“That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?”
Proverbs 22:19-21
For thousands of years the search for certainty has been the special project of philosophy. Is there any knowledge we can claim to have with complete certainty, with absolutely no room for doubt? Secular thought has reached something of a consensus on this, arriving at the stunning conclusion that certainty is unattainable. Beliefs with various degrees of probability, we are told, are the best we can hope for. We might ask the secular philosophers if they are certain about this. Truly, God has made foolish the wisdom of this world (1 Corinthians 1:20). The Christian of course rejects the self-refuting nonsense of unbelieving thought, choosing instead to take as certain the self-authenticating words of the morally-perfect, covenant-keeping God of the Bible. This is the confidence and heritage of God’s people. The great apostle Peter, for instance, addressed his Jewish countrymen with boldness that comes from sure knowledge. “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly,” said Peter, “that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). His colleague, John, was no less convinced that a believer could have absolute certainty concerning the declarations and promises of God. For John, sure knowledge of salvation and eternal life was part of the blessedness of entering into a love-trust relationship with Jesus. The beloved disciple explained, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). With similar confidence, the writer to the Hebrews encouraged us to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering,” he went on to say, “for he is faithful that promised.” (Hebrews 10:23). May we rest assured of the certainty of God’s promises to us, which in Christ are “yes and amen!” (1 Corinthians 1:19-20).
God bless you,
Pastor John
English