How many believers are sure of their salvation? For centuries, this question has troubled Christians in both the pew and the pulpit. Some believers live for years under a cloud of doubts. Others minister to professing Christians who have complete assurance of salvation but show little fruit of it.
Among theologians, debates rage especially over two general questions: what may Christians be sure of regarding their salvation, and what should make them sure of it? May they be sure of final salvation now, or is assurance possible only about their present state? Should they look only to the promises of God to gain this assurance, or should they also examine their own lives?
To sort through the debate, Matthew Hoskinson begins by exploring historical views of assurance and the major schools of thought among orthodox Protestants today. Then he details what each part of the New Testament teaches about hope, measuring today’s positions accordingly. Along the way, he discusses topics such as lordship salvation, Reformed and Wesleyan theology, the second coming of Christ, and whether assurance is a necessary part of saving faith. The result will clarify how to have—and how to teach how to have—what Hebrews 6:11 calls “the full assurance of hope unto the end.”
The Logos edition of this volume from Bob Jones University is fully searchable and easily accessible. Scripture passages are linked directly to your preferred translation, and important theological concepts are linked to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and the wealth of resources in your digital library.
Matthew C. Hoskinson is pastor of ministry vision at Heritage Bible Church in Greer, South Carolina. Assurance of Salvation is the published version of his dissertation, “The Full Assurance of Hope: An Analysis of Contemporary Opinions on Assurance of Salvation in Light of a Theology of Hope in the New Testament.”