It was Calvin’s attempt to give an answer to, “how do we know if we are of the elect?” Of course, the Biblical answer that was the response here by Calvin is, “if we believe in Christ, we are the elect”. That is because we first come to Christ for salvation, and then we are placed into Christ as the elect.
But, elsewhere, John Calvin gave a surprisingly different answer — one that lines up with Roman Catholicism. Calvin states in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 5, Section 3, “...Therefore, while WE ALL LABOUR naturally under the same disease, THOSE ONLY RECOVER HEALTH to whom THE LORD IS PLEASED to put forth his healing hand. THE OTHERS whom, in just JUDGMENT, he passes over, pine and rot away TILL THEY ARE CONSUMED. And this is the only reason WHY SOME PERSEVERE TO THE END, and OTHERS, AFTER BEGINNING THEIR COURSE, FALL AWAY. Perseverance is the gift of God, which he does not lavish promiscuously on all, but imparts to whom he pleases. If it is asked how the difference arises—WHY SOME STEADILY PERSEVERE, and OTHERS PROVE DEFICIENT in steadfastness, we can give NO OTHER REASON than that THE LORD, by his mighty power, STRENGTHENS AND SUSTAINS THE FORMER, so that they perish not, WHILE HE DOES NOT FURNISH the same assistance to THE LATTER, but LEAVES THEM to be monuments of instability.”
This is summed up by Calvinist R.C. Sproul as, “So the old axiom in Reformed theology about the perseverance of the saints is this: If you have it—that is, if you have genuine faith and are in a state of saving grace—you will never lose it. If you lose it, you never had it.”
This means that the only consistent way to know if you are of the elect in Calvinism is not if you currently believe in Jesus Christ (since you can fall away, and thus prove yourself to have never been saved). The only consistent assurance of salvation in Calvinism is if you persevere in your faith in Christ till your death. If you persevere for 50 years, and then fall away in the last year of your life, Calvinism considers you lost and have never been saved. Thus, you must die with faith, before you can know you are saved.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches a very similar doctrine. The Catechism of the Catholic Church Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 3, Article 12, Number 1023 states, “Those who DIE IN GOD’S GRACE and friendship and are perfectly purified LIVE FOR EVER WITH CHRIST. They are like God for ever, for they “see him as he is,” face to face...” The Catholic Church teaches that you must die in a state of grace to receive salvation. This is very similar with the Calvinist doctrine that you must die in a state of grace to KNOW you have already received salvation. Thus, assurance is impossible for the consistent and living Calvinist.
What does scripture give of assurance? The moment we trust in Jesus Christ, we have absolute assurance of salvation. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.” If we believe on Christ, we know we are saved. Of course, God grants us out of His mercy extra signs and proofs we can look to for assurance of salvation (e.g. fruit, 2 Cor. 5:17), but we don’t have to die in a state of grace to know we are saved.
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