1st Corinthians A Letter of Assurance and Correction

There are various theological systems that take statements in 1st Corinthians and use them to question, cast doubt on, and encourage people to question their own, salvation of those who claim to be Christian.

I know people appeal to "context" when they teach such things. However, I've seldom ever seen someone develop context from the Scriptures. It is a skill the Church is sorely lacking today. So much is said about "context, context, context" and people throw around the word "hermeneutics" but how much controversy is there about 1st Corinthians? From groups that want to pattern themselves after the Corinthians, to people saying that much of the letter is about people who aren't "truly saved" isn't it strange that none of these groups can explain the context they use to interpret the Scripture, from the Scripture itself?

When I wrote Fail-Safe for Fallacy I was a strong proponent of reading Scripture out loud to one's self. I still am! I think it is an amazing way to check what you're reading and understanding. This year however, I've added listening to the books of the bible repeatedly as I exercise. This has doubled, or tripled the amount of time I get to spend in the Word weekly. It has also exposed me to the context of each of these books much more effectively. I can spend entirely too much time in a passage or verse, and when I do that it's easy to forget the purpose the author of the book had in mind.

Let's see what Paul had in mind for 1st Corinthians.

1Cor 1:1-3

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,² To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul's greeting identifies who he is writing to very clearly. Those how are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. This doesn't in itself mean that everyone Paul will talk about in the letter is saved, but it DOES mean that it is addressed to saved people. The "you" in this letter referes to saved Christians.

1Cor 1:4-9

⁴ I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,⁵ that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, ⁶ even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, ⁷ so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸ who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

In case there is any doubt that Paul believes these people to be truly saved he includes statements like: "for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus" "even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you" "our Lord Jesus Christ who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." These are not things you can say about the unsaved, or even the potentially unsaved. Surely God who cannot lie, could not inspire such words about unsaved people.

There is absolutely no way to get around the fact that the "you" this letter is addressed to is a group of people who are unquestionably saved in Christ.

So now that we have established "Who" the letter is written to, we come to "why" Paul is writing to them - and us who call on the Name of the Lord as we read in 1Cor 1:2

1Cor 1:10

¹⁰ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

This is the purpose of the letter. We can now state the overall context of 1st Corinthians to be: Paul correcting the divisions among saved, but carnal, Believers at Corinth and by extension Believers throughout this age. 

1Cor 1:11-17  

¹¹ For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. ¹² Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 

¹⁴ I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. ¹⁶ Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Paul hits the root of the problem right away. He, is glad that he didn't sow this disorder by baptizing people himself. He's glad to have been obedient to the call which the Lord put on his life - to preach the Gospel. 

1Cor 1:18-25

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written:“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 

²⁰ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. ²² For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The reader of 1st & 2nd Corinthians will find that Corinthians preferred the cleverness and bondage of their "super apostles" over the humble and hard working Paul. They had clever doctrines which confused the Gospel with wise sounding intellectual doctrines which went against the Gospel of the Christ. They even taught the Corinthians that there is no resurrection of the dead. 1Cor 15. In the quoted passage we find Paul sticking to the truth of the Gospel instead of trying to spruce it up to capture the attention of the Corinthians. 

1Cor 1:26-31

²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— ³¹ that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

Paul continues with his harsh words against relying on intellectualism.

So from the first chapter of 1st Corinthians we find that Paul is writing to saved Christians who are divided to follow various wise sounding people and systems in order to correct their disorderly behaviour.

This is the context of the letter, derived from the Scripture not from any other source. Let's look at a few important passages with this context in mind.

1Cor 2:14 is often used as a proof-text to show how unregenerate people are "unable" to believe the Gospel unless they are regenerated first. 

¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

However, Paul starts the chapter talking about how he didn't come to them with wisdom of words, but instead simply stuck with the Gospel. 1Cor 2:1-5 Paul then goes on to talk about how he speaks wisdom to those who are mature. That these deep things, these wise things are hidden from the world, not the Gospel - not Christ and Him Crucified 1Cor 2:2 but the deeper things of God. The things that if the rulers of this world knew, would change what they would do so that they would not even have crucified the Lord. 1Cor 2:7-8

Let us then look at 1Cor 2:13-15

¹³ These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ¹⁶ For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

As we see, this is not about how unregenerate people cannot believe the Gospel, but it is about how these important things of wisdom in God are only spiritually discerned - and that doesn't just mean being regenerate, but also mature in the faith.

