Assurance

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

1. The word and its Greek equivalents. -‘Assurance’ (with the kindred forms ‘assure,’ ‘assured of,’ ‘assuredly’) is employed in the English Versionto render several Gr. words expressing certitude, or setting forth grounds of certainty.-(1) In  Acts 17:31 it is used to render πίστις, ‘faith,’ which has the meaning here of ‘pledge’ or ‘guarantee,’ the Resurrection of Christ being taken by St. Paul, in addressing the Stoics und Epicureans of Athens on Mars’ Hill, as warranting the faith, or imparting certainty to the conviction, of judgment to come.-(2) It is used in  Hebrews 11:1 (Revised Version) to translate ὑπόστασις, ‘substance,’ ‘confidence,’ where πίστις itself is defined as ‘the assurance of things hoped for, the proving (ἔλεγχος) of things not seen.’-(3) In  1 John 3:19 we find the verb employed to translate πείσομεν from πείθειν: ‘Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our heart before him,’ where πείσομεν, translated ‘shall assure,’ signifies the stilling and tranquillizing of the heart that has been agitated by doubts, misgivings, or fears. (πείσομεν is only once again employed in the NT in this sense: in  Matthew 28:14, where it is rendered ‘persuade,’ and where Tindale’s quaint translation is ‘pease’ [appease], the object of the persuasion being the Roman governor at Jerusalem.)-(4) In  2 Timothy 3:14 the passive form of the verb is found as the rendering of ἐπιστώθης, ‘thou hast been assured of,’ referring to Timothy’s training in the knowledge of the ‘sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.’-(5) In  Acts 2:36 we find the adverb ‘assuredly’ employed to translate ἀσφαλῶς, ‘surely,’ ‘certainly,’ recalling ἀσφάλειαν in  Luke 1:4.-(6) In  Acts 16:10 the word συμβιβάζων, ‘combining,’ ‘putting this and that together,’ is translated in Authorized Version‘assuredly gathering,’ which in Revised Versionhas given place to the word of logical inference, ‘concluding.’

(7) The word, however, of which ‘assurance’ is the definite and specific rendering is πληροφορία ( 1 Thessalonians 1:5,  Colossians 2:2,  Hebrews 6:11;  Hebrews 10:22), with which may be taken the kindred verb πληροφορεῖν, passive πληροφορεῖσθαι. In determining the precise meaning of the Gr. original we receive no help from Gr. literature in general, where the word is not. found at all till a late period. The word πληροφορεῖν, however, has been found in papyri signifying ‘to settle fully an account,’ ‘to give satisfaction as to a doubtful matter,’ ‘to be completely satisfied with regard to something that was owing’ (A. Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East , London, 1910, p. 82). It occurs once in Septuagint( Ecclesiastes 8:11). Otherwise its use is exclusively NT and Patristic.-( a ) πληροφορία is used absolutely in  1 Thessalonians 1:5, and, though Revised Version margin gives ‘much fulness’ as the translation of πολλὴ πληροφορία, this is weak and inadequate, and ‘full assurance’ of Authorized Versionand Revised Versionbrings out the proper force of the word and really expresses the Apostle’s thought. The second term of the composite word (-φορία, -φορεῖν, -εῖσθαι) seems to carry with it a subjective force both in the noun, and in the verb, as may be gathered from examples in the NT and in the Fathers. To this  2 Timothy 4:5 and  Luke 1:1 may be exceptions. We are justified, therefore, in rendering in  Colossians 2:2 ‘full assurance of the understanding’; in  Hebrews 6:11 ‘full assurance of hope’; and in  Hebrews 10:22 ‘full assurance of faith.’ In 1 Clem. xlii.3 μετὰ πληροφορίας πνεύματος ἁγίου is ‘with full assurance produced by the Holy Spirit,’ although it might be ‘with full reliance upon the Holy Spirit.’ This Clementine passage has the verb also (πληροφορηθέντες) and is peculiarly instructive as to the nature of the ‘assurance’ which possessed the apostles as they went forth to be ambassadors of Christ: ‘Accordingly having received instructions and having attained to full assurance (πληροφορηθέντες) through the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and having been put in trust with the word of God, they went forth in full reliance upon the Holy Spirit, preaching the glad tidings that the kingdom of God was about to come.’-( b ) πληροφορεῖσθαι has the subjective force we have attributed to it in most of the Pauline and Patristic examples of its use. Of Abraham it is said that he was ‘fully assured’ (πληροφορηθείς) that what God had promised he was able also to perform ( Romans 4:21). In regard to doubtful questions in the Apostolic Church, St. Paul bids each man be ‘fully assured’ in his own mind ( Romans 14:5 Revised Version). The prayer of St. Paul and his friends for the Colossian Christians is that they may stand perfect and ‘fully assured’ (πεπληροφορημένοι) in every thing willed by God ( Colossians 4:12). In the Epp. of Ignatius, who contends so strenuously against Docetic views of the Person of Christ, we find the saint and martyr employing the verb in the same sense as St. Paul. He bids his readers be on their guard against the seductions of error and he fully assured (πεπληροφορῆσθαι) of the Birth, Passion, and Resurrection as historical facts, for these things were truly and certainly done by Jesus Christ ‘our Hope, from which hope may it never befall any of you to be turned aside’ ( Magn . 11). Elsewhere, speaking of the OT prophets, Ignatius declares that they were inspired by the grace of Christ Jesus ‘to the end that unbelievers might be fully assured (εἰς τὸ πληροφορηθῆναι) that there is one God who manifested Himself through Jesus Christ, His Son’ ( Magn. 8).

