The
following comes from a publication on the nature of “grace” by the United
Church of God. While I strongly disagree with much it the group’s theology
(e.g., Sabbath
keeping; British
Israelism, etc), the following is a good brief overview of the problem of
appealing to John 10:27-29 as a valid “proof-text” for eternal security:
Some people believe that when a person
commits his or her life to Jesus Christ, accepting Him as personal Savior, then
eternal salvation is totally assured from that moment on, with absolutely no
possibility of ever losing it. This is often referred to as “eternal security”
or “once saved, always saved.” But does the Bible really teach this? Let’s
examine the Scriptures to understand the truth.
Those who teach or hold to this belief use several
scriptures to try to prove it. Let’s look at one passage that is often
misunderstood this way . . . John 10:27-29 is a pivotal passage used for this
teaching: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I
give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone
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 My Father’s hand.”
Jesus made this statement in response to some
who had questioned Him as to whether He was the promised Messiah (John
10:23-24). The focus here was not “eternal security” but the recognition of His
identity.
He declared that His true followers, drawn to
Him by the Father, followed Him as the One through whom they would receive
eternal life. They thus recognized Him as the Messiah, and no one could shake
them from their God-given conviction. His answer, then, was effectively that
people couldn’t properly understand His identity and follow Him without the
Father leading them to Him (compare John 6:44, 65).
The verbs “hear” and “follow” are in the
present tense in the Greek, so Jesus was speaking of the present and not specifically
about the future. In stating that “no one is able to snatch them [the sheep]
out of My Father’s hand.” He meant that no external power (be it Satan, false
religious leaders or anyone else) could take them away. Jesus definitely did not say that His followers couldn’t ultimately
fail due to fault of their own. Other verses clearly show it is possible to be once
enlightened and then fail to continue in the path of righteousness. (What Does the Bible Teach about Grace? [United
Church of God, 2019], 24)
