--- title: "Chapter 18: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation | RP Testimony" description: "Chapter 18 of the RP Testimony: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation. Read the 2026 RPCNA Constitution text, Scripture proofs, and the corresponding Westminster Confession chapter." canonical: "https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/" source: "https://ctkrp.org/assets/rpcna-constitution-2026.pdf#page=61" --- # Chapter 18: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation | RP Testimony 1. A man may believe himself to be saved when he is not. A man can also fear that he is not saved, when in actual fact he is. Isa. 50:10; Luke 18:11-14. 2. The Holy Spirit gives assurance of salvation by leading believers to rest confidently on God’s promises, producing in their lives the love for Christ and others which is the fruit of the new birth and enabling them to call upon God as their loving Father in heaven. 2 Tim. 1:12; John 14:21; 1 John 3:14; Rom. 8:14-16; 1 John 2:5; 1 John 5:13; John 10:27-28. 3. Spiritual experiences or circumstances, however worthy, such as birth of Christian parents, church membership, participation in the sacraments, the hearing of the Word, good works, response to an altar call, speaking in tongues, and other real or imagined evidences of grace, do not of themselves constitute a basis for assurance of salvation. Rom. 9:7; Rom. 2:28-29; 1 Cor. 10:1-12; Heb. 4:2; Acts 8:9-24; 1 Cor. 11:27-29; Heb. 10:38-39; Titus 3:5. 4. We reject the view that, without saving faith, participation in the sacraments or the use of any other means of grace is a proper basis of assurance. 5. We reject the teaching that assurance must be chiefly based upon one’s memory of a particular conversion experience. 6. It is the task of the Church to declare the Word of God so that the believer, being enabled by the Holy Spirit, can discern his own true inward condition, and thus know that he is saved; but it is not the proper function of the minister or any other person to tell people whether they are saved. Rom. 8:16. 7. We reject the view that preaching the Gospel consists merely in urging people to assent to its truth. 8. While the Scriptures require self-examination, a believer must remember that his heart can be deceived, and that he is always subject to the temptation to trust in works rather than in Christ. A person should not lightly assume he is saved. 1 Cor. 11:28, 32; Prov. 28:26; 1 John 3:19-24; Gal. 6:3; Rev. 3:17-18. 9. A believer’s lack of assurance may evidence sinful neglect. Fear respecting the state of a man’s own heart is not necessarily the sin of unbelief, for unbelief consists in rejecting the Gospel, not in questioning the presence of grace in the heart. 2 Cor. 13:5. 10. We reject the teaching that a full assurance of salvation is so inseparably connected with saving faith that a believer cannot be saved without it. 11. We reject the teaching that assurance of salvation leads to complacency, or is unimportant to the life and walk of faith, to prayer, and to good works. ## For kids — a study explanation (ages 10–13) These explanations are separate from the official text above. Words to knowAssuranceA grounded confidence that we belong to Christ and share his salvation.ConscienceOur sense of right and wrong, which needs to be trained by God’s Word.RejectsSays that a teaching is wrong and must not be accepted.SacramentsBaptism and the Lord’s Supper: signs and seals Christ gave his church to point to his covenant promises.GospelThe good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. ### Testimony 18.1 Our feelings about salvation can be mistaken: an unsaved person may feel secure, and a saved person may be afraid. [Read original point 1 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-1) ### Testimony 18.2 The Spirit gives assurance through God’s promises, love for Christ and others, and confidence in approaching God as Father. [Read original point 2 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-2) ### Testimony 18.3 A Christian family, church membership, sacraments, good deeds, or a dramatic spiritual experience cannot by themselves prove someone is saved. [Read original point 3 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-3) ### Testimony 18.4 The Testimony rejects treating participation in sacraments or other church practices as assurance of salvation without genuine faith. [Read original point 4 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-4) ### Testimony 18.5 The Testimony rejects making the memory of one conversion experience the main basis for confidence that we are saved. [Read original point 5 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-5) ### Testimony 18.6 The church teaches the Bible to help people examine their faith with the Spirit’s help. A pastor cannot simply decide for someone whether that person is saved. [Read original point 6 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-6) ### Testimony 18.7 The Testimony rejects reducing gospel preaching to getting people to agree that its message is true. [Read original point 7 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-7) ### Testimony 18.8 We should examine ourselves carefully while remembering that our hearts can deceive us. Our confidence must rest in Christ rather than our achievements. [Read original point 8 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-8) ### Testimony 18.9 Sometimes doubts grow when we neglect God’s Word or disobey him. But being worried about your own faith does not automatically mean you have rejected the gospel. Bring your doubts to Christ and seek help. [Read original point 9 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-9) ### Testimony 18.10 The Testimony rejects the claim that a person must have complete assurance in order to be truly saved. [Read original point 10 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-10) ### Testimony 18.11 The Testimony rejects treating assurance as unimportant or as an excuse for complacency. It matters for faithful living, prayer, and good works. [Read original point 11 and its Scripture proofs →](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/#point-11) ### Talk about it Where should you look when you need assurance of God’s love? ### Discuss and remember Read the chapter together, then choose a question to talk about. - What promises can help a believer who struggles with doubt? - Why are feelings alone not a reliable measure of belonging to Christ? #### Scripture to remember 1 John 5:13 [Read the memory passage in our Bible reader →](https://ctkrp.org/bible/?q=1%20John%205%3A13) Read the passage in context. Explain it in your own words, then practice one short phrase at a time. Review it together during the week. #### Put it into practice Talk with a trusted adult about a question you have about faith. [Find help for family worship](https://ctkrp.org/family-worship/) Original source: [2026 RPCNA Constitution](https://ctkrp.org/assets/rpcna-constitution-2026.pdf#page=61) ## Related reading - [Assurance of salvation](https://ctkrp.org/learn/topics/assurance-of-salvation/) - [Westminster Shorter Catechism · Question 36: What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?](https://ctkrp.org/shorter-catechism/question-36-what-are-the-benefits-which-in-this-life-do/) - [Westminster Larger Catechism · Question 79: May not true believers, by reason of their imperfections, and the many temptations and sins they are overtaken with, fall away from the state of grace?](https://ctkrp.org/larger-catechism/question-79-may-not-true-believers-by-reason-of-their-imperfections/) - [Westminster Confession · Chapter 18](https://ctkrp.org/confession/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/) - [Chapter 17](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-17-perseverance-of-the-saints/) - [Chapter 19](https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-19-law-of-god/) Canonical page: https://ctkrp.org/testimony/chapter-18-assurance-of-grace-and-salvation/