“Are you sure?” someone might ask you. “Positively! No doubt about it! I’m really sure!” you answer. Now that’s good. It’s nice to be sure about something, isn’t it?
You know it is one thing to be saved from your sin, and quite another thing to have the assurance of your salvation. As a pastor, I’ve known Christians who were not sure of their salvation. When you ask them if they were saved they would say, “I hope so,” or “I think so, but I’m not sure.”
Now that’s a tough place to be. And if you’ve ever been there, you know the sense of worry and uncertainty that can plague your soul. But the good news is that there’s a remedy. It is possible to know for sure that God as saved you, forgiven your sins, and blessed you with the hope of eternal life.
In 2 Timothy 3:14, Paul says to Timothy, “But continue thou in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Now notice that Timothy was to continue “in the things which he had learned and had been assured of.”
The word “assured of” is a word that means “to be confident, to be convinced of something.” It comes from a root which means “to convince by argument; to persuade with regard to whether something is true or false.”
Now what was Timothy so sure about? Well, in verse 15 he was sure about his salvation. So how was he so sure about that? Again, in verse 15, it says he had “known the holy scriptures…” That’s it! To have the assurance of your salvation, you have to know the Holy Scriptures; you have to know that salvation is by the grace of God – not by your works (Ephesians 2:8-9); you have to know that salvation is through faith in what Christ did on your behalf. You have to know these things. And if you do know them – you’ll be sure, just like Timothy.
Say – Doubt will drive you crazy. The only relief is to know the Holy Scriptures.