2. The doctrine in the teaching of the apostles. -From an examination of the words employed by the NT writers to express Christian certainty, with the illustrations, which might easily be added to, from the Apostolic Fathers, we can gain a clear outline of the character of ‘assurance.’ It embraces a conviction of the truth of the Christian history, of the historical reality of the Birth, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ; trustful reliance upon the promises of God in Jesus Christ His Son; the exercise of the intelligence and the reasoning powers to know without doubt what God requires of His people; and the consciousness of a personal interest in Christ and His great redemption, wrought by the Spirit in the individual soul. This outline we are able to fill in from the apostles’ teaching in passages where the word itself is not employed. Assurance, as an experience of the apostolic writers and their readers, meets us in nearly every one of the Epistles. St. James, in his Epistle, negatively urges it when he dwells upon the evils of the divided mind, and he has words of commendation for the perfected faith of Abraham ( James 1:6;  James 1:8;  James 2:21 f.). St. Jude knows the secret when he commends the readers of his brief Epistle to Him that is able to keep them from falling and to present them faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy ( Judges 1:24). The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, when he bids his readers show diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end ( Hebrews 6:11), means ‘that your salvation may be a matter of certainty, and not merely of charitable hope’ (A. B. Bruce). And pointing to the blood of sprinkling, and the rent veil, and the new and living way, and the heavenly High Priest, he bids them keep approaching ‘with a true heart in full assurance of faith’ ( Hebrews 10:22). But St. Peter, St. John, and St. Paul have teaching on the subject which may be a little more fully drawn out.

(1) St. Peter’s teaching is given in Acts and in the Epistles that bear his name. St. Peter’s speeches, on the day of Pentecost and afterwards, set forth the grounds of the assurance of the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus which possessed the apostles and their believing hearers. Those grounds are ( a ) the prophetic words of Scripture finding their fulfilment not in David or any other, but in Jesus; ( b ) the personal testimony of the apostles to the things which they had seen and heard; ( c ) the manifestation of the risen Lord’s presence and power in the miracles wrought in His name; ( d ) the inner witness of the Spirit-‘we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him’ ( Acts 5:32)-‘the historical witness borne to the facts and the internal witness of the Holy Ghost bringing home to men’s hearts the meaning of the facts’ (Knowling, ad loc .; cf.  Acts 2:16-34;  Acts 4:20 ff.). It is this assurance which the Apostle holds forth to the sojourners of the Dispersion in his First Epistle ( 1 Peter 1:3-9), whom the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ had begotten again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; ‘who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ Whether 2 Peter be the production of St. Peter or of same disciple writing in his spirit at a later time, it is the voice of full assurance we hear when the author says: ‘We did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty’ ( 2 Peter 1:16). Thus convincingly does the external and the internal witness blend in St. Peter’s doctrine of assurance.

(2) St. John’s teaching in his Epistles lays the chief stress upon the ethical tests, and has less to say of the inner witness. Not that the latter is overlooked. ‘The anointing which ye received of him,’ he says, referring to the Holy Spirit or a function of the Spirit, ‘abideth in you, and ye have no need that any one teach you ( 1 John 2:27). But St. John’s doctrine of assurance embraces great Christian certainties. ‘We know and have believed the love which God hath in us’ ( 1 John 4:16). ‘We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren’ ( 1 John 3:14), ‘Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him’ ( 1 John 3:19). ‘We know [being the children of God and recipients of redeeming love] that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is’ ( 1 John 3:2). ‘We know that we have come to a knowledge of him, if we keep his commandments’ ( 1 John 2:3). ‘Hereby we know that we are in him; he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked’ ( 1 John 2:5 f.).

Law aptly characterizes St. John’s doctrine of personal assurance when he says: ‘With St. John the grounds of assurance are ethical, not emotional; objective, not subjective; plain and tangible, not microscopic and elusive. They are three, or, rather, they are a trinity: Belief, Righteousness, Love. By his belief in Christ, his keeping God’s commandments, and his love to the brethren, a Christian man is recognised, and recognises himself as begotten of God’ ( Tests of Life , Edinburgh, 1909, p. 297).

St. John applies his doctrine of assurance to prayer. ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments’ ( 1 John 3:21 f.). ‘And this is the boldness which we have towards him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us’ ( 1 John 5:14). And while this assurance gives boldness and confidence in prayer, it also gives boldness in the Day of Judgment; ‘Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, even so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear’ ( 1 John 4:17 f.).

(3) St. Paul’s teaching lays the stress upon the inner witness which we desiderated in St. John. And yet in his enumeration of graces under the designation of ‘fruit of the Spirit’ we have sure evidences of the Spirit’s indwelling whereby to ‘assure our hearts’ before Him. St. Paul’s assurance rests also upon a broad basis of fact in the Person and work of Christ: ‘I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day’ ( 2 Timothy 1:12). When, however, he uses the expression ‘we know,’ uttering his assurance of personal immortality, he attributes it to God who gave him the earnest of the Spirit ( 2 Corinthians 5:1 ff.). In two great passages,  Romans 8:14 ff. and  Galatians 4:6 f., St. Paul sets forth the witness of the Spirit to the sonship of the believer, which is the ground of his full assurance, by the childlike confidence which it works and the perfect liberty which it brings. And so he can exclaim: ‘We know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.… For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ ( Romans 8:28;  Romans 8:38 f.).

But, although St. Paul cherishes this assurance and has no doubt or misgiving as to his personal salvation, this assurance does not cause him to slacken in the fulfilment of service and the pursuit of the eternal prize. Even he is moved by the wholesome fear lest he who had preached to others should yet himself become a castaway (ἀδόκιμος,  1 Corinthians 9:27), and be cast out of the lists as one who had not contended according to the rules.

‘We must remember,’ says a Christian writer before the middle of the 2nd cent., ‘that he who strives in the corruptible contest, if he be found acting unfairly, fouling a competitor in the race, or trying with guile to overreach his antagonist, is taken away and scourged and cast forth from the lists. What then think ye? If one does anything unseemly in the incorruptible contest, what shall be have to bear?’ (2 Clem. vii). It is in the same spirit that the author of the Didache , writing before the close of the 1st cent., says: ‘For the whole period of your faith will profit you nothing unless ye be found fully perfected at the last’ ( Did. xvi. 2; cf. Ep. of Barn . iv. 9).

Literature.-F. H. R. von Frank, System of Christian Certainly , Eng. translation, Edinburgh, 1886; W. J. Townsend, H. B. Workman, and G. Eayrs, New Hist. of Methodism , London, 1909; R. Seeberg, in Realencyklopädie für protestantische Theologie und Kirche 3 vi. 160; the article‘Assurance,’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) , Hastings’ Single-vol. Dictionary of the Bible , and Dict. of Christ and the Gospels  ; article‘Certitude,’ in Catholic Encyclopedia , and article‘Certainty (Religious),’ in Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics , with the literature there cited.

