When a person receives Jesus Christ as their Savior, they must understand the difference between eternal security and assurance of salvation. The Lord wants them to know that they are saved and thus enjoy their Christian life to its fullest.

Eternal Security is the fact that once you are saved, you are eternally secure.  Jesus said, in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”  Eternal security is completely dependent upon God!  Ephesians 2:8-9 teach us that since there was nothing you can do to save yourself, then there’s nothing you can do to lose it!  Notice what God says about eternal security:

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (The word, “eternal,” demands that it can never end once you get it.)

Assurance of salvation is the fact of knowing, that you know, that you know that you are saved.  1 John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life,…”  Your assurance of salvation is completely dependent upon you believing what God has said about eternal security.  However, there are some things that can cause a person to forget that they have been saved.

2 Peter 1:9, “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

• They may not be saved and the Holy Spirit is convicting them of their unregenerate state.
• A childhood decision may seem long ago and the experience vague.
• Sin may be present in the life.
• Satan confuses us regarding salvation and living for Christ.