“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” – John 10:27-29 (ESV).
In my humble opinion, no passage of Scripture gives the believer more assurance and security than this one. We find here an unconditional statement from Christ himself that those who belong to him are his forever. This is true because we see they are in the Father’s hand and under His protection and care. It is the power of God the Father that provides the guarantee of the believer’s safety and security.
The Bible shows us two types of promises that God gives His children. First, we find conditional promises, and second, we find unconditional promises. When promises are conditional we see God using the word “if” or an equivalent term. If the promises are unconditional He leaves out the word “if.” So, what we have in this passage is an unconditional statement of promise.
Although this is the case, many Bible believing Christians insist that this passage is conditional and that only “if” the sheep follow they will not perish. The problem with this is that the passage gives no implication or inference for an “if” to be added to the context. This is a clear example of reading into Scripture that which is not there (eisegesis). Adding the idea of “if” turns this passage into a salvation by works teaching. Therefore, it is a denial of salvation by grace alone (Sola Gratia). It is a denial of the very grace of God.
Another absurd idea that accompanies this faulty interpretation is that although it may be true that no one can snatch a follower of Christ out of God’s hand, it is possible for someone to jump out of God’s hand on their own accord. I’d like to know what evidence they see in this passage that would allow such an interpretation. There are only two possibilities that would make “jumping out of God’s hand” possible: A) they have been given the freedom to jump, or B) they have the power to jump out against God’s eternal purpose. Clearly, even an elementary understanding of Scripture shows both of these to be impossible.
Who do the sheep belong to? They are Christ’s sheep. They belong to him because he gave his life for them. He bought them by paying a very steep price, his own blood. They were called and chosen before the foundation of the world and they were given to him by God Almighty. Does a possession have a right to do opposite of what the owner desires? I’ll give you a hint, NO. It can go only as far as the owner allows it to (remember our context analogy is sheep). No other conclusion can be reached than that the Good Shepherd would not allow any sheep, that cost him so greatly in order for him to place them in his hand for safety and security, the ability to simply jump out.
Let’s look at this idea a little further. Does the sheep, the believer, have the power to jump out of God’s hand against God’s will? To answer yes to this question would be in direct contradiction to Jesus’ own words. He stated, “My Father…is greater than all.” This all has to include the very sheep being spoken of. It would also contradict his claim that “they will never perish” because if they could jump out they would perish.
So, to summarize, adding the word, or even the idea of “if” to this passage denies salvation by grace alone trough faith; it denies eternal life of the believer; it makes man’s will greater than God’s will; it denies the sustaining power of God; and it removes the believer’s assurance of salvation.
Make no mistake about it, when Jesus Christ says his sheep “will never perish,” he means never. The statement is unconditional as well as final. It is to be believed and accepted at face value and as believers it should be a source of joy and thankfulness as well as a reason for praise and worship.
This was a guest post from Dr. Jeff Hagan.
Jeff is an ordained Christian minister with over 23 years of ministry experience. He has attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Luther Rice Seminary, Tyndale Seminary and a handful of other institutes as well. He has earned several degrees including the Doctor of Christian Education and the Doctor of Theology.
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