Is that even possible?
OCT 05, 2025
Hebrews 10:19–22
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Recently, a family member I’ve known for over 40 years—someone I’ve attended church and Bible study with—was asked, “How does one get to heaven?”
His response stunned me. He held up a Bible and said, “You go to heaven by reading the Bible and then doing everything in it.”
I don’t think there could be a clearer expression of works-based salvation. Sadly, I also believe that—at least subconsciously—many Christians live as though that statement were true. They are confused.
Works-based salvation isn’t just a minor wrinkle in one’s doctrine. It’s the undoing of the Gospel itself. And it often shows up in subtle phrases and well-meaning advice from people who should know better.
One example is the phrase, “I try to keep short accounts with God.”
That statement actually denies the Gospel, because the Gospel says our account with God was paid in full at the cross. Was it? Or are you still trying to settle your account with Him?
Two Ways to Live
As a Christian, you live in one of two states: you either have assurance of salvation—or you don’t. So how can you have that assurance?
The answer lies in knowing the Word of God—not just the letter of it, as my family member demonstrated, but the truth of it. You must understand what Scripture teaches about the assurance of salvation.
Hebrews 10 tells us we should have the “full assurance that faith brings.”
Faith—a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9)—is meant to bring full assurance.
Paul reinforces this in Colossians:
“But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.”
Colossians 1:23
Did you catch that? Paul says there’s an “assurance you received when you heard the Good News.”
When you were saved, didn’t you know—at that moment—that you were going to heaven? For a time at least, didn’t you believe you stood clean before God because of what Jesus accomplished? Paul warns us not to drift away from that initial assurance.
If you never had that assurance when you first believed, perhaps the “gospel” you heard was no gospel at all. If you doubted your salvation from the very beginning, it may be because human works were mixed into the message you accepted.
Don’t misunderstand me—doubts come to all of us. But Scripture clearly says that assurance accompanies true belief. If that wasn’t your experience, you may have entered into a kind of deal with God: you do your part, He does His.
But God will have no part in such a deal. The best you can offer is “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) compared to the perfect work of Christ.
Our salvation—and its permanence—rests entirely on what Christ did.
Not one iota of it depends on our deeds.
What About “Clinging to God”?
Some people argue, “We must keep clinging to God or we’ll lose our salvation.”
I actually heard that again just last night. But Scripture corrects this idea plainly:
“If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.”
— 2 Timothy 2:13
That verse teaches that even when we fail to cling to Him, He clings to us.
Jesus said:
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
— John 10:28–29
These verses couldn’t be clearer: anyone who receives eternal life from God will never perish. “Never” means never—no act or failure on your part can remove you from the Father’s hand.
Eternal security and assurance are inseparable. The reason you can have assurance of salvation is because salvation, once received, is everlasting. John’s use of the word “never” closes the door on anything less than eternal security. “Never perish” and “eternal security” are synonymous.
And notice—these verses don’t depict someone desperately clinging to God.
They show a believer held in His hand—supported, lifted, and protected.
A Revealing Conversation
In a recent discussion, someone told me they believed in eternal security. But as I pointed out their legalistic interpretations of Scripture, I said, “It sounds like you don’t really believe in eternal security.” My friend replied, “Maybe we can lose our salvation.” Instead of having his false doctrine corrected, he dove deeper into error. Submitting to his false doctrine, he rejected one of the cornerstones of the faith.
What you believe about this issue colors the rest of your doctrine. When one thinks their works had something to do with salvation, the rest of their Christian experience becomes works-centered. This happens because their foundation is a gospel of works.
Now, I don’t think people who hold that view are necessarily unsaved. Romans makes this clear:
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
— Romans 10:9–10
If you confess Jesus and believe in His resurrection and the salvation He purchased for you, you are saved. But you might be living a miserable Christian life.
You can spend your entire life like my relative—trying to obey every word of Scripture as if your salvation depended on it. I know many Christians like that, and they are exhausted and joyless.
My motivation in writing this, and in having conversations like the one this week, is to help people experience freedom from legalism.
Back to the Gospel
It all comes back to the Gospel.
The Good News isn’t just for new believers—it’s for all of us, every day.
If your life as a veteran Christian isn’t rooted in the gospel of grace apart from works, you’re probably not as joyful and at peace as you could be.
Jesus died for your freedom. The same freedom you felt at the moment of salvation is still yours today. But false doctrine can cloud that truth and drag us back into bondage. We must reject the lie of works-based salvation. Only then can we experience the assurance God wants us to have.
Assurance comes, not from waving your Bible knowledge or obedience at God to prove your worth, but from throwing yourself at the feet of Christ and resting in what He has already done.
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