God's elect: Evidence of Faith

Election is one of the key ideas in Reformed Theology. Although as Oliver D. Crisp stated, ''the doctrine of election perse–was not a matter that all Reformed theologians in the post-Reformation period agreed upon.'' But let us not dig to that long discussion. The more practical issue we need to ask regarding election is this, how do we know that one is elected by God? I believe some of us have asked this question, or probably we know someone who have been struggling with this question. 

Of course, the simple answer is this, only Gods knows for certain of those who having/owned a saving faith, of whom He himself elected. For us, we only know by inference and by the evidence manifested in believers' life as it is attested and reveled in the Sacred Scripture. 

John Owen in his treatise, Evidence of the faith of God's elect gives several clues, which can help us to ''scrutinize'' ourselves deeper, and to make an honest reflection of our current state of faith, to know whether we already owned a saving faith or not. Yet, to make it short, only two aspects that I will bring to the table, and we will also then see the applications for the believers today. 

The evidence of faith that point us to know that we are the elects firstly is to live a life of worship. True, that saving faith in the most basic form is like what Owen says, our believing the record that God has given us of his Son,” 1 John v. 10, “And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life; and this life is in his Son.'' Nonetheless, it is not just mere believing a fact about Jesus that bring us eternal life, but how that truth brings us to the live of worship (according to Ryan McGraw on His PHD thesis on the area of Owen's liturgical theology argues that, worship as communion with the Triune God is the consistent motive that Owen keep on presenting in his works).

For Owen, as he mention in the treatise, if there is no act of worship, our devotion to God can be turned into mere fanaticism or degrades into rationalism in the other side of the spectrum. Hence, the apprehension of truth must lead to worship. Those who belong to God's election cannot be saved if they are only mere know Jesus factually, since atheist or Agnostics alike also have some knowledge of Truth, proportionally speaking. 

Reflection we can ask to ourselves. Are we living a true life of worship today and passionate with it? Are we studying the Bible, but we are never met the God of the Bible in our daily devotion?  

Second evidence is the sensibility of sin, or what Owen then describe as the ''lively remembrance of sin'', sorrow on account of it. This point is really important. Today, we see there is a tendency to over-amplifying the concept of grace. Nobody fond to speak about sin anymore. We can almost surf on the internet, and find a very few contemporary sermons on Sin, and the darkness it brings. 

Nowadays, people love a sermon that can encourage, motivate them rather than describing the fact of their inner life, which most of them are blinded about. People need Jesus or remembering Jesus not primarily as their savior, but as their helper. This is a major shifting we see in the church today. Talking about sin in the church seems like a new taboo! 

Reflection we can ask to ourselves. When is the last time we agonize our sin or our sinful act? Are we living a live as if sin or our sinful act is just trivial as like a simple stain in our soul that somehow can be erased by the habit of "doing good?"

In Conclusion, the ''life of worship'' and the ''lively reminder of sin'' are the foundational aspects that we need to once again perpetuate in life, so that we know for sure, that we owned the saving faith, and we also be convicted that we are truly the elects, God's (John Owen call the conscience of being saved is a ''spiritual comforts of believers'').

Not just that, to live a life or worship and lively reminder of sin can also help us to welcome this coming Christmas with a right posture and spirit. With the very act of worship, we acknowledge that Jesus is God who is worthy of everything glorious. With a lively remember of sin, we acknowledge that Jesus, who come from Heaven is our only savior! And indeed, to this very reason He came in this world. As Max Lucado aptly expressed with this logic (I am paraphrasing a little bit his word):

If our greatest need is information, God will send an educator. If our greatest need is technology, God will send us a scientist. If our greatest need is money, God will send us an economist. But since our greatest need is to be free from sin and its deadly bondage, God sent us Jesus, the savior of mankind!