Assurance of Salvation: Growing in Confidence Before God

Assurance of salvation refers to an inner confidence that one has been truly saved, is presently being saved, and is prepared for final salvation.

Salvation is threefold:

Initial salvation: “you have been saved” (Eph. 2:5).
Progressive salvation: “you are being saved” (1 Cor. 15:2).
Final salvation: “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 24:13).

It is only those who have been saved (forgiven of their sins and adopted as God’s children) that are also being saved (sanctified and delivered more and more from sin in their lives) and will be saved (glorified and made eternally secure in heaven).

Assurance Begins At Initial Salvation

Assurance of salvation begins at initial salvation as one (1) understands and rests by faith in the objectivity of Christ’s finished atonement, (2) inwardly experiences the indwelling Spirit, and (3) is received by the Church which Christ has entrusted with the keys of the kingdom.

Understanding the Objectivity of the Atonement

A person is initially saved when they understand the gospel—the good news that Jesus accomplished a complete salvation to be received as a free gift—and respond in true faith. The rock-solid foundation of the evangelical assurance that the Wesleys emphasized so much is a strong confidence in Christ’s atoning work.

Consider the song “The Solid Rock.” It oozes assurance, but the source of the songwriter’s assurance was utterly objective: Jesus’ blood and righteousness; his oath, his covenant; his blood; his righteousness alone.

Assurance of salvation must begin by focusing less on oneself and more on Christ.

Assurance of salvation must begin by focusing less on oneself and more on Christ. Focusing less on oneself even includes focusing less on the strength of one’s faith and more on the objective accomplishment of Jesus. D. A. Carson beautifully illustrates this by imagining two Jews talking the day before the Passover:

Picture two Jews, by the name of Smith and Brown. Remarkably Jewish names.

The day before the first Passover they’re having a little discussion in the land of Goshen, and Smith says to Brown, “Boy, are you a little nervous about what’s going to happen tonight?”

Brown says, “Well, God told us what to do through his servant Moses. You don’t have to be nervous. Haven’t you slaughtered the lamb and dobbed the two door posts with blood—put blood on the lintel? Haven’t you done that? You’re all ready and packed to go? You’re going to eat your whole Passover meal with your family?”

“Of course I’ve done that. I’m not stupid. But, it’s still pretty scary when you think of all the things that have happened around here recently. You know, flies and river turning to blood. It’s pretty awful. And now there’s a threat of the first-born being killed, you know. It’s all right for you. You’ve got three sons. I’ve only got one. And I love my Charlie, and the Angel of Death is passing through tonight. I know what God says; I put the blood there. But it’s pretty scary, I’ll be glad when this night is over.”

And the other one responds, “Bring it on. I trust the promises of God.”

That night, the angel of death swept through the land. Which one lost his son?

And the answer of course is: neither.

Because death doesn’t pass over them on the ground of the intensity, or the clarity, of the faith exercised. But on the ground of the blood of the lamb. That’s what silences the accuser.

The blood silences the accuser of the brothers as he accuses us before God. He silences our consciences when he accuses us directly. How many times do we writhe in agony asking if God can ever love us enough, if God can ever care for us enough after we have done such stupid, sinful, rebellious things after being Christians for 40 years?

What are you going to say, “Oh, God, I tried hard, you know. I did my best. It was a bad moment”?

No, no, no. I have no other argument! I need no other plea! It is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me!

We overcome him by the blood of the lamb. There is the ground of all human assurance before God. There is the ground of our faith. Not guaranteeing intensity of faith—so fickle are we.

It’s not the intensity of our faith but the object of our faith that saves. They overcome him on the ground of the blood of the lamb.

There is no more important factor in cultivating assurance than to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Christ crucified is the solid ground of our assurance, and there is no more important factor in cultivating assurance than to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. The Heidelberg Catechism asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” and answers:

That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,4 and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

An Inward Experience of the Holy Spirit

When a person truly repents and trusts in Christ alone from the heart, they are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, united with Christ, and adopted into God’s family. New believers often (though not always) have an inward experience of the Holy Spirit at or soon after their conversion. This may include an inward sense of God’s love (Rom. 5:5), a new filial desire for God (Rom. 8:15), relief of fear (Rom. 8:15), or a feeling of peace and a clear conscience (Heb. 9:14; Php. 4:7).

