Resource
Loss of Assurance
Doctrinal basis. Drawn from the Westminster Confession, chapter XVIII.
Points to weigh
- It includes reviewing one’s life; for someone prone to scrupulous self-checking this can become a compulsion, so read it with a pastor.
- If your doubts come as repeated, intrusive thoughts that you cannot stop, see the OCD and Religious Scrupulosity topic: sources there (for example the International OCD Foundation’s packet for faith leaders) warn that extra reassurance and self-checking can feed the cycle, and recommend a qualified clinician.
- This is pastoral encouragement, not medical care. If you or someone you know is in crisis or danger, call your local emergency number or, in the U.S., call or text 988.
Classification and points to weigh are reformededucation.org's judgments from the sources listed below. They describe and do not endorse; confirm current details with the institution.
About
Tabletalk article (25 June 2016) on why Christians lose their sense of assurance (negligence, falling into sin, temptation, God withdrawing for their growth) and how it is recovered: by the same means it is first obtained, including confession and returning to God in repentance and faith, relying on Christ’s merit rather than oneself.
Details
- Type
- Article
- Author / Creator
- Joel Beeke
- Publisher
- Ligonier Ministries (Tabletalk)
- Subjects
- Christian Living
- Systematic Theology
- Audience
- [Placeholder — information to be added]
- Sources consulted