Paul continues his explanation of why he can't explain the wisdom of God to them in the third chapter. They are carnal. These believers. These truly saved believers are carnal, and cannot receive the wisdom of God and so must be again taught about Christ and Him Crucified. 1Cor 3:1-3

Paul continues to rebuke the Corinthians for being enthralled by the wisdom of men. Talking about their carnality, division and their desire to appear wise like those "super apostles." 1Cor 3:4-22

And then Paul talks about how he doesn't even judge his own performance. He's not interested in measuring up to those whom the Corinthians prefer, and he knows that even if he could see nothing against himself that this would not justify him. 1Cor 4:1-5

Then being careful to avoid accusing his Brother, Paul explains how he has made his argument using Apollos in order to show them the issue they suffer from.

1Cor 4:6-7

⁶ Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. ⁷ For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

Paul demonstrates his humility and contrasts it with how he has allowed the Corinthians to be. 1Cor 4:8-13 Then he returns to his loving tone, explaining why he is writing this. 

1Cor 4:14-17

¹⁴ I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. ¹⁵ For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you, imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

This is not something you can write to someone you think may or may not be saved. He's begotten these children of his through the Gospel. Because of this he tells them to imitate him in his humility. The chapter is closed with a stern warning and a solemn choice for the Corinthians to make. Do they want Paul to come in gentle love, or as a father to correct with the rod? 1Cor 4:18-21

In his fifth chapter Paul talks about a specific problem with sexual immorality in the assembly. Paul tells them to come together and put the one, who is engaged in sexual immorality of a sort that isn't even named among the unsaved, out of the assembly so that he may suffer at the hands of satan for a season. We see in 2nd Corinthians that this man was to be accepted back into fellowship readily when he repented. 1Cor 5:1-5

Then we get an interesting warning and instruction from the Apostle.
1Cor 5:6-8 

⁶ Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

These truly saved Believers are to understand that leaving the man in the assembly dirtied all of them. Even though they are truly unleavened - without sin, this man's sinful practice and their glorying in accepting him actually dirties them. 

Paul closes the chapter with instruction to show them that it is only Believers who are sexually impure who they are to separate from. They are not to try to reform the world, or withdraw from the world. They are to be in the world, but not of the world. They are to be there spreading the word of Christ, but not becoming like the world. "Therefore" Paul writes, put that one out of the assembly. 1Cor 5:9-13

I've looked at the context of the letter, and used that context to interpret the first 5 chapters of this letter. What's clear to me is that Paul offered clear assurance to Believers he knew to be saved, and also stern correction to these same carnal ones who were so stuck on the wisdom of the world, and division that they actually couldn't understand the deeper things of God.

Go through the rest of this letter and take in the richness of Paul's care of this assembly, and us Believers today.

Make Your Election Sure

2 Peter 1:1-15 is a section of Scripture that stands in stark contrast to the concept that 'saving faith' is a faith that works, or a faith that perseveres, or a faith that DOES. Most specifically 2 Peter 1:5-9 indicates that works must be added to our faith, it is not our faith that works.

⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

I've written about this passage before, and made no small point of verse 9. That a person who has faith, but does not add these things to it can forget that they were saved. This is a shocking revelation for anyone who believes in the TULIP concept of "Perseverance of the Saints." However, today I want to talk about the one part of 2nd Peter chapter 1 that gets used to support the idea that "true saving faith works." 


2Pet 1:10 

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

A proponent of the view I'm opposing might say: 

If you're really saved you'll do all the things that Peter wrote about; so make sure you're really saved.

On the surface this statement and conclusion has an appearance of some validity; if the point is that one can have assurance of salvation by seeing these things happening in their life. The person might note that the one who forgets that their sins were purged (Verse 9) would have no assurance of salvation.

On the surface perhaps... but it's convoluted isn't it? This is taking all of what Peter wrote and twisting it two different ways. One that really saved people do these so if you're really saved then you'll do them. The other that this is about assurance.

Now I've had multitudes of conversations with people who hold to Lordship Salvation, and Perseverance of the Saints about these tests of salvation. I have consistently found that their arguments jump back and forth between testing the validity of one's salvation and offering assurance to those who are saved.  When the one is shown to be false they simply move to the other; wash rinse repeat ad nausuem.

Instead of continuing the cycle let's see what Peter says his point is.