The Wesleys emphasized “the witness of the Spirit,” which is described in Romans 8:15–17:

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

What exactly does it mean for the Spirit to bear witness with our human spirit that we are God’s children? Good Christians disagree on how to understand this. Some emphasize a direct impression on the soul—a strong sense that, “I am God’s child!” At this time, I think it better to link it more closely with verse 15: it is our spirit that cries, “Abba! Father” (a desire for God, now as our Father), and this cry is the result of the Spirit of adoption within us. In other words, the witness of the Spirit is the new spiritual desire that we have after we are saved. I remember a lady that I tried to lead to Jesus for months. After she prayed to be saved one evening, I stopped by her house the next day, and she was 37 chapters into the book of Genesis. I said, “That new desire you have for God’s Word—that’s the witness of the Spirit that you are his child!”

One’s inward experience of the Holy Spirit (though valuable) should never be made the primary ground of assurance or separated from other biblical means of assurance.

Now, as an important disclaimer, not everyone’s inward experience of the Holy Spirit is the same. Some have a dramatic experience (especially if they are saved later in life out of deep sin), while others feel very little (especially if they have trusted in Jesus from a very young age and never went through a “rebellious phase”). Personality also influences this: Some people are naturally emotional, while others are more cold and rational. For these reasons, one’s inward experience of the Holy Spirit (though valuable) should never be made the primary ground of assurance or separated from other biblical means of assurance.

The Church’s Testimony

Last but certainly not least is the role that the Church should play at initial salvation to offer assurance to new believers. Perhaps the besetting sin of the modern evangelical church is to divorce salvation from the Church—something that was completely foreign to most Christians throughout church history. Consider these words of Jesus to the apostles:

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19)
“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (Jn. 20:23)
“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19; cf. Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”).

In Matthew 18:18, the language of binding and loosing is used to describe the actions of “the church,” overseen by its leaders, making clear that this apostolic authority now resides in the church (which is one aspect of what it means to confess in the Nicene Creed, “one holy catholic and apostolic church”). The church fathers and Protestant reformers, from Cyprian and Augustine to Calvin and Luther, were adamant that one cannot have God for his Father if he will not have the Church for his Mother (see Catechism Questions 38–41).

While some people have experienced unhealthy churches or domineering church leaders and are alarmed by these Bible verses, what Christ has ordained is always for our good. It is difficult and unbiblical to work out one’s assurance of salvation as a purely private matter. Essential is the testimony of the Church, which is authorized by Christ to represent him in extending the forgiveness of sins to those who show evidence of repentance and true faith. While the church can err, its actions in baptism and in receiving someone into membership are crucial sources of assurance.

It is difficult and unbiblical to work out one’s assurance of salvation as a purely private matter.

Marriage is a good illustration of this point. If someone asked me, “How do you know that you are truly married to your wife Lexi?” I would say, “My grandpa Arnold, an ordained minister, declared us husband and wife before many witnesses!” Now, is this an absolute guarantee? No; my grandpa Arnold made this declaration “by the power invested in him.” If, for example, the state found out that my wife had been secretly married to another man at the time, they could declare my marriage null and void! And if a professing believer is secretly “married” to Satan when the church proclaims him forgiven, God will reveal that on the final day and have the final word. But my grandpa’s declaration as an authorized representative of the state, and the Church’s declaration as an authorized representative of the kingdom of God, is no less important. It is a vital source of assurance (see David Fry’s article “What is the Church’s Role in Salvation?” for more on this).

Assurance Continues and Grows Stronger in Progressive Salvation

Recall that it is only those who have been saved who are being saved. For this reason, the Bible often encourages Christians to look for evidence that they are being saved as evidence that they have been saved. Assurance of salvation continues and grows stronger in progressive salvation as one (1) lives a life characterized by obedience to God’s commands, (2) grows in love for one’s brothers and sisters in Christ, and (3) holds fast to the true faith about Christ.

