Is Assurance of Salvation a Vital Doctrine? - Ken Yates

Ken Yates of the Grace Evangelical Society discusses one of the major themes of the 2023 Grace Evangelical Society National Conference, that assurance of salvation is possible by believing Jesus' promise of eternal life to everyone who believes in Him for eternal life.

Link to the conference playlist is found here:

At the 2023 GES National Conference on "Vital Free Grace Issues", sessions covered the following topics:

1. "Is Believing in Jesus for Forgiveness of Sins the Same as Believing in Him for Everlasting Life?" by Ken Yates
2. "Proving our Salvation by Our Words, Our Works, or Both" by J.B. Bond
3. "Is Assurance of the Essence of Saving Faith in the Gospel of John?" by Bob Vacendak
4. "2006 Revisited (Eternal Security, Do You Have to Believe It?)" by Bob Bryant
5. Will Those Who Never Have Never Heard About Jesus Get a Second Chance? - John Claeys
6. "Why Faith without Works Is Still Faith" by David Janssen
7. "Repentance Unfound in John: Direct Evidence" by John Niemelä
8. "Focused Free Grace Versus Flexible Free Grace: Can Two Walk Together?" by Mike Lii
9. "The Simplicity of the Promise, The Controversy of the Cross" by Dix Winston
10. "Is Faith Certainty, or Some Degree of Confidence?" by Steve Elkins
11. "The Inclusive Big Tent of Some “Free Gracers” Contradicts Scripture" by Bob Wilkin
12. "Basics of Free Grace for Newbies" by Ken Yates
13. "The Changing State of Free Grace Theology" by Mike Lii

For articles, blogs, and audio, go to:

[robertomoreno]

All Glory To God and His Son Forever. Amén.

[americodiloretto]

2 Timothy 1:7 -9 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a SOUND MIND. Read verse 9 who saved us and not according to our works. That SOUND MIND is Assurance that we are saved and Salvation is Irrevocable. Amen. Thanks for sharing.

[timgrady]

Simply put, assurance of Everlasting Life is the very definition of faith in the Christ (Jesus) .

Not to have doubtless certitude at the moment of belief in Jesus is to be an unbeliever .

[Anthony-ixrp]

the gift of salvation is a one time event...discipleship is what we work on daily.

[yappyfinkle]

You can forget. Or at least that's what I keep "hearing" when I listen to the word. That seems to be THE battle or a big battle. We can forget and go back to our works and the law. But so far, with my own struggle he continuously brings me back to the truth. Life with its crap and our past traumas and all that can steer us off course. We forget, we complain, we get bitter we grow away from God then in my case he sends crippling depression in cycles to bring me back again. Anyways, i hope this makes sense and helps someone else. We aren't cast off. it's a BATTLE, especially in your MIND. Keep seeking, keep praying.

[ljrogers]

Assurance of salvation is not in my ability to be assured, or "level" of saving faith, but in the transaction that happened immediately upon faith in the one who died for my sins (the Lord Jesus Christ). True assurance is in the Gospel message alone the moment we believe... I died with Christ, was washed in His blood, and was raised and seated with Christ in the heavenlies. So I base my assurance in the fact that He cannot be uncrucified, therefore I can not be uncrucified, buried and raised with Him. Saved by faith BECAUSE of His BLOOD, not in my ability to be assured under any condition of myself. Christ in us through His cross if the power of the one mans obedience, for in His death is our death and the POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION!

[jsbc]

The cross and the New birth Trump every argument that a born again believer can lose salvation.

Every sin humanity ever committed was placed on the Cross of Christ! The moment anyone believed the Gospel they were reconciled to God Romans 5:9-11. All sins past present and future were forgiven 1 John 2:12, Ephesians 1:7.

They will never be imputed to a Believer again: 2 Corinthians 5:19,

No further sacrifice needed ever again after forgiveness. Is imputed: Hebrews 10:17-18

Declared Holy once and for all time Hebrews 10:10, 10:14


Born again of an incorruptible seed: 1 Peter 1.23, 1 John 3:9. Sinning after conversion can’t corrupt our new nature. Why? Because we are in Union with Christ. And in Christ there is no sin: 1 John 3:5.

Our old Sin nature was removed : Colossians 2:11, Romans 6:6-7

It was Crucified: Galatians 2:20 and 5:21

Even a third grader can comprehend these truths that give anyone full assurance unless of course you are an Arminian whose delusional theology believes the fear of hell and fear of losing salvation gives a believer power to overcome sin.

[harvestworkers]

Even though this was a true message stating that every Christian HAS "full assurance" of their salvation, he failed to present us with a Scripture that confirms this fact.

God bless!

[jaydubya]

That would be an awful way to live, not having blessed assurance.

[Chronicles_]

Repentance is woven into the very fabric of the Gospel of John, though the word itself is never employed. In the account of Nicodemus, for example, repentance was clearly suggested in Jesus' command to be "born again" (John 3:3-7). Repentance was the point of the Old Testament illustration our Lord gave Nicodemus (John 3:14-15). In John 4, the woman at the well did repent, as we see from her actions in verses 28-29.
Isn't repentance included by implication in the following Johannine descriptions of saving faith?
John 3:19-21: And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.
John 10:26-28
But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them (emphasis added).
John 12:24-26
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
To say that John called for a faith that excluded repentance is to grossly misconstrue the apostle's concept of what it means to be a believer. Although John never uses repent as a verb, the verbs he does employ are even stronger. He teaches that all true believers love the light (John 3:19), come to the light (John 3:20-21), obey the Son (John 3:36), practice the truth (John 3:21), worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24), honor God (John 5:22-24), do good deeds (John 5:29),

We repent of sin by faith as God commands all people everywhere to repent of sin.

We dont believe unto eternal life to be saved. We all have eternal life and will spend eternity in either the Kingdom of God or for all who reject Gods plan for salvation, in the lake of fire.

[thejerichoconnection]

Have you ever wondered why for the past 2000 years every Christian that ever lived read those same verses and never came up with this doctrine?

Have you ever thought that maybe, but just maybe, you are the only ones that don’t understand the message of the gospel?