2Pet 1:10-11 is the whole point, not just verse 10 by itself.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

For so an entrance!!! The NIV renders this as a "rich welcome" into the eternal Kingdom. This whole passage is about ensuring fruitfulness and experiencing the nature of Christ in your own life while we are here - so that when we go to Heaven we will be greatly rewarded for bringing glory to the Name of Christ.

But instead of just reading a short snippet and hoping we have the context correct, let's look at the whole passage.

He begins the section with these precious verses 2Pet 1:1-4

¹ Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We may be partakers of His divine nature - according to His promises! Then of course we read how we can partake by adding the various things of His nature to our faith in 2Pet 1:5-9. (see above). Peter then finishes the passage with these encouraging words 2Pet 1:12-15

¹² For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. ¹³ Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, ¹⁴ knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. ¹⁵ Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

It is because of our promise of being able to partake, and the great rewards that await those who do that Peter will not be negligent to remind us always of these things - even though he knew those he was writing to were established. He is so passionate about this that he wants to make sure that his reminders continue even after he is deceased.

He's not concerned that these people may not really be saved. He's not concerned that they might not know if they are saved or not. He is concerned with the fruitfulness of their walk, and the richness of their entrance into Heaven.

So Brethren, add to your faith all the things of Christ's nature and you will have a rich entrance into Heaven.

Testing The Test - Part 3 Conclusion

Maybe assurance should be tested for
using a 'Bell Curve'? 

Here's the conclusion to this three part series discussing the reliability, and therefore the validity of the John MacArthur organization's test of a person's salvation. This test can be found at his Grace To You website.

In Part 1 I made the applicable introduction to the subject and found some of the test, the objective part of it, was actually valid and trustworthy. In Part 2 I began to look at the subjective portion of the test. There's an important note about subjective testing in that part - just because a test is subjective doesn't mean it is invalid or unreliable. However, reliability decreases with any increase in subjectivity.

This time I'll pick up where I left off in Part 2, and cover the rest of the MacArthur test - questions 3 through 7. I will then offer a conclusion and a closing thought.

Just as before, each individual test question will be evaluated by three standards that it must meet in order to be trustworthy:

1. Be in accordance with the Scriptures. If it does not explicitly come from the Scriptures then it is man’s wisdom and cannot be relied upon, and is therefore invalid.

2. Be passable by every single saved person, at every moment, in any situation. If it could give a false indication of an unsaved state to a person who actually is saved then the test is invalid.

3. Be impossible to pass for every single non-saved person, at every moment, in any situation. If it could give a false indication of salvation to an unsaved person then the test is invalid.

NOTE: Unless otherwise noted MacArthur is referencing chapters and verses from the book of 1st John.

Question 3 reads:

• True believers keep His commandments (2:3-4; 5:2-3). The term here refers to a watchful, observant obedience. Here the believer desires to obey truths he deems precious. It involves a proactive approach to obedience-the Christian studies Scripture in order to understand and obey it.

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? NO.  Mature believers keep His commandments. Hereby we know that we experience Him deeply – ginosko -  Not that we know we are saved. This is well explained in ‘But’ Theology series. However, it is also clear from the passage. 1Jn 2:5 in particular. Being “in Him” is not in the Pauline usage of being baptised into Christ, but in the Johannine usage of “abiding in” Christ, as we see in 1Jn 2:6.  The “test question” falls apart dramatically when the second cited passage is examined. 1Jn 5:2-3 follows after 1Jn 5:1 (as though this needs to be explained…) The test question is invalidated by 1Jn 5:1 where we find that everyone who believes is saved. Then we see that additionally those who love Him, will love other saved people. This is again, birth and then maturity.
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? NO. The immature, many of whom John wrote to in 1Jn, and those who are failing in their walk or who have simply not come to maturity yet, such as illustrated in 2Peter 1:5-9 will not pass this test. Yet as Peter states, they have had their sins cleansed.
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? NO. Many will say “Lord, Lord….” And will have done mighty works… and yet not be saved. Though they will believe they have been obediently following His commandments. 

Question 3 is therefore unreliable and invalid.

Question 4 reads:

• True believers love the brethren (2:9-11; 3:10, 14-15; 5:2). Ask yourself the question, "Do I love God's people and desire to be around them?"

