Why True Believers May Lose the Joy of Salvation

We have come to our eighth and final lesson in our study of the doctrine of assurance. We have been using the eighteenth chapter of the 1689 Baptist Confession as our guide, and we come now to the final paragraph of the chapter:True believers may, in various ways, have the assurance of their salvation shaken, decreased, or temporarily lost. This may happen because they neglect to preserve it, or fall into some specific sin that wounds their conscience and grieves the Spirit. It may happen through some unexpected or forceful temptation, or when God withdraws the light of His face and allows even those who fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light.Yet, they are never completely lacking the seed of God, the life of faith, love of Christ and the brethren, sincerity of heart, or conscience concerning their duty.Out of these graces, through the work of the Spirit, this assurance may at the proper time be revived. In the meantime, they are kept from utter despair through them.This…