There is a difference between salvation and the assurance of salvation. It is possible for one to be saved from sin through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not always be fully assured that he is saved. Many of God’s people have struggled with the assurance of salvation but it is God’s desire that we experience it. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:11-12). We learn a couple things in these verses about assurance.
Assurance is related to hope. Hope is what produces assurance. However, it is not hope as we often think of it when we say things like, “I hope it does not rain tomorrow.” This hope is a certain expectation that we will have what we hope for because God promised it. God promised eternal life to everyone who believes in His Son as their personal Lord and Savior (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:17-18). If we have believed in the Lord Jesus we can be sure we have eternal life.
Assurance is also related to diligence. We must be diligent in our walk with Christ in order to experience the full assurance that hope produces. Let’s look at it from a negative perspective. If we have believed in Jesus Christ and we are not living for Him or not growing in His grace, we may have doubts about whether we are truly Christians. But as we diligently walk with and serve the Lord we are more likely to experience that “Blessed Assurance” Fanny Crosby wrote about in her beloved hymn.
In a similar way, Peter wrote, Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble (2 Peter 1:10). The “things” we must do to make our calling sure (have assurance of salvation) is add those godly characteristics in verses 5-7. Listen to John also, We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands (John 2:3).