance according to Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones identifies several characteristics of false assurance: 1. No real change or new life - just modification of the old life 2. Never being troubled about oneself - having a constant "euphoria" with no struggles 3. A dislike of self-examination 4. A form of antinomianism where the life doesn't match the claims 5. Being glib, lighthearted, and lacking wonder or amazement about salvation 6. Absence of humility 7. Contentment with one's spiritual state rather than hunger for more
What example does Lloyd-Jones use from the book of Revelation to illustrate false assurance?
Lloyd-Jones uses the church of Laodicea from Revelation 3 as a prime example of false assurance. He quotes: "Because thou saysest I am rich and increased with goodness, and of need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." He describes this as a "perfectly self satisfied" church that was "in a terrible and tragic condition" while thinking everything was well.
What can the devil NOT do to believers according to Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones emphatically states that the devil cannot rob believers of their salvation. He asserts: "There is one thing, thank God, the devil cannot do, and that is he cannot rob us of our salvation. He cannot do that. That's an utter impossibility." He supports this with John's words in 1 John 5:18: "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not...and that wicked one toucheth him not."
What resources does Lloyd-Jones recommend for those struggling with assurance?
Lloyd-Jones recommends several books that he considers helpful for those struggling with assurance: 1. "A Treatise on the Religious Affections" by Jonathan Edwards, which he calls "the most masterly analysis of the true and the false in this matter of peace and assurance" 2. "The Soul's Conflict" by Richard Sibbs, which he says "has been a healing balm to many a distressed soul" 3. "The Bruised Reed" also by Richard Sibbs He mentions that the Puritans were "masters at this very subject" and applied "cordials" and "balms" to wounded souls.
What does Lloyd-Jones say characterizes true Christian assurance?
According to Lloyd-Jones, true Christian assurance is characterized by: 1. Never being glib or lighthearted about one's salvation 2. Being filled with wonder, amazement and surprise at being saved 3. Humility - which he calls "a neglected grace" 4. A hunger and thirst for more righteousness, never being fully satisfied 5. Always pressing forward like Paul who said "I count not myself to have apprehended"
How does Lloyd-Jones describe what the devil can rob from believers?
While Lloyd-Jones insists the devil cannot rob believers of salvation itself, he explains: "But he can rob us of the joy of salvation. He can rob us of the happiness of salvation. He can rob us of the peace that accompanies salvation. He can take from us the rest. That is meant to be the passion of the people of God." Lloyd-Jones states that since the devil can't get believers back, his strategy is: "All right, there. It belonged to him and not to me. Well, what I'll do now, then, is to make them miserable."
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.