“The Simple Truth of Assurance”
Orientation
The nagging question, 'Have I done enough to be saved?' creates uncertainty that is not from God and is not what the Scriptures teach.
- Salvation is not a wage earned by your labor or religious diligence.
- Assurance is not a distant hope but a present certainty rooted in Christ's finished work.
- Adding your own works as a condition for salvation rejects the sufficiency of Christ's cross.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
— Ephesians 2:8-9
Clarification
Baptism, confession, and faithfulness are good for spiritual growth, but they are the fruit of salvation, not the root.
- Spiritual disciplines are evidence of life, not the means by which life is obtained.
- To trust in your own performance as the basis for assurance is to forfeit assurance altogether.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)
— 1 John 5:13
Structure
The gospel is the objective work of Christ—His death, burial, and resurrection for sinners—which we believe.
- Faith is being convinced that God's record concerning His Son is true.
- This belief is the sole means of receiving salvation as a free gift from God.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Weight-Bearing Prose
Assurance is fully attainable because salvation is a free gift from God, received solely by trusting in the gospel. This is the Pauline category of justification by faith, apart from works (Romans 4:4-5). Any system that makes salvation depend—even in part—on human works, baptism, confession, or ongoing obedience places you under law and cannot give peace. It exchanges the promise of God for self-examination and striving. The gospel is God’s record concerning His Son (1 John 5:9-11). Believing this record is not ‘intellectual assent’ versus ‘heart faith’; it is simply being convinced that what God says is true. This faith is the only condition. God then gives eternal life as a gift, secured and sealed by His grace. This excludes all human boasting (Ephesians 2:9). The inevitable effect of trusting in works is uncertainty; the effect of trusting in Christ alone is knowing you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
Integration
If you have believed the gospel, you have eternal life. Not because you feel it or see it, but because God has promised it, and He cannot lie. Your assurance rests on His finished work, not your ongoing performance. Stand firm in this. Rejoice in the certainty that comes from Christ alone. This is your landing place—a secure salvation that cannot be lost, a gift fully given and fully received. There is no pressure to advance or prove yourself, only the rest of knowing He has done it all. Christ is your assurance.