Title: Full Assurance of Understanding
Text: Col 2: 2
Date: November 23, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
There are
believers who God has truly saved who do not realize they have assurance that
God has truly saved them. But according to the scriptures, believers can and
should know the assurance of our salvation.
Job did.
He said, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for
myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be
consumed within me.” (Job 19: 25-27) Paul had assurance. He said, “I know whom
I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim 1: 12) John had assurance and,
like Paul, John wanted other believers to have it. John said, “These things
have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may
know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son
of God.” (1 Jn 5: 13)
One of
the main problems of the believer who does not have assurance is where they
look for assurance. We make a mistake if we look to a past experience, to our religious
works such as baptism, church membership, church attendance and so on, even if
we look for fruit and love toward others in ourselves. We may see fruit and
love in our brethren toward us, which the apostle John speaks of. But if we
look to ourselves for assurance, we find disappointment. Scripture says we
indeed should seek assurance. But we will never have it if we seek assurance
any place but where assurance is to be found.
Three are three scriptures which speak of “full
assurance.” Over the course of three
messages, we
will use these three scriptures where the word of God speaks of full assurance.
We will look at these in no particular order.
These come together to us and they grow together. But these three scriptures which speak of full
assurance, tell us plainly that assurance is found in God our Savior, Jesus
Christ, through his word.
Today,
we begin with the “Full Assurance of Understanding.”
Colossians 2: 1: For I would that
ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for
as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 2: That their hearts might be
comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full
assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and
of the Father, and of Christ;
THROUGH THE GOSPEL
Where
is the full assurance of understanding to be found? It is in the mystery—the
gospel—of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. Paul said I want you to have the
full assurance of understanding of the gospel of God, of the Father and of
Christ, his Son.
Earlier
in chapter 1, Paul said that Christ shall present us holy to the Father, “If ye
continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from
the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to
every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.” (Col
1: 23)
The
full assurance of understanding comes through the preaching of the gospel—“which
ye have heard and which was preached,…whereof I Paul am made a minister.” This
was Paul’s labor and conflict for them, for them to hear and understand the
truth of the gospel. He wanted them to have this assurance because the full
assurance of understanding will make you grounded and settled, makes you so you
cannot be moved away from the hope of the gospel.
So
first, if we will seek this assurance of understanding we must hear the
preaching of the gospel. We must hear, not just any preaching, but the
preaching of the word of God in truth and in spirit. We will never have assurance of understanding
if we are listening to preaching which teaches us to look to us. The message we need to hear is the message
which declares the works are all accomplished by God the Father in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Most
people who do not have the assurance of understanding are always speaking of
how they do not have assurance. Yet,
they are continually missing the service where the gospel is preached
consistently in truth and spirit. We are
not to come to the church service, looking to our attendance for assurance, but
we must come to hear Christ teach us in spirit and in truth.
Also,
we are not to come skeptical or with a haughty spirit as if we already know everything
there is to know about God and his salvation in Christ. We are to come as little children, as a blank
slate, willing to be taught of God in truth and in spirit.
THROUGH THE REVELATION OF GOD
Then
notice, the gospel is called a mystery because God hid it for ages and from generations
of the wise and prudent, but now reveals the gospel unto babes, to those God
has called and sanctified, who are his saints, “Even the mystery which
hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his
saints: 27: To whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles.”
(Col 1: 26-27)
Remember, what Christ said? He said when John the Baptist came preaching
the gospel the religious folks of the day considered John too odd to
listen. When Christ came they found
fault in Christ and would not listen to Christ.
“We’ve piped,” Christ said, “And you will not dance. We’ve mourned and
you will not mourn.” (Lu 7: 32) And
Christ thanked God that God had hidden the message from those who were wise and
prudent and revealed the gospel unto babes. (Lu 10: 21)
Sinner, come to God like a baby. Come, open and ready to hear and receive the
word of God. He will have to make you to
come that way. But come honest, as one
who does not know and desires to know the truth from God. If we would have true assurance of
understanding then we must come to God who alone reveals it. So if we will seek
the full assurance of understanding, we will have to seek it from God, asking
God to reveal the gospel in our hearts.
THROUGH CHRIST
HIMSELF
Also, notice this, the hope of the gospel is not a what,
it is a whom, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning
every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man
perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his
working, which worketh in me mightily.” (Col 1: 27-29) The full assurance of
understanding is knowing Christ himself from Christ himself, “In whom are hid
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2: 3) The highest wisdom and
knowledge that we can obtain is by knowing Christ, whom to know is life
eternal. (Jn 17: 3)
This is why I say that
there are believers who have assurance but do not realize they have
assurance. Every believer has Christ for
our assurance. The problem is that some
believers are yet looking for assurance and think they will find assurance
elsewhere. But Christ is our Assurance.
Paul tells us why he wants
us to understand that Christ is Assurance of understanding. He says, “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing
words.” (Col 2: 4) There are preachers who appeal to mans’ flesh. Their message, methods, programs and
delivery, in every way is much more enticing to our flesh than anything God’s
preacher says. We are preaching to the inner man; we are speaking of Christ
himself.
Paul said, “For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I
with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness
of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in him:” (Col 2: 5-6) False
religion will claim to try to bring you to Christ but then they say the way to
get more understanding and to learn to walk in this life we must move on beyond
Christ. Not so! When God reveals Christ
in our heart, we do not begin in Christ then turn elsewhere for understanding. We
go on walking in Christ, getting all wisdom and knowledge from Christ himself
about Christ himself.
