Assurance is the state of being sure or certain about something; it is a strong and definite statement that something will happen or that something is true.
But how can we know anything for sure, especially when it concerns where we will spend eternity? What assurance do Christians have concerning their salvation?
I still remember the day I took the board examination for Medical Technologists years ago. As I stepped out of the examination room, I wasn’t sure if I had passed and would be granted a license to practice. Though I believed I had done well and given it my all, uncertainty loomed over me for the next three days as I awaited the results.
In a similar way, how do we know our hope of heaven will stand firm when God’s final judgment comes? What guarantee do we have that we will not fall away from Christ, that we will remain Christians until we die, and that we will live with God in heaven forever?
What Does it Mean to Have an Assurance of Salvation?
To have the assurance of salvation is to be confident that we are saved and that if we were to die suddenly, we would go immediately to heaven. Assurance of salvation means possessing salvation—possessing the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:36).
Salvation is eternal life; it is the life of God, divine life. If we possess eternal life, then we are truly saved!
However, many Christians struggle with this assurance, believing it is impossible to be sure of salvation in the present. They feel they must continuously work to meet God’s standards. If salvation were achieved by works, they would be correct.
But the Bible teaches that salvation is a gift received by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
This has been a long-standing debate among evangelical Christians. Many Arminians and Wesleyans believe it is possible to lose salvation, while Reformed Christians hold that those who are truly born again will never lose their salvation.
Understanding the Doctrine of Assurance of Salvation
The doctrine of assurance, also referred to as the perseverance of the saints, asserts that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere to the end. Only those who persevere demonstrate they have been truly born again.
Two-Part Definition
🅰 First, assurance is given to those who are truly born again, reminding them that God’s power will keep them “in Christ” until they die and that they will live with Christ forever in heaven.
🅱 Second, continuing in faith is evidence that a person is truly born again. This aspect of the doctrine must be well understood to avoid giving false assurance to those who were never genuine believers.
Biblical Evidence for Assurance of Salvation
1️⃣ The First Part: God’s Promise to Keep Us
Numerous passages affirm that those who are truly born again will persevere and live eternally with Christ:
- John 6:38-40 – Jesus assures that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life and be raised on the last day. He emphasizes that He will “lose none” of those given to Him by the Father.
- John 10:27-29 – Jesus states that His sheep (believers) are given eternal life, and no one can snatch them from His hand. The phrase “they shall never perish” is emphatic, guaranteeing security in Christ.
- Romans 8:1 – There is no condemnation for those in Christ because their sins have already been paid for.
- Philippians 1:6 – Paul affirms that the work God begins in believers will be completed on the day of Christ’s return.
2️⃣ The Second Part: Continuing in Faith as Evidence of Salvation
While the Bible repeatedly affirms that those who are truly born again will persevere, it also stresses the necessity of continuing in faith.
- 1 Peter 1:5 – God guards believers by working through their faith, enabling them to continue in Him.
- John 8:31-32 – Jesus states that true disciples will continue in His word, knowing the truth that sets them free.
- Matthew 10:22 – Jesus warns that “he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Additional passages emphasize perseverance:
- Colossians 1:22-23 – True believers continue in faith.
- Hebrews 3:14 – Genuine faith is evidenced by perseverance.
- 1 John 2:19 – Those who fall away were never truly saved.
Paul’s writings also highlight that false believers have infiltrated the church (Galatians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 11:26; 2 Corinthians 11:15). However, not all unbelievers in the church are false brethren—some may be on the journey toward genuine faith.
What Can Give Believers Genuine Assurance of Salvation?
If those who fall away were never truly saved, what serves as evidence of genuine conversion?
1️⃣ Present Trust in Christ for Salvation
Do you trust Jesus today for the forgiveness of your sins? Do you believe He will bring you to heaven for eternity?
John 3:16 uses a present tense verb that can be translated as “whoever continues believing in Him” may have eternal life. A continuing relationship with Jesus is evidence of salvation.
