This post continues the For the Love of God series with the Session Five message from the 06SR. The audio file for this message is also available for download.
In the previous posts we considered the inconclusive marks of genuine affections. The goal was to expose counterfeit confidence and keep us from depending on inconclusive or insufficient evidence. Now we turn our attention to the distinctive, distinguishing marks of true, spiritual affections.
The distinguishing marks were primary for Jonathan Edwards. In The Religious Affections he devoted only 65 pages (with twelve points that’s a bit over 5 pages per point) to discuss what are no sure signs. However, this third and final part of his book is substantially larger, consuming 258 pages (with another 12 points at an average of 21.5 pages per point). And even that statistic is a bit misleading, as the 12th and final sign of gracious affections is given a whopping 74 pages. That is nine more pages than all the no sure signs together! Obviously he covers a lot of ground, but I have abridged and rearranged his material so that we might at least get an overview of this important subject.
Before considering the distinguishing marks themselves, Edwards begins Part 3 with three reminders. First, he reminds us that no one can know for sure someone else’s spiritual condition and that the ultimate judgment is God’s alone. Yet God’s Word does give us guidelines for discriminating between what is true and what is counterfeit so that we may be safe from our own deceiving hearts and false comforts.
Second, Edwards reminds us that there are no signs or marks to be found by Christians who are in sin or low experiences of love and grace that will make them feel better. When grace is small in a person’s life it will be hard to pinpoint. Not only that, but when someone is living in sin, that sin causes a defect in their ability to see. No signs can be given that will encourage us or satisfy us in that condition. Edwards says,
It is like giving man rules how to distinguish visible objects in the dark. (p.122)
And so it is useless for anyone to seek immediate, full assurance of salvation if sin’s influence is strong. It is fruitless labor to pour over past experiences to find fruit if there is none today. In fact, it is not God’s design that we should have assurance any other way than habitually killing sin and increasing in spiritual, holy living.
Assurance is not to be obtained so much by self-examination as by action. (p.123)
Some people scrutinize their belly-buttons so much that they are functionally paralyzed. Consequently there is nothing to examine since they’ve been sitting still. But if we want to make our calling and election sure, there is more work to do than simply listen to a sermon and check the boxes to see if we pass the test. We’ve got to get working. The apostle Peter makes this clear in 2 Peter 1:5-11:
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Edwards’ third word of introduction is his acknowledgment that even though he hoped these signs to be helpful, he knows that some hypocrites are so self-deceived that it usually does nothing to lay before them the most convincing evidences of their hypocrisy. But perhaps God would be pleased to use His truth to awaken unbelieving hypocrites to new life and also strengthen believers in their assurance of genuine, gracious affections.
