I recently read an account of a man named John Duncan (1796-1870). He was very active in reaching out to Jewish unbelievers. He was brilliant and could read at least twelve languages fluently (John Marshall, Banner of Truth 201, pp. 16-27).
Unfortunately, Duncan struggled with assurance of salvation. The fear paralyzed him, often bringing him to tears. A friend convinced him that assurance came by faith alone in Christ’s promise. For two years, Duncan experienced great joy because he knew he had eternal life. Reformed theology, however, caused him to lose that assurance. He began constantly examining his works to see if his fruit demonstrated that he had really believed. This often left him questioning his eternal salvation. He spiraled down into spiritual fear and depression, which lasted until his death. He died in that spiritual pit and even asked his colleagues to publish some words he had previously written, explaining that he did not know whether he was a child of God.
We have all probably met people who have experienced what Duncan experienced. I had a close relative who struggled with lack of assurance for eighty years. There were brief periods when she knew she had eternal life, but the joy she felt at those times was inevitably followed by long periods of spiritual depression.
GES gets letters and emails from people who have this problem. Often, they say they used to have assurance. They used to know they were saved. But now, they do not know. Like Duncan and my family member, they do not see the level of good works that they want to see. The lack of sufficient good works leads them to think they will spend eternity in the lake of fire. Like Duncan, they experience spiritual torture.
Are you like Duncan in this regard? Do you struggle with assurance and worry that you will spend eternity in the lake of fire because you see sins in your life? If you have ever known that you had eternal life—if you have ever at any time believed in Jesus for the life He promises—then you have it.
If you struggle with assurance of salvation, let me offer some suggestions. Read the Gospel of John, especially verses like John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; and 11:25-26. Ask the Spirit to allow the truths of the Lord’s words in these verses to take hold in your mind. I would also encourage you to hang around Free Grace people. Read their books. Join them in Bible studies on Zoom. If there is a Free Grace church in your area, attend it. Through these means, assurance of eternal life will be confirmed.
The torture that Duncan went through is inexcusable. His story is sad. We should reject the theology that caused him such pain. We should rebuke it whenever we get the chance. If you have been a believer for any period of time, you have surely seen people struggle with assurance. They may sit next to you in church. You may have family members who live in fear because of it. However much we hate the theology that robs believers of assurance of salvation, we do not hate it enough.