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? NO. While there are things in this question which come from Scripture, as we have seen in the last question, this is about being in fellowship and maturing not simply if you are saved or not. 2Peter 1:5-9 shows that brotherly love is a fairly high point of maturity. However, the Lord did say that the world would know that we are His disciples by our love for each other. In this way, our maturity and our following are made “manifest” to the world. Not that we are saved so much, as we are maturing followers of Him. Careful examination of 1Jn 3 shows more than a simple test of Salvation. He who does not love His brother abides in death. The person who does not do all the things listed in 1Peter 1:5-9 will abide in death - that is they will be dwelling in darkness and not experiencing the abundant life of Christ. 
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? NO. Immature Believers may struggle with this. Every Believer may go through periods where they don’t want to be around other people, for various reasons.
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? NO. Many people following various religions of the world love the people that also follow their own religions. They see their religion as from God and the other followers as “God’s people.”

Question 4 is therefore unreliable and invalid.

Question 5 reads:

• True believers affirm sound doctrine (2:20-23; 4:2,6). John here teaches that no true believer will fall into any serious, Christ-denying error or heresy.

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? NO.  Though 1Jn 2:20-23 is cited as support, it speaks those who deny Jesus is the Christ – not ‘falling into serious error’. The language used in the question is objectionable because it is unclear. The intent of the question is to bring other “errors” into what John wrote under the guise of being a “Christ-denying error” but John is talking about denying Jesus is the Christ – not some related error. Further 1Jn 4:2,6 are also cited in support. However, 1Jn 4:1 is clear that John is writing to saved people, instructing them not to believe every spirit but to test them. Obviously true believers may believe false doctrine.
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? NO. The Corinthians were taught that there was no resurrection to be expected, long after they had believed the Gospel and had been saved. Acts 18:5-8. They had to be reminded of what they had believed, and have it explained to them all over again. 1Cor 15:1-58. The Galatians were taught that they had to obey Mosaic Law and other things in order to be saved after they had believed the Gospel and received the Spirit by the hearing of faith. They also would have failed this test before they were corrected by Paul, though they were indeed saved.
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? NO.  Many unsaved people believe true doctrines, and are ignorant of false doctrines. Depending on the questions asked it is very easy for an unsaved person to pass this test.

Question 5 is therefore unreliable and invalid.

Question 6 reads:

• True believers follow after holiness (2:29; 3:3-4, 6-9). These verses certainly aren't talking about sinless perfection, or even the frequency or duration of sin. The term sin in these verses describes one who lives an immoral, ungodly, unrighteous life as a matter of continual practice, and carries the attitude of hardened hate for God's righteousness.

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? NO. The author of the test imagines what these verses mean. These tell us that as we walk in the Spirit (or abide in Christ in the Johannine sense) we will not sin. Gal 5:16 also explains how this happens.
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? NO.  Most obviously every assembly of Believers written to in the NT (including any who read these letters today) are taught and discipled into living holy lives with varying degrees of success.  
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? NO.  Many followers of false religions “follow after holiness.”

Question 6 is therefore unreliable and invalid.

Question 7 reads;

• True believers have the Holy Spirit (4:13; 5:10-11). This is an over-arching test summing up all the others. Is there evidence that the fruit of the Spirit is present in your life (Galatians 5:22-23)?

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? NO. While it is true that Believers have the Holy Spirit, the author of the test leaves out very valuable information from Galatians 5. Gal 5:16 being the proposed solution to the problem stated in Gal 5:17. Paul’s exhortation is not that those who do not bare the fruits of the Spirit are not saved (or that they don't have the Spirit) – but that those who do not walk in the Spirit – though they LIVE in the Spirit – are being exhorted TO walk in the spirit. Gal 5:25. Most obviously if one believes they DO have the Spirit; Who is our guarantee of future resurrection. 2Cor 1:22, 5:5 and Eph 1:14 However, using our walk as a subjective test is not at all helpful. Because though we have the Spirit we don't always walk in the Spirit. Instead we ought to trust that the Spirit will bare witness to our spirit. Rom 8:16
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? NO. Those who, like the ones Paul was correcting in Galatians, are not walking in the Spirit will not be displaying the fruits of the Spirit.
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? NO. Many followers of false religions have these characteristics at times, some of them for their whole lives.

Question 7 is therefore unreliable and invalid.

