Can a Person Get Assurance From John 3:16 Without Being Told About the Promise of Security?

Summary

---

Grace in Focus Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Can a Person Get Assurance From John 3:16 Without Being Told About the Promise of Security?
Date: March 27, 2026
Hosts: Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates
Duration: ~13 minutes

---

Episode Overview

This episode tackles a crucial listener question: Can someone, particularly a child, gain full assurance of eternal life simply by hearing John 3:16, without a detailed explanation about eternal security? Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates explore the sufficiency of John 3:16 in granting assurance, the normal process of evangelism, different experiences of assurance (including flawed assurance), and the role of memory and clarity in assurance of salvation.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Listener’s Question and Setup (01:06 - 02:13)

• Bob introduces a question from listener James, who recalls having "100% assurance" of going to heaven after hearing John 3:16 as a child, even though no one explicitly explained eternal security to him.
• The hosts discuss whether simply hearing John 3:16 can give someone full assurance of salvation.

2. The Process of Evangelism: Preacher or Reading Alone? (02:13 - 05:09)

• Ken references Romans 10, questioning if a preacher is necessary for saving faith, given Paul’s words: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (02:38)
• They note that while oral proclamation is standard, written words (like John’s Gospel) can serve the same purpose.
• Bob concludes, “John himself is a preacher and his gospel is the writings of a preacher.” (04:35)
• They affirm that reading the Gospel on one’s own can lead to faith and assurance, as John 20 asserts: "These have been written that you may believe." (05:09)

3. Can a Child Truly Have Assurance from John 3:16? (05:09 - 07:00)

• Hosts agree that children can understand and be assured of salvation through hearing John 3:16.
• Ken notes: “If I believe that by faith in Jesus I have everlasting life, then I’m assured that I have everlasting life.” (06:09)
• They caution against creating artificial categories like “assurance” and “full assurance,” emphasizing assurance should be total, not partial or graduated.

4. Memory, Clarity, and the Experience of Assurance (07:20 - 08:24)

• Ken discusses the reliability of childhood memories and how assurance should be based on current faith, not just distant recollections.
• Important point: “If he heard John 3:16 and he was convinced that by faith in Jesus…he was going to spend eternity forever with the Lord, then yes, he was born again at that point.” (07:59)
• They affirm it is possible and likely that many children come to genuine faith this way (08:24).

5. The Role of Parents and Sunday School (08:24 - 09:59)

• Discussion touches on the importance of parents and Sunday school in sharing John 3:16 and the gospel message with children.
• Bob highlights, “Hopefully it's mom and dad [sharing the gospel].” (08:47)
• Ken shares a touching story about a five-year-old who understood both salvation and eternal rewards (09:27).

6. Assurance Over Time: Losing and Regaining Certainty (10:01 - 10:38)

• Ken reassures, “The fact that James doesn’t know for sure when he was born again is no big deal… what matters is he knows today he’s born again and his assurance today is not based on what he believed when he was a kid. It’s based on what he believes today.” (10:05–10:24)
• Bob confirms James mentioned he later lost assurance before regaining it.

7. Flawed or False Assurance (10:38 - 12:05)

• Ken gives examples of people claiming assurance based on feelings, revelations, or experiences (“God told me I will persevere”) rather than the biblical promise (10:38–11:56).
  • “That’s false assurance.” (11:20, Ken)
• Bob and Ken stress true assurance rests only on God’s promise in the gospel, not subjective experiences or feelings.

8. The Role of the Holy Spirit (12:05 - 12:24)

• Bob concludes, “As we read John 3:16… the Holy Spirit can convict them [even a child] that they have assurance of eternal life because they believed in Jesus.” (12:05)

