There are four kinds of people who have various kinds of understanding about their eternal security.

Many people think it is arrogant to believe that your salvation is secure. Nevertheless, the Bible calls us to be certain of our salvation.

2 Peter 1:10 (NKJV)

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

1 John 5:13 (NKJV)

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, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

Having an assurance of your salvation can enhance your spiritual growth and enable you to walk with God more effectively.

The opposite is true for Christians uncertain about their salvation, who are subject to all sorts of doubts, questions and guilt that can paralyze their walk with Christ.

Here are four common positions people have concerning the assurance of salvation.

Position 1:

“There are people who are unsaved and know they are unsaved.”

People in this group live in enmity with God in their hearts and are aware of their separation from Him. The majority of them refuse to accept Christ as their Savior and do not hesitate to reject Him outright.

People like this are hostile to the gospel.

Position 2:

“There are people who are saved but do not know they are saved.”

This group of people are in a state of grace, but their struggle with internal doubt has caused them to become uncertain of their salvation.

Some people may wrestle with sin in their lives and become troubled by their conscience which causes them to doubt their salvation.

Such people have received and believed the true gospel but are unsure if they are among the elect or saved.

Position 3:

“There are people who are saved and know they are saved.”

This group of people is certain about their salvation and election as children of God, which is mainly rooted in their understanding of scripture.

Such people possess a clear and sound understanding of what salvation requires and are confident that they meet its  simple requirements (repenting of their sin and believing in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior).

Such people cling to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, witnessing to their spirits that they are children of God (Romans 8:16).

Position 4:

“There are people who are not saved but confidently believe that they are saved.”

This group of people boldly claim to have an assurance of salvation, but they don’t possess it. They have a false assurance.

This is the most critical group that needs to be reached because their ignorance and pride may never lead them to learn the truth.

This group may be closest or nearest to the truth, but may be still far from understanding it.

We will discuss how to identify a person who is living with a false assurance of salvation in the following section.