I wanted to share a letter I drafted to a good friend as we were discussing the confidence one can have of divine protection and eternal life. As those of you that read my blog know:
Of late, I have been keenly focused upon differences between thinking objectively and thinking subjectively. In fact within the last week I was amazed to realize how well mankinds fixation with objectivity removes the subjective self from all so-called knowledge when he limits his thinking to the purely objective.
Quite possibly, objective thinking best describes the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge in Garden fall of Adam and Eve. Certainly objective thinking removes the subjective self, letting it die so to speak, in the day thereof. Why today, in the world’s reality , man’s soul self isn’t needed, doesn’t exist, and is excluded from nearly all scientific investigation. I know of few practices since Adam that are more effective at bringing “death” to ones self while promising the illusion of God’s wisdom.
I recognize, in thinking objectively there is no other conclusion that one can come to in regards to Divine protection.
Assurance of Divine protection can NOT be claimed or understood to much degree by appealing to examples of others.
Divine protection, and for that matter, the quality of one’s eternal life, can NOT be known, explained or assured objectively. For they are NOT objects. One can not speak of divine protection or blessed assurance as if it were some object that could be bestowed, possessed or discerned like a gift handed down from a benevolent benefactor.
The state of blessed assurance is a “state of being”. A state of being can not truly be understood without knowing that one’s being, the self that possesses it.
The possibility for possessing the “state of divine protection” or of ones ability to hold a certainty of possessing a “blessed assurance” can not be known independent of knowing or experiencing the state. Such a state can not be experienced without first believing its experience possible and true of actuality as it is a subjective state.
Such believing is another example of the classic catch 22 paradox at the foundation of all faith; How do we believe while all the world says they won’t believe unless it can be seen first.
Matters spiritual can be only known in subjective reflection. Although we can ponder the effects of spiritual matters as if they were attributes possessed by a person, seeing oneself as a physical object (human body) possessing spiritual effects as characteristics, that is not the full picture. We are more than physical bodies.
While pondering such gives us another way of understanding such matters, if we limit ourselves to describing blessed assurance as an umbrella and discussing who qualifies to receive one, we fall miles short of understanding the real message of importance. Ie; we each need to realize the state of blessed assurance within our “personal” beings. If it doesn’t relate to us, it is irrelevant.
Divine protection and blessed assurance are not just for being understood critically or logically, nor can they to be possessed through reasoning from the scriptures, if one does NOT allow the holy spirit of truth to deliver the personal experience which the scripture at best can only symbolize.
The fullness of Jehovah’s and our reality must transcend the limited categorizations and descriptions which we create to describe objects we find in the material world. The subjective experience, the possessing of blessed assurance is the real message of the gospel and is not found in one’s ability to mentally recall categorizations and descriptions. Nor is it a carrot to dangled before us as motivation to perform “works of righteousness” singular or perpetual. Thank god our righteousness is not established by such. See Rom: 5:16-18
No matter what a person might experience of such assurance, he may NOT have a confident state of assurance or come to the point he “experiences” divine protection unless he first realizes he possesses it. In actuality, and it is the truth of all we call, “real of reality”: everything realized becomes such only at the point of decision, as a statement of position in concluding a decision. Realization is the bringing to a conclusion the question deciding that something is real or not. One can NOT realize they possess divine protection unless they first decide they have sufficient evidence to conclude they do. Yet in matters of faith, such evidences are NOT the desired effects, rather they are the promises of the trustworthy promisor. We have to look to the evidence of the things we don’t yet see in making our decisions of faith.
If one wants to experience the promises that are conditioned upon faith, there is no other way. Decisions are the foundation upon which promises are appropriated when conditioned upon faith.
I realize such a subjective reality may never be accepted by the world at large. It may never be objectively understood nor accepted as reality from the world view.
But you do NOT value their company anyway. As I am certain you are not swayed from the good path by the ridicule of such company, so it should not be difficult in understanding faith (1 Cor 2:11-16).
The promise provides the reference to recognize in realizing the possession of blessed assurance obtained by faith
Possessing the assurance is more a decision to believe than a waiting to discover some outer physical effect or objective proof. The only thing worse than waiting to see before believing is imagining oneself working to accumulate sufficient qualifying “good” works so as to have a benevolent god bestow it as gift that can be seen upon receipt. Such is still walking by sight and a twist of working to earn the sight of it.
Waiting to see the gift is “waiting to see”. Walking by sight is not faith. When assurance is taken by faith, the promise provides the substance one looks to in forming the belief. The promise provides the reference to recognize in realizing the possession of the blessed assurance obtained by faith.
Waiting to see, is not the way of those that would live victoriously (1 John 4:21).
But, we have the promises upon which to fix our eyes single upon (2Cor 4:18) Mt 7:11; Lk 11:13.
This is turning into a treatise, so I had better stop.
I hope you see some of what I was trying to say to you today.
Mostly I pray for your complete confidence in that blessed assurance of a life eternal and of a life now overflowing in grace, abundance and protection.
I see it in you.
Your friend.