The Basis of Your Assurance

When Jesus hung on the cross, His final words were, “It is finished” (John 19:30). In Greek, that phrase is one word: tetelestai. It was a term used in business transactions meaning “paid in full.” In other words, the debt of sin was completely satisfied. Nothing left to add. Nothing left to prove. Nothing left to earn. The cross closed the account forever.

This is where many Christians stumble. We fall back into the trap of believing assurance depends on us. We think, “If I can just be consistent enough in prayer, if I can just fight this sin harder, if I can just hold onto God tighter, then I will feel secure.” But this thinking shifts the weight of salvation from Christ to self. And anything we put on ourselves will eventually crumble.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says it plainly: “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.” Salvation and assurance rest on the same foundation: grace. If you cannot earn it, then you cannot lose it by failing to keep earning it.

The resurrection is proof of this security. If Jesus had stayed in the grave, then we would still have reason to question. But He rose, triumphant over sin and death. His resurrection is the receipt of our redemption. It declares to the world that His sacrifice was accepted, complete, and sufficient for all who believe. Our assurance is as unshakable as the empty tomb.

Grace versus Works

Think of two paths. The first is the path of works. It is a treadmill that never stops. No matter how fast you run, it keeps demanding more. Did you pray enough today? Did you resist every temptation? Did you serve without selfishness? On the treadmill of works, you can never rest, because rest would mean failure.

The second path is the path of grace. On this path, you walk not to earn love but because you are already loved. You serve not to secure salvation but because salvation is already secured. You obey not out of fear of losing God, but out of joy that God will never lose you.

Grace changes the question from “Have I done enough?” to “Has Christ done enough?” And the answer is always yes.

Living Out Assurance

When you know the basis of your assurance is Christ, you live differently. Fear loosens its grip. You stop second-guessing your standing with God. You stop living in the exhausting cycle of pride when you succeed and despair when you fail. Instead, you begin to rest, to breathe, to live out of the overflow of grace.

This is the freedom Paul spoke of in Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Not some condemnation. Not occasional condemnation. No condemnation. Ever.

And if there is no condemnation, then there is no insecurity. Your salvation is anchored not to your shifting emotions, not to your fluctuating efforts, but to the immovable cross of Christ.

The basis of assurance is simple: Jesus plus nothing. That is why you can know, without a shadow of a doubt, that your eternity is assured.