Is assurance of salvation possible?

[Not David]

I would say probably not since God is the final judge or I might become an Apostate. What do you think?

 

[HTacianas]

I would say probably not since God is the final judge or I might become an Apostate. What do you think?

Rom 6:16 - Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

 

[Not David]

Rom 6:16 - Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

So does it depend how I am acting?

 

[SeventyOne]

I would say probably not since God is the final judge or I might become an Apostate. What do you think?

I've been sealed by the Spirit until the day of redemption. I have 100% complete assurance of my salvation. Never in question at any point, now or ever.

 

[Basil the Great]

Only God can judge the salvation of all human souls. While we can be reasonably certain of our salvation, to be completely certain is taking away God's right to judge us and we have no right to judge ourselves or anyone else for that matter. Remember the warning of Jesus in Matthew when He said that many will call him 'Lord, Lord', but he will turn to them and say depart and go to the place prepared for the Devil and his angels.

So, is assurance possible? To a certain degree it is, but we can never be completely certain until we die and stand before God.

 

[☦Marius☦]

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

 

[Basil the Great]

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Wow, Marius, that is about the best use of a verse to answer a question that I have seen here in many moons.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

IS ASSURANCE OF SALVATION POSSIBLE?

Matthew 19
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

 

[redleghunter]

Not having assurance of the promises of God is unbelief. It would be like Abraham packing his bags and heading back to Ur.

 

[redleghunter]

So does it depend how I am acting?

It depends on walking in the Spirit.

One cannot have assurance if they are not walking in the Spirit.

The flip side is if one does not believe they can have assurance, they typically display the worst sin which is unbelief in the promises of God.

 

[Not David]

Not having assurance of the promises of God is unbelief. It would be like Abraham packing his bags and heading back to Ur.

Is there something in the Bible about assurance of final salvation?

 

[ColoRaydo]

I cannot believe some of the previous answers.

If you’re relying on your works or your doctrine then you should be in doubt. Your works will never be good enough. Your doctrine is not perfect.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God | New International Version (NIV) | Download The Bible App Now

 

[Not David]

I cannot believe some of the previous answers.

If you’re relying on your works or your doctrine then you should be in doubt. Your works will never be good enough. Your doctrine is not perfect.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God | New International Version (NIV) | Download The Bible App Now

I don't believe in faith alone.

 

[redleghunter]

Is there something in the Bible about assurance of final salvation?

Yes there is. You’ve seen it before.

Romans 8: NASB

28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;34who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

 

[redleghunter]

I cannot believe some of the previous answers.

If you’re relying on your works or your doctrine then you should be in doubt. Your works will never be good enough. Your doctrine is not perfect.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God | New International Version (NIV) | Download The Bible App Now

Yes when ones salvation is based on their own edifice built on sand then they will never have assurance.

But if the edifice is built on the Finished Work of the Rock Jesus Christ then assurance is most possible because He is Fairhful and True.

 

[ColoRaydo]

I don't believe in faith alone.

I know you don’t. You’ve told me that in other posts. I welcome respectful disagreements by the way. No animosity from me.

I simply cannot believe that Jesus needs our help to complete our salvation. I believe he did it all, he paid it all. I don’t believe his sacrifice needs any augmentation.

Don’t misinterpret this to mean we have a license to sin or be willfully disobedient. If that’s what someone thinks, they are trying to use some sort of legalistic “gotcha”.

 

[redleghunter]

I don't believe in faith alone.

Obviously.

Yet he quoted St Paul.
Do you consider the epistles of St Paul Holy Spirit Holy Scriptures ?

 

[bcbsr]

I would say probably not since God is the final judge or I might become an Apostate. What do you think?

If salvation is contingent upon one's ongoing performance and as such one's salvation status is not determined until the end when one is weighed in the balance, then I would agree that one should have no assurance of their salvation. In fact in such a scenario one cannot claim to having been saved from the wrath of God, seeing as that references a future event if indeed that future event is indeterminate if conditioned upon one's ongoing performance.

On the other hand note many places where the rhetoric scripture uses regarding salvation is contrary to that scenario on a number of point.

Eph 2:8,9 it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Here we note "have been saved" is inconsistent with the idea of salvation being finalized at some later date, and as well "not by works" would seem to indicate it's independent upon one's ongoing performance.

Even more explicit concerning this later point is Romans 4, part of which says, "Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works" which would seem to eliminate the idea of salvation being contingent upon one's works. In fact just prior to that Paul presented Abraham as an illustration. In Gen 15:5 he was given the promise, and in the very next verse he was declared righteous in the same sense as Christian as David mentions in verses Rom 4:7,8 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."

Jesus himself speaks of salvation from condemnation being finalized upon coming to faith. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24 Which is to say, Once Saved, Alway Saved.

Assurance of salvation is about recognizing whether the "Once Saved" had actually occurred. In my studies I believe the letter of 1John is perhaps the most comprehensive in dealing with that subject, being the major theme of 1John.

We note in many places in 1John, but particularly in 1John 3:9 that there is a correlation between behavior and salvation. But the correlation is that of an effect rather than a cause. That is, having been saved, the effect of regeneration causes certain measurable lifestyle characteristics of the person due to the nature of regeneration. "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1John 3:9,10

But lifestyle is not the only measure, but also doctrine and one's claims. If one claims to trust in Christ, but in fact trusts also in their works to save them, which is not trusting in Christ, their claim to trust in Christ is vain.

There is much that can be written on this subject, this is only an introduction.

 

[bcbsr]

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

working out is not the same as working for. Working out applications of faith is quite different than working in order to be saved. In fact the scripture says, "Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness." Rom 4:4,5

 

[bcbsr]

Not having assurance of the promises of God is unbelief. It would be like Abraham packing his bags and heading back to Ur.

Good point. Confidence in the promise of God shows one trusts in Christ. And along with you I believe salvation being contingent upon trusting Christ alone, in contrast to the salvation by works crowd who trust in their works to qualify them to be saved.

Concerning this quality of saving faith Paul writes in Romans 4:20,21 of Abraham's faith as a precedent to follow "he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised."

However even given this, salvation being contingent upon saving faith, one may still evaluate themselves (or others) as to whether the quality (and object) of their faith is the kind that saves.