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By Dr. Spencer Plumlee Biblical Reflection Sermon Series Tough Questions May 1, 2015

John 10:27-29

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

Can believers lose their salvation? NO!

Here are three reasons from these verses.

  1. God initiates salvation. Jesus says that the Father has “given” the sheep to Him. This speaks to an interaction within the Trinity in which God the Father entrusts believers to the Son in eternity past. While each believer must respond in repentance and faith to the Gospel, we must never forget that God is the one who initiates salvation with us. No one decides of their own will they want to come to Christ- God the Spirit must draw and convict them first (John 6:44).
  2. God sustains salvation. Jesus says that he “knows” the sheep. As the good shepherd (John 10:14), Jesus has an intimate and personal relationship with believers. Grounded in His union with us, Christ deposits the Holy Spirit within us who continually transforms us into His likeness. We have a responsibility to submit ourselves to the leading and work of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), but it is in fact God who is working and sustaining our salvation. In other words, God not only saves us through repentance and faith, but also continues to work every day in our lives.
  3. God completes salvation. Both Jesus and the Father are said to have us in their hand. Jesus says that no one can “snatch” believers from their connection with God. This means that God will finish what he started (Phil. 1:6). He will never leave us or forsake us because nothing can separate us from His love (Rom. 8:38-39). Thus, every believer can confidently approach death because we know that God will hold us in His mighty hand no matter what.

The security of our salvation moves us from prideful performance for God, and leads us to radical obedience from a heart of gratitude.

As believers, lets glory in the security we have in Christ and make this provision known to our neighbors and the nations. For more on the security of the believer, listen to a message on this important topic here.