How Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian?: What the Bible Says about Assurance of Salvation

I was only half way through the book when I had to sit back and thank the Lord for my assurance. This book has helped me in many ways. It emphasizes how we should devour 1 John. Gives many basic points to think about that is easily missed while in doubt. Give this book a shot.

Many are on a regligious path that they believe - very sincerely - will end in heaven and God's welcoming arms. However, the risen Lord Jesus Christ says that many will stand before Him - who called Him Lord - only to hear the eternally frightening words, "I never knew you; depart from Me you who practice lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23). They are the confident, assured, and religiously active, but utterly self-decieved. Donald Whitney's book is sure to pull the mask off those who are trusting in religion, religious knowledge, religious experience, a decision, the affirmation of others, or whatever for their assurance of heaven - and shows that they are building on sandy ground (Matt. 7:24-27; 13:18-23; 1 John 2:3-5). And, at the same time it will encourage those who do understand that salvation comes through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone (John 19:30); who have experienced the transforming grace of new birth (Titus 2:5; 2 Cor. 5:17) but are still having trouble finding rest and comfort in the promises of forgiveness and eternal security in Christ (Rom. 5:1; John 6:40). The strength of Whitney's book is his commitment to Scripture (John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:15-16), so that assurance is built on solid truth and not empty, vain, and subjective whims or fancies. Assurance of one's salvation is crucial to being freed to live a life of worship (John 4:23-24) for the glory of God. And biblical assurance is necessary to guard against a false hope that will end in eternally tragic regret and judgment. If you are struggling with assurance of salvation, are not experiencing the comfort of knowing that indeed your sins have been forgiven and that God has granted you true saving faith (Eph. 2:1-10), then read this book. Look up the passages, be honest before God, and prayerfully seek Him to produce in your heart the assurance that you do belong to Him and that He truly has worked grace in your heart - and then wait on Him. I too wrestled with the assurance of my salvation. I knew that my life had dramatically changed, I knew that my understanding and attitude toward sin, righteousness, God, Christ, and the Word had changed; but still I had trouble resting. This book was a great help along the way and a tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit to help me come to a solid, God-centered assurance in Christ. I hope it does the same for you.

This is a small book and I read much of it as soon as I took it out of my mailbox. Although I have no doubt about my salvation, I was interested in it when I saw the title. It validated concerns I have that the church's goal to build up attendance and membership numbers might sometimes overshadow its concern for souls. I would like to see the disappearance of the boards enumerating church and Sunday School attendance that are often placed in sacntuaries since that should not be our primary focus. This book contains an important message and I plan to send one to a pastor friend with a request that he read it and pass it on or purchase one for someone else.

Almost everyone who believes in the existence of heaven also believes he will be there. I cannot count the number of times I have heard the statistic that fully 99% of Americans believe they will be in heaven some day. However, the Bible certainly gives no reason to believe that 99% of people will be welcomed into heaven. Thus many people, and perhaps even the majority of people, live with false assurance of their eternal destination. How Can I Be Sure I'm A Christian by Don Whitney, is a book concerned with helping Christians understand how they be assured of their salvation and how to discern true from false assurance. In the foreward, John MacArthur notes that assurance of salvation is the birthright and privilege of every true believer in Christ. Despite this, almost every believer wrestles with this at one time or another. "Knowing how to handle such doubts, understanding the self-examination that is required (2 Corinthians 13:5), discerning the evidences of Christ in us, and above all focusing our faith on the promises of Scripture and the character of God - those are the keys to maintaining true assurance." (page 8) These are the topics the author examines in this book. The book begins with an examination of whether assurance of salvation is possible. Though many Christians have been taught that it is not possible and may even be dangerous, the Bible presents assurance as something that is not only available, but is a crucial aspect of our Christian walk. In fact, an entire book of the Bible was written to address this very topic. "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life..." (1 John 5:13) After assuring the reader that assurance is possible and that doubts about our salvation are normal (and perhaps even healthy), Whitney examines the basis of our assurance. Far too many believers base their assurance on statements beginning with "because I..." but if our assurance is founded upon anything we have done, we have taken false assurance. Our assurance needs to be in the promises and character of God, not in decisions, baptisms, family or good deeds. The book then turns to a discussion of the confirmations and evidences of conversion. These include the Spirit's inner confirmations as well as external evidences such as conscious obedience to God's Word and a hatred of the ways of the world. There are several chapters dedicated to things that erode our confidence as well as false assurances of salvation. The book closes with a chapter on what to do if you are still not sure. As with all of Whitney's books, he quotes Scripture liberally and draws heavily upon the wisdom of Christians of days gone by, and especially the Puritans. He builds a convincing case that assurance is possible and provides many helpful pointers as to how we can have that assurance of salvation. This book is guaranteed to challenge any believer, both in his lifestyle and in his assumptions c

I invited Christ into my life and wondered what was next. I read everything I could. I had a hunger for the Lord. Then I started having some uncertainties of my salvation. I read this book and discovered the affirmation I needed. This is a Must Read for every Christian, young and old. New to the Lord or not. God the Father wants us all to know him. Read this book and be lifted up!