The MacArthur test closes with the following paragraph:

In summary, one's assurance of salvation does not need to be based on a past decision or an experience. It should rest first of all on one's faith in the objective truth of God's Word, Jesus Christ, and the gospel. Secondly, it should rest on the reality of a changed life marked by obedience, a love for Christ and His righteousness, and a hatred for sin. Take heart if these things are true in your life, and trust God to continue to work out His salvation in your life.

If God cannot lie, if He is not like a man that He should lie and go back on His word, if He is faithful and just – then we ought to have assurance in His promise alone. There is nothing higher we can hang our assurance on. There is nothing lower worthy of our trust.

Faith alone in Christ alone; anything other than this gives only false assurance. 

Testing The Test - Part 2

What do you see?

In Part 1 we introduced the topic and looked at the objective portion of the test of Salvation, that the MacArthur organization’s website suggests to readers. This test can be found at the Grace To You website.

A Note About Subjective Testing: That a test is “subjective” does not invalidate the test, but it does reduce reliability to the same degree as it is subjective. Subjectivity increases in direct relation to at least two factors which are relevant to our discussion; the relational closeness of the evaluator to the evaluated and the value of a result to the evaluator.  In our discussion the evaluator is examining his or her own self to determine if they indeed posses Eternal Salvation or are condemned to Eternal Wrath. The relationship couldn’t be closer or the result more important.

As we progress through the subjective tests I will use examples of how particular factors related to subjectivity can affect the results. I will not say that because the test is subjective it is invalid. In many cases I will however show how a particular person or people group could fail or pass the test because of a specific item of subjectivity that they possess.

The second portion of the MacAthur website test is acknowledged to be subjective, and is introduced this way:

Second is the subjective or experiential test of assurance in which you ask yourself, "Is my faith real?" The apostle John's purpose in writing the epistle of 1 John was to give true believers assurance of their salvation (1 John 5:13). In that small epistle John gives several marks to distinguish a true believer.

As I introduced in Part 1 the very first test of validity for these tests is for me to determine if they come explicitly from Scripture. So here we see that the question being addressed - “Is my faith real?” Then 1Jn 5:13 is cited as the reason the author will use the 1^st Epistle of John as the basis for their test. Now the language used in the introduction paragraph is tricky. “Is my faith real?” is a question asked as though it matches the intent  of 1st John; which the article states as being “to give true believers assurance.” However we’ll see that this is not an accurate equation, or even an entirely accurate representation of what the Apostle John wrote.

1Jn 5:13 reads:

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

Notice that these things are written to those who believe in the Name of the Son of God. This is written to people who believe, not to people who may or may not really believe. John goes on to state the purpose. “That you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the Name of the Son of God.” His purpose is to assure them, not to give them a test to see if they should have assurance.

You can find the Greek text examined on this page.   

He is telling those who believe that they have Eternal Life, not giving them a test to see IF they have Eternal Life. Clearly this matches the tender character of this whole chapter written to “my dear little children.” 

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? NO.
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? NO.
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? NO.

Since it does not come explicitly from the Scriptures we can know that it is not a valid test. Not every saved person can “pass this test” (it’s not actually a test so I’m straining the language to meet the demands of the article). We know this because as the verse continues it is possible that truly saved people can stop believing. Also an unsaved person could potentially "pass" the test. For example an unsaved person may think that believing in the Jesus of the Mormons is the same as believing in the Name of the Son of God.  

The test question “Is my faith real” is therefore unreliable and invalid. So by testing the introduction to this subjective test we find a failure at the very start. 


Nonetheless I will continue examining each individual subjective test question the MacArthur article asks because their own validity is not necessarily excluded just because the reasoning behind using them is invalid.

Question 1 reads;

• True believers walk in the light (1 John 1:6-7). The light here means both intellectual and moral truth. Ask, "Do I affirm the truths of Scripture, and desire to obey them?"

The question offers a definition of what it means to walk in the light as being “Do I affirm the truths of Scripture and desire to obey them?”

And 1Jn 1:6-7 reads as follows

⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

It is obvious through our first light reading that this passage does not bring up affirming the truths of Scripture and desiring to obey them. One can examine the deeper meanings of these words at these following links. Verse 6 and Verse 7.   

That being the case, John gives us an explanation of what it means to “walk in the light” himself; If we read the entire passage the meaning becomes most obvious.

