Christian assurance refers to a true believer’s confidence in their right standing with God and their ultimate future salvation, which is grounded in the blood of Christ, not in the intensity of one’s faith (D.A. Carson). Doubts about one’s salvation are common in the lives of many Christians. There are people who have publicly confessed their faith in Jesus Christ, continue to live in doubt, and plunge into despair and despondency. As Christians, can we have a firm assurance of our salvation?

The Roman Catholic Church firmly denies the assurance of once salvation. “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is assurance”, says Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621), a leader in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. The Council of Trent pronounces an anathema on whoever believes in the assurance of salvation. Canon 16 (Session 6) says, “If anyone saith, that he will for certain, of an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance unto the end, unless he have learned this by special revelation; let him be anathema.” Summarizing Rome’s teaching, one Catholic publication (Catholic News Agency) put it this way: “As sinners, we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -channels of God’s saving grace- without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.”

There is a clear difference between having a ‘hope of Salvation’ and having an ‘assurance of Salvation’. Rome’s denial of the assurance of salvation is consistent with its conception of the nature of salvation. They conceive of salvation as a joint effort by man and God, and as a blessing which can only be maintained through the doing of good works. So inevitably, their assurance is tied to their performance. With the recovery of sola fide (Faith Alone), we have the recovery of assurance of Salvation in the Reformation. Our salvation is tied to God’s election and grounded in the grace and mercy of God. According to the scripture, if you are elect, your salvation is assured. Our salvation flows out of election. So if I want to be sure of my salvation, the first thing I need to know is, am I elected? If I’m certain about my election, then I can have the assurance of my salvation, because election is not simply to make salvation possible; the purpose of God in election is to save.

The audience of Peter’s epistles is God’s elect; He addresses believers as those who have “obtained a faith of equal standing with theirs (2 Peter 1:1). In v3, Peter says that God has given us everything we need for a godly life when we were saved. Now we must make a diligent effort to produce the fruit of our saving faith, utilizing the abundant supply of divine resources available to us. Peter urges Christians to make every effort to confirm their calling and election (V10). Peter alludes to this ‘calling’ earlier when he says God “who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). A believer’s “election” is God’s work before the foundation of the world. We cannot do anything to secure our election. We do not take any part in this election. Salvation is monergistic; God is the one who calls and elects, so the believer’s calling and election are already assured from God’s perspective. So, why does Peter ask believers to confirm their calling and election?

Peter’s command for believers to diligently make their calling and election sure must refer to the believers’ point of view. God wants us to have assurance of our salvation, and the best way to do that is to be diligently pursuing godly virtues and continuously growing in the Christian life. Having the assurance of salvation and knowing that you’re forgiven completely and headed for the eternal glory is the supreme blessing of the Christian life. God wants His elect to have full assurance of faith, enjoy it, and delight in Him. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Not to have that assurance is to live in doubt, to live in fear, to live in a certain form of spiritual anxiety. Certainly, you won’t be able to delight in the God of your salvation.

Peter wants the believer to have their assurance confirmed and enjoy it. So, we are called to an action to work it out, and verses 5-7 show the pathway to it. He prescribes 7 virtues -moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love -that a believer needs to pursue to experience the assurance. One’s salvation does not depend on having these qualities, for we know that Peter is addressing those who already have “faith”. In adding these virtues, believers will never stumble and are promised a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom (v11). And, these virtues allow believers to become partakers of the divine nature (V4), conforming to the character of Jesus Christ. Believers who are lacking these virtues in their lives are spiritually blind and unfruitful, having forgotten their identity in Christ (v9). While true believers may at times forget the significance of Christ’s work and sin, their lapse is never permanent. However, if someone finally falls away, not only have they forgotten the work of Christ, but they have never really trusted in Him in the first place (1 John 2:19).

It is common for Christians to experience periods of uncertainty about their salvation. The good news is that a lack of confidence in the assurance doesn’t mean we lack the promises of the gospel, only the full enjoyment of it. When you comprehend the objective truth of the gospel, you will have a subjective experience of assurance. The salvation Jesus offered is secured by the power of God forever, and it is irreversible. “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). One of the remarkable verses is found in Isaiah 32:17: “The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” When God grants Christ’s righteousness to us, with it comes peace and eternal assurance.

Here are 10 blessings of assurance for Christians:

  1. Assurance elevates joy of salvation
    If I know that my destiny is secured in Christ, if I know that no one can snatch me from His hand, it gives me all the reasons to live life joyfully without despair through any fiery trials that I may face. Now my focus is on the future glory that awaits me.
  2. The Joy of assurance spills over to every other aspect of my life
    When you know that you’re eternally secured, you will engage in every earthly duty with a joyful heart. Your good works are evident to the world; your neighbors will see them, and your employers and colleagues will notice them.
  3. Assurance causes me to seek the things of God
    When I know that I belong to God, I will seek the things of God; I am concerned about His kingdom, His Name, His will.
  4. Assurance causes the heart to fill with gratitude
    If I don’t have assurance, if I doubt my eternal security, how can I have a heart of gratitude? Assurance allows me to rejoice in any difficulty and maintain a grateful heart.
  5. Assurance enhances my praise and worship
    When I know my salvation is forever secure and nothing can separate me from the love of Christ, then my heart is filled with songs of praise.
  6. Assurance strengthens prayer life
    It gives me the confidence that God hears and will respond to my prayers, providing peace, wisdom, and guidance for my daily life. It imparts confidence before God, even with regard to the day of judgment.
  7. Assurance strengthens the soul against temptations and trials
    When Satan comes against us with temptation, endeavoring to make us fall into sin and doubt, we take the ‘helmet of salvation’, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It gives peace in the midst of stormy trials.
  8. Assurance compels the heart to obey the Word
    Assurance motivates me to walk according to the law of the Lord and for diligent service.
  9. Assurance gives the strength to live a contented life
    When I’m confident of the eternal reward, glory, and wealth awaiting me in heaven, I care less about the temporal reward, glory, and wealth in this world.
  10. Assurance dispels the fear of death
    There is no fear of death for an assured Christian. I can face the judgment without fear. If I don’t have assurance, I’m frightened of death.

When God has given me a salvation that is secure, I should certainly enjoy that assurance. It is a sad fact that many people live joyless lives, denying the doctrine of assurance, without ever knowing these blessings. To deny the doctrine of assurance or not to experience the doctrine of assurance is to short-circuit your spiritual blessings and effectiveness.