No assurance of Salvation is not equal to No Salvation

[Tree of Life]

At least you are betting your soul on Christ and not a feeling.

The proper doctrine of assurance does not encourage people to bet their souls on their subjective feelings. It says that we can be assured only because we bet our souls on Christ.

 

[ViaCrucis]

In a Lutheran context to speak of "assurance" is to speak of our faith, hope, and confidence in the certainty of the Gospel. It does not mean, "I am saved, and nothing I can do will ever jeopardize that", but that we are confident, according to God's promise to us, that we indeed belong to Him; as we are baptized, clothed in Christ, and have received the Holy Spirit of promise.

That assurance is the assurance of faith, the confidence of faith, to say "I am baptized!" and knowing full and well what that means according to the promise of God's gracious word.

I am confident, not by an arrogance of my own ability, but by solemn promise of God. If left up to my own devices I most certainly have no assurance, no confidence, and no hope--I am a worthless beggar, a sinner full of wrath. But it is God's good and gracious word to me that I, sinner that I am, belong to God in Christ, and He keeps me according to His own good word.

Such assurance is not bravado, it is not the arrogance of the flesh; it is faith in the Gospel, that the Gospel is true and the Gospel is Gospel.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[fhansen]

I feel a lot of times when I tell someone that I don't have assurance of Salvation, they believe "I don't have a relationship with Jesus", but it is the opposite, I know that I have to work out my salvation every day.

What is your opinion?

Yes! We can have an assurance, a guarded one based to a large degree on on the fruits we see in our own lives. Otherwise God, alone, knows with 100% certainty whose names are written on the Book of Life and whose are not. Verses in the bible that speak of one being able to know involve hyperbole, encouragement, etc. We can trust God absolutely; we're the wildcard.

 

[LoveofTruth]

I feel a lot of times when I tell someone that I don't have assurance of Salvation, they believe "I don't have a relationship with Jesus", but it is the opposite, I know that I have to work out my salvation every day.

What is your opinion?

1 John 5:12. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

1 John 4 - 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.“

 

[Pavel Mosko]

I feel a lot of times when I tell someone that I don't have assurance of Salvation, they believe "I don't have a relationship with Jesus", but it is the opposite, I know that I have to work out my salvation every day.

What is your opinion?

I get ya and am probably on the same page with you based on the "working out your salvation with fear and trembling". You may find this answer from the Eastern Orthodox useful for this question the next time someone asks it.