On Facebook, I recently wrote about the dark side of synergism after seeing a clip of a preacher tell the story of a man who had been seeking the Holy Spirit for years but was unable to receive it because of “unresolved bitterness and resentment.”
That clip captured something tragic I’ve seen far too often — sincere believers crushed under the weight of a theology that makes God’s grace conditional on their emotional state or moral progress.
Many who’ve left that kind of teaching are left wondering: If I couldn’t earn the Spirit then, how can I ever be sure I have God’s favor now?
That’s what this post is about — finding peace and assurance in Christ alone.
In Part 1 and 2 of The Dark Side of Synergism, I talked about how works-based theology—no matter how subtle—steals peace, robs joy, and replaces the finished work of Christ with endless self-examination.
Many people who come out of synergistic systems still carry deep scars. They were told that salvation hinged on their ability to “receive the Spirit,” maintain holiness, or prove they had enough faith. So even after leaving, they wonder:
“What now? How can I be sure I’m really saved?”
Let’s answer that.
1. Salvation Depends Entirely on God
The first glimpse of this truth appears all the way back in the Garden of Eden.
After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves — an image of human effort and self-righteousness. But their covering failed.
Then God Himself stepped in:
“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” — Genesis 3:21
That’s the first gospel picture: humanity sins, humanity hides, but God seeks, God covers, and God provides.
This foreshadows Christ, who would one day shed His blood to cover us with His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
2. Faith Is Trust in God’s Promise, Not in Our Performance
Later, we meet Abraham, the man Paul calls “the father of all who believe.”
“And Abraham believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.” — Genesis 15:6
Paul quotes this in Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:6 to show that righteousness has always been credited, not earned. Faith is not a human achievement — it’s the empty hand that receives what God gives.
When God made His covenant with Abraham, He caused Abraham to fall into a deep sleep while He alone passed between the pieces of the sacrifice (Genesis 15:12–17). This act declared that God Himself would bear the full weight of the covenant and its penalty when broken.
That penalty fell upon Christ at the cross (Galatians 3:13).
3. Christ Alone Is the Basis of Assurance
When Jesus came, He revealed the full meaning of these shadows:
“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” — John 6:29
Jesus didn’t tell us to look inward for assurance, but to look to Him—His cross, His promise, His word.
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” — John 10:28
Your salvation is as secure as the hands that hold you.
4. The Book of Acts Shows How Salvation Works
Acts is often used to defend synergistic ideas because people confuse descriptive stories with prescriptive theology.
There are around twenty recorded conversions in Acts, and only three mention speaking in tongues—each marking the Gospel’s expansion across new cultural boundaries (Acts 2, 10, 19).
But in Acts 16:30–31, we find the most direct question in Scripture:
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
Peter agrees:
“We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” — Acts 15:11
Paul repeats it again and again:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — Romans 5:1
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” — Ephesians 2:8–9
5. Resting in Christ, Not in Ourselves
Those who leave synergism often wrestle with the haunting question: “Have I done enough?”
Grace answers: Christ has done enough.
If salvation depended even one percent on you, it would depend entirely on you. But since it rests wholly on God, we can have peace knowing:
“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 1:6
Assurance doesn’t come from our feelings or performance—it comes from the unchanging promise of Christ:
“Whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.” — John 6:37
6. How Can I Know I’m Saved?
You can know you’re saved not because your faith feels strong, but because the One you trust is strong.
Faith isn’t climbing a ladder toward God; it’s resting in the arms of the One who came down for you.
Ask yourself:
Do I trust that Jesus died for my sins and rose again? (Romans 4:25)
Do I believe His righteousness makes me right before God? (Philippians 3:9)
Do I look to Him alone for salvation? (John 14:6)
If so, then your assurance rests not on your perfection, but on His.
“Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” — John 5:24
That’s the promise of the Gospel:
You are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
7. A Lutheran Word of Comfort: Look to Your Baptism
Even believers waver. Our emotions shift. Our zeal fades. Our memories of conversion blur.
So God, in His kindness, gave us a tangible place to look — our Baptism.
In Baptism, God placed His Name upon you (Matthew 28:19).
He united you with Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:3–5).
He washed away your sins (Acts 22:16).
He gave you His Spirit (Titus 3:5–7).
So when the accuser whispers, “You’re not really saved,” you can answer,
“But I am baptized.”
Because Baptism isn’t what you did for God; it’s what God did for you. It’s His personal promise applied with water and Word.
Luther once said:
“In Baptism, God has bound Himself to you. Even if you fall, He will not deny Himself.”
Your Baptism is your anchor — the external Word of God sealed upon your life. There you can say:
“Here, God claimed me. Here, He forgave me. Here, He promised never to let me go.”
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” — Titus 3:5
That’s your assurance.
That’s your peace.
That’s the Gospel—for you.
8. Anticipating the Pushback
At this point, some might ask,
“So you’re saying we can live however we want and still be saved?”
Paul heard the same objection in Romans 6:1–2:
“Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!”
Grace doesn’t make sin safe; it makes sin forgiven. It doesn’t make holiness optional; it makes holiness possible.
True faith is never alone—it bears fruit.
James says,
“Faith without works is dead.” — James 2:26
But James and Paul are not at odds. Paul is teaching how we are justified before God—by faith alone. James is describing how genuine faith is vindicated before men—it shows itself through works.
When Jesus said, “Wisdom is justified by her children” (Luke 7:35), He used “justified” in the same way James did — meaning proved genuine.
Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone.
Good works don’t earn salvation; they flow from it. They’re not the root of faith, but its fruit (John 15:5).
In Christ, You Can Rest
If you’ve spent your life trying to prove you belong to God — stop.
You belong to Him because He claimed you.
You are forgiven because Christ finished it.
You are secure because His promises cannot lie.
So when doubt rises, say it again:
“I am baptized.”
“Christ is enough.”
“It is finished.”