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Revisions of the "Romans 7" section I uploaded recently. Replaced the ref on Melanchthon, and removed, for emphasis, some of the Wesley quote.
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===Christian Assurance===
Assurance is a primarily [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[doctrine]] which states that the inner witness of the [[Holy Spirit]] allows the [[Justification|justified]] disciple to know that they are saved. [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] was an early theologian to write about it. ''Assurance'' is a very important doctrine in [[Lutheranism]], [[Calvinism]] and [[Methodism]].
====John Bunyan====Pilgrim's Progress: Hopeful speaking to Christian.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Offor Offor G] (1859), "The works of John Bunyan", Vol 3, Blackie & Son, p141. For download from archive.org . There is also a version with seventeenth century spelling, that is, Bunyan J (1847), "Pilgrim's Progress", Edr Offor G, Hanserd Knollys Society.</ref> :"... all the law is not in the hand of Giant Despair. Others, so far as I can understand, have been taken by him, as well as we; and yet have escaped out of his hand." ====John Knox====
Letter to Thomas Upcher.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/worksofjohnknox04knox Laing D (1895), "The works of John Knox", vol 4, pp241-244.]</ref> Also relevant to the topic of depression.
:DEARLY BELOVED BROTHER in our Saviour Jesus Christ, by your short writing I perceive somewhat of that battle which, during the short time ye were with us, I judged you to fight.
:.... if I can not ease any part of your grief—that is only the office of Christ Jesus by his Spirit—yet I praise my God I can lament and mourn with my brother tormented. Nothing I know to be more dolorous to the heart of the faithful, than to lack the sensible feeling of God's mercy and goodness ... and yet as nothing more commonly cometh to God's children, so is there no exercise more profitable for his soldiers than is the same.
:.... [David, Job and Paul , sometimes,]<ref>"[David, Job and Paul sometimes]" represents the following text of John Knox, to which Bible refs have been added. "In how many places does David complain that God has forgotten him [[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=Psalm.13.1&mod=KJV#cv Psalm 13:1]; the Psalmist
[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=Psalm.42.9&mod=KJV#cv Psalm 42:9,]
[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=Psalm.77.9&mod=KJV#cv Psalm 77:9]],
and soul as a target and mark, whereat he shoots his arrows, tormenting
the body by plagues corporal, and frightening the soul by the terrors of his judgements [[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=Job.16.12&mod=KJV#cv Job 16:12-13],
[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=Job.6.4&mod=KJV#cv Job 6:4]].]
And Paul, beside the burden of his sin [perhaps
[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=Romans.7.24&mod=KJV#cv Romans 7:24]],
and beside the angel of Satan which was given to buffet him [[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=2Corinthians.12.7&mod=KJV#cv 2 Corinthians 12:7]],]plainly confesses that he had battle without and fear and terrors within [[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=2Corinthians.7.5&mod=KJV#cv 2 Corinthians 7:5],] perhaps [https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=2Corinthians.1.8&mod=KJV#cv 2 Corinthians 1:8],]
[https://crosswire.org/study/passagestudy.jsp?key=1Corinthians.2.3&mod=KJV#cv 1 Corinthians 2:3]]...."</ref> were destitute of the sensible feeling of God's mercy, as I am assured that every member of Christ's body is at a time or other."
==== Wesley & Methodism ====
[[John Wesley]] believed that all Christians have a faith which implies an ''assurance'' of God's forgiving love, and that one would feel that ''assurance'', or the "witness of the Spirit". This understanding is grounded in Paul's affirmation, "...ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father. The same Spirit beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God..." (Romans 8:15-16, ''Wesley's translation''). This experience was mirrored for Wesley in his Aldersgate experience where he "knew" he was loved by God and that his sins were forgiven.
In a letter dated September 28, 1738 Wesley wrote, "The ''assurance'' of which I alone speak I should not choose to call an ''assurance'' of salvation, but rather (with the Scriptures), the ''assurance'' of faith. . . . [This] is not the essence of faith, but a distinct gift of the Holy Ghost, whereby God shines upon his own work, and shows us that we are justified through faith in Christ...The 'full assurance of faith' (Heb 10.22) is 'neither more nor less than hope; or a conviction, wrought in us by the Holy Ghost, that we have a measure of the true faith in Christ..'"<ref>The discussion of Wesley's understanding of ''assurance'' is a revision of information presented on the website "Days of Wesley", copyright 2004, Days of Wesley, Conrad Archer, [http://www.gbgm-umc.org/sonorafirst/handa.html#assurance Entry on Assurance].</ref>
====[[Westminster Confession, Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism.|The Westminster Confession and the Larger Catechism]]====
The Larger Catechism<ref>Westminster Assembly (1658), "The Humble Advice of the Assembly of Divines", viewed 13 December 2021 at archive.org, https://archive.org/details/humbleadviceofas200west.</ref> (p164ff) gives an abbreviated version of the section of the Westminster Confession (ch 18, p62ff) about Christian Assurance.
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===Romans 7===
A similar matter. In Romans 7, the apostle considers the Biblical law, the law which is holy and just and good—and comments that it stirs up sin. Does that apply to people who are saved?
''[https://ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom38 Calvin, Commentary on Romans, on Rom 7:14]''
:He [the apostle Paul] then sets before us an example in a regenerate man, in whom the remnants of the flesh are wholly contrary to the law of the Lord, while the spirit would gladly obey it.
''[https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2005/philip-melancthon-1497-1560/ Melanchthon,] [https://archive.org/details/commentaryonroma0000mela Commentary on Romans, p159, on Rom 7:14]'' <!--- 2nd english edn. Tr Kramer F. Described as the Revised 1540 edition. --->
:Some mock these things and imagine that Paul is here speaking not about his own person, not about the converted and holy, but about the ungodly. This sophistry must be rejected. David is speaking about himself and about all saints when he says [Ps. 143:2]: "In your sight no man living shall be justified," and when he says [Ps. 51:5]: "Behold, I was conceived in iniquity." Thus Paul is speaking about himself, and he includes all saints by his example. Since this interpretation of Paul has firm and clear testimonies in the Psalms, it is certain that foreign interpretations should not be invented.
''[https://archive.org/details/explanatorynotes00unknuoft John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on Rom 7:25. Bible text is in italics.]''
:<I>I myself</I>—Or rather, that I (the person whom I am personating till his deliverance is wrought)....
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