Assurance of Salvation in the First Epistle of John

One often hears that the assurance of salvation is based on assurance itself. This is a rather odd concept. It simply is not found in Scripture. I think it might be taken from Hebrews 11:1, where the definition of faith there is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Of course, Auctor is arguing that these Jewish Christians need to keep their faith that God will give them what was promised in the future Sabbath and resurrection to come. This should help them from being tempted from apostasy. However, he is not giving a full definition of faith in Christ. It is partial in that it is dealing specifically with the issue of doubt leading to abandonment of Christianity.

Never are they told here that they can have assurance they are saved because they have faith, however; and they are certainly not told that they can have assurance by being sure of God's promises. The Judahites about to be punished in exile were sure of God's promises. That's why they ignored Jeremiah. They were so sure that God's grace for them would save them, they didn't feel the need to listen to the message of repentance this judgmental radical was preaching to them.

Lutherans talk about assurance based on their baptism. Again, where is this in Scripture? Luther argued that baptism was an objective means by which God assured an individual that his promises were for him; but how exactly does baptism do this unless no one who is baptized is ever damned? Was the BTK killer a baptized Lutheran? Can he rest in his baptism? Baptism may be a good sign, perhaps, a better sign than any a pagan has, but it cannot say one way or another whether someone is saved.

Scripturally speaking, the New Testament tells Christians how they can know that they are saved. First John argues that there are four things that let the Christian know, and therefore, have assurance, that he is saved.

The first is whether he is repentant of his sins, rather than continuing on in his sins. John argues that if, and only if, we confess our sins, Christ will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Anyone who refuses to live in the truth and be honest with his sins so that he confesses them, is not saved and should have no assurance therefore (1:5-10; 3:6, 9; 5:18). "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God" (3:9).

The second is whether someone keeps his commandments and lives as Jesus in holiness (2:3-6). He purifies himself in anticipation of Christ's return, desiring to be like Christ, not just then, but now (2:28-3:3). The one who does what is right is righteous (3:7, 10). "We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands" (2:3).

The third indicator that one is saved or not is whether he believes the apostolic/orthodox teaching concerning who Christ is (2:18-25; 4:1-4). This may be broadened to understand the Person of Christ representing all core apostolic theology concerning God, Christ, the gospel, etc. If one believes orthodoxy, it is one of the indicators, when accompanied by the others, that he is saved. If one does not, he should have no confidence that he is saved. "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also" (2:23).

The fourth indicator is whether one loves God by loving other Christians (2:9-11; 3:10-18; 4:7-21; 5:2-4). Love is expressed in two ways in John. First, it is giving resources to a Christian in need (3:16-18). Second, it is praying for his repentance when he is in sin (5:14-18). "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love his fellow Christian" (3:10). "We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death (v. 14).

All of these are put together by John to form a visible basis for assurance that goes beyond mere wishful thinking and false assurance. John has written these things down so that "you may know that you have eternal life" (5:13). If one believes apostolic orthodoxy, loves God by keeping God's instructions, repents when he fails to do so, and loves his fellow Christians by seeking his physical and spiritual restoration with whatever means he has, he may know with full assurance that he knows God, has come out of darkness into light, has become a child of God, and has eternal life.