Blessed Assurance

Isaiah 32:17“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.”

I’ve used the term blessed assurance before to help explain the concept of faith. The term immediately brings to mind, the old gospel hymn, the “blessed assurance, Jesus is mine” is a “foretaste of glory divine.” The word “assurance” is defined as:full confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certain expectation; the utmost certainty. A short devotional on this Bible verse above points out that this assurance forever, together with true peace of soul and quietness of spirit, are products of the work of righteousness. Righteousness is defined in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary as: Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion. A right relationship with God.

The New Testament exposition of genuine righteousness makes it clear that we who have received Christ’s work of righteousness by faith have been “made the righteousness of God in Him”. “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness”. Thus, salvation is the priceless possession of those to whom Christ’s work of righteousness has been imputed, through faith. On the other hand, the assurance of salvation, accompanied by quietness and peace of heart, is “experienced” only by saved believers who practice the work of righteousness in their daily walk with the Lord. 

If we truly have salvation, then we ought to manifest the “things that accompany salvation. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name. We can, indeed, know that we are saved simply through faith in His work and His Word. Nevertheless, to know that one’s faith itself is genuine, God has given us this test of faith in 1 John 2:3. “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments”. This is surely blessed assurance of salvation and a foretaste of glory divine! 

Blessings