Chapter 18 – Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation

Chapter 18, Paragraph I

The Reality and Possibility of True Assurance

Summary

This first paragraph distinguishes between false assurance and true assurance. Many, the Confession warns, deceive themselves with vain hopes—hypocrites and unregenerate men who imagine themselves to be in God’s favor because of outward religion or emotional confidence. Their hope is built on presumption, not on Christ, and will perish in the end.

Yet true believers—those who trust in Christ, love Him sincerely, and walk before Him in good conscience—may, even in this life, attain a certain assurance that they are in a state of grace. They may know, not merely hope, that they belong to God. Such assurance is not arrogance, but gratitude; not self-confidence, but faith in the promises of God. It produces joy, not pride—“rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God,” a hope that shall never make them ashamed.

Thus, the Confession comforts the believer while warning the self-deceived. Assurance is not presumed; it is pursued. The hypocrite’s confidence will collapse, but the Christian’s hope will endure, for it is grounded in Christ alone.

Historical Context

The Westminster Divines wrote amid two competing dangers: presumption and despair. Against the Antinomians, who mistook empty confidence for faith, they taught that not all who claim assurance possess salvation. Against the Roman Catholic Church, which called assurance a sinful presumption, they insisted that believers can have real and certain knowledge of salvation.

Puritan pastors saw many tender souls tormented by doubt. They wrote this section to provide both caution and comfort—to strip away false confidence and strengthen genuine faith. As Thomas Brooks wrote in Heaven on Earth, “Assurance is the beauty and apex of faith; it is not of the essence of faith, yet the flower of it.”

Key Biblical References

Matthew 7:21–23 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”
1 John 2:3–5 – “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.”
Romans 5:1–5 – “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God… hope does not put us to shame.”
2 Timothy 4:8 – “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 18, paragraph I teaches that while false confidence perishes, true assurance flourishes. Hypocrites trust in themselves; believers trust in Christ. The one builds upon sand; the other upon the Rock. True assurance is both possible and desirable—it steadies the heart in trial and fills it with joy in Christ. The saint may therefore live not in fear, but in faith, saying with Paul, “I know whom I have believed.”

Chapter 18, Paragraph II

The Grounds of True Assurance

Summary

This paragraph explains the foundation of true assurance. It is not a “bare conjectural” or “probable persuasion” based on emotion or human reasoning, but an infallible assurance rooted in three unshakable pillars:

The divine truth of God’s promises — Assurance rests on Scripture’s objective certainty. God’s promises of salvation in Christ cannot lie, and faith clings to them.
The inward evidence of grace — The believer sees the Spirit’s work within—the love of God, the hatred of sin, the pursuit of holiness—and recognizes these as fruits of regeneration.
The testimony of the Holy Spirit — The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, sealing believers for the day of redemption.

This assurance is both objective and experiential. It is founded upon the Word, confirmed by the fruit of faith, and sealed by the Spirit. It is not mere sentiment, but the settled conviction that God’s promise is true, His work is real, and His Spirit dwells within.

Historical Context

Here the Divines again opposed Roman Catholicism, which held that no one could be sure of salvation apart from extraordinary revelation, and Rationalist moralism, which grounded assurance in self-evaluation. Instead, the Reformed faith located assurance in the triune work of redemption: the Father’s promise, the Spirit’s witness, and the Son’s merit.

This threefold ground of assurance became a hallmark of Puritan piety—objective truth, subjective evidence, and the Spirit’s inward confirmation. Richard Sibbes beautifully summarized it: “The Spirit first persuades us of the truth, then persuades us that it is ours.”

Key Biblical References

2 Corinthians 1:20–22 – “All the promises of God find their Yes in Him… and has put His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
Romans 8:15–16 – “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
2 Peter 1:4–10 – “Make your calling and election sure.”
Ephesians 1:13–14 – “You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, the guarantee of our inheritance.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 18, paragraph II teaches that true assurance is both divine in origin and secure in foundation. It does not rest upon the shifting sands of emotion but upon the sure Word of promise, the observable fruit of grace, and the inward witness of the Spirit. It is God’s own testimony within the believer, echoing the truth of His Word without. Such assurance is not arrogance—it is worship, for it magnifies the trustworthiness of the God who saves.

