- I have occasionally heard the phrase “consciousness of justification” or “consciousness of salvation.” I do not like that phrase. I would say that assurance, confidence and certainty are synonyms and belong to faith. Knowledge also is good; it’s prominent in John: …that you may know that you have eternal life (1 Jn 5:13) for just one example. But consciousness is a horse of a different color; there is nothing in that word that suggests any connection with faith. I think it’s better not to use it as a substitute for assurance and its synonyms.
- We can distinguish four acts of God in our justification: 1) He has eternally decreed it. This is called eternal justification. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect (Rom. 8:33)? Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Faith plays no role here. 2) God gave his only begotten Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Christ has died and paid the full penalty of our sins on the cross. Our guilt is objectively, completely and forever blotted out in the sight of God. Faith plays no role here. The fountainhead of it is election. 3) God cleanses our consciences from the guilt of sin. He daily forgives us when we ask. We call this justification in the forum of the conscience. Here faith plays its role, and this is what we are talking about when we talk about justification by faith alone. 4) God publicly declares us righteous in Christ on the day of judgment. We may call this final justification. In the day of judgment Christ silences forever all our accusers, including our own consciences. No accusations will ever again be brought against us, and no doubts will ever again make us afraid. Faith becomes sight. Good works play no role in it. All is the gift of God.
- Assurance of justification is another way of talking about justification in the forum (or courtroom) of the conscience.
- We can have no assurance of justification while walking in the way of sin. Why? Because justification in the forum of the conscience begins with godly sorrow for sin and repentance, turning to God and taking hold of Christ as our only hope. That’s what we mean by justification by faith alone. If we say that we can have assurance of salvation or justification while we are in the act of sinning we come close to blaspheming God and trampling the cross under foot.
- Someone might ask, What about all my other sins? I have not repented of this one that troubles me today and cannot have assurance of justification for it. But I did repent of many others; perhaps I can have assurance of justification for them. That’s a question that has no practical value. When I have sinned, I’m not worried about justification for sins that have not come to mind. I’m worried about the sin that is on my conscience. My faith is not shaken by the sins of the past that have been forgiven or even that I have forgotten (shame on me!), but by today’s sin, by the particular trouble of my conscience right now, whether about a sin that is twenty years (remember not the sins of my youth) or twenty minutes in the past.
- The Canons of Dort I-12, I-9, V-10, V-Rejection-of-Errors-5, Heidelberg Catechism Question and Answer 86, and Romans 8:1 all talk about a connection between assurance of justification and good works. On the basis of these statements some will insist that assurance springs from doing good works. But look at the citations. None of them uses the term good works except Canons V,10 which doesn’t talk about good works in themselves, but about the desire to perform good works. I think that’s important. When we think of good works, we think of what we do (though we shouldn’t because “he has created us unto good works which he has before ordained that we should walk in them”). We are sanctified by grace through faith. But the language of the confessions and Romans 8 puts the emphasis on Christ’s work. In other words, assurance springs in part from observing in ourselves Christ’s sanctifying work and the fruits of God’s work. I am not assured of my justification through observing “I have done good works or a good work,” but through observing what Christ has done in me. We see that he has given us good works as a gift of grace, and we say to ourselves, “He would not do that, unless he had also justified me and given me every other gift of salvation.”
- But aren’t being sorry and repenting good works? Do we end up with assurance of justification by good works after all? God does not forgive me, make his face shine on me again, or give me assurance because of my sorrow or my repentance. He restores his favor because he is gracious and I know it by putting aside all confidence in self and taking refuge in Christ. “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
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