Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things" 2Ti 2:7.

Friday, October 2, 2026

Assurance of Salvation

[11/01/2025 - 15:10]
SyLeon
Sir, for the Particular Baptists, is there such a thing as Assurance of Salvation?

Sing
Here is what they have stated publicly.
The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith

Chapter 18 - Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation

Paragraph 1
Although temporary believers and other unregenerate men, may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and in a state of salvation, which hope of theirs shall perish;1 yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God,2 which hope shall never make them ashamed.3
1 Job 8:13–14; Matt. 7:22–23
2 1 John 2:3, 3:14,18–19,21,24, 5:13
3 Rom. 5:2,5

Paragraph 2
This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope, but an infallible assurance of faith,4 founded on the blood and righteousness of Christ revealed in the Gospel;5 and also upon the inward evidence of those graces of the Spirit unto which promises are made,6 and on the testimony of the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God;7 and, as a fruit thereof, keeping the heart both humble and holy.8
4 Heb. 6:11,19
5 Heb. 6:17–18
6 2 Pet. 1:4–5,10–11
7 Rom. 8:15–16
8 1 John 3:1–3

Paragraph 3
This infallible assurance does not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and struggle with many difficulties before he be partaker of it;9 yet being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of means, attain thereunto:10 and therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance;11—so far is it from inclining men to looseness.12

9 Isa. 50:10; Ps. 88; Ps. 77:1–12
10 1 John 4:13; Heb. 6:11–12
11 Rom. 5:1–2,5, 14:17; Ps. 119:32
12 Rom. 6:1–2; Titus 2:11–12,14

Paragraph 4
True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as by negligence in preserving of it,13 by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit;14 by some sudden or vehement temptation,15 by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light,16 yet are they never destitute of the seed of God17 and life of faith,18 that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived,19 and by the which, in the meantime, they are preserved from utter despair.20
13 Cant. 5:2–3,6
14 Ps. 51:8,12,14
15 Ps. 116:11; 77:7–8, 31:22
16 Ps. 30:7
17 1 John 3:9
18 Luke 22:32
19 Ps. 42:5,11
20 Lam. 3:26–31

SyLeon
Also, I want to ask: do you agree with our good friend RC Sproul that Adoption is a LEGAL event?

Sing
Imagine for a moment.
You are an orphan. A nobleman adopted you LEGALLY - everything properly transacted legally, on paper ONLY. He did not unite himself to you and make you a child in his glorious mansion.

How would you like sch an adoption?

It's good to hear that Mr Sproul is your good friend.

SYLeon
Haha, you know what I meant by our good friend
So, in Ordo Salutis, Adoption should NOT be a legal act

Sing
Adoption is also a multifaceted doctrine.
The biblical teaching on adoption is like a wholesome well-formed 5-fingered hand...

1. Adoption to sonship PREDESTINED in Christ in eternity.
- Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

2. Adoption to sonship LEGALLY transacted by Christ at the cross.
- Gal 4:4 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

3. Adoption to sonship PERSONALIZED, vitally born as son and adopted into God's family at the effectual calling out of the native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation.
- John 1:13 "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
- Gal 4:6 "And because ye are sons [i.e. legally adopted], God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father [i.e. regenerated and adopted].

4. Adoption to sonship EXPERIENCED by faith in Jesus Christ.
- John 1:12 'But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name...'
- Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

5. Adoption to sonship GLORIFIED on the day of resurrection.
- Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Legal aspect of adoption is only one aspect of the doctrine of adoption.  When an aspect of the whole is equated as the whole, it becomes heretical.

SyLeon
Then the Deformed Reformed is heretical

Someone commented, why are the Particular Baptists always harping on the Reformed being incorrect on Justification by Faith, when Adoption is also a legal action. But then, we are not harping on the Legal side of Justification by Faith only. We are saying that the Reformed guys got it wrong by saying that Justification by Faith is an act of the believer being justified when he believes in Christ

The FIRST is stated by those Deformed Reformed. The SECOND is the stand by Particular Baptists? 

Sing
You asked why the Particular Baptists are always harping blah blah blah....
By Luther's own words, those who hold to Luther's sola fide ARE FALLEN CHURCHES.

Also, if one don't get justification right, then he necessarily CAN'T get adoption right.

In the Ordo Salutis, each item deals with the APPLICATION of eternal salvation to an elect.

SYLeon
All the legal actions are not in Ordo Salutis?

Sing
Take a look here:
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2011/12/calvinists-order-of-salvation-some.html

Here is a typical order salutis of the Reformed view.

Do you see that the items from the various aspects of salvation are all jumbled up in the so-called order?

If we want to include items from different aspects, then it must be grouped in the aspect they belong to... in their strict order.

- decretal aspect
- legal aspect
- vital aspect
- practical (temporal) aspect
- final aspect

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