Assurance of Salvation
Believers can have confident knowledge of their right standing with God.
John writes, 'I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.' Assurance is not arrogance but confident trust in God's promises. It rests not on feelings but on God's Word, the Spirit's witness, and changed life. Genuine assurance produces gratitude and zeal, not presumption. Lack of assurance may indicate unbelief, unconfessed sin, or simply Satan's accusations. The Christian can examine their life for evidence of grace while ultimately resting on Christ's finished work.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Westminster Confession states that assurance 'may in due time be attained' through faith in God's promises, the Spirit's testimony, and fruits of grace in one's life.
First Epistle of John