2️⃣ Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s Work
- Romans 8:16 – The Holy Spirit bears witness in our hearts that we are God’s children.
- Galatians 5:22-23 – The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of His work in our lives.
Are these character traits present in your life? Do you encourage others in the faith? Do you uphold sound doctrine? A true believer continues to accept the fundamental teachings of Christianity.
Obedience is another sign of salvation (1 John 2:4-6). While we will never be perfect, we must strive daily to imitate Christ.
3️⃣ Growth in Christian Maturity
Peter exhorts believers to cultivate virtues such as faith, knowledge, self-control, and love (2 Peter 1:5-10). This confirms our calling and election, ensuring we never stumble.
Growing in sanctification over time strengthens assurance. As believers mature in faith, their confidence in salvation deepens.
Conclusion: Do You Have Assurance of Salvation?
Assurance of salvation is essential because a person is either saved or lost. If we are “in Christ,” we should be confident in our salvation. Assurance is not presumption or pride but faith in God’s promises.
On the other hand, a proper understanding of assurance should concern those who are backsliding or distant from Christ. Only those who persevere to the end have been truly born again. If someone falls away from faith and obedience, they were never genuinely saved.
Christianity is unique in its assurance of salvation, based on Christ’s finished work. Other religions rely on good works, but in Christ, salvation is guaranteed by grace through faith.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you have assurance of salvation?
- Are you continuing in faith?
- Is the fruit of the Holy Spirit evident in your life?
- Are you growing in your spiritual walk with God?
Let these questions encourage you to examine your faith and deepen your confidence in God’s promises.
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Recommended Resources:
| Saved Without a Doubt: Being Sure of Your Salvation by John MacArthur
Readers will develop a Bible-based theology of salvation and be encouraged to securely rest in their personal relationship with Christ. |
For Pastors and Preachers:
| The Assurance of Our Salvation (Studies in John 17): Exploring the Depth of Jesus’ Prayer for His Own By Martyn Lloyd-Jones
In this masterful, verse-by-verse exposition of Jesus’ words, renowned Bible teacher and preacher Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones lays before us the richness, the depth, the wonder—and the assurance—of God’s plan of salvation. |
Assurance of Salvation is the provision Christ has made available to whosever come to him shall be saved and have eternal life in him (lock up with Jesus).
Salvation brings guarantee of our eternal security through that Jesus has done on the cross. The finish works of Christ.
So, this what keep us going is by subscribing to our faith…..our Bible System. The made up of our faith. We keep walking and confessing what we believe and walking with him.
I know some people always say, that what of people who have turn back in faith….they only stop believing in Jesus Christ that’s simple formate.
Hallelujah!
I agree with everything you said.
Thank you for your comment. May the good Lord continually bless you.
Dear Alice,
I am happy with the spiritual food you keep feeding us with.
However, you keep on saying that the born again Christians when they leave this world they end up in heaven. My question to you is: Who are the people who are going to inherit the coming Kingdom of God which Jesus is coming back to establish?
Hey David, happy to hear from you again.
Yes, believers in Jesus will end up in heaven once they leave this world, either by physical death or at the rapture when Jesus will come back in the clouds to gather together all those in Christ, whether dead or alive, to bring them all to heaven.
For a more detailed explanation of this event, I would like to refer you to this article: https://biblical-christianity.com/what-happens-at-the-second-coming-of-christ
Now, regarding the millennial reign of Christ at the end of the 7-year tribulation, believers will reign with Jesus. Who are these believers? These include those who received their glorified bodies at the rapture and those who survived the Tribulation. If we read Revelations 19, we see that the saints who have gone to heaven will come back with Christ for the millennial reign.
This means that Christians will stay in heaven only for a period of 7 years, the same time that the Tribulation is happening on earth. Revelation chapters 20-21 tell us that there will be a new heaven and a new earth and the holy city of Jerusalem will come down from heaven. And the believers in Jesus will truly inherit the Kingdom of God here on earth.