Chapter 18, Paragraph III

The Attainment and Fruit of Assurance

Summary

This paragraph acknowledges that assurance, though possible, is not always immediate. It does not belong to the essence of faith but to its maturity. A true believer may wrestle long with fear, doubt, or spiritual darkness before obtaining settled assurance. Yet, by the Spirit’s help and the diligent use of the means of grace—the Word, prayer, the sacraments, and self-examination—he may, in due time, attain it without need of special revelation.

Assurance is both a duty and a privilege. Believers are exhorted to “make their calling and election sure,” not by anxious speculation, but by faithful obedience and the pursuit of holiness. When assurance is gained, it enlarges the soul in joy, peace, love, and thankfulness to God, and strengthens obedience with cheerfulness. Far from leading to laziness or presumption, true assurance fuels holiness—it produces zeal for service, humility in worship, and courage in trial.

Thus, assurance is not the enemy of diligence, but its companion. The more certain the believer is of God’s favor, the more eager he becomes to please the One who loves him.

Historical Context

The Westminster Divines carefully walked between two errors: Antinomian complacency, which turned assurance into license, and Legalistic fear, which made assurance impossible. Their pastoral vision was to show that assurance grows through ordinary faithfulness. It is not given through mystical experiences but through persevering in the means of grace.

They drew deeply from Puritan spirituality, which saw assurance as both the reward of obedience and the fuel for more. Thomas Goodwin wrote, “Faith purifies the heart, and assurance enlarges it.” The Divines saw this enlargement of heart—the joyful obedience of a confident child—as the proper fruit of knowing one’s salvation.

Key Biblical References

2 Peter 1:10–11 – “Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.”
Isaiah 32:17 – “The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result… quietness and trust forever.”
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.”
Hebrews 6:11–12 – “Show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 18, paragraph III presents assurance as both gift and growth. It comes through faith, flourishes through obedience, and yields joy and holiness. The believer who knows he is loved will serve gladly; the child who feels secure will obey joyfully. Far from dulling devotion, assurance sharpens it. The more deeply one rests in grace, the more earnestly one lives for the glory of God.

Chapter 18, Paragraph IV

The Loss and Recovery of Assurance

Summary

This final paragraph acknowledges that even true believers may have their assurance shaken, diminished, or interrupted. Through negligence, grievous sin, severe temptation, or the withdrawal of God’s felt presence, they may lose the comfort of certainty and walk for a time in darkness. The Confession here speaks tenderly to the believer’s experience: faith may live while assurance dies.

Yet even in the darkest hour, the seed of God remains within. The Spirit’s indwelling cannot be extinguished; faith, though faint, still breathes. Love for Christ and His people, sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty remain as embers under the ashes. These graces, preserved by the Spirit, will in due time rekindle assurance. The believer may lose the light of God’s countenance, but not the life of God’s grace. He may feel forsaken, but he is not forgotten.

Through repentance, renewed obedience, and the comfort of the Word, assurance revives. God disciplines, but He does not discard. The same Spirit who first granted peace restores it again, sustaining the saint from utter despair and leading him once more to joy in salvation.

Historical Context

The Divines knew firsthand the ebb and flow of spiritual assurance. Many Puritan diaries record “the dark night of the soul”—periods when believers felt abandoned by God. Yet they taught that such trials are part of the divine design: to humble the proud, refine faith, and teach dependence upon grace.

They opposed both Arminian fear, which made assurance conditional upon one’s performance, and Mystical enthusiasm, which sought new revelations for comfort. Assurance lost can be recovered, not by visions or emotion, but by returning to the ordinary means of grace and trusting the promises of God anew.

Key Biblical References

Psalm 51:12 – “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”
Isaiah 50:10 – “Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord.”
Luke 22:32 – “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.”
Micah 7:8–9 – “When I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”
Hebrews 12:10–11 – “He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 18, paragraph IV closes the doctrine of assurance with realism and hope. The believer’s joy may fade, but his salvation cannot fail. The light of assurance may flicker, but the flame of faith endures. God may hide His face, but He never removes His hand.

Assurance, once lost, can be found again through repentance and renewed faith. The Shepherd who restores the soul also restores the confidence of His sheep. Though believers may walk through darkness, the dawn will return, for the covenant stands firm. The same God who gives assurance preserves it—and when it falters, He rekindles it.

The final word of this chapter, as of all grace, is comfort: “He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, till He brings forth judgment unto victory.”