T. Nicol.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

The sense in which this term is used theologically is that of a firm persuasion of our being in a state of salvation. The doctrine itself has been matter of dispute among divines, and when considered as implying not only that we are now accepted of God through Christ, but that we shall be finally saved, or when it is so taken as to deny a state of salvation to those who are not so assured as to be free from all doubt; it is in many views questionable. Assurance of final salvation must stand or fall with the doctrine of personal unconditional election, and is chiefly held by divines of the Calvinistic school; and that nothing is an evidence of a state of present salvation but so entire a persuasion as amounts to assurance in the strongest sense, might be denied upon the ground that degrees of grace, of real saving grace, are undoubtedly mentioned in Scripture. Assurance, however, is spoken of in the New Testament, and stands prominent as one of the leading doctrines of religious experience. We have "full assurance of understanding;" that is, a perfect knowledge and entire persuasion of the truth of the doctrine of Christ. The "assurance of faith," in  Hebrews 9:22 , is an entire trust in the sacrifice and priestly office of Christ. The "assurance of hope," mentioned in  Hebrews 6:11 , relates to the heavenly inheritance, and must necessarily imply a full persuasion that we are "the children of God," and therefore "heirs of his glory;" and from this passage it must certainly be concluded that such an assurance is what every Christian ought to aim at, and that it is attainable. This, however, does not exclude occasional doubt and weakness of faith, from the earlier stages of his experience.

A comforting and abiding persuasion of present acceptance by God, through Christ, we may therefore affirm, must in various degrees follow true faith. In support of this view, the following remarks may be offered:—

If it is the doctrine of the inspired records, that man is by nature prone to evil, and that in practice he violates that law under which as a creature he is placed, and is thereby exposed to punishment;—if also it is there stated, that an act of grace and pardon is promised on the conditions of repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ;—if that repentance implies consideration of our ways, a sense of the displeasure of Almighty God, contrition of heart, and consequently trouble and grief of mind, mixed, however, with a hope inspired by the promise of forgiveness, and which leads to earnest supplication for the actual pardon of sin so promised, it will follow from these premises—either,

1. That forgiveness is not to be expected till after the termination of our course of probation, that is, in another life; and that, therefore, this trouble and apprehension of mind can only be assuaged by the hope we may have of a favourable final decision on our case;—or,

2. That sin is, in the present life, forgiven as often as it is thus repented of, and as often as we exercise the required and specific acts of trust in the merits of our Saviour; but that this forgiveness of our sins is not in any way made known unto us: so that we are left, as to our feelings, in precisely the same state as if sin were not forgiven till after death, namely, in grief and trouble of mind, relieved only by hope;—or,

3. The Scriptural view is, that when sin is forgiven by the mercy of God through Christ, we are, by some means, assured of it, and peace and satisfaction of mind take the place of anxiety and fear.

The first of these conclusions is sufficiently disproved by the authority of Scripture, which exhibits justification as a blessing attainable in this life, and represents it as actually experienced by true believers. "Therefore being justified by faith." "There is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus." "Whosoever believeth is justified from all things," &c. The quotations might be multiplied, but these are decisive. The notion that though an act of forgiveness may take place, we are unable to ascertain a fact so important to us, is also irreconcilable with many scriptures in which the writers of the New Testament speak of an experience, not confined personally to themselves, or to those Christians who were endowed with spiritual gifts, but common to all Christians. "Being justified by faith we have peace with God." "We joy in God, by whom we have received the reconciliation." "Being reconciled unto God by the death of his Son." "We have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear, but the spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Abba, Father." To these may be added innumerable passages which express the comfort, the confidence, and the joy of Christians; their "friendship" with God; their "access" to him; their entire union and delightful intercourse with him; and their absolute confidence in the success of their prayers. All such passages are perfectly consistent with deep humility, and self-diffidence; but they are irreconcilable with a state of hostility between the parties, and with an unascertained and only hoped-for restoration of friendship and favour.

An assurance, therefore, that the sins which are felt to "be a burden intolerable" are forgiven, and that the ground of that apprehension of future punishment which causes the penitent to " bewail his manifold sins," is taken away by restoration to the favour of the offended God, must be allowed, or nothing would be more incongruous and impossible than the comfort, the peace the rejoicing of spirit, which in the Scriptures are attributed to believers.

Few Christians of evangelical views have, therefore, denied the possibility of our becoming assured of the favour of God in a sufficient degree to give substantial comfort to the mind. Their differences have rather respected the means by which the contrite become assured of that change in their relation to Almighty God, whom they have offended, which in Scripture is expressed by the term justification. The question has been, (where the notion of an assurance of eternal salvation has not been under discussion,) by what means the assurance of the divine favour is conveyed to the mind. Some have concluded that we obtain it by inference, others by the direct testimony of the Holy Spirit to the mind. See Holy Spirit .

Charles Buck Theological Dictionary

Is the firm persuasion we have of the certainty of any thing, or a certain expectation of something future. Assurance of the Understanding is a well-grounded knowledge of divine things founded on God's word.  Colossians 2:2 .

Assurance of Faith does not relate to our personal interest in Christ, but consists in a firm belief of the revelation that God has given us of Christ in his word, with an entire dependence on him.  Hebrews 10:22 .

Assurance of Hope is a firm expectation that God will grant us the complete enjoyment of what he has promised.  Hebrews 6:11 . The doctrine of assurance, 1: e. the belief that we have an interest in the divine favour, has afforded matter for dispute among divines. Some have asserted that it is not to be obtained in the present state, allowing that persons may be in a hopeful way to salvation, but that they have no real or absolute assurance of it: but this is clearly refuted by facts as well as by Scripture. That it is to be obtained is evident, for we have reason to believe many persons have actually obtained it.  Job 19:25 .  Psalms 17:15 .  2 Timothy 1:12 . The Scriptures exhort us to obtain it,  2 Corinthians 13:5 .  Hebrews 6:11 .  1 Thessalonians 5:21 . The Holy Spirit is said to bear witness of it,  Romans 8:16 . The exercise of the Christian graces is considered as a proof of it,  1 John 3:14 .  1 John 2:3 . We must, however, guard against presumption; for a mere persuasion that Christ is ours is no proof that he is so.

