Godliness through Assurance (2 Corinthians 7:6-13; COD Head 5, Arts 12, 13)

Our instinct is to think that if we are assured of our faith then we will not grow because we will continually backslide. We might think that in order for us to grow we should be a little afraid, terrified, of God. If we are not terrified of the Lord's wrath then we will not be properly motivated to grow to conform to him. This is what we might think, but the Canons of Dordt is teaching us the opposite truth. The Canons of Dordt teaches us that If we are not assured of our faith then we will not grow in our faith. How does the Apostle Paul exhort the church? What can we learn from his exhortation?

Why Give Exhortations and Pursue God if We are Elect? (1 Peter 1:22-2:3; COD 3, 4, Art. 17)

We can think that if God has chosen us before the foundation of the world, if God has elected us to be his people, and we are those who worship him then we are golden. We can fall into a trap of self righteousness thinking that because we have done the right thing we are worthy of God's electing mercy. However, the Canons of Dordt does not encourage this thinking. In fact, the canons does a wonderful job of reminding us that we are truly saved by grace, delivered from hell for the sake of Christ, and still called to live out of gratitude.