9. Final Affirmation

• Both agree: it is possible and biblically sound that someone (including a child) can gain true assurance from simply believing the promise in John 3:16, even if they aren’t given an extended theological explanation (12:24).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ken Yates (02:38):
  "How shall they hear without a preacher? ... But is Paul saying that's the only [way]?"
• Bob Wilkin (04:35):
  "John himself is a preacher and his gospel is the writings of a preacher."
• Ken Yates (06:09):
  "If I believe that by faith in Jesus I have everlasting life, then I’m assured that I have everlasting life."
• Ken Yates (08:21):
  "If he heard John 3:16 and he was convinced that by faith in Jesus ... he was going to spend eternity forever with the Lord, then yes, he was born again at that point."
• Bob Wilkin (09:27):
  Story of a five-year-old girl at an Awana banquet:
  "She said, 'I know I’m saved. I know I’m saved forever by faith in Jesus. And I love the fact that if I live for him, he’s going to reward me and someday I can rule with him.'"
• Ken Yates (11:41):
  Concerning assurance based on dreams and feelings:
  "That is so sad. ... Even if someone has flawed assurance, even if they say they're certain, that's not certainty."
• Bob Wilkin (12:05):
  "As we read John 3:16, the Holy Spirit ... can convict them that ... they have assurance of eternal life because they believed in Jesus."

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Listener question and premise: 01:06–02:13
• Evangelism methods: 02:13–05:09
• Children and assurance: 05:09–07:00
• Distinction of assurance and memory: 07:20–08:24
• Parental/Sunday school influence: 08:24–09:59
• Losing assurance: 10:01–10:38
• Flawed/false assurance explained: 10:38–12:05
• The Holy Spirit and assurance: 12:05–12:24

---

Summary Takeaways

• Assurance of salvation can be received by anyone—even children—who simply believe the promise of John 3:16, without needing an elaborate explanation of security.
• Oral proclamation is normative, but written scripture (John’s Gospel) serves the same function.
• Assurance is either present or not—there's no such thing as “partial” assurance.
• One’s current belief, not just childhood experience, is what truly matters for assurance.
• False assurance may result from relying on feelings or subjective experiences; true assurance relies on God’s promise as recorded in Scripture.
• The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in convicting and assuring believers through the scripture.

---

For more in-depth discussions and resources on Free Grace Theology, visit faithalone.org.

Transcript

[A]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society. Can a person get assurance from John 3:16 without being told about the promise of security? How about a child coming to Faith in full assurance without anyone explaining it to them? How and why do some people have a flawed assurance? It's a great topic. We hope you'll stay with us. This is Grace in Focus and we are a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Our website is faithalone.org there's lots to learn about us there. We have hundreds of articles there about our free grace position that you can read and research. There's a bookstore where you can find Bob Wilkins latest book, the Gospel is still under siege. And you'll get information about our national annual conference which is coming up soon, May 18th through 21st. Please explore that and come and join us. The information you need is at faithalone. And now with today's question and answer discussion, here is Bob Wilken along with Ken Yates.

[B]

Bob, we have a question sent in by James, and it relates to John 3:16. But it's something that comes up in various Bible studies that I'm with and it deals with children's understanding of assurance. I'll put it that way.

[C]

All right.

[B]

He talks about his own experience. What he says is he's not exactly sure when he became a believer. He knows now that he has eternal life that he cannot lose. Here's his question. He may have been saved as a kid at Sunday school. He doesn't give the age when he heard John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but everlasting life. And he says that when he heard that, he had 100% assurance that he would be in heaven with the Lord one day. Okay. And so his question is, no one told him that. But is that possible? Could a child hear John 3:16 and be convinced that they have eternal life because they believed in Jesus?

[C]

Of course. He said heaven, right?

[B]

Yeah, he said heaven. And I think that's probably the way kids, you know, think of it. I'm going to be with the Lord. They think of the Lord in heaven and that's what they think of the eternal state. So really the question is, can a person reading John 3:16 understand that they have eternal life, they have assurance, and that they're going to live with the Lord forever?

[C]

Okay, so here's part of the issue. I get what you're saying. I get what James is saying. Paul says In Romans, chapter 10, how shall they Hear without a preacher. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So it sounds like Paul is saying that God uses people to bring the word of God to other people. It doesn't sound like what Paul is saying is James is in his room reading the Bible and he comes to John 3:16 and reading it on his own with no one talking to him or sharing anything. He gets it and he's convinced that he's going to be in heaven forever or whatever. You know, I've heard testimonies like that. And I wonder if Paul is saying that it needs to be someone who actually articulates the saving message to them. Like, for example, Philip did with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, or Philip did with the Samaritans in Acts chapter 8. Or. Or like Paul did with the Philippian jailer, or like Peter did with Cornelius household. At the very least, wouldn't you agree, Ken, that we would say God's normal method of evangelizing people is with humans?

