Restatement of the Doctrinal Statement of Clear Gospel Ministries

(Article VIII, Soteriology, Section 10)

Assurance We believe it is the privilege, not only of some, but of all who are begotten again by the Spirit through faith in Christ as revealed in the Scriptures, to be assured of their salvation from the very day they take Him to be their Savior, and that this assurance is not founded upon any fancied discovery of their own worthiness or fitness, nor hopeful self-reflection that they are "persevering" in faith, godliness or good works sufficient to "confirm" their salvation. Rather, assurance is wholly based upon the testimony of God in His written Word to whosoever believes (Luke 10:20; John 5:24; 6:47; 1st John 5:9-13; 2nd Timothy 1:12; Heb. 10:22). Accordingly, we deny that lack of commitment, lack of appreciation or other emotions, or lack of "fruit" constitutes proof that someone was "never really saved."

We believe that the numerous admonitions in Scripture for Christians to live a holy and godly lifestyle would be pointless if such changes were, within this lifetime, the automatic consequences of saving faith. We affirm that a life marked by holiness, godliness and good works can, and should follow regeneration, though not necessary to a firm assurance of eternal life (Luke 22:31-32; Ephesians 2:10; Titus 3:8). The ungrateful lepers remained cleansed in spite of their ungratefulness (Luke 17:11-19).

(a) Assurance and the Perseverance of the Saints Perseverance of the saints is defined herein as a doctrine taught within the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, Part 1 of the Second Part, Treatise on Grace, Questions 109-114; Early American Puritanism, and other sects, particularly within modern Reformed Theology. The false doctrine of perseverance holds, as its fundamental axioms:

1. That genuine believers will, in this lifetime, irresistibly and without exception, experience a visible and enduring fruit of faith and good works.

2. Therefore, serious or habitual sin would constitute proof that true conversion was never experienced -- that the person was "never really saved."

3. Since at any moment anyone may backslide into serious or habitual sin, thereby "proving" that he was "never really saved", no one can be absolutely sure that they are saved.

4. Assurance of one's salvation therefore is not derived from one's certainty of his faith in Christ, but circumstantially from evidence of one's changed life. Assurance can never be absolute.

In view of the foregoing statements related to assurance, we believe that the doctrine of the "perseverance of the saints" is fundamentally incompatible with the doctrine of assurance, and therefore constitutes a denial of the doctrine of assurance.

We believe that sincere attempts to reconcile carnality with perseverance, by statements like, "the believer may fall away for a time, but the true believer will always return," imply that the carnal Christian is impervious to death when engaging in sin, the very opposite thing as taught in Scripture. As such, we believe the logical conclusion of the doctrine of "perseverance" is an invitation to carnality.

We believe that, when taken to its logical conclusion, perseverance of the saints is a form of justification by works, offering a forensic declaration that someone is truly saved only after a life of good works has preceded that declaration. We believe that this errant view of sanctification and assurance is often predicated on an errant view of the meaning and operation of "grace."

(b) Assurance and the False Profession of Faith We affirm that there is such a thing as a false profession of faith.

i) The Doctrinally Aberrant We believe that men are unsaved who make a sincere, but misguided profession of faith. We believe that salvation is not bestowed simply on those who invoke the name of "Jesus" without a rudimentary understanding of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2 nd Corinthians 11:3-4). A man must "know"-- John 4:10, "grasp"-- 1 st Corinthians 15:2 or otherwise understand the person and work of Christ before they can believe on Him.

ii) The Almost Persuaded We believe that men are unsaved who evaluate and understand the gospel, but remain un-persuaded, refusing to receive it unto themselves as the basis of their eternal hope (Acts 26:27-28).

iii) Reprobation and Deception. We believe that there exists a class of persons known by various names including "reprobate," "sociopath," "the wicked," "narcissists," and "character disordered," who, in varying degrees of reprobation, regard truth as a mercurial commodity for advancing their selfish pursuits, personal gain, self aggrandizement, or appetites. We cite, for example, Herod, who professed interest in the worship of the Christ for the purpose of slaughtering the innocents (Matthew 2:8) We believe that such a profession is so transparently worthless as to not merit refutation.

iv) Reprobation, Self Deception, and Self Examination We believe that when someone lives a life of lies, wherein truth is not weighted on the intrinsic merit of a proposition, but only as a mercurial commodity for advancing one's self interests, that such a person become progressively hardened to the truth, and increasingly susceptible to self deception. We acknowledge however that every fallen descendent of Adam has some capacity for self deception and denial (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:18; 1 st John 1:6-8; James 1:22-25; 2 nd Thessalonians 2:10-12; 2 nd Peter 3:5-6). Accordingly, we believe that Scripture admonishes professing Christians to examine themselves to evaluate whether their profession of faith is genuine, or whether they are a self deceived reprobate (2 nd Corinthians 13:5). We believe that some professions of faith, though initially motivated by deception or self-deception for personal gain, such as prison parole, social approbation, employment, familial harmony, or romantic interests, may eventually grow into valid saving faith in spite of the insincere origin of the initial profession.

1. We deny that Paul's admonition for self-examination (2 nd Corinthians 13:5) is ground for denial of assurance. We believe that a deceiver, as well as one who is self-deceived, has, by the very nature of deception, never been truly concerned about their own personal salvation through Christ. One cannot lack assurance of their salvation in Christ when they have never actually been concerned about their salvation in Christ.

2. We believe that those of genuine faith and delicate conscience, who are inclined to compulsively question the genuineness of their own faith, demonstrate an inner dialogue that is simply not present in reprobates or sociopaths. Because assurance is a birthright of every Christian, we believe it is the duty of a pastor to know the condition of his flock, to identify brethren of sensitive conscience, and, having confirmed their true testimony of faith in Christ, to affirm and validate them, and to build within them a firm and solid assurance of their salvation.

3. We believe that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Accordingly, we believe that the most effective way for a pastor to address concerns about false professions within his flock is to proclaim the gospel message clearly and often. The regular celebration of the Lord's Supper is an excellent opportunity for this. Hymns that actually talk about the blood of the lamb, rather than some personal experience or emotion of the congregant, are also excellent opportunities for cultivating, imparting, or reinforcing genuine faith.