Am I really a Christian?
Answering Eight Doubts (Continued)
Simplified
and Abridged from Thomas Boston
Note: In his spiritual classic
“Human Nature In Its Fourfold State,” the Scottish minister Thomas Boston
(1676-1732) lists eight “cases” where a true Christian might have spiritual
doubts about the authenticity of his faith.
Here is the sixth of the eight doubts:
Sixth Doubt: My life falls
so far short of the standards of the great saints of the Bible and of the
excellent Christians that I personally know.
When I look at them, I can hardly stand to look at myself in
comparison. How can I claim even to be
in the same family with such saints?
Answer: We can indeed see a measure of grace and
holiness in this life that we should have but cannot ever reach. This should humble us. It should also make us press all the more
vigorously toward the mark. The devil
wants weak Christians to be tortured by comparing themselves to strong
Christians. To give in to this
temptation would be like a child doubting his relationship to his father,
because he is not the same height as his older brother. It is irrational! There are saints of various sizes in Christ’s
family. Some are fathers; some are young
men; and some are little children (1 John 2:13-14).
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
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