In this issue of the FELSISA Witness, two articles are reprinted that appeared in the church newsletter of the SELK, our sister church in Germany, last year.
The editor-in-chief of the Lutherische Kirche (LuKi) Dr. Andrea Grünhagen writes:
“Can I be certain?”
We often ask ourselves this when making decisions. Someone has just signed a rental contract and thinks, “Can I be certain that this was the right thing to do?” Or a young couple is about to get engaged and they think, only secretly of course, “Can I be certain this is going to work out?”
Or someone is about to have a major operation and ponders, “Can I be certain that this will turn out okay?” Our human experience tells us that we cannot be certain. There is a residual risk in everything. Is it any wonder then that many Christians are not certain about their eternal destiny? Can I be certain of that? Can I be certain of my salvation? Or is that in the end a false certainty, which is why pious people often prefer to speak of assurance. Which does not mean that everyone is always so sure who claim that about themselves.
Two articles in this issue are dedicated to this topic.
Pastor Rüdiger Gevers, Vryheid