Grace in Focus: “Some Questions About Assurance”

Date: October 15, 2025
Host: Bob Wilkin (B), Guest: Sam Marr (C)

Overview

This episode is a compact, in-depth discussion on the topic of assurance of salvation, a persistent question among Christians wrestling with different gospel messages in the New Testament. Host Bob Wilkin and guest Sam Marr respond to a listener named Matt, who struggles to harmonize “faith alone” evangelism with calls to repentance found in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). The duo clarifies distinctions between justification (how to receive eternal life) and sanctification (how to live as a believer), tackles problem passages, and addresses the role of repentance in the gospel.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Question: The “Faith Alone” Gospel vs. Repentance

[01:02]

• Matt, a listener not “explicitly a Free Gracer,” seeks assurance amidst teachings that seem to require both belief and repentance for salvation.
• He’s heard diverse messages: “the Gospel of John is the only explicitly evangelistic book,” but the Synoptics stress repentance and entering the Kingdom.

[01:47]

• Matt references a sermon equating John 3:16 (faith alone) with the “wide gate” that leads to destruction, while the “narrow gate” requires more (repentance, obedience, perseverance).

2. Confusion About “The Narrow Gate” and the Synoptic Gospels

[02:38] — Sam:

“The wide gate is John 3:16, right? …That’s the way to hell. That’s the way to—I’m not going to make it because I’m only believing... The narrow way then is I’ve got to turn from my sins, I’ve got to follow Christ… That’s the narrow way, basically.”

• Many pastors, Sam notes, avoid John 3:16 or Ephesians 2:8-9, instead favoring verses from James, 1 John, or Hebrews that seem to mandate works or repentance.

3. Harmonizing Calls to Belief and Repentance

[03:49–04:13]

• Matt reasons: Jesus says both “believe” (John) and “repent” (Synoptics), so both must be necessary.
• Sam explains: Jesus taught faith in Him for everlasting life and also called people to “follow Him” for abundant, significant living—these are separate issues:
  • Belief = Eternal Life (Justification)
  • Following/Repentance = Discipleship/Sanctification
• Eternal rewards and meaningful Christian living are related to repentance and following Christ, not the initial gift of eternal life.

4. The Absence of “Repentance” in John’s Gospel

[05:28–06:46]

• Bob’s major revelation to Matt: “The Gospel of John never uses the word ‘repent,’ and Christ never told the people he was evangelizing to repent.”

  • [05:40] Bob:

    “I told him, you know, you can go look for yourself. …that really impacted him heavily…”

• The phrase “go and sin no more” only appears twice, both in John:

  • John 5:14 – the man healed at Bethesda
  • John 8:11 – the woman caught in adultery

  These are not evangelistic messages but relate to immediate earthly consequences of sin.

5. Analysis of “Go and Sin No More” Passages

[08:15] John 5:14

• Jesus warns the healed man against sin—“lest a worse thing come upon you”—but does not mention eternal life.
• [08:30] Sam:

  “Jesus doesn’t say stop your sinning so that you can have eternal life... What he’s talking about is something worse happening to you in the future... talking about his well being in this life.”

[09:49] John 8:11

• Same pattern: Jesus tells the woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more,” as a warning about life consequences, not eternal salvation.

• [10:15] Sam:

  “Anything that’s in rebellion against God was going to lead to calamity. …the Lord does not talk to her about everlasting life or believing in Him. Neither one is an evangelistic passage.”

• Repentance in these contexts is “life restoring,” not life receiving.

6. Study the Context—Discern Justification vs. Discipleship

[11:17] Bob:

“Don’t take our word for it. Go read the Bible for yourself… The evangelistic book of John doesn’t mention repentance. So maybe when I read Matthew, Mark and Luke… When I encounter the word repentance, just think: is this talking about everlasting life or is this talking about discipleship or the nation of Israel or any number of other things?”

7. The Gospel Writers’ Purposes Differ

[11:45]

• John’s Gospel explicitly focuses on offering everlasting life (John 20:31), while the Synoptics address disciples already following Jesus.
• [12:02] Sam:

  “The point is well taken that he doesn’t always evangelize in every encounter… sometimes he realizes the person needs something else, or… they’re already born again.”

8. Encouragement for Seeking Assurance

[12:55] Bob:

“Amen.”

[12:56] Sam:

“Matt, this is a great question. And it shows that Matt is a person who’s seeking the truth. We all should be praying about these matters… it’s the spirit of God that opens our eyes so that we can understand the Word of God.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:49] Bob:

  “He said both. So we have to do both.”
  (Summarizing Matt’s struggle merging belief and repentance.)

• [05:40] Bob:

  “I didn’t realize [Jesus] never talked about repentance in John. So that’s pretty significant.”

• [08:30] Sam:

  “He’s not talking about his eternal destiny, he’s talking about his well being in this life.”
  (Clarifying the context of John 5:14)

• [10:15] Sam:

  “Repentance is life restoring. So if we’re walking in rebellion against God, to repent is a good thing, but it doesn’t give me eternal life.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:02 – Matt’s question and context
• 01:47–03:49 – Confusion between faith, repentance, wide/narrow gate
• 04:13–05:28 – Harmonizing belief in John and repentance in Synoptics
• 05:28–06:46 – The missing “repentance” in John’s Gospel
• 08:15–10:15 – Analysis of “go and sin no more” and its non-evangelistic purpose
• 11:17–12:02 – How to read “repentance” in Matthew, Mark, Luke
• 12:55–13:02 – Final encouragement and call for spiritual discernment

Final Thoughts

Bob and Sam urge listeners to examine the context of biblical passages, differentiate between passages about receiving eternal life (justification) and those about living as a disciple (sanctification), and rely on the Spirit for discernment. Assurance of salvation rests on Christ’s promises in John, not on continual works of repentance or discipleship. The episode encourages personal study and prayerful consideration of the Gospel’s message for both salvation and Christian living.