Believers are often confronted with feelings of condemnation and nagging fears that they have somehow rejected the Holy Spirit or that His witness has gone silent. These feelings are not from God. Rather, they are spiritual attacks aimed at cutting believers off from the assurance that is their birthright in Christ. Though the gospel has been believed and the truth of Christ’s death and resurrection accepted, the accuser’s voice can cause doubt about the Spirit’s ongoing testimony. The answer to these struggles is not found in fluctuating feelings but in the unshakable reality Paul presents in Romans 8.
The Unbreakable Testimony
The foundational truth to stand upon is this: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16, KJV). This is not a subtle or occasional whisper reserved for spiritual elites. It is a present and continuous reality for every person who is in Christ. The language is clear—the Spirit bears witness alongside our own human spirit. This joint testimony is unmistakable: our spirit, made alive to God, cries out “Abba, Father,” and the Holy Spirit within us confirms that cry, declaring our sonship.
Paul contrasts this with the voice of accusation: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15, KJV). There are two spiritual atmospheres at work. One is the spirit of bondage, producing fear, pointing to failures, and condemning as a slave under law. The other is the Spirit of adoption, producing confidence, affirming identity, and assuring believers they are beloved children. The accusing voice is the spirit of bondage masquerading as conviction, while the true Spirit’s work is to witness to sonship.
How Assurance Is Known
A common trap is the belief that assurance depends on feeling the Spirit’s presence or achieving a certain emotional state. This is law-thinking creeping back in. The biblical basis for knowing one has the Holy Spirit is far more secure: it rests on faith in the gospel itself.
1 John 5:10 states, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.” If a person believes on the Son of God, then the witness is already within. Faith itself is the evidence. The natural man cannot receive or believe these things (1 Corinthians 2:14). Being convinced of the truth of Christ’s death and resurrection is supernatural proof that the Spirit has borne witness, enabling belief in God’s record concerning His Son. Faith is not merely intellectual assent; it is the fruit of the Spirit’s testimony. Where there is genuine belief, the Spirit is present.
This understanding underscores the teaching: “You can know you’re born of God because you believe. It’s a testimony of Jesus Christ, a spiritual truth that you wouldn’t be able to believe unless the Holy Spirit was bearing witness.” Faith and the Spirit’s witness are inseparable—one is the direct result of the other.
The Battle for the Mind: Two Voices
The daily spiritual warfare described in Romans 7 and 8 involves a conflict between walking according to the flesh—which includes religious self-reliance and listening to condemnation—and walking according to the Spirit. Paul says, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).
There are two voices at work: the thunderous voice from Mount Sinai, which blasts the law and brings condemnation, and the sweet inner witness of the Spirit, the spirit of sonship. Satan, the accuser, operates on the frequency of Sinai, using the law to beat believers down and shout disqualification. He wants believers to live in bondage and fear. In contrast, the Spirit of God operates on the frequency of Zion, speaking of acceptance, inheritance, and sonship. His voice leads into liberty and the comfort of crying “Abba, Father.”
When feelings arise such as “maybe I’ve blasphemed the Spirit” or “maybe He’s left me,” it is crucial to recognize the source. These are the spirit of bondage speaking. The true Spirit’s ministry is to break that cycle. Romans 8 begins with the declaration, “There is therefore now no condemnation,” because the Spirit of sonship breaks off the spirit of bondage and fear, breaking the cycle of sin and condemnation.
Safeguards Against the Accuser’s Lies
The fears about unforgivable sin are answered by the finished work of Christ and union with Him.
First, consider the believer’s crucifixion with Christ: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6, KJV). The “old man” capable of final rejection was judged at the cross. If a person is in Christ, they were there. Any sin feared—past, present, or future—was paid for. There is no outstanding charge: “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth” (Romans 8:33, KJV).
Second, the specific fear of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is addressed by this union. A believer cannot commit that sin in a final, unforgivable way. Concern about having committed it is actually evidence against having done so. The one who truly rejects the Spirit’s testimony would be hardened and indifferent, not anguished. The Spirit’s active work in the conscience is evident in the believer’s distress over such fears.
Walking in Assurance
Assurance is not passive waiting for a feeling but an active setting of the mind: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5, KJV). To “mind” or “set your mind” means to focus thoughts and acclimate to spiritual reality.
This is a process. Transitioning from fear to peace does not happen instantly. The mind is renewed by agreeing with the gospel. When accusations come, they are not analyzed but repudiated with truth. The gospel is preached to oneself: “I am a child of God by faith in Christ. The Spirit witnesses that I am. There is no condemnation. I cry Abba, Father.” The gospel becomes the means of fellowship: “Thank you, Father, for giving me your Son. Thank you for giving me the spirit of your Son… Thank you for making me the righteousness of God in Christ.”
This is how believers “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13)—not by willpower over sin, but by the Spirit, choosing to walk in the atmosphere of sonship rather than slavery. The Spirit’s testimony directs thoughts more than the accuser’s lies.
The Unchanging Reality
Feelings are not the barometer of the Spirit’s presence; God’s Word is. Believers who have believed the gospel have the Spirit, and He is bearing witness with their spirit that they are God’s children. The voice of accusation is an external attack, but the inward cry of “Abba, Father” is the proof of true sonship.
The very struggle against condemnation proves sonship. A slave lives in fear and does not fight for assurance. A son, though sometimes bewildered and accused, still has that cry within him. That cry is the Spirit’s witness. Trust the testimony more than the tremor. The believer’s position is sealed, the inheritance sure. The Spirit is not silent; He is forever declaring each believer a child of God. Rest in that truth.