We must have evidence before we can have genuine assurance. It is necessary to observe also, that it is not a duty imposed upon all mankind, so that every one, in whatsoever state he may be, ought to be fully persuaded of his salvation. "We do not affirm, " says Saurin, "that Christians of whose sincerity there may be some doubt have a right to assurance; that backsliders, as such, ought to persuade themselves that they shall be saved; nor do we say that Christians who have arrived to the highest degree of holiness, can be persuaded of the certainty of their salvation in every period of their lives; nor, if left to their own efforts can they enjoy it; but believers, supported by the Divine aid, who walk in all good conscience before him, these only have ground to expect this privilege." Some divines have maintained that assurance is included in the very essence of faith, so that a man cannot have faith without assurance; but we must distinguish between assurance and justifying faith. The apostle, indeed, speaks of the full assurance of faith; but then this is a full and firm persuasion of what the Gospel reveals; whereas the assurance we are speaking of relates to our personal interest in Christ, and is an effect of this faith, and not faith itself.

Faith in Christ certainly includes some idea of assurance; for, except we be assured that he is the Saviour, we shall never go to or rely upon him as such: but faith in Christ does not imply an assurance of our interest in him; for there may be faith long before the assurance of personal interest commences. The confounding of these ideas has been the cause of presumption on the one hand, and despair on the other. When men have been taught that faith consists in believing that Christ died for them, and been assured that, if they can only believe so, all is well; and that then they are immediately pardoned and justified, the consequence has been, that the bold and self- conceited have soon wrought themselves up to such a persuasion, without any ground for it, to their own deception; whilst the dejected, humble, and poor in spirit, not being able to work themselves to such a pitch of confidence, have concluded that they have not the faith of God's elect, and must inevitably be lost. The means to attain assurance are not those of an extraordinary kind, as some people imagine; such as are ordinary; self-examination, humble and constant prayer, consulting the sacred oracles, Christian communication, attendance on the divine ordinances, and perseverance in the path of duty; without which all our assurance is but presumption, and our profession but hypocrisy.

Assurance may be lost for a season through bodily diseases which depress the spirits, unwatchfulness, falling into sin, manifold temptations, worldy cares, and neglect of private duty. He, therefore, who would wish to enjoy this privilege, let him cultivate communion with God, exercise a watchful spirit against God, exercise a watchful spirit against his spiritual enemies, and give himself unreservedly to Him whose he is, and whom he professes to serve.

See Saurin's Ser. vol. 3: ser. 10. Eng. edition; Case's Sermons, ser. 13; Lambert's Sermon  John 9:35; Hervey's Theron and Aspasia, dialogue 17; Howe's Works, vol. 1: p. 342, 348; Brooks Burgess, Roberts, Baxter, Polhill, and Davye on Assurance; Horae Sol. vol. 2: p. 269.

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

God wants believers to be assured of their salvation. He wants them to know without doubt that, having repented and trusted in Jesus, they have eternal life and will never perish ( John 3:16;  John 6:47;  John 10:28;  Hebrews 6:11;  Hebrews 6:17-20;  Hebrews 7:25;  1 Peter 1:23;  1 John 5:12-13). God promises believers eternal security, and his promises are certain. God is faithful, and his promises can be trusted ( John 6:37;  Romans 10:13;  1 Thessalonians 5:24;  2 Timothy 2:19;  Hebrews 10:22-23;  1 Peter 1:5).

What God has done

Believers have this assurance because their salvation depends not on anything they have done, but on what God has done for them in Christ. Through Christ’s death, God has forgiven their sins and brought them into a new relationship with himself. God now accepts them as being ‘in Christ’ ( Romans 3:24-25;  Romans 5:1;  Romans 8:1;  Romans 8:33-34;  Ephesians 1:7;  Hebrews 10:14;  Hebrews 10:17-18;  Hebrews 10:22;  Judges 1:24; see Forgiveness ; Justification ).

Further assurance comes from the fact of God’s election. In his sovereign will and grace, God has elected, or chosen, believers to be his children, to have eternal life, to escape the wrath of God, and to share with Christ in the full blessings of the age to come ( John 1:12-13;  John 6:37-39;  Romans 8:29-30;  Ephesians 1:4;  1 Thessalonians 1:4;  1 Thessalonians 5:9;  2 Timothy 1:9; see Election ). Nothing can separate them from the love of God ( Romans 8:35-39;  Ephesians 2:4-5), and they receive from God the gift of the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of their eternal salvation. The Holy Spirit is God’s mark of ownership upon them ( 2 Corinthians 1:22;  Ephesians 1:13;  Ephesians 4:30;  1 John 4:13).

The response of believers

These great facts are all concerned with what God has done, and they are the basis of true assurance. In addition, however, believers are aware within themselves that they are children of God ( Romans 8:16).

This added assurance within believers comes from a variety of experiences relating to their new life. Such experiences include their desire to obey God ( 1 John 2:3-6), their sensitivity to sin ( 2 Timothy 2:19;  1 John 3:4-10;  1 John 3:19-21), their awareness of God’s discipline in their lives ( Hebrews 12:5-8), their love for others ( 1 John 3:14-15), their desire to know more of God and his Word ( 1 Peter 2:2-3), and their constant perseverance in the faith ( Mark 4:18-20;  1 Peter 1:6-9;  Hebrews 6:11-12). Without these evidences of a changed life, those who claim to have assurance of salvation are deceiving themselves ( Titus 1:16;  1 John 2:4;  1 John 2:9-11;  1 John 3:10; cf.  Matthew 7:22-23;  Matthew 25:41-46). (See also Backsliding ; Perseverance .)

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology

In the midst of a world filled with uneasiness and insecurity, assurance of a person's security in God is one of the hallmarks of the authentic Christian life. Such assurance is not based on human resources, abilities, or ingenuity, but on confidence in the caring power of God for believers.

Such divine concern in the life of an individual or a community of faith is not to be likened to some superficial good luck charm or magical incantation that protects a person against the traumas and tragedies of human existence. Instead, assurance in God provides an anchor of confidence and hope ( Hebrews 6:18 ) in the midst of pain and sorrow, because the believer has learned the secret of casting all worries and cares on God, who is genuinely concerned for people ( 1 Peter 5:7 ).

