Types of Assurance

In Joy Unspeakable, Lloyd-Jones describes three types of assurance that are experienced by the believer:

1. assurance from deductions from Scripture. We believe Scripture to be God's word and Scripture assures us we are God's children.
2. assurance from the 'tests of life'. These tests are from Scripture and they demonstrate we are God's children. One such test is "Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ?" If yes, this demonstrates your adoption and you can take assurance from that fact.
3. assurance from God's Spirit bearing witness with our spirit.

This final assurance is emphasized by the author: "But the glory of this third and highest form of assurance is that it is neither anything that we do, nor any deduction that we draw, but an assurance that is given to us by the blessed Spirit himself." (p93)