⁵ This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Hiding our sin, or claiming we have none is walking in darkness, or what we think is darkness. Such would have us calling God a liar for He has said that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. So His word is not in us, which is what “His truth” is not in us means. This is Jn 8:31-32, and Jn 15:1-8 in action. It is about discipleship, maturity and fruitfulness not IF one is saved or not. 

Eternal Salvation is not in view here, but fellowship and usefulness is. If we walk in the light we have fellowship. If we walk in the light, confessing our sin, then we are “cleansed.” This doesn’t mean saved, it is a cleansing in the same way that articles used in the Temple had to be cleansed in order to be used. This is the same teaching that the Lord gave to His Disciples when He washed their feet. They have already been washed, now they must only be cleansed.

If you are cleansed you can be used by God and therefore be fruitful, and have fellowship. If you are not cleansed, then you cannot be.

Therefore, as with the introduction we see this test question fails immediately upon inspection, but I will ask all three questions for the sake of being consistent and complete.  

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? NO.
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? NO. Believers who are in rebellion, or are fearful about their sin (such as the ones that John is writing to in this Epistle) are not able to pass the test IAW with either the MacArthur’s version or what the Apostle John wrote (if it could be construed as a test of Salvation). Saved people in 1Cor 15:1, also came to deny the Resurrection, which is what Paul was correcting them on. The saved people in Heb 5:12-14 would not have passed this test. Therefore the test is invalid.
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? NO. An unsaved but religious person, such as a Catholic, can say that they affirm the truths of Scripture (as they understand them) and desire to obey them. In fact every religion in the world has these tenants, so followers of any religion could pass this test as worded by MacArthur’s website.  If we read the passage the way it was written, (not the way the MacArthur article uses it) then clearly we see that it is about fellowship and usefulness, not about Eternal Salvation. Understood as it is written in the Scripture I can say that no unsaved person could pass it (as if it were a test of Salvation). In which case we could say that YES it is true that no unsaved person can pass the test of qualifying for fellowship and usefulness. But this “yes” does not help the validity of the test question.

Question 1 is therefore unreliable, and invalid. 


Question 2 reads:

• True believers confess their sin (1:8-2:1) Confess here doesn't mean to recite every wrong that we have ever done. Rather, it means to agree with God about our sin. That means that true believers hate their sin; they don't love it. They acknowledge they are sinful, and yet they know they are forgiven.

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? NO. The word “confess” is in the Present Active Subjunctive form. This means it’s something that the true believers that John is writing to may or may not do. The result if we do is being cleansed and this conditional statement is clearly seen even in the English. Confessing our sins is something we may or may not do and reap the results of or not. MacArthur would have us see that this is a mark of a true belief verses false belief. However, 1Jn2:1 (even cited by MacArthur) makes it clear that this is written to “My dear little children” saved true Believers.
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? NO. As the verse says itself; this is something true believers may or may not do at any given time. Peter would have failed this test as he played the hypocrite.  
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? NO. As I have witnessed to many people over the years, on the street, on the radio, in churches, in coffee shops, at work…. I have found there is a percentage of people who will admit their sin but who will not believe that God has been satisfied by Christ’s death burial and resurrection. These people agree with God, to a point, about their sin but have not faith in Jesus Christ.

Question 2 is therefore unreliable and invalid. 

The subjective portion of the MacArthur test of salvation isn't fairing very well so far. We'll see how the remaining questions stand up in Part 3. 

Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abram was assured by God's word and this was accounted as righteousness. 

Testing The Test - Part 1

Does it come from the Bible or not?

Lordship Salvation(LS) theology is an over-zealous response to the nebulous concept of “Easy Believism.” For the most part, the average person who follows teachers of LS theology desires to glorify God and have lost people be truly, or rather “soundly” saved. The unintended result though is that a false and unsaving message is presented instead of the Gospel and the lost are encouraged to do many other things than put their faith simply in the Christ Who has died for our sins in accordance to the Scriptures, was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures and who was then seen alive in the flesh by many people over many days before He ascended to Heaven.

As if the result of lost people not being saved is not bad enough, truly saved people are given logical but invalid reasons to doubt their salvation. The message given instead of the Gospel is a call to discipleship and because discipleship is a life long process that will never comes to a perfect result in this life; there can never be true assurance of Salvation.

