Finding Assurance Through Christ’s Work, Not Ours
It’s a question that has haunted many believers over the years: “How do I know I’m really saved?” It’s easy to slip into self-doubt, thinking, “Is my faith strong enough? Have I done enough? Am I doing this whole Christianity thing right?” But here’s the good news: our assurance doesn’t rest on our own efforts, nor on the strength of our faith. It rests on Jesus Christ and what He’s already done for us.
The Assurance We Seek
Let’s face it, we all wrestle with doubts from time to time. We live in a world that’s constantly measuring and grading us, and sometimes we drag that mindset into our spiritual lives, too. But the Bible offers us a better way. Our security is found not in our “performance” as Christians but in God’s promises.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9:
Right there, we have our answer. Salvation is a gift. It’s not something we earn or work up in ourselves. It’s God’s doing, start to finish. This means that no amount of “spiritual striving” can make us any more saved. Christ has done it all.
Faith as Trust, Not Achievement
Now, let’s tackle a common misconception: sometimes, we start to worry about the quality or strength of our faith, as if it’s something we have to muster up to a certain level before it “counts.” But Jesus clears this up in Matthew 17:20 when He says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus isn’t asking for some towering, unwavering faith; even a tiny bit of faith, when directed at Him, is enough.
And why is that? Because it’s not about the size of our faith but about the One our faith is in. Even when our faith feels weak, Jesus remains strong. As 2 Timothy 2:13 puts it, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful.” It’s His faithfulness, not ours, that’s the foundation of our salvation.
Article IV of the Augsburg Confession: Standing Firm on Christ
In Article IV of the Augsburg Confession, the heart of the Lutheran faith shines through. It says,
“[We] teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own powers, merits, or works, but are justified freely for Christ’s sake through faith, when they believe that they are received into grace and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who by His death has made satisfaction for our sins.”
Article IV of the Augsburg Confession
In plain terms, it’s all Jesus. We’re made right with God not because we’ve earned it, but because Jesus, out of His love, earned it for us on the cross. This means we can stop looking inward to gauge whether we “feel” saved and instead look outward to the cross, where our salvation was secured.
Romans 10:9 echoes this truth:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
It’s as simple as that. There’s no fine print about the “quality” of our belief, just the invitation to trust in what Jesus has done.
Law and Gospel: Knowing Our Need and God’s Gift
In Lutheran theology, we make a clear distinction between Law and Gospel. The Law reveals our sin, showing us that we can’t live up to God’s standards on our own.
Romans 3:23 tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The Law, then, is like a mirror showing us our need for a Savior. But the Gospel—the good news—is that Jesus steps in where we fall short.
Take John 14:6, for instance, where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This isn’t about exclusion; it’s about assurance. Jesus is saying that our path to God doesn’t depend on us finding our way. He’s the way. When we cling to Him, we’re already where we need to be.
The Great Exchange: Christ’s Righteousness for Our Sin
A big part of the assurance we have as Christians is found in what theologians call “the Great Exchange.” Simply put, Jesus took our sin upon Himself and, in return, gave us His righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 puts it like this: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Think about that: when God looks at us, He sees not our mistakes but Christ’s perfection.
Our assurance isn’t a feeling we have to conjure up; it’s a reality rooted in what Jesus has done. So even when we feel unworthy or inadequate, we can rest in the truth that Christ’s righteousness covers us completely.
Faith as a Gift
One of the things Luther emphasized is that faith itself is a gift. We don’t generate it on our own; it’s God’s work in us.
As Philippians 1:6 reminds us, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
God doesn’t start something He doesn’t intend to finish. If He’s given you faith, He’ll sustain it. And that’s something we can rely on, even in moments of doubt.
Faith, then, isn’t about feeling strong or spiritual all the time. It’s simply about trusting God’s promises, even when we don’t have all the answers.
As Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
It’s confidence not in ourselves, but in God’s promises.
Living Out Our Assurance in Vocation
Knowing we’re saved by grace alone doesn’t just give us peace of mind—it gives us purpose. This assurance frees us to live out our vocations as members of the “priesthood of all believers.” Luther taught that every believer has a calling, whether it’s at work, in family, or in community. We don’t have to be pastors or missionaries to serve God. He’s at work through all of us, right where we are.
1 Peter 2:9 captures this well:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9
Our assurance of salvation equips us to live boldly, serving others and sharing God’s love in every corner of our lives.
Resting in the Gospel, Not Ourselves
If you’re someone who wonders, “Have I done enough?” or “Is my faith strong enough?” I’ll say this: you’re not alone. But the truth is, we don’t need to “do enough” or “feel strong enough.” Jesus has already done it all, and His love for us isn’t based on how we’re feeling on any given day.
Romans 8:38-39 gives us a solid promise: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Our salvation rests securely in Christ, not in our own efforts or feelings. We’re free to live with joy, knowing that we’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus. So, let’s cling to that truth, lean on God’s promises, and step out in faith, knowing that our place in God’s family is secure.
Assurance That Changes Everything
The question of salvation—“How do I know I’m saved?”—finds its answer in the Gospel message: we’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not about how strong we are, but about how strong Jesus is. Article IV of the Augsburg Confession reminds us that our standing with God is secure because of what Christ has done, not because of anything we could do.
As we live in this assurance, we can serve God and love others, knowing that nothing can separate us from His love. And that, my friends, is the kind of assurance that frees us to live joyfully, as part of God’s big, wonderful plan.
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