Assurance can be linked to faith and faithfulness ( Hebrews 10:22 ), because it is one of the ways that the biblical writers describe an authentic relationship with God. While reliance on God is accompanied by the confidence that God is intimately involved in the lives of believers ( 1 John 5:14 ), faith in God does not earn a sense of security or assurance. Moreover, it cannot be achieved by attendance at church, by works of kindness, or by ecclesiastical pardon. The foundation for the assurance of one's salvation or well-being with God is rooted in a divine gift. God is the provider of salvation in Jesus Christ (  John 3:16; 2Col 5:18-19). Moreover, it is God who will bring to completion this divine gift ( Philippians 1:6 ). It is this assurance that God continues to work in the lives of believers that is the basis for the Christian doctrine of perseverance—endurance or continuing response to God's leading ( Ephesians 6:18;  Hebrews 12:1;  James 1:25 ). Assurance and perseverance are two sides of the same message.

Assurance of a relationship with God in Christ is the way believers express the mysterious connection between the infinite nature of God and the fallible nature of humanity. Life with God (whether in ancient Israel or in Christianity) is a dynamic reality, not some chess game in which God moves all the pawns and kings without reference to human response (note the amazing conditional statement in  Jeremiah 18:7-10 ). Resisting temptation (with divine help cf.  Matthew 6:13;  1 John 5:14 ) is a key to sense of security in God (cf. 1Col 10:13;  James 4:7 ). Evil and the devil are not some toys with which believers can play ( 1 Peter 5:8-9 ).

But believers are not left to their own resources. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers is a guarantee or assurance that God is at work in believers' lives (2Col 1:22; 5:5). It is through the Spirit that believers know the reality of God's presence in their lives ( 1 John 4:13 ). Forces external to them will never be able to separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus ( Romans 8:35-39 ); no power (symbolized by robber or wolf) is able to steal believers (symbolized by sheep) out of the loving arms of God's Son ( John 10:28 ).

This sense of assurance for believers is not merely limited to the present era on earth, but the resurrection of Jesus assures Christians that they are not deluded in their expectation of a future hope with their Lord ( 1 Corinthians 15:17-20 ). The resurrection of Jesus is the powerful guarantee that Christian preaching and faith are not in vain (v. 14). The Holy Spirit's presence provides assurance that Christians will receive their promised inheritance with God ( Ephesians 1:14 ).

Gerald L. Borchert

See also Confidence; Endurance

Bibliography . G. L. Borchert, Assurance and Warning  ; D. A. Carson, Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility  ; I. H. Marshall, Kept by the Power .

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

ASSURANCE . The word is used both in an objective and a subjective sense, according as it denotes the ground of confidence or the actual experience. When St. Paul declares at Athens (  Acts 17:31 ) that God has appointed Christ to judge the world, and ‘has given assurance’ of this unto all men by raising Him from the dead, it is an objective assurance that he means, for he knew very well that all men were not personally assured of the fact of the Resurrection. In   2 Timothy 3:14 , again, Timothy’s assurance of the things he has learned is identified with the outward authority of the person from whom he has received them. For the most part, however, ‘assurance’ in Scripture denotes not an objective authority or fact, but a reality of inward experience. The word occurs once in OT (  Isaiah 32:17 AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ), and quite characteristically assurance is there represented as the effect of righteousness . In NT assurance ( plerophoria ) is an accompaniment and result of the gospel (  1 Thessalonians 1:5 ). And the assurance produced by the gospel is not intellectual merely, or emotional merely, or practical merely, it fills and satisfies the whole inner man. There is a full assurance of understanding (  Colossians 2:2 ), and a full assurance of faith (  Hebrews 10:22; cf.   2 Timothy 1:12 ), and a full assurance of hope (  Hebrews 6:11 ). [Cf.   Hebrews 11:1 RV [Note: Revised Version.] , where the last two forms of assurance run into each other faith itself becoming the assurance ( hypostasis ) or underlying ground of hope]. But there is also an assurance of love (  1 John 3:19 ); love being, however, not a mere feeling but a practical social faculty, a love of deed and truth that ministers in all good things to its brethren (  1 John 3:14-18 ). Thus on a higher plane the plane of that Christian love which is the fulfilling of the Law we come back to the prophetic ideal of an inward peace and assurance which are the effects of righteousness.

In any doctrine of assurance a distinction must again be recognized between an objective and a subjective assurance. The grounds of Christian assurance as presented in the gospel are absolute, and if faith were merely intellectual assent, every believing man would be fully assured of his salvation. But, as a positive experience, assurance must be distinguished from saving faith (cf.  1 Corinthians 9:27 ). Yet the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God (  Romans 8:16 ); and those in whom the consciousness of that witness is dim and faint should seek with more diligence to grow in faith and hope and love and understanding also, that thereby they may make their calling and election sure (  2 Peter 1:10 ).

J. C. Lambert.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 17:31 Hebrews 10:22 Colossians 2:2 Hebrews 6:11 2 Timothy 4:7,8

This infallible assurance, which believers may attain unto as to their own personal salvation, is founded on the truth of the promises ( Hebrews 6:18 ), on the inward evidence of Christian graces, and on the testimony of the Spirit of adoption ( Romans 8:16 ). That such a certainty may be attained appears from the testimony of Scripture ( Romans 8:16;  1 John 2:3;  3:14 ), from the command to seek after it ( Hebrews 6:11;  2 Peter 1:10 ), and from the fact that it has been attained ( 2 Timothy 1:12;  4:7,8;  1 John 2:3;  4:16 ).

This full assurance is not of the essence of saving faith. It is the result of faith, and posterior to it in the order of nature, and so frequently also in the order of time. True believers may be destitute of it. Trust itself is something different from the evidence that we do trust. Believers, moreover, are exhorted to go on to something beyond what they at present have when they are exhorted to seek the grace of full assurance ( Hebrews 10:22;  2 Peter 1:5-10 ). The attainment of this grace is a duty, and is to be diligently sought.

"Genuine assurance naturally leads to a legitimate and abiding peace and joy, and to love and thankfulness to God; and these from the very laws of our being to greater buoyancy, strength, and cheerfulness in the practice of obedience in every department of duty."