It is argued: All soundly saved Christians are Disciples. Being saved is invisible, but the works of Disciples are visible. Therefore, since all Christians are Disciples, if we test for the visible works of Disciples we’ll be able to test for the invisible Salvation. Therefore if one is able to fail a test of Discipleship they must have reason to doubt their Salvation. Discipleship is a process of growing. The more we grow the more accurately we see ourselves and so it is a process by which we become more and more aware of our shortcomings. Christ (and His sacrifice on the Cross) is magnified as we see more clearly both ourselves and Him. The LS theology proponent however would have us believe that Discipleship is a path of victory and triumph where our Salvation is confirmed by how good we become; If we are saved we will become good, if we are not saved we will continue doing evil works.

John MacArthur, a leading proponent of LS theology, offers a test to see if one is saved on his Grace To You website.   

I’m going to evaluate this test to determine if it is reliable and valid or not. In order for me to consider a test of one’s Salvation as valid it must meet all of the three following criteria:

1. Be in accordance with the Scriptures. If it does not explicitly come from the Scriptures then it is man’s wisdom and cannot be relied upon, and is therefore invalid.

2. Be passable by every single saved person, at every moment, in any situation. If it could give a false indication of an unsaved state to a person who actually is saved then the test is invalid.

3. Be impossible to pass for every single non-saved person, at every moment, in any situation. If it could give a false indication of salvation to an unsaved person then the test is invalid.

MacArthur’s website tells us that there are “two important tests in Scripture to determine whether or not he or she is a true believer.”

One objective, the other is subjective;

There is first of all an objective test, which asks, "Do I believe?" Ask yourself if you affirm the Scripture's record of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Do you believe that He is God manifest in the flesh? Do you believe that God saves sinners solely through the merits of Jesus Christ's obedient life and substitutionary death on the cross?

This first objective test is simply, do you believe the Gospel? The Gospel can be found explicitly stated in 1Cor 15:1-11. Although objective test above does not state the full Gospel the intent is recognizable. For the sake of argument I will concede that the intent is to believe that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures and was seen over many days to be alive by many witnesses. That this is the basis by which God saves sinners, and it directly provided for one’s own Salvation.

1. Does this explicitly come from the Scriptures? YES.
2. Can every saved person pass this test in every situation? YES.
3. Is it impossible for an unsaved person to pass this test? YES.

Three yeses mean this IS an accurate and valid test of the reality of one’s salvation, given that God is faithful to save all those who believe. The fact is that if God truly is faithful, if He is worthy of our trust then there is no further test required. Either His word on the matter is good enough or it is not.

However, assurance based on God’s faithfulness to do exactly what He says is not deemed as enough for assurance by the MacArthur website article. For it continues on now to talk about the believer’s performance, which of course is counter to the above test question - “Do you believe that God saves sinners solely through the merits of Jesus Christ’s obedient life and substitutionary death on the cross?” If that is the “sole” basis, then that is also the end of the test. Has that happened? Then the test is passed. Has that not happened? Then the test is failed. The results are clear and straight forward.

I will close Part 1 of this series with this very serious and I believe solemn statement. If a person is not assured of their salvation based on the faithfulness of God alone (that is to say that God saves those who believe in Him just as He has said) then they do not have saving faith. I do make allowance for the fact of saved people being led astray by false teachers after they have been saved. For example the Corinthians and Galatians were led astray after they were saved and went on to doubt the provision that they had originally received by believing the Gospel. So to state this plainly, if one has not received the Gospel, that Christ has provided for our salvation fully as our full, final and only hope, then they have not had saving faith.

To seek assurance of salvation outside of, or along side of, the provision of Christ and His just propitiation of God’s wrath is to call God a liar. 1Jn 5:10, Jn 3:33, Jn 1:29, Rom 3:21-26, 1Jn 2:2

We will pick up with the subjective tests that the MacArthur website suggests to readers in the next instalment of this series. 

Be Assured of Eternal Life

The Lord Jesus Christ offered this explicit assurance as recorded in Jn 6:47

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”

Before I offer how one may know they are indeed saved from the Wrath of God, and in fact possess Eternal Life I will briefly address a grave error which so easily entraps Believers.

Many have told us that in order to be sure of our actually having Eternal Life we ought to “examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith” and use passages such as 2Cor 13:5 as their support for such bold claims. Paul’s purpose there was not for the Corinthians to find assurance of their salvation by examining themselves, but to turn their questions on themselves. They had been examining Paul in challenge of his Apostleship, and Paul simply turns their actions back on them.

