You say, “And yet” regarding the preaching of the cross. When we think this is insufficient, and we add our own “lists” for people, what we’re really doing is getting them to pride themselves on how they feel about their emotional response to such questions.

We believe we are justified by faith in Christ alone–why not also our assurance? The problem I have with this list is that is gets people to take pride in their own experience, instead of looking to Jesus.

Calvin taught that Christ is the mirror of our election, and so is our assurance. We look to Christ for salvation, and we also look to him for assurance. This “looking” to Christ is in fact, faith. We can’t depend on our experience i.e. moments of joy, or lack thereof for assurance of salvation–because then we’re depending upon ourselves, ultimately–not the Holy Spirit or Christ or our loving, Heavenly Father. Our experience changes because we’re human. We take in moments of gladness and joy, as well as sadness and mourning. After all, Jesus was a man of many sorrows….

Instead of having a list based upon human emotion and experience, how about a list from the actual Scriptures themselves? For example,

1. Do you let your light shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven? Matt. 5:16.

2. Does your righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law? Matt. 5:20

3. Do you get angry with your brother? And do you seek to be reconciled to him when you do?

4. Do you commit adultery?

5. Do you think about getting a divorce from your wife?

6. Do you keep the promises (oaths) you make before the Lord?

7. Do you love your enemies as well as your neighbors?

8. Do you forgive men when they sin against you?

9. Are you concerned more for the speck in your brother’s eye than for the plank in your own?

10. Are you doing the will of your Father in heaven? Because if you’re not you won’t enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said so.

11. Do you know what it means to confess that Jesus is Lord?

12.Have you been baptized like Jesus said in the Great Commission?

13. Have you neglected the more important matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness?

14. Do you look after orphans and widows in their distress?

15. Do you love your wife and are you willing to lay down your life to save hers?

16. Do you exasperate your children?

17. Have you tamed your tongue?

As my friend Norman says (the list of questions, I got from him), the point of self-examination isn’t to pride ourselves on our self-assurance, but rather to see whether we are doing what Christ tells us to do.

I guess I just have some misgivings about your list, because they don’t arise from Scripture. I think there’s a real danger of using a list like this in order to establish one’s own self-righteousness rather than that of the kingdom of God. And you know how much I do admire your ardent desire to pursue the Lord yourself, and to see others doing the same. But I think if we really believe in Sola Scriptura, our lists for self-examination should arise from Scripture.

Yours,
Chris

I completely agree that the gospel is about God and its focus is on the cross of Christ. Like you point out (and thanks for doing so), I should probably add to this list more on the cross. This would be especially true if this was a post on, “how can I be saved?” which is perhaps how you read it?

And yet …

This is a post on, “am I saved?” It is for those who already think they are Christians. It is to help divide between presumption in the cross and genuine faith in the cross. The biblical method for this is to examine yourself. The focus of this examination biblically is not Jesus but how the individual is living in response to Jesus.

Again, I will try to rework the cross into the list better as I want that to be the focus of everything I do. And yet, we both know that for all the preaching on the cross these days, there will be many hearers, knowers, and proponents of that message who will one day end up hearing, “depart from me, I never knew you.” That scares me for myself and for others.

Lastly, like the rest of the list, questions 1-7 are aimed at professors of Christianity. They are not intended as a law/gospel paradigm of communicating the good news. They are intended to flow from the point that without holiness, no man will see God. Thus, if men do not hate their sins and sincerely endeavor to fight against them, it is almost guaranteed that they will not stand on the last day. This is equally true for those that have “accepted” the gospel. If a man’s gospel makes him strive less hard against sinfulness than he did before he came to accept that gospel, then his gospel is no gospel of God’s making.

Regarding the battles with ill thoughts, hurtful neighbors, Psalm 51, and so on—I love the picture of a great ship with full sails in a mighty wind, but what you don’t see is that beneath the waters a very heavy ballast is needed to keep the ship from overturning. I hope God is loading you with deep and heavy ballasts of humility and contrition so that you will be able to withstand an extra-ordinary wind of glory in your sails.

If that imagery fits at all, I can’t take any credit. I got it from a sermon by John Piper. If your interested, you can find it here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1460_Brothers_We_Must_Not_Mind_a_Little_Suffering/

God bless :)