Introduction - The Firm Decree of Election⤒🔗

We speak of ‘election and assurance’. With the word ‘election” we refer in this article to God’s eternal decree of choosing unto everlasting life. This decision in itself is certain; beyond doubt. That is our heartfelt confession.  But we are people who do change; this way one day, that the next. Whoever therefore contributes election to man so to say (as indeed the Remonstrants do), will never be able to speak of the certain decree of election. But the church of the Reformation has made confession of God, of His immutable nature, especially as it features in His eternal, electing love. Thus the Belgic Confession in Art 16 speaks of God’s mercy over ‘those whom He in His eternal and unchangeable council has elected' and the Canons of Dort in Ch I Art 7 speaks of the ‘unchangeable purpose of God’, whereby He from before the foundations of the world has chosen unto everlasting life a ‘definite number of specific people’.

Election is divine and therefore absolutely beyond doubt! But, is this certainty for us who are insignificant and feeble people not fearsome, like a rock formation in the mountains menacingly towering above a finite human being? He feels ill at ease and insignificant. Is the monolythic immovability of God’s election decree not a threat to the certainty of our salvation? We will endeavour to interact with this question. In doing so we seek to be taught especially by the Canons of Dort.

Firstly then a word or two about the certainty of our faith. Then we will pay attention to the ‘yes but...’ which threatens this certainty. In the paragraph following, we will give regard to the line taken in the defence of the Canons of Dort and to the way of faith and in conclusion we will see that the ‘fruits of election’ mentioned in the Canons of Dort are in fact the fruits of the Spirit.

Faith is Certainty←⤒🔗

Faith is not without its battles and the believer does at times doubt, but in its very essence, faith is certainty. For it clings to God’s Word, to the promise of grace. Thus the Heidelberg Catechism in answer 21 speaks of faith as a ‘sure knowledge and a firm confidence’. Faith has the character of ‘amen’ , refer the close of the Catechism in Answer 129: ’It is true and certain’. That amen of faith is worked within the congregation by the Lord (2Cor 1:20). He calls Himself “the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness” (Rev 3:14). He stands by His Word. Faith, which reaches for Him and seeks all in Him, builds on this certainty.

That’s true enough the reader may think, but is this certainty of the faith not overshadowed by that eternal election decree, which is as hard and fast as granite is? Does the firmness of that decree not annihilate the certainty of faith? This lands us right in the middle of the often fearful questions posed concerning the relationship between election and our assurance. Does the unchangeable nature of election not consume the certainty of faith? We can formulate that in another way and we then think of how especially under those of Reformed persuasion the assurance of faith waned under the shadow of the assurance of election (or rather: what was taken to be such!): Is the reformed confession about election not to blame for the worm gnawing at the root of the assurance of faith? The root of “yes but … ”.

The “Yes but …” of Reformed Subjectivism←⤒🔗

Subjectivism – a difficult term. In the context of what we are talking about it means that man, as the subject of faith looks for the certainty of faith in himself, the subject of faith instead of in Christ, the Amen. That kind of subjectivism did indeed find broad acceptance among many reformed adherents in the age of so called pietism, which mushroomed in the 17^th century and since then has remained a fixture in the reformed world. The thinking usually goes as follows: ”Undoubtedly it is true that faith finds its certainty in God’s promise. But (and here is the “yes but ….”) the question is: Is that promise a promise for me personally, for the real true promise of forgiveness of sin and eternal blessedness surely is only for the elect? So firstly I need to be certain of my eternal election before I can be sure about God’s promise in Christ, to me personally. How do I become certain that indeed I am the addressee of that promise? I mean: how do I become assured that I am chosen? The answer surely is when I can see the marks of God’s election in my life. On basis of these marks I am sure of my election and thus of God’s personally addressed promise and so I may in faith cling to this.”

So the order in the walk of a child of God is as follows: marks of ones election - recognition of these marks - God’s promise - appropriation of the promise.  Here now is the source of the uncertainty! How do I know that the marks, which I observe in myself are reliable? This is a question, to which we will never find a definitive answer, for hereby the one who searches for certainty, surges ahead of faith and thereby excludes faith. For that reason this scheme presents us with a hard teaching, a certain election fatalism, which robs troubled souls of every shred of comfort. They can try to take the edge off, for instance by placing beside the salvation promise (which is for the elect alone), some general offer of grace, which is introduced when people first encounter the preaching of the gospel. But the big question remains: Does God really address me with the full actual salvation promise? And that brings us right back to the scheme reflected above. Here, faith is part of a system which breaks the certainty of faith by the ever recurring “yes but...”

“But”, the reader may say “is this not what the Canons of Dort teach us in Art 12 of Ch I, which deals with divine election and reprobation? After all it says that the elect are assured of their eternal and unchangeable election when they observe in themselves the fruits of their election! Granted: the first fruit mentioned is true faith in Christ, but that does not take away from the fact that this is a first in a series of marks from which is derived a certain knowledge of one’s personal election, does it? Is that perhaps why the Canons of Dort here speak with so little certainty concerning the assurance of election? Don’t they say that this certainty is not equally strong in, or given in equal measure to everyone?”

I propose that we look at these questions following the main line of thought taken by the Canons of Dort.