I hope that answers your question. Should you have further questions, please feel free to reply back to this comment thread.
Shalom!
It is fortunate that you have chosen this subject in your post because it is so enlightening. I have never really asked myself before if I am assured of salvation. I believe that we can be assured of salvation if we are in Christ and remain in Christ. If we continue to live by HIS teachings and obey His commandments. That we never doubt HIS words but continue to believe in HIM in our lives. To be assured of salvation, we need to have Christ in our lives.
Hello Rebecca,
When I was a new believer I was always fearful that I will not make it to heaven because I might stumble along the way and get lost. I wasn’t sure of my salvation because I was not always obedient to God’s commands and often times I neglect my quiet time. I was afraid I could lose my salvation because of my shortcomings.
Until I started to really meditate on God’s word and that’s when I realized that Jesus has paid the price of my salvation in full. There is nothing more I could do because Jesus already accomplished it. When I put my complete trust in what the Lord Jesus has done for me and received Him as my Savior, I was assured of my salvation.
You’re right, if we are in Christ we have assurance of salvation and we should never doubt that. However, Scriptures are also clear that assurance of salvation is given to those who have been truly born again and the sign that we are truly born again is if we will continue being in Christ until the end.
Praise God for His amazing grace; God saved us despite our sinfulness.
Hello
First off, I want to thank you for all of the work you put into this website, it’s fantastic that you have chosen this topic to build a site.
About this post, it really makes me to better understand how I can be sure of having salvation is Christ. That’s something I always have struggled on, but now I have a great insight from your post. I see now that this two things come together: being in Christ will lead you to live in sanctification; on the other hand, living in sanctification is a proof that you are in Christ… Excellent!!!
Shalom Mike!
Many Christians are still in doubt as to their standing in the Lord. They often raise the questions, “Am I really saved?” or “How can I be sure I will go to heaven when I die?”
When a person gets born again, the Holy Spirit will start to indwell him and will testify that he belongs to God. In other words, that person will receive the seal of ownership as proof that he belongs to God.
But how do we know if we have been truly born again and have received God’s seal of ownership? How we live our life will determine that. A person who was truly born again will manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and will continue to live in sanctification (growing in Christ). For a more detailed explanation of salvation, please navigate to this post: https://biblical-christianity.com/the-three-phases-of-salvation
God bless!
Hi Alice,
Thank you so much for your post regarding a heavily difficult and often confusing topic for most of us.
While I am religious/spiritual my life’s journey has taught me not to fall too hard by those that overly ‘interpret’ such vastly important works.
You did raise an excellent point that I seldom get to raise myself:- you are saved when you were saved by being born again – so where is the doubt? Surely, the Divine knows how to keep the word of God?
Of course the Divine does, such idiosyncrasies belong to the human real. So..
One more thing “If the Divine/Jesus/God saved me then the ‘doubt’ must come from ‘me’? Any other conclusion is by a whimsical God that is acting ‘confused’, again, not a Divine characteristic.
I sincerely applaud and welcome your post and it was my utmost pleasure to have read it. It confirmed what I believed.
I’d be interested if you’d turn what you have said here into a YouTube video or YouTube Series? YouTube is littered with high tech graphics of ‘the-other-place’, many of the commenters feel like they are doomed no matter what.
I think it’s time for those who can express it best add a bit of common sense to the masses.
Regards,
Philip.
Hi Philip,
Thanks for commenting.
When it comes to the assurance of salvation for believers, it’s so very important to stick to the Word as many among the so-called Christian denominations tend to lean more on “good works” while others solely depend on “grace.” But what does the Bible really say?
There is assurance of salvation to everyone who has truly been born again and we should never doubt that. But where does doubt come from? Like what you pointed out, it’s not from God. If we have Christ in our life, we have assurance of eternal life. What do good works have to do with the assurance of salvation? Good works just validate what has taken place when we placed our faith in Jesus.