This assurance may in various ways be shaken, diminished, and intermitted, but the principle out of which it springs can never be lost. (See Faith .)

Morrish Bible Dictionary

This word has in the O.T. a different application from that which it has in the N.T. In the former it is 'confidence or trust,' and agrees with the hopes of God's earthly people in connection with the security in which Israel will dwell when restored to their land, when all their enemies shall have been put down by divine power: the effect of righteousness will be "quietness and assurance for ever,"  Isaiah 32:17 : whereas in their disobedience they should fear day and night and have no assurance of their life.  Deuteronomy 28:66 .

In the N.T. the Greek word πληροφορία implies 'full assurance' and refers to eternal salvation. The gospel reaches a soul in power, and in the Holy Ghost and in 'much full assurance.'  1 Thessalonians 1:5 . We also meet with:

1, the full assurance of faith,  Hebrews 10:22; the reception of God's testimony respecting the work of Christ and the glory He now enjoys:

2, the full assurance of hope,  Hebrews 6:11 , issuing in continued diligence of the saints in their work and labour of love: and

3, the full assurance of understanding,   Colossians 2:2 , for full knowledge in the mystery of God.

King James Dictionary

ASSU'RANCE, n. ashu'rance. L. verus or securus, contracted.

1. The act of assuring, or of making a declaration in terms that furnish ground of confidence as, I trusted to his assurances or the act of furnishing any ground of full confidence.

Whereof he hath given assurance to all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.  Acts 17 .

2. Firm persuasion full confidence or trust freedom from doubt certain expectation the utmost certainty.

Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith.  Hebrews 10 .

3. Firmness of mind undoubting steadiness intrepidity.

Brave men meet danger with assurance.

4. Excess of boldness impudence as, his assurance is intolerable. 5. Freedom from excessive modesty, timidity or bashfulness laudable confidence.

Conversation with the world will give them knowledge and assurance.

6. Insurance a contract to make good a loss. See Insurance. 7. Any writing or legal evidence of the conveyance of property. 8. Conviction. 9. In theology, full confidence of one's interest in Christ, and of final salvation.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (n.) The act of assuring; a declaration tending to inspire full confidence; that which is designed to give confidence.

(2): (n.) The state of being assured; firm persuasion; full confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certainty.

(3): (n.) Firmness of mind; undoubting, steadiness; intrepidity; courage; confidence; self-reliance.

(4): (n.) Excess of boldness; impudence; audacity; as, his assurance is intolerable.

(5): (n.) Betrothal; affiance.

(6): (n.) Insurance; a contract for the payment of a sum on occasion of a certain event, as loss or death.

(7): (n.) Any written or other legal evidence of the conveyance of property; a conveyance; a deed.

Holman Bible Dictionary

Security Of The Believer

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

in theology, is affirm persuasion of our being in a state of salvation.

(1.) "The doctrine itself has been matter of dispute among divines, and when considered as implying not only that we are now accepted of God through Christ, but that we shall be finally saved, or when it is so taken as to deny a state of salvation to those who are not so assured as to be free from all doubt, it is in many views questionable. Assurance of Final Salvation must stand or fall with the doctrine of personal unconditional election, and is chiefly held by divines of the Calvinistic school. The 18th article of the Westminster Confession (Of The Assurance Of Grace And Salvation) says, 'Although hypocrites, and other unregenerated men, may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and estate of salvation; which hope of theirs shall perish; yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him: in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed. This, certainly, is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope, but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God; which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties before he can be a partaker of it; yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. And, therefore, it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance: so far is it from inclining men to looseness. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished and intermitted; as by negligence in preserving it; by falling into some special sin, which woundeth the conscience, and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation; by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light. Yet are they never utterly destitute of that need of God, and life of faith, that love: of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived, and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.'

On the other hand, that nothing is an evidence of a state of present salvation but so entire a persuasion as amounts to assurance in the strongest sense, might be denied upon the ground that degrees of grace, of real saving grace, are undoubtedly mentioned in Scripture. Assurance, however, is spoken of in the New Testament, and stands prominent as one of the leading doctrines of religious experience. We have 'full assurance of understanding;' that is, a perfect knowledge and entire persuasion of the truth of the doctrine of Christ. The 'assurance of faith,' in  Hebrews 9:22, is an entire trust in the sacrifice and priestly office of Christ. The

'assurance of hope,' mentioned in  Hebrews 6:11, relates to the heavenly inheritance, and must necessarily imply a full persuasion that we are the children of God, and therefore 'heirs of his glory;' and from this passage it must certainly be concluded that such an assurance is what every Christian ought to aim at, and that it is attainable. This, however, does not exclude occasional doubt and weakness of faith from the earlier stages of his experience.

(2.) "A comforting and abiding persuasion Of Present Acceptance By God, Through Christ, we may therefore affirm, must in various degrees follow true faith. In support of this view the following remarks may be offered: If the Bible teaches that man is by nature prone to evil, and that in-practice he violates God's law, and is thereby exposed to punishment; that an act of grace and pardon is promised on condition of repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; that repentance implies consideration of our ways, a sense of the displeasure of Almighty God, contrition of heart, and consequently trouble and grief of mind, mixed, however, with a hope inspired by the promise of forgiveness, and which leads to earnest supplication for the actual pardon of sin so promised; it will follow from these premises either,

1. that forgiveness is not to be expected till after the termination of our course of probation, that is, in another life; and that, therefore, this trouble and apprehension of mind can only be assuaged by the hope we may have of a favorable final decision on our case; or,

2. that sin is, in the present life, forgiven as often as it is thus repented of, and as often as we exercise the required and specific acts of trust in-the merits of our Saviour; but that this forgiveness of our sins is not in any way made known unto us; so that we are left, as to our feelings, in precisely the same -state as if sin were not forgiven till after death, namely, in grief and trouble of mind, relieved only by hope; or,

3. that (and this is the scriptural view) when sin is forgiven by the mercy of God through Christ, we are by some means assured of it, and peace and satisfaction of mind take the place of anxiety and fear. The first of these conclusions is sufficiently disproved by the authority of Scripture, which exhibits justification as a blessing attainable in this life, and represents it as actually experienced by true believers. 'Therefore being justified by faith.'

