Foundations
You can know — not hope, not guess, but know — that you belong to God and will have eternal life.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:13
Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22
Scripture
Take turns reading each of these verses out loud
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
John 10:27–29
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38–39
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:13–14
As these verses show, assurance of salvation is (1) the objective truth that your salvation can never be taken away, and (2) the subjective feeling of complete confidence that you have been forgiven of all your sins, adopted into the family of God, and will have eternal life in heaven.
Experiencing assurance is possible because the Bible teaches an objective truth about our security: once we're saved, we can never lose our salvation. However, not every Christian feels the assurance of their salvation. This lack of assurance often stems from factors such as habitual sin, believing the devil's lies, and a guilty conscience.
Reflect
Before reading this content, did you know or believe that you could be 100% certain of going to heaven when you die? Why or why not?
What is the difference between assurance and security? Why is this distinction important?
What Opposes It
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8
We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will set our heart at ease before Him, that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.
1 John 3:19–20
Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies.
Romans 8:33
If the Bible is so clear about the reality and security of our salvation, why do we sometimes doubt and struggle with assurance? Our assurance is opposed by three enemies: sin, the flesh, and the devil.
Habitual, unrepentant sin can cloud our assurance. Although we may be secure in Christ, our sense of security can be weakened until we repent and receive forgiveness.
Assurance is not only a spiritual reality but also something we experience mentally. Our own thoughts and feelings can condemn us and cause us to question whether we are truly saved. But God is greater than our hearts, thoughts, and feelings.
Satan is called the "accuser of the brothers" because, although he cannot take away our salvation, he can seek to steal the comfort and peace we have in it by causing us to doubt. Yet no accusation can ultimately stand against those whom God has justified.
Reflect
Which of these three enemies most commonly causes you to doubt your salvation? What does the Bible say is the weapon God has given you to overcome it?
What It Stands On
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.
Romans 8:15–16
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
The basis of our assurance rests on these three things:
For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
2 Timothy 1:12…in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.
Titus 1:2By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:10God desires that we are confident in His love for us and our adoption into His family. When we experience assurance, we see its fruit in our lives:
Reflect
Which fruit of assurance do you most desire to see grow in your life? What do you need to believe in order to see it?
Respond