[B]

Yeah, that's what I would say here about in Romans 10. I would not say that Paul is saying that's the only. You know, it has to be a preacher. And the reason, I mean, how many people, number one, could read in the first century and how many Bibles, you know?

[C]

Yeah. Literacy was pretty low, like maybe 10 or 20.

[B]

Right. And that might be high.

[C]

But he's not saying a person couldn't read the Bible on their own.

[B]

The New Testament didn't exist. Part of it did at that time when Paul was writing Romans, but most people didn't have it and most people couldn't read it if they did have it and it was read to them or it was spoken to them.

[C]

Okay. So I wonder if we couldn't say in light of Romans 10, that John himself is a preacher and his gospel is the writings of a preacher.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

So that. Let's say that you or I write an evangelistic book like I wrote a book, safe and secure about eternal security.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

Well, could someone read that and come to faith? I think they could, because I'm proclaiming to them now. They're not hearing me say it, but they're reading me say it. Is that really different? Same thing with reading John's Gospel.

[B]

Exactly.

[C]

If I read John's gospel, John 3:16, I'm really getting the words that John would have said of a New Testament writer.

[B]

Well, plus the purpose statement in John 20, these have been written that you may believe. So when John wrote his gospel to the people to read it, he says I've written these things so that you may believe that he is the Christ.

[C]

Okay. So I repent. I repent. You don't have to hear. Even though that seems to be the normative method.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

And most of us in our testimonies, even James testimony says he heard this in Sunday school. Right, Right.

[B]

And so, yeah, someone was reading it, maybe John 3:16. He didn't go into detail.

[C]

Right.

[B]

For all he knows, because he doesn't remember, the person who read it may have said, oh, by the way, this means that if you believe in him,

[C]

you're going to heaven.

[B]

You're going to go to heaven. Right.

[C]

Okay, now let me mention. I got a couple thoughts. First of all, what is his expression? Doesn't he say 100% certain?

[B]

Yeah, he does use the phrase 100% assurance, which is a repetition. Right.

[C]

If I believe that by faith in Jesus I have everlasting life, then I'm assured that I have everlasting life. There's no degrees of assurance. Now, it's very common in Christianity to talk about assurance and then full assurance.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It's coming. It'll be here before you know it. What am I talking about? The Grace Evangelical Society's National Conference 2026, May 18th through the 21st at Camp Kopas, an absolutely beautiful campground in North Texas, right on the lake with lots of recreation, great food, a great place to wonderful fellowship and wonderful free grace Bible teaching information and online registration [e-mail] events. First timers waive registration fees. Faithalone.org events I've even seen some people

[C]

in the bigger free grace community, flexible free grace people who talk about assurance and full assurance. And I think the reason they do that is because they think that people can have some level of assurance based on their works early in their Christian life. And then later they get full assurance when they realize it's not by works, it's by faith.

[B]

But that's because they see it as a sanctification issue.

[C]

Yeah, they do. They don't see it as the bullseye in evangelism.

[B]

Right, Right.

[C]

So what I would say, James, is stop talking about 100% assurance and just say assurance.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Or certainty or I'm convinced. Secondly, I would say it's possible that James has a faulty memory. It's very hard for us to remember what we believed and what was said to us when we were 10 or 9 or 11 or 12, especially if it's been decades since then. In fact, the very fact that he said, I'm not sure if I was born again here or later suggests he's not certain of his memory. So I would point that out. He might have a faulty memory. But if he heard John 3:16 and he was convinced that by faith in Jesus, and he doesn't quite say this either, but if it was on the basis of faith in Jesus, he was convinced he was going to spend eternity forever with the Lord, then yes, he was born again at that point.

[B]

And really that's the question. What he's saying is, is that possible?

[C]

And yes, it's possible.

[B]

Yeah. And in fact, I would take it a step further. I would say there's going to be many people in the kingdom that that's exactly what happened. That either at Awana or like in his case, a Sunday school class, a Child hears John 3:16 and the Lord has made it to where a child can understand it.

