by Pastor Patrick Cho

Several years ago, I remember counseling a young man who was struggling with his faith. This individual thought he loved God but still wondered if his profession of faith was sincere. Although he had prayed that God would be gracious to save him, he struggled with recurring sins that caused him to doubt. Many believers come to this struggle at one point or another during their Christian lives. Having a valid concern in wanting to make sure they get the gospel right, they scrutinize their lives for the evidence of genuine salvation. Part of the reason for a believer’s doubting their faith is because of confusion regarding what the Bible teaches on the assurance of salvation.

A person’s eternal security and their assurance of salvation are two sides of the same coin. It comes down to the different perspectives of their salvation. Eternal security looks at an individual’s salvation from the perspective of God. Certainly God knows who are His people and who are not. He knows who the genuine followers of Christ are as well as who the pretenders or rejecters are. Eternal security is objective in that it is based on the truths of Scripture and the faithfulness of God to His promises (cf. Titus 1:2). Because of this, it is unchanging. Once God saves a person, their salvation is completely secure in Him. Paul writes about this security in Romans 8:29-39. Christ is the one who establishes the golden chain of salvation (Rom. 8:29-30), so that no one can stand against His elect to condemn them (Rom. 8:31-34). Once a believer is saved by God’s grace, nothing can separate them from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35-39). From this perspective, salvation is entirely God’s work. He begins it, He sustains, and He is sure to finish it (cf. Phil 1:6).

The assurance of salvation, however, is from our own perspective on salvation. Our sense of assurance is the feeling of whether or not we are saved. It is critically important to understand that our assurance of salvation should rest in the promise of eternity security. We should feel secure in salvation because our salvation is secure in Christ. God doesn’t change His mind about our salvation and promises that once we are saved, we will always be saved (cf. John 10:9, 16, 27-28). Still, the assurance of salvation, unlike eternal security, is subjective and fluctuates. This is because our feeling of assurance is contingent upon our obedience to God. While our salvation is completely sustained by God, our feeling of salvation can be sustained by man. This is why James says things like, “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Likewise, the Apostle Paul could affirm the salvation of the Thessalonians because of what he witnessed in them (1 Thess. 1:1-10).

There is significant danger in mistaking these two things. Some people have a sense of assurance without the reality of eternal security. In other words, they might feel saved but are not really saved. This might be the case with someone who trusts in some shallow confession of faith. Perhaps they prayed a prayer when they were a child but since have not walked in faith. Their lives are all about themselves and not about Christ, and even a general perusal of their life evinces that Christ is really not a part of who they are at all. This could also describe someone who trusts in a different gospel or even in his works to save. Sadly, many people will stand before Christ one day thinking they are saved when they are not (Matt. 7:21-23).

On the other hand, there are also those who have eternal security in Christ, but who struggle with a sense of assurance. In other words, a person may really be saved, but still not feel saved. This tends to describe the person who doubts the power of the gospel because of recurring sin in their life. Sin stands in the way of their having complete confidence in their salvation.

So, how can you know if you are a Christian? As was mentioned in the previous article in this series, it must begin with “God saved me.” We stand secure in Christ because God promised salvation through Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross. This salvation shows itself through the evidence of a life that has been changed by God. The Christian can see the fruits of saving faith in his life (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17 – old passed away, the new has come). Paul could proclaim as a follower of Christ that he died to himself and lived for Christ (Gal. 2:20).

We must understand that our deeds do not sustain our salvation. Salvation is entirely God’s Work – to begin, sustain, and complete. But our works demonstrate the genuineness of our salvation and confirm that God has saved us. It is possible that at times true Christians will struggle with their faith, so we must remember that this work of change will not be completed in this life. As long as we live this life in the flesh, we will be tainted by sin. Our hope must rest in God who saves by grace and is faithful to His promise. We are not saved because we live our lives to deserve salvation. We are saved because (in spite of our ill-deserving selves) there is a loving God who desires to show us mercy, grace, and love.