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Romans 8:14–17
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (v. 16).
We have seen that many people are convinced that they are saved, but that they will find out at the worst possible time—the moment when they meet Jesus—that they are mistaken. As professing believers, we want to have assurance of salvation; indeed, we desperately need it. But even if we feel assured that we are saved, can we be certain that our assurance is justified? What are the Biblical grounds for true assurance?
The Westminster Confession of Faith devotes a chapter to this topic; it is titled “Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation.” It states plainly that while some people may deceive themselves as to their eternal destiny, “such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love Him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before Him, may, in this life, be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace” (XVIII, 1). It then proceeds to list three foundations for what it calls “an infallible assurance of faith” (XVIII, 2):
- “The divine truth of the promises of salvation.” God has promised that all who have faith in Jesus Christ will be saved. Because God is utterly reliable and cannot lie, His promises are true. Therefore, by the laws of logic, we may be assured that if we have faith in Christ, we will be saved.
- “The inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made.” The Bible extends the promise of salvation to those who love Jesus (John 8:42), to those who keep His commands (John 14:15, 24), to those who love other believers (1 John 4:7, 12), to those who hunger for righteousness (Matt. 5:6), and so on. If we see these attributes in our lives, we may be confident we are saved, for they would not be present apart from a work of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts.
- “The testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God.” The same Holy Spirit who works to renew our hearts for salvation also works to help us perceive the eternal change He has wrought, that we might be assured. And this work in and of itself is a source of assurance—the Spirit is given to believers as a “guarantee” or “down payment” on full and final salvation (Eph. 1:13–14), so if He is at work in our lives now, we can, rest assured that we will stand in the Father’s presence one day.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Christians often conclude they are not saved because they serve God so imperfectly. But the very desire to serve God indicates that a change has taken place. A heart at enmity with God has been softened. If you can detect such a change in your life, if you see any love at all for the Biblical God, you have a good basis for assurance of salvation.
For Further Study
- 2 Cor. 5:1–8
- Heb. 6:18
- 1 John 5:6–13