Christ’s Sheep Are Secure
John 10:27-29
How important is it to accept and believe the entire Word of God? Depending on what denomination you belong, may determine what verses in scripture you elevate or ignore. You may say, “ I do not do that,” but I would like to suggest that we all have a tendency to “do that” to some degree. In this post and in others that might follow, it is my hope that you will acknowledge this tendency and check yourself when you dismiss a verse or passage of scripture when it conflicts with “doctrines” you believe.
Do not change the Word of God to accommodate your doctrine? Christians commonly do this with doctrines such as baptism, the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, election, church structure, security of the believer, and many more. I would like to concentrate on the blessed truth of the security of the believer. Some denominations say once a person is saved, they can never lose their salvation. Other denominations would suggest it is possible for a person who was genuinely saved to turn their back on God and apostatize. Who is right? Before one could even attempt to answer such a question, it necessary to determine upon which scriptures each position is based.
Now, before we can look at any scripture on which a person builds their view of the security of the believer, I will have to entreat you to be honest. Honesty with scripture is the hardest moral dilemma Christians, scholars, teachers, and preachers face daily. The brothers and sisters to whom we associate, the ones in our circle bolster our confidence in our doctrinal beliefs. However, it should not. I will address in a later post what should give us the feeling of confidence and contentment in our beliefs. Many times, we will take a scripture or passage of scripture and say, “those verses cannot mean that because they disagree with what I determine another passage of scripture means.” Remember, God’s Word will never contradict itself.
Let me use the most common passage of scripture on which the security of the believer is based. It is John 10: 27-29. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. The Bible is clear. If you are one of Christ’s sheep no man can pluck you out of Christ’s or the Father’s hand. Do you agree? I hope so, scripture is emphatically clear on this point. So, one might ask, what makes a person one of Christ’s sheep? The reply to this question will solicit numerous responses and aggravate some of you. Here are some of the possible responses.
A sheep of Christ’s is:
- A person who is saved
- A person who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ on a certain date and are told to write the date down in their bible.
- A person who repeated the sinner’s prayer.
- A person who repeated from his heart the sinner’s prayer
- A person who has turned from their sin and turned to God
To all of the above responses I would quickly agree that these are the signs of a person who claims to be a believer. However, they are not the definition of a sheep on which the promise of verse 28-29 is based. Look at verse 27. Christ said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” Now, be honest. Christ said His sheep are ones who
- hears my voice,
- ones who Christ knows,
- and ones who are following him.
According to verse 27, am I right or wrong? Why then do we change the definition of sheep to a person who has given their heart to Jesus or to single action that takes place at a specific point in time?
Now, if this post aggravates you, that is ok! At least that is a start. I will approach this subject from a different angle. Christ spoke the words found in verse 27, I am simply pointing them out. Will you be aggravated with Christ or call Him a false teacher? No, I did not think so. Why? Because you want to be honest with the Word of God. I will continue with this subject in a new post, Signs of Salvation.