Today we are looking at the first three reasons why we may feel doubt in the season of doubting and of spiritual darkness, and will see how these are not reasons at all. Here is Flavel on the first:
Now if there is nothing in the divine dealings with you which is a reasonable ground of your despondency and distress, let us inquire what there is in your own conduct for which you should be so cast down.
1. Have you committed sins from which you were formerly recovered with shame and sorrow? And do you thence conclude that you sin allowedly and habitually, and that your oppositions to sin were hypocritical? But do not too hastily give up all for lost. Is not your repentance and care renewed as often as you commit sin? Is it not the sin itself which troubles you, and is it not true, that the oftener you sin the more you are distressed? It is not so in customary sinning; of which Bernard excellently discourses thus: “When a man accustomed to restrain, sins grievously, it seems insupportable to him, yea he seems to descend alive into hell. In process of time it seems not insupportable, but heavy, and between insupportable and heavy there is no small descent. Next, such sinning becomes light, his conscience smites but faintly, and he regards not her rebukes. Then he is not only insensible to his guilt, but that which was bitter and displeasing has become in some degree sweet and pleasant. Now it is made a custom, and not only pleases, but pleases habitually. At length custom becomes nature; he cannot be dissuaded from it, but defends and pleads for it.” This is allowed and customary sinning, this is the way of the wicked. But is not your way the contrary of this?
Flavel spoke here about the difference between habitual sin that is not grieved and sinning that is grieved. He also spoke about the difference between someone who is characterized by this sin, and someone who sins contrary to their new nature in Christ. For the saved who ever come to doubt, our falling into sin does lead us to grieve over it, and the solution is repentance. If your doubt is caused by your conduct here, then repent and turn to Him. When that happens, then those doubts should disappear.
2. Do you apprehend a decline of your affections from God and from spiritual subjects? This may be your case, and yet there may be hope. But possibly you are mistaken with regard to this. There are many things to be learnt in Christian experience; it has relation to a great variety of subjects. You may now be learning what it is very necessary for you to know as a Christian. Now, what if you are not sensible of so lively affections, of such ravishing views as you had at first; may not your piety be growing more solid and consistent, and better adapted to practical purposes? Does it follow from your not always being in the same frame of mind, or from the fact that the same objects do not at all times excite the same feelings, that you have no true religion? Perhaps you deceive yourself by looking forward to what you would be, rather than contemplating what you are, compared with what you once were.
It can be easy to recount an experience of what felt like a mountaintop experience, when we felt very close to God. And, when we no longer have this feeling, it can be tempting to think that somehow we are less spiritual. Yet, such feelings can be deceiving. For instance, as a Christian, you are always developing and growing, regardless of what you may feel. Feelings or spiritual experiences are not the determiner of our state with God (in fact, they are often quite deceptive). Rather, the condition of our heart can be examined in light of our heart obedience to God’s commandments, as we recognize our reliance on Christ and His empowering Holy Spirit—that is what shows our true state before Him. In other words, keeping the heart. As a Christian gets older, he also grows more and more mature from where he once was. So, rather than looking back on times when we regard ourselves to have been more spiritual, we ought to look at obeying God now in our present situation, regardless of what our feelings may tell us. Perhaps we fail to realize just how far we have come since then. If we were actually to bring ourselves back to that time, we would not be the better, but the worse for it! In fact, we would be discounting all of God’s graces which have been so carefully crafting us to become more like Christ from that point until now.
3. If the strength of your love to creature enjoyments is the ground of desperate conclusions respecting yourself, perhaps you argue thus: “I fear that I love the creature more than God, if so, I have not true love to God. I sometimes feel stronger affections toward earthly comforts than I do toward heavenly objects, therefore my soul is not upright within me.” If, indeed, you love the creature for itself, if you make it your end, and religion but a means, then you conclude rightly; for this is incompatible with supreme love to God. But may not a man love God more ardently and unchangeably than he does any thing, or all things else, and yet, when God is not the direct object of his thoughts, may he not be sensible of more violent affection for the creature than he has at that time for God? As rooted malice indicates a stronger hatred than sudden though more violent passion; so we must judge of our love, not by a violent motion of it now and then, but by the depth of its root and the constancy of its exercise. Perhaps your difficulty results from bringing your love to some foreign and improper test. Many persons have feared that when brought to some eminent trial they should renounce Christ and cleave to the creature; but when the trial came, Christ was every thing, and the world as nothing in their esteem. Such were the fears of some martyrs whose victory was complete. But you may expect divine assistance only at the time of, and in proportion to your necessity. If you would try your love, see whether you are willing to forsake Christ now.
This helps us to see problems with views that one’s feelings determine one’s state with God, as if hedonism is somehow the ground of our assurance! God has given all things in the world for our enjoyment, granted that we do so in singular loyalty to Him. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a good thing. However, if such enjoyment gets in the way of your loyalty to God, then there is a serious problem, and idolatry is involved (putting something over God). Rather than looking to any form of hedonism, the Bible teaches that we are to look to keeping our heart on God, meaning being conformed to Him in all our decision-making, will, understanding, and orientation, according to His commandments. This is not a matter of pleasure, but of inward obedience. Now we may get enjoyment from our obedience, but such enjoyment can only be a by-product and not a prime-product if we are to be faithful to God. So, keep the heart, recognizing your reliance on the grace of God, and you will have this assurance.
Next time we will be looking at three more reasons (and their biblical solutions) to why Christians may often doubt.