assurance in salvation
Have you struggled with having assurance in salvation?
Some Christians may wonder if they are truly saved. The reason they doubt may point to:
• Differences of interpretation in Scripture regarding the issue of salvation
• Issues surrounding habitual sin
• Confusion and uncertainty about what to believe regarding other religions
On this page, I’d like to present a balanced perspective regarding two major interpretations about salvation and the Christian faith.
Viewpoint # 1: Once saved, you’re always saved.
Viewpoint # 2: You can lose your salvation.
The intent of this page is not to present a comprehensive theological and scholarly analysis of this topics of assurance in Salvation and eternal security nor is the goal to list every relevant verse. I do plan to write such a document, in which I hope to go more in-depth concerning these issues.
The goal of this page is to present the two viewpoints with examples of the verses you’ll come across in Scripture. Then, as you’ll see—you can find truth in both interpretations.
assurance in salvation Resulting from lifestyle
Consider Hebrews 6:4-6a:
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance.
The author mentions the word, “tasted” twice.
I might taste a piece of meat, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I will follow through and swallow it.
I can taste the food item and choose not to fully consume it.
In other words, there are those who may say they believe in Jesus Christ and that He died for their sins and rose from the dead. That might be true at least from a mental standpoint. However, have they fully received that gift of salvation in their hearts?
Thayer's Greek Lexicon defines taste in this context (geuomai) as to taste, i. e. perceive the flavor of, partake of, enjoy. Also...to feel, make trial of, experience
Romans 10:9–10 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
If they say they are Christians and then follow a lifestyle that goes against His Word, you might say such people are Christians in name only (CINOs).
Jesus warns that not everyone who says to Him, Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21).
I take it that passages like Hebrews 6 are referring to ones who initially and partially accept Christ but then their hearts are drawn away to pursue a life of idolatry. Such individuals are “on the outer fringe.” They never fully received the gift of salvation by moving forward in their Christian walk and living a lifestyle that honors God.
Of course, what we’re talking about here is a lifestyle that does not stem from salvation based on works but by His grace alone.
You can accept Christ with your mind and confess with your mouth, but your heart needs to follow. If one is living in habitual sin, living in a state of unforgiveness and bitterness, that person may have tasted but did not fully receive the grace that God offers through Jesus Christ.
One makes the decision to receive Christ at a moment in time with the grace God offers. The person who confesses Christ still has a choice to follow through with his or her lifestyle.
Going forward, does the heart fully cooperate with what one’s mind and mouth believed at the moment of conversion? In other words, will this person’s lifestyle confirm that—the kind of life that honors, obeys, and follows Christ?
In this way, salvation in a way is a process. Thus, you have passages that refer to the tenses of salvation...
1 We Have Been Saved (Ephesians 2:8)
2 We Are Being Saved (1Corinthians 1:18)
3 We Shall Be Saved (Romans 5:9-10)
And…consider Philippians 2:12:
continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
It’s not a matter of losing your salvation as it is confirming that your heart meant what your mouth confessed and what your mind indicated it believed regarding Christ and the Gospel. If one truly accepts Christ with his or her heart, the Holy Spirit helps that person persevere or keep the faith.
A couple of statements I found insightful to the topic of assurance of salvation-- as I was taking a course called "The Cross Applied"-- are as follows:
"The word 'faith' in 1 John 4:4 does not mean mere "belief," for the demons believe in Christ (James 2:19). Instead, "our faith" is a trusting of our entire life, our soul, our destiny and eternity, to the Person and work of Jesus Christ...Victorious faith believes that since Jesus died, we are forgiven, and since He has risen, we are accepted."
Source: https://settingcaptivesfree.com/
After one fully receives Christ and trusts in Him as his/her personal Savior, does that person still have the free will to turn away and reject Christ?
I think it's important to mention that a person can't go "in and out" of a state of salvation. Those who have been saved are marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). The question, is, as explained in The Book of Balance by Biblical scholar Ron Miller, can a person who is a Christian choose to totally and purposely (not by accident) leave the Christian faith?
Book of Balance by Ron Miller | Goodreads
You find passages about apostasy including in Hebrews 6, as alluded to above, which I plan to address on another page. Until then, may this page give you some clarifying insights on the topic of assurance in salvation.
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For an explanation of the message of the Gospel as outlined in the Scriptures, click here:
https://www.encouragementscriptures.com/the-message-of-the-Gospel.html
For an overview of the message of the Bible, go to this page:
https://www.encouragementscriptures.com/what-is-the-Bible.html