Obedience to God’s Commands and a Clear Conscience

We are saved by grace through faith “alone” in this sense: faith is the only instrumental or receiving cause of our justification, in that faith alone receives and lays hold of Christ, who is our salvation. However, the faith that lays hold of Christ will always express itself in loving, grateful obedience to Christ. Our works do not save us in the sense that they do not merit our salvation, but the faith that saves always works in love: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). The logic related to assurance is this: You can know that you are saved if you have true faith in Jesus, and you can know that you have true faith in Jesus if your faith works by love. This is a major emphasis in the epistle of 1 John, where “know” is a key word:

“By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” (1 Jn. 2:3)
“By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 Jn. 2:5–6)
“Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.” (1 Jn. 3:7)
“Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him.” (1 Jn. 3:24)
“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning.” (1 Jn. 5:18).
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (Jn. 14:15)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt. 7:21)

John is not saying that if someone ever sins or breaks God’s commandments, then they are not saved and should throw away their assurance (see 1 Jn. 2:1 and 5:16). But John is saying that the life of a true believer will be characterized by obedience, and that as a believer walks in obedience and models their life after Christ, they grow in assurance that they are truly united with him.

As a believer walks in obedience and models their life after Christ, they grow in assurance that they are truly united with him.

This assurance is both objective and subjective. Objectively, we can assess our life and reason inductively from what we observe. But the subjective is also significant here: When we resist the flesh and obey God, it strengthens our assurance before him; when we indulge the flesh and disobey God, it robs our peace and troubles our conscience. John explains, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 Jn. 3:21). Thus Paul said, “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (Acts 24:16). As we walk in obedience to God’s commandments, we keep our conscience clear, and we grow in confidence that we are truly in Christ.

A few warnings are needed here. First, we must remember that our conscience can misfire. People who were raised in toxic faith environments or who experienced trauma of various kinds often fall into religious scrupulosity and have a hypersensitive conscience that condemns them even when their life is characterized by obedience. Healing the conscience takes time, healthy community, and sometimes professional counseling. Second, we must always be cautious that our assurance does not become primarily grounded in our performance rather than our relationship with God through Christ. If our assurance is shattered any time that we struggle or fall, then we need to go back to step one and relearn the gospel.

Love for Other Christians and All People

Closely related to the previous point is that our assurance grows as we grow in love for our fellow Christians. This was after all the “new commandment” that Jesus gave to his followers: “that you love one another” (Jn. 13:34). Love for all people also strengthens our assurance and is entailed in the second great commandment, but the New Testament especially emphasizes love for fellow believers as a source of assurance:

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn. 13:35)
“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.” (1 Jn. 3:14)
“Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 Jn. 4:7)
“Everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” (1 Jn. 5:1)

Jesus loves all people, but he especially loves his Church—his bride and body. As we abide in Christ, we will inevitably grow in his love for the Church. And as our love, concern for, and dedication to the Church grows, despite all her flaws and the misdeeds of her members, then it becomes a source of assurance that the heart of Christ is being formed in us because we truly know him.

As we abide in Christ, we will inevitably grow in his love for the Church.

On this point, it’s helpful to remember 1 Corinthians 13:1–3:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

If God empowers us to speak in tongues or prophecy or understand deep theological truths or to believe him for miracles or to endure horrible suffering for our faith leading to martyrdom, we may be right to draw a measure of assurance from these things. But these things can be misleading sources of assurance and pale in comparison to the assurance that comes from knowing that our heart truly loves others—especially other Christians and our enemies (Mt. 5:43–48).

Holding Fast to the True Faith

Finally, we grow in assurance as we hold fast to the true faith about Christ. Scripture teaches that one mark of a saved person is that they believe, hold fast to, and grow increasingly passionate about the identity of Jesus.

“These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn. 20:31)
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.” (1 Jn. 5:1)
“Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.” (1 Jn. 2:23–25)
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9)
“Let us hold fast our confession.” (Heb. 4:14)

Now, obviously much of this applies to a new believer. At every baptism, we ask, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died, was buried, descended to the dead, and on the third day rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, from which he will come to judge the living and the dead?” And when I’m working with someone who isn’t sure if they’re saved, I often start there: “Do you believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and that he died for the sins of the whole world and for your sins, then rose on the third day victorious over sin and death?”

At the same time, the New Testament emphasizes holding fast to this initial belief in connection with assurance. Believers are often assaulted by worldly pressures, doubts, and false doctrines, and one evidence of saving faith is that despite all this, they hold fast and in fact become increasingly devoted to the truth about the identity of Jesus.

