Statement of the Main Idea Eternal security and assurance of salvation are two similar, yet distinct doctrines that should be understood and separated by the Christian.
Definitions of Eternal Security and Assurance of Salvation
Eternal security and assurance of salvation are two similar doctrines that can be easily confused. Philippians 1:6 reads: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (KJV). Eternal security has to do with the fact that salvation is a promise that God keeps, and it cannot be lost or taken away. Assurance of salvation deals more on the part of the believer, and whether they feel that they are saved. It deals with the faith of the individual, but there are evidences given like the one in Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
Characteristics of Eternal Security and Assurance of Salvation Eternal security and assurance of salvation may seem similar at first, but they are distinct indeed. Eternal security says that a person who receives salvation will be preserved by God and cannot lose it. Assurance of salvation …show more content…
While eternal security has nothing to do with the believer, assurance of salvation relates to the believer in that it is based on him. Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote, “[e]ternal security is a question of fact, while assurance is a matter of what one believes at a given time concerning his personal salvation” (212). Assurance has more to do with the believers’ faith. Chafer adds: “Confidence that the Bible is true and that its promises of salvation will be certainly fulfilled is essential to assurance of salvation” (216). An individual’s emotions change day to day and that can change how they feel of their own