Podcast Summary: Renewing Your Mind

Episode: Practical Applications
Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Ligonier Ministries
Guest Speaker: Dr. Joel Beeke

Episode Overview

This episode concludes Joel Beeke’s series on “Assurance of Faith,” focusing on concrete, practical steps for Christians struggling with assurance of salvation. Dr. Beeke addresses common doubts, their sources, and how believers can cultivate greater assurance and confidence in Christ. The episode is pastoral, rooted in biblical exhortation, Puritan wisdom, and practical guidance, with an emphasis on applying scriptural truths to daily life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Song of Assurance

• Opening Reflection (00:00): The episode begins by quoting the hymn Blessed Assurance by Fanny Crosby, setting a worshipful tone and underscoring that a life marked by assurance should be "the song of every believer."
• Nathan W. Bingham (Host) (00:47): "As we've heard this week, our assurance can increase or diminish over our Christian life. So what can a struggling believer do?"

2. Ten Practical Steps for Weak Assurance

Dr. Joel Beeke offers a comprehensive list to help those lacking assurance (01:38 – 13:26):

• 1. Pray for the Light of the Spirit:
  “Pray to God that He'll grant you the light of His Spirit, and show you that you belong to God and are saved.”
• 2. Rest in God’s Promises:
  Spend time with scriptural promises, particularly those that have been precious before.
• 3. Return to Gospel Basics:
  “Flee to the basics of the Gospel … rest your soul on those basic truths of the Gospel and all the precious truths that accompany the Gospel.”
• 4. Self-Examination for Evidence of Grace:
  “Examine yourself by some basic inward evidences of grace—Have I learned to mourn over sin?”
• 5. The Spirit’s Testimony:
  Ask the Spirit to witness to your conscience through the Word.
• 6. The Means of Grace:
  Diligently use the Word, sacraments, and prayer (cf. Westminster Larger Catechism Q.154).
• 7. Repent from Unbelief and Sin:
  “Resolve before God to turn from your ungodly unbelief, to flee ... and to run the race set before you, looking to Jesus.”
• 8. Remember Your Identity in Christ:
  “When Satan comes ... do what Luther did … ‘Satan, are you here again? ... My head’s in heaven, and you can’t reach Him anymore.’”
• 9. Meditate on the Last Things:
  Consider death, judgment, heaven, and hell.
  Quote from his father: “Lord, let our entire lives be nothing but a preparation to meet Thee in the righteousness and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
• 10. Recall God’s Faithfulness:
  Reflect on God’s track record of goodness in your life.
  “He who has been with you this long won’t desert you in the end.”

Memorable Quote:
“If Jesus is real, friends, he's worth everything. Follow him fully. Like Caleb, you will never, ever be sorry.” — Dr. Beeke (09:00)

Dr. Beeke encourages listeners to summarize these steps, keep them handy, and return to them during times of doubt.

3. Assurance in the Face of Doubt

Dr. Beeke addresses the paradox of faith and doubt (13:27 – 23:00):

• Doubt is Ordinary, Not Defining.
  “It is ordinary for believers, even assured believers such as Abraham, David, and Jeremiah, to have doubts at times.”
  Doubt does not mean the absence of faith, citing both the Psalms and Puritan writers.
• Sources of Doubt:
  • Physical (temperament, health, depression)
  • Intellectual (apparent Bible vs. science/history issues)
  • Spiritual (indwelling sin, lack of love, Satan’s attacks)
• Remedies for Doubting:
  • Face Your Doubts Honestly:
    “Address your doubts face to face before they injure your faith irreparably. Recognize the danger of doubt. Confess to God ... Seek counsel.”
  • Let God’s Work Overshadow Satan’s:
    “Trust in your great High Priest. Ask the Spirit for grace to obey Jesus’ words to Thomas: ‘Be not faithless, but believing.’”
  • Maintain Means of Grace:
    “Maintain that close personal walk with God ... it’s so important for our daily sustenance.”

Notable Guidance:
“When you're around seasoned Christians who are full of assurance of faith, they take you under their wing and they counsel you. God can use that as a powerful spiritual tool to help you grow in assurance as well.” — Dr. Beeke (21:42)

• Encouragement to Seek Spiritual Mentors:
  Story about Jeff Thomas telling his grandchildren, “You gotta go out and find friends who are more holy than you are and be with them and let that holiness rub off.”

• Reading the Puritans:
  Dr. Beeke recommends starting with accessible, modernized Puritan works and assures, “When you read the Puritans, it’s like reading the Bible in many ways, because there’s 200 texts sprinkled across every page.” (22:20)

4. Assurance for Unbelievers

Gospel Call and Addressing Objections (23:01 – 24:05):

• Dr. Beeke issues a pastoral invitation to nonbelievers:
  “You don’t become a believer by looking for assurance first. You become a believer by realizing your sinfulness and your need for Christ ... casting yourself ... at the foot of the cross.”
• He cautions against the misuse of election as a reason to delay coming to Christ and reassures that God welcomes all who come.

Memorable Quote:
“Never, never, never use election as an obstacle for coming to God. The Bible never uses it that way.” — Dr. Beeke (23:50)

• Assurance is described in Puritan language:
  “Assurance is glory in the bud. It is the suburbs of paradise. It is a cluster of the land of promise. It is a spark of God. It is the joy and the crown of a Christian.” (Thomas Brooks, cited at 24:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He does not want you to be forever searching for assurance like a hamster on a hamster wheel. He wants you to know who your Father is … and to rejoice in the triune God of salvation.” — Dr. Beeke (03:00)
• “Doubt is unbelief, and unbelief is always sinful and the root cause of all sin. So God never recommends or praises doubt … But ... he rebukes their doubts. … Doubt wars against our faith.” — Dr. Beeke (15:45)
• “Association begets assimilation.” — (Thomas Watson, cited by Dr. Beeke, 22:03)
• “He’s willing to save the greatest of sinners … If you wait until you’re better, you will never come at all. Not the righteous, but sinners, Jesus came to call.” — Dr. Beeke, quoting Joseph Hart’s hymn (23:08)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–00:47 — “Blessed Assurance” hymn and episode introduction
• 01:38–13:26 — Ten steps for cultivating strong assurance
• 13:27–18:10 — Addressing the believer’s experience of doubt
• 18:10–23:00 — Practical counsel: mentorship, reading, and community
• 23:01–24:05 — Invitation and encouragement for unbelievers
• 24:06–24:55 — Final encouragements and memorable hymn refrain

Conclusion & Tone

The conversation is warm, pastoral, and practical—saturated with scripture, Puritan wisdom, and encouragement for the Christian walk. Dr. Beeke repeatedly emphasizes God’s desire for his children to live with assurance, the necessity of spiritual discipline and community, and the gracious welcome extended in the gospel.

Listeners are left with memorable exhortations: keep returning to the gospel; honestly face your doubts; surround yourself with seasoned, holy Christians; make use of the means of grace; and anchor your assurance not in feelings or circumstances but in Christ and through the Spirit.

This summary captures the core teachings and encouragements of the episode, providing a helpful guide for anyone seeking assurance or walking alongside those who wrestle with doubts in their faith journey.