Assurance of Salvation: Can You Know You're Saved?

Many sincere believers wrestle with doubt about their salvation — wondering if they're really saved, or if they might lose it. The good news is that the Bible offers real assurance. Here's what Scripture says about knowing you're saved.

You can know

God wants his children to have assurance, not constant anxiety. John wrote his letter for exactly this reason: '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.' You can actually know that you have eternal life.

Held securely

Our security rests not on our grip on God, but on his grip on us. Jesus said of his sheep, 'I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.' Those who belong to Christ are held securely by him.

Assurance rests on Christ, not feelings

Our assurance isn't based on our fluctuating feelings or performance, but on what Christ has done and God's promises. When doubt comes, we look not inward at our shaky selves, but outward to Christ and his finished work. Nothing 'shall be able to separate us from the love of God.'

Assurance of salvation is possible: the Bible was written so that believers 'may know' they have eternal life. Our security rests not on our grip on God but on his unbreakable grip on us, and not on our feelings but on Christ's finished work. If you've truly trusted Jesus, you can rest — held securely in the hands of God, from which nothing can pluck you, and nothing can separate you from his love.