Paul says, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in
the faith, [in Christ himself] as ye have been taught, abounding therein [in
Christ himself] with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily.” (Col 2: 7-9) It is vain to turn to men’s philosophy, and
deceit and traditions and to the laws of the old covenant world. Everything God
will reveal to us concerning God, our salvation and our pilgrimage in this
world is to found in Christ bodily, in his person.
So if we would have full assurance of understanding we
must hear the gospel, we come to God for revelation, we come to Christ himself and
stay at his feet.
THROUGH CHRIST’S
WORKS
This full assurance of understanding is to hear Christ
teach us in the gospel what he has accomplished for us. The first thing we
learn about Christ’s work and what Christ has accomplished for his people is
this, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and
power.” (Col 2: 10) We have full assurance when we understand that we are
complete in Christ.
He goes on to teach us how Christ accomplished our
completion. Realize that Paul is
speaking to believers—to those chosen, redeemed and regenerated by the triune
God in Christ Jesus. So he is saying
this is how the sins of God’s elect was put away.
One, we have full assurance when we understand that the body
of the sins of our flesh has been put off by Christ, not by our hands, “In whom
also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.” (Col 2:
11) This is what we hear and hear repeated and continually learn and
continually learn more of through the gospel, by divine revelation from God, in
Christ who accomplished it. We learn more fully how that Christ put away the
sins of his people himself.
Two, we have full assurance when we understand that
Christ accomplished this for us when our old man was buried in the baptism of God’s
justice unto death when Christ endured that baptism on the cross, “Buried with
him in baptism.” (Col 2: 12)
Three, we have full assurance when we understand our new
man arose to eternal life with Christ when God raised him from the dead, “wherein
also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead.” (Col 2: 12)
Four, we
have full assurance when we understand that while we were dead in our sins, God
quickened us together with Christ, forgave us of all our trespasses, erased
every charge against us, and took the law out of the way from barring our
access to God, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” (Col 2:
13)
Believer,
to have the full assurance of understanding I do not look to myself or listen
to men who point me to the law, but through hearing the truth preached in the
gospel by Christ through his preacher. It is by going to Christ who is God, asking
Christ, looking to Christ, and walking in Christ and believing Christ. I
believe Christ himself, resting when he declares to me I am complete by what he
has done for me, not by what I have done.
This
full assurance of understanding will make me rooted, established, settled and
built up in Christ alone! By the term “assurance of understanding”, Paul means
that we believe THE gospel, that this is not merely one opinion among many. When
we know and believe the Lord Jesus we are done wavering between the various
opinions of man’s vain imaginations. We stand fast with a firm and constant
persuasion of the truth as it is in the Lord Jesus. Apostle John said, “And we
know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we
may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his
Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (1Jo 5:20)
THE VERB USE
Let me give you a few scriptures where the same word
“full assurance of understanding” is used as a verb. Luke began his gospel
saying, “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most
surely believed among us,..” (Lu 1: 1) To have the “full assurance of
understanding” is to “most surely believe” the declaration of the gospel according
to the scriptures, the same doctrine believed and declared by all God’s
witnesses throughout the scriptures.
Here is
another place the same word is used as a verb. Concerning God’s promise to
Abraham, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was
strong in faith, giving glory to God; being fully persuaded that, what
he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Rom 4: 20) To have “full
assurance of understanding” is to “be fully persuaded” that what God has
promised, God is able also to perform.
My point is this. It is not assurance in our
understanding. If we seek assurance in how much we know we will be miserable;
we see through a glass dimly. Assurance
of understanding is knowing God in Christ Jesus, knowing him as he is revealed
in the scriptures and being fully persuaded that what God has promised he was and
is able to perform. It is being fully
persuaded that we are complete in him. Paul
said, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2Ti 1:12)
A WORD OF CAUTION
Yet, we who believe, must remember that a
believer can be saved, truly given faith by God, have Christ, the same Assurance
we have, but not feel this assurance in their own hearts. Let me illustrate this.
About a week ago, window washers were eight
stories from the top of the new World Trade Center—from the top. The platform on which they stood as they were
washing the windows was hanging by chains. The brake gave way and that platform
turned up on its end. So those men were
hanging over a thousand feet up on this platform they thought might give way at
any time.
First, the fire department secured the
platform with their cables. Whey they secured the platform, it was secure. But do
you think those fellows felt full assurance? Still, their feeling was not their
assurance. Those new cables was their assurance. Those men were assured whether
they felt it or not.
Secondly, the fire fighters cut a hole
through the window, attached safety harnesses around each man. Right then, they
were secure. But do you suppose they
felt full assurance? Still, their
feelings were not their assurance; those new cables were. They were assured
whether they felt it or not.
I guarantee you those men did not have full
assurance until they were standing inside that building. Yet, they were assured of salvation even when
they did not feel assurance.
Here is the point. God has chosen his child, Christ
has redeemed them and when the Holy Spirit has quickened and called them to
faith in Christ, it is certain that you are kept by the power of God. A
believer may not have assurance in our heart because we are looking in the
wrong place, trying to find a feeling of assurance in our heart. But though we
do not feel the assurance, it does not change the truth because our Assurance
is Christ. That is what I mean when I
say that a person can be saved by God and not be aware of full assurance in his
heart; our actual Assurance is not of us, it is God who does the saving. Christ
is the believers Assurance. Whether we feel it or not, if we have Christ then
we have full Assurance.
Amen!