R.C. Sproul

Because if you understand that the natural person, the unregenerate person, never has an ounce of affection in his heart for God.

That it is impossible for anyone to have any love for Christ unless first the Holy Spirit has changed the disposition of your soul.

Because by nature...

Not only do you not love Him, you cannot love Him.

If now in time and space you have the slightest true affection for Jesus, and if the doctrine of election is true, then based upon your good theology, your assurance is solidified.

So one of the best ways

of gaining the assurance of salvation that you need to have is by understanding what salvation requires and of what it consists and how it comes to pass.

That's where the learning of theology has such great practical value.

implications.

Now again, what is Peter concerned about here?

Before I close, I just want to look at the end of this, is that he is not talking about this diligent quest for the assurance of your election just for the sake that you can sleep tonight, just so that you can stop worrying about what your status is in the kingdom of God.

But let's look at it.

If you do these things, that is, if you are diligent to make your call on election shore, if you do these things, you will never stumble.

And an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dear friends, regeneration, we say, is monergistic.

It's not a joint effort.

between you and God.

You cannot cause yourself to be born again.

You cannot do anything to help yourself to be born again.

Your rebirth is totally dependent upon the monergistic, the soul working of God the Holy Spirit, who in His sovereign immediate power raises you from spiritual death.