In an extreme perversion of the intent of 1Jn, many teach that you can use this epistle to examine yourself and determine if you are in deed saved. The passage used to justify their means is 1Jn 5:13. Let us look at this passage and examine it briefly.

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

“These things” were written to those who “believe in the name of the Son of God” – to saved people. To people the Apostle John knew were saved. He’s assuring them that they are in fact saved, not giving them a test to see IF they are saved.

If it were written for the purpose those who would trouble believers teach it would be “These things I have written to you who CLAIM to believe….” Or “These things I have written to those who would like to know IF they believe….” However, the Holy Spirit in pure wisdom had the Apostle John write to saved Christians to assure them of their salvation.

For an excellent, and so much more complete rebuttal of the abuse of 1Jn please check out the material linked from this article “Assurance of Salvation and 1^st John”

Finally, before I continue, one might say that faith can be seen by one's works and so the above arguments are valid. However, James the Brother of Jesus Christ calls such a claim foolishness in his Epistle to the Church.

In my book Fail-Safe for Fallacy, there is a whole chapter dedicated to the issue of assurance. This chapter is entitled “Concerning Converts” because I have so often witnessed the sad practice of giving converts supposed cause for concern. This chapter opens by quoting Lk 18:9-14 to show the folly of looking at one’s self for assurance of salvation. John Calvin addressed the very same error of looking for assurance from the wrong source in this way;

“When Paul lays down the cause of justification, he dwells chiefly on this point, that our consciences will never enjoy peace till they rely on the propitiation for sins.”

I will not reproduce the chapter of Fail-Safe for Fallacy here but the point made in it is this. Have you come to know that you are a sinner who will be judged for your sin and cast into the Lake of Fire (you may think of this as Hell) because you have not believed on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? Then you are near to grace! Have you come to realize this, and have believed on Him Who died in accordance with the Scriptures for your own sins, was buried and rose again to life on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures? Has God accepted this payment on your behalf? Has God reconciled you to Himself on this basis alone? If this is this your faith then you have "received the Gospel" and based on Paul's usage in 1Cor 15:1-11 I can say that you my dear beloved Brother or Sister in Christ have Eternal Life. What's more I can say this with absolute conviction simply by echoing the infallible words of the Lord Himself.

MOST ASSUREDLY I SAY TO YOU, HE WHO BELIEVES IN JESUS CHRIST HAS ETERNAL LIFE

Assurance of Salvation and 1st John

I've been reading and listening to "tests" of people's salvation based on 1st John for years... like many of you no doubt have. Right now I'm working on an article for On My Walk about these tests. However, recently Glenn of the Wisdom and Knowledge blog emailed me to say hi. Our short conversation has born great fruit!!! For I found a wonderful article about this trendy subject at a website linked from his blog.

Pastor Jeremy M. Thomas of Fredricksburg Bible Church has written a wonderful article about the assurance of our Salvation that the Apostle John offers in his 1st Epistle. You can read the full thing here.

The full article is most worthy of study, but here is a bit of what you'll read;

1Jn 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

The words these things have been taken as referring to many different sections of the epistle (1:1-5:12, 5:1-12; 5:6-12). A very popular view, and the way you have probably been taught, is to see these things as referring back to the entire contents of the epistle. Those who hold this view imagine that this one verse gives the entire purpose of John’s epistle. The reason they do this is because they are confused about what John’s argument is so they resort to comparing 1 John to John’s gospel to help them find the argument. When scholars do this they read the Gospel of John and fasten in on John 20:31 as the purpose of John’s gospel, “…these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” Then they say that John’s 1^st epistle is like John’s gospel in that the purpose of John’s first epistle is found at the end of 1 John in chapter 5:13. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” So, they use this supposed correlation of John putting his purpose at the end of his letters to stake their case for John’s entire purpose of 1^st John. And they interpret 5:13 to mean “I have written to you who CLAIM to BELIEVE”. Maybe you do believe maybe you don’t believe but these things are written “in order that you may find out if you really believe or not.” In other words the first epistle of John is full of “Tests for Salvation”. That is, tests to see whether you really have eternal life? And that’s what 1 John is supposedly all about. Are you really a believer? Do you really have eternal life? If you pass these tests then you are a true believer. If not your not really a believer. So, these people are saying that John’s intention was to write a letter to a mixed group of believers and unbelievers so they could find out by going through these tests if they were believers or not.