A friend, HB, sent an exchange he had with someone online about Calvin’s famous saying. Here is what HB’s interlocutor wrote:
“Assurance is of the essence” for the Reformers meant knowing that Jesus died “for me.”
It was not being assured of one’s own eternal security. Zane Hodges took that Reformation term and gave his own unique meaning to it. It creates confusion, I think. Using common terms, sounding mainstream, but having cryptic meaning behind it.
See this article by Zane Hodges about assurance being of the essence of saving faith.
There is a major problem with saying that for the Reformers, assurance is of the essence meant that they knew Christ died for them personally, but not that they knew they were eternally secure.
An Arminian could believe one but not the other. A Calvinist could not. For the Calvinist, those two truths are inseparable.
According to the third point of Calvinism, the L in TULIP, Christ died only for the elect. This is called Limited Atonement or Particular Redemption.
According to Calvinism, if Christ died for you, then you are elect, you will persevere, and you are eternally secure. It is impossible, according to Calvinism, for someone for whom Christ died to be eternally condemned.
So the Reformers were saying that when someone believes in Christ, he is assured that Christ died for him and that he is eternally secure.
How do we know that assurance is of the essence of saving faith? We know this is true because that is what the Lord and His apostles taught. We do not prove any doctrine by quoting Calvin, Hodges, or anyone other than God Himself in His Word.
Check out the question the Lord Jesus asked Martha: “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26b). The this was Jesus’ promise that whoever believes in Him will never die spiritually (John 11:26a). Martha’s response indicated that she was convinced Jesus’ promise was true; she was convinced that she would never die spiritually. You can’t believe John 3:16 and at the same time think you might be eternally condemned. If you believe John 3:16, you know you will never perish and that you have everlasting life right now.
Was Hodges misguided in citing Calvin’s famous quote? I don’t think so. His point was that he stood in a long tradition of people who believe that assurance is of the essence of saving faith. Of course, that long tradition goes back to Adam and Eve, as suggested by Gen 3:15, and Abraham, as suggested by Gen 15:6. But Hodges used Scripture to show that the saying is true. He did not use experience or human reasoning or Calvin to prove it.
Keep grace in focus and you will remain certain that you have everlasting life that can never be lost.