'There is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.'

'Whosoever believeth is justified from all things,' etc. The quotations might be multiplied, but these are decisive. The notion that, though an act of forgiveness may take place, we are unable to ascertain a fact so important to us, is also irreconcilable with many passages, in which the writers of the New Testament speak of an experience not confined personally to themselves, or to those Christians who were endowed with spiritual gifts, but common to all Christians. 'Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.' 'We joy in God, by whom we have received the reconciliation.'

'Being reconciled unto God by the death of his Son.' 'We have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear, but the spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Abba, Father.' To these may be added innumerable passages which express the comfort, the confidence, and the joy of Christians; their 'friendship' with God; their ' access' to him; their entire union and delightful intercourse with him; and their absolute confidence in the success of their prayers. All such passages are perfectly consistent with deep humility and self-diffidence, but they are irreconcilable with a state of hostility between the parties, and with an unascertained and only hoped-for restoration of friendship and favor. An assurance, therefore, that the sins which are felt to 'be a burden intolerable' are forgiven, and that the ground of that apprehension of future punishment which causes the penitent to ' bewail his manifold sins,' is taken away by restoration to the favor of the offended God, must be allowed, or nothing would be more incongruous and impossible than the comfort, the peace, the rejoicing of spirit, which in the Scriptures are attributed to believers.

"Few Christians of evangelical views have, therefore, denied the possibility of our becoming assured of the favor of God in a sufficient degree to give substantial comfort to the mind. Their differences have rather respected the means by which the contrite become assured of that change in: their relation to Almighty God, whom they have offended, which in Scripture is expressed by the term justification. The question has been (where the notion of an assurance of eternal salvation has not been under discussion), by what means the assurance of the divine favor is conveyed to the mind. Some have concluded that we obtain it by inference, others by the direct testimony of the Holy Spirit to the mind" (Watson, s.v.).

(3.) With regard to the history of the doctrine, Wesley remarks: "I apprehend that the whole Christian Church in the first centuries enjoyed it. For, though we have few points of doctrine explicitly taught in the small remains of the ante-Nicene fathers, yet I think none that carefully read Clemens Romanus, Ignatius, Polycarp, Origen, or any other of them, can doubt whether either the writer himself possessed it, or all whom he mentions as real Christians. And I really conceive, both from the Hurmonia Confessionum and whatever else I have occasionally read, that all reformed churches in Europe did once believe, 'Every true Christian has the divine evidence of his being in favor with God."' "I know likewise that Luther, Melancthon, and many other (if not all) of the reformers frequently and strongly assert that every believer is conscious of his own acceptance with God, and that by a supernatural evidence" (see below).

Thomas Aquinas supposed (Summn. pt. ii, 1, quest. 112, art. 5) a threefold way in which man could ascertain whether he was a subject of divine grace or not: 1. By direct revelation on the part of God; 2. By himself (certitudinaliter); 3. By certain indications (conjecturaliter per aliqua signa). But the last two were, in his opinion, uncertain; as for the first, God very seldom makes use of it, and only in particular cases (revelat Deus hoc aliquando aliquibus ex speciali privilegio), so that no one can have perfect certainty on the subject; only there are signs, if proper attention be paid, such as that a man has his joy in God, that he despises the world, and is conscious of no gross sins. A presage may thus be formed of his forgiveness (nullus certitudinaliter potest scire se habere caritatem, sed potest e aliquibus signis probabili. bus conjicere. -In lib. i. Sentt. dist. 17, quest. 1, art. 4). Alexander of Hales contended that on this point there was a peculiar knowledge-since neither the cause nor the effect fell within the province of human knowledge, yet a certain feeling of knowledge might be possessed upon it; only it is not infallible, but verifies itself by experience in ithe feelings when these three signs concur, light, peace, and joy. God does not will either to give to us complete certainty, or to leave us wholly in uncertainty.. If man experienced nothing of the sweetness of the divine life, he would not be attracted to the love of God; if he had perfect assurance it would easily seduce him into pride. Luther denounced the notion of the uncertainty of man being in a state of grace (in his Comment. upon  Galatians 4:6) as a dangerous and sophistical doctrine. The doctrine that personal assurance is involved in saving faith is taught in the Augsburg Confession (art. iv), and also in the Apologia Confessionis. The doctrine of the certitudo salutis (certainty of salvation) is taught by Calvin (Institutes, iii, c. 24, 4).

Sir W. Hamilton, in a foot-note to his article on the English Universities (Discussions on Philosophy, etc.), while speaking on religious tests as a term of admission, has the following passage: " Assurance, personal assurance (the feeling of certainty that God is propitious to me, that my sins are forgiven, Judcia, plerophoriafideza), was long universally held in the Protestant communities to be the criterion and condition of a true or saving faith. Luther declares that he who hath not assurance spews faith out; and Melancthon makes assurance the discriminating line of Christianity from heathenism. It was maintained by Calvin, nay, even by Arminius, and is part and parcel of all the confessions of all the churches of the Reformation down to the Westminster Assembly. In that synod assurance was, in Protestantism, for the first time declared not to be of the essence of faith; and, accordingly, the Scottish General Assembly has subsequently, once and again, condemned the holders of this, the doctrine of Luther, of Calvin, and of the older Scottish Church itself. In the English, and more particularly in the Irish Establishment, it still stands a necessary tenet of belief. The doctrine is now, however, disavowed, when apprehended, by Anglican churchmen." These strong statements are controverted in the Brit. and For. Evangelical Review (Oct. 1856), by Cunningham (see the article, enlarged, in Cunningham, Theology of the Reformation, "Essay iii), who shows that Sir William Hamilton has greatly mistaken the reformed doctrine in representing assurance as, in the opinion of all the reformed churches, an essential part of saving faith. Dr. Cunningham proves, on the contrary, from several of the confessions of the churches of the Reformation, and from the writings of some leading reformers, that, in their opinion, "this assurance was not the proper act of justifying and saving faith, and did not belong to its essence;... that it was a result or consequence of faith, posterior to it in the order of nature, and frequently also of time." Regarded as an exposure of Sir William Hamilton's historical inaccuracies,. this essay is complete, but as an exhibition of the scriptural doctrine of assurance it is seriously defective. It not only encumbers the doctrine by adding the assurance of final salvation to that of present forgiveness-a mistake full both of embarrassment to timid consciences, and of peril to the interests of practical religion-but it almost puts out of sight that direct and blessed witness of the Spirit to the believer's acceptance which is so prominent a feature of the experimental theology of the Bible, and without which -the Christian life must be one of distressing uncertainty and doubt. But Sir William was quite right in saying that the Westminster Assembly was the first Protestant synod that formally declared assurance not to be of the essence of faith. Yet it declares that assurance is practicable and obligatory in very strong language, and calls it "an infallible assurance" [see above, (1)].

