A Few Thoughts About Assurance of Salvation

Faith

Salvation

Peace

Eternal life

B1 John 3:36 WEL He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, but he who refuses to believe the Son will not see life, on the contrary the fierce anger of God remains on him.

B2 1 John 5:11-13 WEL This is the testimony: God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God doesn’t have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God.

God initiates salvation

God opens the mind and heart to understand the Gospel

God makes the condition for salvation to be faith (Genesis 15:6)

God makes promises to those who believe and meet His conditions

Forgiveness

Reconciliation

Adoption

Justification

Clear conscious

Holy Spirit

Eternal life

Assurance

Witness of the Holy Spirit

Witness of the Scriptures

Witness of God’s promise

Witness of changed life

Doubts

Some teach that if there are doubts, one is not really saved. They mesh together faith and assurance into one thing. So they teach that if you have saving faith (that God gives, the Neo-Calvinist view especially), you will not have doubts. If there are doubts, then you might not (even probably not) have faith.

The Bible teaches

Doubts are possible

Examples

Peter

Christians that James writes to: James 1:6 NKJV But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Christians who eat meat offered to idols: Romans 14:23 NKJV But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

Jesus’s disciples: Luke 24:38 NKJV And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?