Assurance and Right Doctrine

We are nearing the end of our study of the ordo salutis—the order in which the benefits of the work of Christ are applied to the believer. Before we look at the last element in the order of salvation, glorification, we will consider one element of the Christian life that while not part of the ordo salutis is inextricably linked to it. That element is the assurance of salvation.

Likely all professing Christians have at some point asked themselves this question: Have I truly believed in Jesus, and am I therefore saved? It is a vital question. After all, we can be convinced that Christ can save us while being uncertain whether we have actually and truly received Him and His salvation. This knowledge that we have true faith is typically called the reflexive act of faith, which is distinguished from the direct act of faith, or the belief that Jesus is able to save us.

Questions of the assurance of salvation were central to the Protestant Reformation. It was Martin Luther’s quest for the assurance of his own salvation that led him to rediscover the gospel of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. In an important sense, a true assurance of salvation is always grounded in the gospel message. If we are not confident that the perfect merit of Christ alone can cover our sins, we will never be assured of our salvation (Rom. 4:1–5:11). In reality, however, even those who are confident of the saving power of Christ and His perfect righteousness may still struggle with knowing whether they have saving faith in the Lord Jesus. Thus, Scripture speaks to the issue of assurance and gives us several things to look for to identify whether we are resting in Christ alone. Through a combination of both objective and subjective factors, we know that we belong to Jesus.

The first objective factor is whether we believe correct doctrine. The Bible tells us that there are some things that we must believe about Christ to be saved. First John 2:18–25, for example, tells us that if we deny that Jesus is the Christ, we do not have the Father and are therefore not saved. This means that we must believe that Jesus is Messiah and Savior, but in light of everything that John says, we know that it also means that we must believe in the incarnation of the Son of God, that He is truly God and truly man (4:2). Those who reject cardinal doctrines such as these do not have saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.