This book is devoted to the question of whether a Christian can be sure of his personal salvation. Two reasons prompted me to investigate this question. The first has to do with my personal problem—I know that I am a sinner and that I will die—and it is important for me to find out what I personally can hope for. The second is with the command that the Lord gives to the whole Church and to every Christian:

Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). In order to fulfill this command, it is necessary to clearly determine, at least for ourselves, what exactly is the Good News that we are commissioned to preach. For when the Apostle asks: "Be always ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give an account of your hope, with meekness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15), he certainly means that "our hope" is something that can be fully expressed in words, something that we can (and should) clearly explain to any non-church person. Obviously, this does not mean our readiness to pass an examination in dogmatics, liturgics, or Church history, but our readiness to explain what hope we have as Christians and what hope we want to offer to our unbelieving neighbors.

Sergey Khudiyev

On the Assurance of Salvation

© Sergey Khudiyev, 2000

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Faithful is God, by whom you have been called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord

(1 Cor. 1:9).

I could despair because of my innumerable sins, vices, and transgressions, which I have committed, and which I do not cease to commit daily in heart, mouth, and deed, in all the ways in which human weakness can sin, if Thy Word, O my God, had not become flesh and dwelt in us. But I no longer dare to despair, since He was obedient even unto death, and death on the cross, bore the handwriting of our sins and, nailing Him to the cross, crucified sin and death. And I found security in Him, who sits at Thy right hand and intercedes for us. Trusting in Him, I desire to come to Thee, by Whom we have already risen, and come to life, and ascended into heaven. Praise to Thee, glory to Thee, honor to Thee, thanksgiving to Thee.