[C]

Well, hopefully it's mom and dad. Well, sure, because mom and dad should be telling their child this starting at what age? Two or three or whatever age. What age did you start with your girls?

[B]

Oh yeah, I mean, as soon as we told them itty bitty, you know, as they were growing up. Now he doesn't mention his parents, he mentions a Sunday school class. But you're right, hopefully it was his parents. But I mean, I think about through the years how many times I've been involved in Sunday school class with kids or Awanas with kids, and I often wonder how many of these children understand it. Now we don't know. But can they understand it? They absolutely can.

[C]

Let me give you a quick story. Years ago I was asked to speak at an Awana banquet for the Awana kids between ages 5 and like 12. I don't know what they were called, cubbies or something. So I spoke on the judgment seat of Christ for kids that age. I had a 5 year old come up to me and say, this is so delightful. She said, I know I'm saved. I know I'm saved forever by faith in Jesus. And I love the fact that if I live for him, he's going to reward me and someday I can rule with him. And this was a five year old girl.

[B]

She knew more than most seminary providers.

[C]

Let me say one other thought I had. Well, two other thoughts. One is the fact that James doesn't know for sure when he was born again is no big deal. It doesn't matter.

[B]

No, it doesn't.

[C]

What matters is he knows today he's born again and his assurance today is not based on what he believed when he was a kid. It's based on what he believes today.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Even if he was born again when he was a kid, if he no longer believes the saving message, he's lost assurance.

[B]

Right, right. And by the way, I didn't read it, but he said that later he did lose assurance. So he had assurance when he was younger, but then he lost it.

[C]

So let me say there's such a thing as flawed assurance. There are people who say I am certain I'm born again, but then their reason is wrong. I had a friend in college who got involved with the Athletes in Action Bible study. He was the pole vaulter. I was running the 400 and 800 meters. He was from a charismatic background, believed you could lose your salvation. But he was in a Bible study with us and heard us talking about eternal security and the promise of everlasting life. And he told me one day, he said, bob, I'm absolutely sure I'm going to be in the kingdom. I said, that's terrific. And he said, you know how I know? And I said, no. He says, because God revealed to me. He spoke to me and told me I'm going to persevere. Oh, wow, that's false assurance.

[B]

Well, sure.

[C]

And the same thing happened with James Dobson's dad. Dobson on the radio said on Focus on the Family, my dad nearly died and during his recovery, God visited him and gave him a dream and told him he was going to persevere and he was guaranteed to make it. And so he said, I'm so glad to know that my dad's going to make it.

[B]

That's just. Man, that is so sad.

[C]

That is so sad. And if someone has flawed assurance, even if they say they're certain, that's not certainty.

[B]

I'm wondering if maybe, maybe they had a feeling, right?

[C]

I had some feeling and that feeling tells me I'm assured.

[B]

Yeah. I wonder if there's people who say, yeah, I had a dream and God told me I was one of the elect.

[C]

Yeah, there you go.

[B]

Or something like that. And that would be false assurance.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

Well, James, thanks for the question. I would just add too that I believe that as we read John 3:16, the Holy Spirit. And again, as a child who hears John 3:16 or hears it read that the Holy Spirit can convict them that the truth, that they have assurance of eternal life because they believed in Jesus.

[C]

Amen. Amen.

[B]

Thank you for the question, James. And as always, keep grace in focus.

[A]

We would love to know where you are when you are listening to us. Please take a short minute to send us the call letters of this station and the city where you are listening and how many times a week you listen. Thank you. You will be helping us with our stewardship. Send it to radioaithalone.org that's radioaithalone.org we are so thankful for our financial partners who keep us on the air. Every gift is tax deductible and very much appreciated. If you'd like to find out how you can go to faithalone.org on our web site we have a church tracker. It's an easy to use map that will help you locate those other free grace churches that might be in your area. So come visit us at the website and take advantage of our free Church Tracker. It'[e-mail] that's faithalone.org now friends, we appreciate that you've joined us all this week here on Grace and Focus. We hope you have a great weekend, some rest and some fellowship with other believers in a Bible believing church. Come back again next week for more grace in Focus.

[B]

The proceeding has been a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.