Acknowledged and Acquitted: Finding Rest in Jesus Alone
Over the course of the last several weeks two separate things have stuck out to me that have made me pause and think of the assurance of our salvation. The first was a funeral for my neighbor. He was a sweet Catholic man who had the reputation of always being kind. The second came when the family and I were having one of our regular movie nights and pulled out one of our old favorites – Moana.[1] What do these two have to do with each other and better yet what in the world do they have to do with the assurance of salvation? Let’s reflect together.
One thing that stood out to me at this funeral was how sweet the songs were, how fluid and beautiful the liturgy moved, and how often we were pointed to truths as old as time. When the funeral was closing, as is customary in Catholic funerals I am told, prayers were offered for his soul. Should his family have been encouraged or was this the beginning of a prayer journey for them to get him across the finish line into heaven?
Maybe you see where this is taking us but are lost at Moana, but I am going to tell you, and you’re welcome ahead of time. Without a doubt my favorite scene is at the end of the movie when the Moana and Maui are working on restoring the heart of Te Fiti, the goddess of nature, in order to restore that which has gone horribly wrong. The ocean chose them to embark on this restoration journey and then the climax comes. Maui, the demigod played by The Rock, comes in with the assist as it dawns on Moana holding Te Fiti’s heart that the volcanic demon Te Ka is in fact representative of the disgruntled Te Fiti. Te Ka begins to charge towards Moana in a hideous rage and Moana begins to sing the refrain:
I have crossed the horizon to find you
I know your name
They have stolen the heart from inside you
But this does not define you
This is not who you are
You know who you are,
Who you truly are[2]
Outside of this being a classic case of American individualism being forced onto Polynesian culture what stands out to me in this scene is something theologically true, something theologically false, and finally, something that emotionally resonates with all of us as we seek to find spiritual resolve – or the assurance of salvation.
What is theologically true? Apart from the life-giving grace of Christ, we are indeed spiritually dead and need of a heart transplant.
While pagan at heart the scene highlights how we need a heart transplant to live. Our hearts, too, have been stolen from inside us in our first parents. We live with fractured lives because we are sinners. We’re born sinners and we sin by our thoughts, words, and our deeds. Our lives often fall into decay like that of the Polynesian nature goddess into the volcanic monsters that look so horrifying. We’re spiritually bankrupt and dead. By the end of my neighbor’s funeral, I still knew him as a nice man and had spent almost an hour hearing about his faith. But at the end it was made clear to me that all of this was not enough apparently. Spiritual resolve and assurance were not offered but more pleading work.
When Moana sings she knows who this monster is – who she truly is – we are left with a warm fuzzy feeling that Te Ka is truly Te Fiti and with a restored heart all will be well. after all the damage brought forth by the curses, according to Moana, do not define her. They are not really her but someone/something else. But that is where our lack of assurance comes raging along. We know we are – who we truly are – and we need more than an old heart back. We need a new heart, a heart of flesh where we once had a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
This leads me to state plainly what is theologically false. It is false that we just need to be mended and restored to our previous goodness. We are corrupted image bearers but our need for salvation does not come through internal healing but external in the forgiveness of sins and imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. We will only find the assurance of salvation when we rest in the finished work of Christ by faith. Reflection on our past achievements, intentions, and character will not breed a heart that finds assurance. The prayers of our friends and family will not move our felt assurance or standing with God a single bit. We always hear the serpent’s hiss that we are not our darkest moments. But the truth is that we aren’t merely seeking to improve ourselves but to fall wholly on the Lord’s mercy. Dr. Al faithfully preached through Romans 8:1-8 recently and it is worth quoting here in part.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death…5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
This is the greatest news we could ever hear. Especially for those who struggle mightily with the assurance of salvation. In the flesh you cannot please God. We’ve been set free from sin and death. When we live according to the Spirit we set our minds on the things of the Spirit and that is life and peace.
Romans 8:1 says there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” You do not need to fear the judgment as Dr. Al pointed out in quoting our Confession because there we find grace not wrath. The Westminster Larger Catechism Question 90 states this,
WLC Q. 90. What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?
A. the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, shall be set on his right hand, and there openly acknowledged and acquitted, shall join with him in the judging of reprobate angels and men, and shall be received into heaven, where they shall be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity. And this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible Church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of judgment. [3]
The Confession states those who place their faith in Jesus alone will be “openly acknowledged and acquitted” and I cannot think of more assuring words. So, if you’re struggling with assurance of salvation remind yourselves that salvation is a work of God alone. The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 29 reminds us that we are “partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us by his Holy Spirit.”
All this leads me to that which emotionally resonates with all of us who seek the assurance of salvation, namely, that we look to find spiritual resolve. Just as Te Fiti desired the restoration of her heart, we all seek spiritual resolve. We want to feel peace. The great reformers were always faithful to counteract the Roman Catholic Church’s lack of assurance with full assurance of salvation. German reformer Martin Luther once wrote,
“When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: ‘I admit I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also.’”[4]
Luther did not look internally to find the assurance of salvation; he looked to Jesus Christ who was suffered and died for him. The French reformer John Calvin added in his, Institutes, these words:
For nothing so moves us to repose our assurance and certainty of mind in the Lord as distrust of ourselves, and the anxiety occasioned by the awareness of our ruin” (3.2.23).
And again later:
“For faith totters if it pays attention to works, since no one, even of the most holy, will find there anything on which to rely (3.11.11).[5]
Both Luther and Calvin looked away from our good works to find assurance of salvation and instead looked to the cross of Christ and his finished work on our behalf. I pray we have the ears to hear what is going on there. One of the things I love about our reformed heritage is that the reformers were faithful to offer a pastoral theology that spoke to the deepest longings of our soul and did not offer us hopeless answers but offered us – as Luther put it – One who has gone before us.
There is too much to quote directly but I would encourage anyone who is struggling with the assurance of salvation to look at the Westminster Confession chapter 18 Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation. What I love most about the Confession’s commentary on assurance is that it does affirm with the great reformers that assurance is first and foremost given and sustained by God but it also highlights that some may struggle. In the Westminster Confession chapter 18 I find perhaps the most well rounded extra-biblical resource I can find on the topic. We want spiritual resolve and the assurance of salvation and at times that security may feel like it waivers – but it does not. We are held not by the strength of our own faith but through the gift of faith are held in the hands of God. We’re sinners. We’re wicked sinners. But our even our sin cannot separate us from the love of God through Jesus Christ. So be encouraged this morning, you don’t need your old heart back. You need to look to Jesus. There you will find life and peace.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moana_(2016_film)
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEq15X1zjEE
[3] All quotes from the Westminster Standards are taken from https://thewestminsterstandard.org
[4] https://voice.dts.edu/article/lutherandcalvinonsalvation/
[5] https://voice.dts.edu/article/lutherandcalvinonsalvation/