Growing Assurance Longs for Future Salvation

Recall that assurance of salvation, in its fullest sense, is not just confidence that one was saved in the past or is being saved now (presently in a right relationship with God that is growing day by day). Assurance of salvation is also assurance that one will be saved in the future. And as assurance begins at initial salvation and grows stronger in progressive salvation, it becomes more and more oriented towards future hope.

As one grows in assurance, they become less fearful about the future judgment and more excited about heaven.

John says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 Jn. 4:18). In context, John is talking about fear of punishment at the judgment, and how a person is delivered from this fear as they grow in love and walk in obedience. Simply put, as one grows in assurance, they become less fearful about the future judgment and more excited about heaven, and this fuels even greater assurance!

Summary and Pastoral Counsel

In summary, if you’re struggling with assurance of salvation:

Study the gospel and the “full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, offering, and satisfaction” that Christ made for the sins of the whole world. Don’t trust in the strength of your faith but in the strength of your Savior.
Reflect on how you have experienced the Holy Spirit in your life. Perhaps you have never had a dramatic experience, but have you ever felt an inner peace or confidence? Have you ever felt an upward longing for God as your father? If so, you can look back to those moments to draw some assurance.
Lean into the Church which Christ has ordained for your good. If you aren’t a baptized church member, go to your pastor right away and embrace your church’s processes. Allow the church to be a Mother to you. Draw assurance from her care, and from the love of pastors and fellow church members who call you “brother” or “sister.”
Take an honest look at your life and ask yourself if it is characterized by righteousness and obedience to God’s commandments. If Satan tempts you to fixate on your failures, ask yourself how you respond to those failures: Do you minimize them or do you confess and repent and keep pursuing holiness? A genuine relationship that’s characterized by obedience despite failures—not perfect performance—is what brings assurance.
Think back over the last year or five years or ten years of your life of trying to serve God. Are you growing in commitment to the church? Are you learning to bear with and forgive other Christians who mistreat you? Are you growing in genuine concern for them and actively serving them in love? Are you developing a burden for the health and future of your local church? Those are signs of Christlike love within you and should boost your assurance.
Consider your commitment to the person and identity of Jesus. If you are holding fast to the truth about Jesus and zealous to defend it and share it with others, then that is evidence of saving faith.
Examine your hope. Do you look forward to heaven? Are you excited to see Jesus? Do the things of this earth grow dim in your eyes compared to the glory that is soon to be revealed? Are you living for eternity? If so, those are good signs that you are truly saved! Don’t let Satan rob you of the blessed assurance that Jesus is yours and that you belong to him!

Other Factors, Positive and Negative

This article has only scratched the surface on the doctrine of assurance, and from a pastoral perspective, there are countless other factors to consider. For example, people’s assurance is often obscured by bad theology: A wrong view of God; a wrong view of themselves and their worth as human beings made in God’s image and redeemed by Christ; and a wrong view of salvation, the Christian life, or the means of grace. Assurance flourishes in churches with a clear view of the gospel and a robust practice of catechesis. For examples of bad theology that often harms assurance, see Travis Johnson’s article “The Christian Life is Not About Walking on Eggshells” or my article, “If I Take Communion Unworthily, Will I Drink Damnation to My Soul?” These issues and their complex causes must be dealt with under wise and compassionate pastoral care (and sometimes with professional help).

People’s assurance is often obscured by bad theology.

At the same time, there are numerous other factors that feed assurance. For example, I believe that our church’s practice of weekly communion and corporate confession feeds assurance and cultivates a church culture where assurance can grow. No matter how strongly I preach on what we must do, our services never end there; they always end with what Christ has done. We confess sin corporately, hear a prayer for absolution, hear comforting words, receive “the peace,” distribute the bread and wine as “a sign of God’s love,” and often conclude with a prayer from the BCP that specifically mentions assurance:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom. And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

A person’s family dynamics, personality, religious upbringing, local church culture, and various beliefs all affect assurance. Some Christians rarely struggle with assurance, while for others it is a lifelong battle. Wise pastors recognize this and make it a point of discipleship to help every individual believer with assurance in their own life.