Assurance – Grace Evangelical Society

The Amish Against Assurance?

October 12, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Amish, Assurance

Like many Americans, I have a fascination with the Amish. I’m intrigued by their life, and I respect their resilience in maintaining their identity in the face of massive societal pressure. They have survived for centuries. If large-scale cultural collapse is on the horizon (and I think it probably is; see here), Evangelicals should take

The Problem of Basing Your Religion on Feelings: Hannah Whitall Smith’s Story, Part 2

August 2, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance, emotions, Feelings, Hannah Whitall Smith, legalism, Quakerism, works salvation

When Hannah Whitall Smith grew up among the Quakers of Philadelphia in the 1830s, she found that their legalism and emphasis on inward feelings and impressions combined to make a perfect formula for religious doubt: The sort of introspection I had imbided from my Quaker teaching was calculated to lead to constant self-examination of the

What Do We Need to Believe about Jesus to Be Saved?

July 7, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, Eternal Security, evangelism, saving faith

Alex asks: I know from the Bible that you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved as mentioned in Acts 16:31 and John 6:47. However, what about Him do we need to believe in order to be saved? The is the $64,000 question, isn’t it? First, I commend Alex for recognizing that

How Can You Know That You’ve Actually Believed in Christ?

June 11, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance

Claudia asks about assurance of salvation: As adults and new believers, my husband and I are trying to learn to be Christians. We found a good church (______ Bible Church) and we are starting to get involved, but how do we live our daily life for Christ? Also, we often have doubts that we have

How Do I Know If I Am Saved or Not?

April 19, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, works salvation undercuts assurance

P.J. asks that very question in a handwritten letter from prison. He says: I am writing in response to your article, “Works Salvation Does Not Work” in the March-April 2021 issue of Grace in Focus Magazine. I am kind of confused. How do I know I am saved or not? Maybe I have believed the

Why Many Puritans Died Without Assurance

April 5, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance, Puritans, R. T. Kendall

The Puritans remain immensely popular. But reading them can be dangerous for your assurance. R. T. Kendall explains why. Kendall went to Oxford to study the Puritans and was surprised by how they lacked assurance of their salvation. He explains it in the introduction to his book Grace: I went to Oxford in 1973 to

Why Isn’t Everyone in Christianity Born Again?

March 18, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, Eternal Security, evangelism

I came to faith in Christ for my eternal salvation nearly fifty years ago in September of 1972. Back then all of us Jesus people (as we were called) were concerned for everyone within Christendom who did not have “a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” The Jesus movement as a whole was quite diverse. Not

Assurance Cannot Be Upgraded to Full Assurance

February 2, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, certainty, full assurance

It is quite common among people who hold to Lordship Salvation to speak of two types of assurance of everlasting life. The first kind of assurance is simply called assurance. What is meant by assurance is that one has reason to believe that he may be born again. Typically, the reason for this level-1 assurance

Did John’s Readers Lack Assurance? Re-Examining 1 John 5:13

January 21, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - 1 John, Assurance, belief, essence of saving faith

Someone recently challenged the idea that assurance is of the essence of saving faith by quoting 1 John 5:13. That question has been answered before (see here and here). But I’d like to put an answer in my own words. The verse in question reads: These things I have written to you who believe in

The Teaching That You Cannot Be Sure That Christ Died for You Is One of the Worst False Teachings of All Time

January 20, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 John 2:2, Assurance, John 1:29, limited atonement, unlimited atonement

A reader of our blog, K, cited one of my blogs in which I said that you know you are believing in Jesus to save you if you have assurance of everlasting life. K responded with this cry for help: I do not have assurance of everlasting life. I want to be saved. I’m terrified I’m