Sword & Trowel 2017: Issue 1


THE DISSOLVING OF DOUBTS


T


HERE is a verse in 1 John 5 which is written for those who doubt whether they have


been forgiven and saved by God. It is directed to those who have trusted in Christ, but do not feel that anything has come of it. It is also written to those who have previously been sure of their salvation, but have lost that certainty to some degree, and may even feel it has been a delusion. The verse reads:


‘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…’ (1 John 5.13).


– by the Editor – At fi rst sight the verse seems barely


logical. It is for those who believe, so that they may know they have life, and believe. But it is clear what the inspired writer means, namely that those who believe may fi nd certainty and then they will be able to exercise their faith more fully. For many people real conversion occurs some while before they re- alise it. They genuinely trust and repent, their minds are illuminated, they understand the Gospel, they yield themselves up to God, and yet they say, ‘Has anything happened to me? Has the Lord saved me?’ The text helps them, as we shall see, to


The Slough of Despond from Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress


page 6 The Dissolving of Doubts


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