The word of God couldn’t be clearer, assurance of salvation is for those who are
continuing to believe (John 3:16). You are saved when you were born again and the evidence that you were truly born again is if you continue in your faith up to the very end.
I might consider turning this article into a series of teaching videos, thanks Philip. God bless!
Great article here. I know I am saved and going to heaven. This article does a good biblical breakdown of what scripture says about salvation. I appreciate the fact that you give a clear black and white image of salvation because the reality is that you can’t be lukewarm in being in relationship with Jesus.
Hi Austin, I hope you’re doing well by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Glad to hear of your faith in what God has done to save you. The Bible is clear that if we received Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life then we are saved because he who has the Son has eternal life.
Sadly, there are many Christians who become lukewarm in their faith and relationship with Jesus. Just like the church of Laodicea who used to be on fire in the Lord but turned lukewarm. Let this be a warning to us today to be always zealous in the Lord (Romans 12:11).
Shalom and God bless you.
Hi Alice,
You make a number of valid points about the assurance of salvation and why the genuine Christian cannot lose it.
However, perhaps you can clarify the following two scriptures, which seem to indicate the opposite. “Now the just shall live by his faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Heb.10:38
Also, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened …….if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance….Heb:6:4-6 Thanks.
Hello Vincent,
Thanks for your comment. And yes, the Word of God is clear that genuine Christians cannot lose their salvation because Jesus Himself has guaranteed it for them. What about those who will fall back or fall away? It’s very important to emphasize that falling away is a sign that a person was not really saved to begin with. They may have been enlightened and believed as a result. They may have experienced the the goodness of God but they did not continue. Remember that the second part of the definition of assurance of salvation is that only those who persevere to the end have been truly born again.
But the more important question is, can those who fall away be restored again into repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6)? Let us not forget that the book of Hebrews was written to the Jewish nation who has just come to the knowledge of Jesus’saving grace as their long-awaited Messiah. But because of the threat of persecution, they were tempted to return to legalistic Judaism. The author of Hebrews was arguing for the superiority of the person and work of Christ. That if they rejected the clear evidence of this truth about the Word and the Holy Spirit then there was nothing more that God could do to convince them.
There are many biblical texts that talk about insincere repentance and apostacy. Matthew 27:3-5 talks about Judas who felt remorse after what he has done but he was not saved. Take a look at the nation of Israel who experienced many miracles and yet many of them perished due to their rebellion and unbelief. Matthew 7:22-23 is about believers who performed miracles in the name of Jesus and yet at the last day Jesus says He never knew them. So I believe that the author of Hebrews is talking here about false believers associated with God’s people and the blessings of salvation, but who were not truly saved.
Hebrews 10:26-27 says that if we continue to sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth then there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. God can no longer save us if we continue to willfully sin and reject the Holy Spirit. To fall away is to deliberately reject the light that was given about Jesus Christ and the gospel. Repentance then becomes impossible when a person has been fully exposed to the truth about Jesus’ sacrifice and blessing but falls away through deliberate unbelief and denial of Christ.
God gives this warning (you can never be restored) to prevent Christians from falling away.
God bless!
Many thanks for your article.
Your heartfelt writing and reaching out through the Word is a beam of hope to many.
The understanding and clarity will help many in their Walk or future Walk with God and his Son.
Keep up the Work.
How long have you been a Believer?
Hi Robert, thanks for dropping by. I appreciate your comment and I take that as a sign that I’m on the right track.
I was raised in the traditional faith (RC) but I’ve always considered myself to be a Christian until such time that God opened my understanding on what it really takes to be a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I came to a point of surrender in July 2001, that was 16 years ago, and by the grace and mercy of God Almighty I am still active in the ministry. God is faithful and there really is assurance of salvation to those who are truly born again and will keep on til the end.
What about you Robert? When did you come to know the Lord and how did He bring you into His sheepfold? I hope you will share your testimony here? I’m sure it will bless many souls and encourage them to continue in their walk with God.