Canons of Dordt (58)

The certainty of their perseverance will not make God’s children careless or proud. No, the opposite is true; free grace humbles them deeply before the Lord. Grace and pride exclude each other; pride is always a fruit of our flesh, but humility is a fruit of God’s grace. God’s children realize how dependent they remain upon God’s preserving hand; this will often bring them on their knees with fervent prayers that the Lord might keep them.

The assurance of perseverance will strengthen them in ways of affliction and will give them gratitude and an earnest desire to glorify God because of His faithfulness. When they have been brought back from ways of backsliding, it will render them more careful to continue in the ways of the Lord and to walk therein. They long to experience His favor and nearness, which is dearer to them than all that which the world can give. Of this we read in the Fifth Head, Article 13.

“Neither does renewed confidence of persevering produce licentiousness or a disregard to piety in those who are recovering from backsliding; but it renders them much more careful and solicitous to continue in the ways of the Lord, which He hath ordained, that they who walk therein may maintain an assurance of persevering, lest by abusing His fatherly kindness, God should turn away His gracious countenance from them, to behold which is to the godly dearer than life, the withdrawing thereof is more bitter than death, and they in consequence hereof should fall into more grievous torments of conscience.”

Sin leaves deep wounds in the life of God’s children. It is true that God does not leave His Church in their sins. By His Spirit He brings them to contrition and true confession of guilt so that they seek the forgiveness of their sins in the blood of Christ; however, the scars, caused by their fall into sin, remain painful and grievous. Peter knew this by experience. He had denied His Master and grievously sinned against His love, but Christ had visited and restored him to be an apostle and a preacher of the perfect righteousness and eternal glory of Christ Jesus. He says in 1 Peter 5:5, “.. .and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

A solemn warning

Having experienced how bitter it was to have sinned against his Master, Peter warns others to be humble and not to lean on their own strength but to depend upon the preserving grace of God alone. He knew what it was to miss the peace of a good conscience and to experience the pain of having pierced his Benefactor by his sins. To the upright the missing of the light of God’s gracious countenance is more bitter than death, but to behold that countenance turned to them in love and mercy is to them dearer than life. Therefore renewed confidence of persevering does not produce licentiousness or a disregard to piety, but it makes them more careful to walk in the ways of the Lord.

The Remonstrants came with the false accusation that the doctrine of perseverance would lead to carelessness and disregard to piety. The truth is, however, that when a child of God has fallen into sin but has been restored by the faithfulness of God, he will be very afraid to turn away from Him again, thereby abusing God’s fatherly kindness. We read in Psalm 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy Word.”

Such a transgressor is ashamed because of his fall but will sincerely be grateful for the Lord’s restoring grace. It is a dark time in the life of God’s children when they maintain themselves, continue in their own ways, and do not return to Him with sincere confession of their sins. David knew of this when he said in Psalm 32:3, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.” He also said, “Day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me,” and thus he walked in darkness and distress without the light of God’s countenance upon him. The Lord teaches His children to pray, “Deliver us from evil.” The upright, when they are in the right place, cry for deliverance from the body of this death. Therefore Paul also had a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better.

The desire of the upright

It was not an easy time in the life of David when he had to flee from Absalom and many of his own people had turned against him. David’s own officers seemed to have given up hope of escaping the enemy led by Absalom. However, David bowed his knees and pleaded with God as we read in Psalm 4:6, “There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.” That light of God’s countenance gives joy and comfort so that God’s afflicted people may sing Psalms even in the night with the assurance that He will finish His work for them in spite of the pain and sorrow they have experienced. They can say with Asaph in Psalm 73:25,26, “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”

Asaph knew how precious the nearness, the light of His countenance, was for him as he said, “But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Thy works.” Yes, that is the longing of God’s people—to speak well of Him and also to recommend His service to others. That desire may especially be lively when they have met Him and He has spoken to their soul again, perhaps in His house, or under the administration of the Holy Sacraments. Without God’s presence everything is dark, and there is no light, joy, or peace in their heart. Therefore Moses spoke in Exodus 33:15, “If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” God’s presence or His countenance meant everything to him.

Walk in His ways

The tender fear of God’s Name gives a careful walk. It is often said that it is a difficult time for our young people, and it surely is. There are temptations unlike any that have been before our time. The current technology offers so many opportunities to be exposed to those temptations and thus to be led astray in paths of worldliness and immorality. Grace in itself does not keep us from sin, but to walk in the fear of God’s Name does. There are temptations not only in the life of our youth but also in the life of God’s more experienced and exercised children. Their adversary, the devil, knows exactly the weak places in their heart and life. They have no strength in themselves to overcome their spiritual enemies and to remain steadfast in the battle. There is One who remained steadfast and prevailed against the enemies, also in the temptations. He is able to keep them from falling and to preserve them for the inheritance which He has purchased for them. Therefore, prayer remains so necessary. It is a bad sign and a dangerous condition if the inner room remains so empty. It is especially dangerous if we trust in the many experiences and deliverances of the past. The apostle admonishes in Ephesians 5:15, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.”

The tender fear of God’s Name gives a careful walk.

Without idealizing the past, we must say that many of God’s children had a closer walk with Him than is generally seen today. Something was seen in them that made others, also young people, jealous. May the Lord pour out His Spirit upon all flesh as He did on Pentecost so that our sons and daughters may prophesy, our young men may see visions, the old men might dream dreams, and a testimony may go out from the church in a perishing world. Others might be gained for the Kingdom of God, and the precious Savior, Christ, might be glorified.

— Rev. C. Vogelaar
Kalamazoo, MI

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