Wesley, and the Methodist theologians generally, advocate the doctrine of assurance of present (not of eternal) salvation in the sense stated above (2), connecting it with the "witness of the Spirit," as in the following practical passage: "Every man, applying the scriptural marks to himself, may know whether he is a child of God. Thus, if he know, first, As many as are led by the Spirit of God into all holy tempers and actions, they are the sons of God (for which he has the infallible assurance of Holy Writ); secondly, I am thus 'led by the Spirit of God,' he will easily conclude, therefore I am a son of God. Agreeably to this are those plain declarations of John in his first epistle: 'Hereby we know that we do know him, if we keep his commandments' ( 1 John 2:3). 'Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him;' that we are indeed the children of God ( 1 John 2:5). 'If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him' ( 1 John 2:29). 'We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren' (ch. iii, 14). 'Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him' ( 1 John 2:19), namely, because we ' love one another, not in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.' See also ch. iii, 24, and 4:13. It is highly probable there never were any children of God, from the beginning of the world unto this day, who were further advanced in the grace of God, and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, than the apostle John at' the time when he wrote these words, and the fathers in Christ to whom he wrote.

Notwithstanding which, it is evident both the apostle himself, and all those pillars in God's temple, were very far from despising these marks of their being the children of God; and that they applied them to their own souls for the confirmation of their faith. Yet all this is no other than rational evidence, the witness of our spirit, our reason, our understanding. It all resolves into this: Those who have these marks are children of God: but we have these marks, therefore we are children of God. But how does it appear that we have these marks? This is a question which still remains. How does it appear that we do love God and our neighbor, and that we keep his commandments ? Observe that the meaning of the question is, How does it appear to ourselves? not to others. I would ask him, then, that proposes this question, How does it appear to you that you are alive? and that you are now in ease, and not in pain ? Are you not immediately conscious of it? By the same immediate consciousness you will know if your soul is alive to God; if you are saved from the pain of proud wrath, and have the ease of a meek and quiet spirit. By the same means you cannot but perceive if you love, rejoice, and delight in God. By the same you must be directly assured if you love your neighbor as yourself; if you are kindly affectioned to all mankind, and full of gentleness and long-suffering. And with regard to the outward mark of the children of God, which is, according to John, the keeping his commandments, you undoubtedly know in your own breasts if, by the grace of God, it belongs to you. Now this is properly the testimony of our own spirit, even the testimony of our own conscience, that God hath given us to be holy of heart, and 'holy in outward conversation. It is a consciousness that we are inwardly conformed, by the Spirit of God, to the image of his Son, and that we walk before him in justice, mercy, and truth, doing the things which are pleasing in his sight' (Wesley, Sermons, i, 86, 87). (See Witness Of Spirit).

The Council of Trent (sess. 6:ch. 9:De. Justificatione) decided that it is on no account to e maintained that those who are really justified ought to feel fully assured of the fact, without any doubt whatever; or that none are absolved and justified but those who believe themselves to be so; or that by this faith only absolution and justification are procured; as if he who does not believe this doubts the promises of God, and the efficacy of the death and resurrection of Christ. For, while no godly person ought to doubt the mercy of God, the merit of Christ, or the virtue and efficacy of the sacraments, so, on the other hand, whoever considers his own infirmity and corruption may doubt and fear whether he is in a state of grace, since no one can certainly and infallibly know that he has obtained the grace of God."

For the Roman Catholic doctrine as contrasted with that of Calvin, see Mohler, Symbolism, 20. See also the Methodist Quarterly, Oct. 1857, art. iv; Watson, Theol. Inst. ii, 280; Smith's Hagenlach, Hist. of Doctrines, ii, 65, 277; Neander, Hist. of Dogmas, ii, 586; Wesley, Works, v, 19 sq.; Cole, Godly Assurance (1633, 4to); Petto, Treatise on Assurance (1693); Hamilton, On Assurance of Faith (1830, 12mo).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a - shoor´ans  : A term exceptionally rich in spiritual meaning. It signifies the joyous, unwavering confidence of an intelligent faith; the security of a fearless trust. The original words have to do with the heart of vital religion. בּטח , bāṭaḥ , "trust"; אמן , 'āman , "to prop," "to support," hence to confide in, to trust. Jesus repeatedly used this word "amen" to express the trustworthiness and abiding certainty of his sayings. πίστις , pı́stis , "faith"; πληροφορία , plērophorı́a , "full assurance." The confidence of faith is based, not on "works of righteousness which we have done" (compare  Titus 3:4 ,  Titus 3:5 the King James Version) but on the highpriesthood and atoning sacrifice of Christ (  Hebrews 10:21 ,  Hebrews 10:22; compare  Hebrews 10:19 , "boldness to enter ... by the blood of Jesus," the King James Version). Assurance is the soul's apprehension of its complete emancipation from the power of evil and from consequent judgment, through the atoning grace of Christ. It is the exact opposite of self-confidence, being a joyous appropriation and experience of the fullness of Christ - a glad sense of security, freedom and eternal life in Him. This doctrine is of immeasurable importance to the life of the church and of the individual believer, as a life of spiritual doubt and uncertainty contradicts the ideal of liberty in Christ Jesus which is the natural and necessary fruitage of "the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit ... shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour." Paul unhesitatingly said, "I know" ( 2 Timothy 1:12 ) - a word which, oft-repeated in 1 Jn, furnishes the groundwork of glad assurance that runs through the entire epistle. For the classic passage on "full assurance" see  Colossians 2:1-10 .