The Line of Thought taken by the Canons of Dort and the Way of Faith←⤒🔗

It is often said that Ch I, Art 12 of the Canons of Dort per definition is the document of marks-based preaching, so typical of reformed pietism. If we severed the paragraph related above from the rest of Ch I, we could indeed come to that conclusion (although you’d still be stuck with the unusual fact that true faith in Christ is listed as the very first fruit of election). In my opinion the biggest issue is that the course of defence is done an injustice by those who say: “This here is pietistic marks-based preaching, and the resulting doubts crowd out the blessed assurance of faith in the Canons to which the 16^th century reformers so powerfully testified”. For, what is the main thought of Ch I of the Canons of Dort?:

To a world lost in guilt (Art 1), God sent His Son, so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life (Art 2). For that reason God has the good news preached in whichever way He pleases (Art 3). That is the promise of the gospel, elaborated upon by Ch II Art 5. Whoever does not believe as Ch I continues, remains in his guilt. But whoever in faith embraces this Saviour will be saved and receives eternal life (art 4). That faith is a gift of grace and not (as taught by the Remonstrants) a human and meriting work before God (Art 5). Note well, thus far not a word about election! Simply guilt and condemnation, and over against that, the glad tidings of grace, eternal life and the call to contrition and faith!

Here there is every bit of assurance (compare John 17:3). That is why where it comes to the perseverance of saints, these self-same Canons in Ch V speak at length about the assurance of Faith in God’s promises, so richly revealed in His Word for our comfort (refer Ch V Art 9 and 10). This is then at the same time directed against the Remonstrants, who could not accept the perseverance of Saints because they made it into a human achievement (compare Canons of Dort Ch V Rejection of Errors paragraph 5). So this knowledge is faith-knowledge and has as hallmark the assurance about which we spoke earlier. However, we need at the same time to have an eye for the fact that this knowledge is part and parcel of a living relationship with the Lord and thereby is subject to growth and increase. We are to be on guard against stagnation and decline.

As the Remonstrants attributed perseverance to man, and thereby could give no assurance, so it was with their teaching concerning election. God’s election was based on human faith (foreseen by God). Even as man is subject to change, so God of necessity is too where it comes to His election decree.

That is what the Canons of Dort militate against when they in Art 6 and 7 of Ch I speak of unchangeable election, expressed through faith, which is an all-out gift! This then is the context in which the Canons of Dort confess the certainty of election after first having spoken about faith. They state that faith is purely a gift. Thereby you may observe in that faith the fruit of God’s electing love. One need not climb up to heaven so to say, in order to experience a personal knowledge of this electing love. We must understand that when we in faith flee to Christ, we actually are brought to Christ, like He Himself said: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws Him” (John 6:44). These words do not deliver us over to uncertainty, but they do teach us to lay aside the pride of haughty man, bringing us to humility and thanksgiving, also for faith itself: the gift of electing love!

And then there are so many more gifts in our lives, which cause us to notice with wonderment the power of election. The Canons by way of example identify these as a childlike reverence for God, sadness over sin, a hunger and thirst for righteousness. They do that, not in order to make us trust in certain marks instead of in the promise of the gospel, but they want us to see that we through faith may know the electing God to be close to us. Election is not some lifeless decree, securely stored in some heavenly vault! It is God who is at work in my life. He whom I know from His Word, I also know in my way of life. It is faith-experience whereby we in Christ know the Father, the way He works in us by his Spirit. The Son makes us know the Father, the Father works in the Son through the Spirit. In this way God leads each and every one of His children on a unique road. With much feeling do the Canons speak about “each in his own time” and “in various stages and in different measure”. The Holy Spirit forms a path for each of God’s children, leading to where we are assured of eternal love. But it is and forever will be the path of faith!

Fruits of Electing Love – Fruits of the Spirit←⤒🔗

The Canons in Ch I Art 12 expressly speak in plural of the “unfailing fruits of election”. The apostle Paul in Gal 5:22 speaks of the “fruit of the Spirit”- singular. In that we surely may recognise the unity of the work of the Spirit in the life of God’s chosen. That is why the main point of Art 12 is the certainty of the electing love of God! Even as God the Father has loved us and the Son has redeemed us, so the Spirit works the miracle of God’s love out in our lives: We are allowed to know the triune God in the richness of His work of salvation – right up close!

But the singular nature of the fruit of the Spirit manifests itself in the manifold fruits of a God-pleasing life. That is plural! And so Paul sums them up: “love, joy peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22). The one singular work of the Spirit becomes evident in the many “good works” of the believers. That makes the assurance of election more and more certain: The more you see the Lord at work in your life, the more you learn to understand the intention of His heart. Faith enters the communion of the triune God by way of the gate of promise and celebrates in the full certainty of the election the feast of this communion. But clearly we have here a case of “bit by bit”. The certainty of election is inseparably linked with the certainty of faith, being its most profound aspect. That is why with growth in the life of faith, there is also growth in the certainty about our election. That is also why this certainty is muddied when we in our sin resist and sadden the Spirit. The feast pales. A life of unrepentance and persistence in sin, blocks the work of the Spirit. Gladness slumps and the certainty of God’s love shrivels up. Sure, we can mask that fact (also for ourselves) by stating expressly that we do believe. But we no longer abide in the presence of God’s fatherly heart. That requires a return in repentance. That is the way of Psalm 32: namely as sinner to return to Christ and to the forgiveness of sin in Him. This even is to be our daily walk: The Lord’s prayer “Forgive us our debts” is a prayer for every day. The result? God’s countenance is upon us once more and we will find access to the secrets of God’s heart more and more.  We do not find this in the way of proud self-reflection, but in the Son, sent to us through God’s love and in the fruit of work of the Spirit.