Assurance & Security of Salvation

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Dr. Alexander Kurian

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Some Christians are chronic doubters; they always doubt their experience of salvation. They are shaky and confused about their eternal destiny. Though they are saved, they lack the assurance of salvation. Assurance is the confident realization of our eternal salvation in Christ. What a horrible way to live the Christian life under the uncertainty whether we belong in the family of God! Unfortunately that is how many Christians live their life.

There are several reasons why people lack assurance of salvation. The five common ones I have come across are:
 

1.    They cannot remember their spiritual birthday – the exact day and hour they were saved.
2.    The constant struggle with sin and failures in life.
3.    Doctrinal misunderstanding and erroneous teaching concerning the nature of salvation.
4.    Overemphasis on emotions and feelings.
5.    Failure to take God at His Word.
 

What is the foundation of our assurance? Three important truths of assurance are taught in the Bible:
 

1.    Assurance is Promised by Christ: Assurance of salvation is not a self -assurance, but it is an assurance promised by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life….” (John 3:36). One who believes in Christ already has (not may or might have) eternal life. Listen to another stupendous promise of assurance from Christ: “Truly, truly, I say unto you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24). This is indeed a marvelous promise of assurance with full of certainty and without a shadow of doubt. One who believes in Christ has passed from death to life. Those who believe Christ will escape judgment.
 

2.    Assurance is Guaranteed by God’s Testimony: God not only gives us eternal life in Christ, He also gives us the certainty of that eternal life. The offer of salvation includes assurance. This assurance is located in God’s objective promise in His Word. John’s first epistle was written to Christians to assure them that they have eternal life. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). John’s words are very clear: “that you may know that you have eternal life.” John is assured of this truth and very confident of it. That is why he did not say “hope so” or “wish so”, or “may be have.”
 

3.    Assurance Rests upon the Witness of the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit Himself bears with our spirit that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16). “It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth (I John 5:7; see also 4:13).
Satan is the accuser of believers. He plants seeds of doubt in our minds about our salvation. He highlights the sins and mistakes of our life and whisper, “Look at you. See how you are acting. Are you really a Christian? A Christian doesn’t act like that…” Through his attacks, Satan tries to cripple the faith and confidence of the believer. We need the assurance from the truth of God’s Word to answer him.

Eternal Security
 

Assurance is actually the confident realization of the security or permanence of salvation. Eternal security is the belief that once you become a Christian, you are always a Christian. Those who are genuinely saved will be saved forever. This truth is often stated as, “Once saved, always saved.”
 

Christ’s death was a permanent transaction. Because the transaction was permanent, so were the results – forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Christ’s death on the cross was a once-and- for-all sacrifice for all of human sin (Hebrews 9:28; 10:10). All your sins – past, present, and future were dealt with on the cross in the death of Christ. This transaction will not be undone. Nothing will cause God to reverse His verdict on you as not guilty. You are born again into God’s family. Your relationship to God as a child to his father is for all eternity.
 

Let us look at some of the evidence for eternal security:    

1.    Securing Work of the Father: it is the Father’s purpose to keep us eternally in salvation in spite of everything (John 6:37-40; Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 1:6). Jesus said, “…I give eternal life to them; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out the Father’s hand. “Never perish,” “No one is able to snatch them….”  What safety and security! The believer resting securely in Christ’s hands, which in turn are clasped tightly by the Father’s hands. We can never fall out of that double grip.
 

2.    Securing Work of the Son: As our great High Priest, Christ is interceding for us before God. He is our official representative and mediator in heaven, and looks after our security and well-being upon earth (Hebrews 7:25; 6:19-20; John 17:11; Luke 22:31-32, Jude 24). We are secured by the continual, faithful intercession of our Great High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ, who is able to save us forever.
 

3.    Securing Work of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit indwells the believer forever (John 14:17). He has also sealed the believer until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30). The redemption refereed to here is the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23) which will occur when Christ returns for us. The presence of the Spirit in our life, the seal, is the believer’s guarantee of the security of his salvation. The Holy Spirit is given as a “pledge” ( a deposit or down payment) of that guarantee.
 

4.    Believer’s Membership in the Body of Christ: when we are saved we are placed into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). If a believer can lose his salvation, he would be removed from the body of Christ at that time. No such teaching is found in the Bible. Christ’s body (the Church) will never be dismembered, mutilated or disfigured.
 

5.    The Guarantee of Glorification: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these he also called; and whom He called, these he also justified; and whom he justified, these he also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30). In these verses we have the unmistakable evidence of the security of salvation. Those who were predestined, called and justified are also said to be glorified. The past tense is used for glorification which is still future. Our future glorification is so certain that it can be said as a past event; something which is already accomplished in the eternal plan and purpose of God. So sure is our ultimate salvation that Paul speaks of our future glorification in the past tense! Everyone who has been redeemed by Jesus Christ – without exception- will be glorified.
 

6.    The Truth of Adoption (Sonship): In salvation believers are adopted into the family of God (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5). Our adoption into the family of God is permanent. Once a son, always a son. That position never changes. The Bible nowhere teaches about losing sonship in the family of God (un-adoption). Sonship can never be lost.

The truth of eternal security is only relevant to true believers and not to any one just nominally professing the name of Christ or just appearing to be a Christian. This doctrine does not suggest that the believer will never backslide or sin. We also know that there will be carnal Christians, but who nevertheless are saved. Sin in a believer’s life does not affect or cancel his regeneration, but it does impair his fellowship with Christ, his effectiveness and fruitfulness of life. His works, for the most part, have been made up of wood, hay and straw. The works discussed in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 have nothing to do with earning or losing salvation. In the day of rewards at the judgment seat of Christ his works will burn up, but he himself will be saved and his salvation will not be forfeited (1 Corinthians 3:15).
 

If salvation can be lost, how many times can it be lost and regained?  Can the believer be born again, and then unborn, and then born again, and again, and again?  He could be saved or lost a dozen times a day!! What sin causes the losing of salvation?
If Hebrews 6:4-6 were teaching that it is possible to lose one’s salvation, then it also states in no uncertain terms that it is impossible to be saved again. “…it is impossible to renew them again to repentance” (Hebrews 6:6). This means if salvation is lost, it is lost forever! For those who maintain that salvation is not for- ever, these questions pose insurmountable problems. Warning passages in the Bible are sometimes misinterpreted and misapplied to mean the loss of salvation. But a serious study of these passages will prove that some of these problem passages warn us of the severe consequences of carnality, backsliding and spiritual immaturity.  Some passages refer to unsaved professors rather than to genuine believers.

Like any other doctrine, the doctrine of eternal security also can be falsified by perversion. It should never be used as a license to sin or to take Christian life lightly. It should make us ever grateful to God that we will want to live responsible and holy lives for the glory of God. Even those who do not believe in the security of salvation also can lead a careless and loose Christian life, because they believe that even if their salvation can be lost, they can be saved again by believing again. So even a doctrine of insecurity can breed unholy and sinful living!

In spite of some troubling questions and passages, the Word of God strongly affirms the “forever” quality of salvation. It is the gift of God; we did not earn it by our works, and it will not be forfeited by our works. All of salvation from beginning till the end is the work of God. There is security because of God’s promises, God’s presence, and God’s power. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).