Here is my fifth and final set of scriptures I will use as I make my case for eternal security (see part 1 and part 2).
Once we trust Jesus Christ…
5. We cannot be snatched out of God’s hand
If I wanted one set of scriptures to make my case for eternal security I would use John 10:27-29. When I have presented them to people who believe you can lose your salvation they struggle to give any type of answer. Usually, they want to change the subject and talk about other verses.
Throughout John 10 Jesus called His followers sheep. John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” Jesus says he knows all his followers and will give them eternal life. Eternal life means to spend eternity in heaven with the Triune God. Verse 28 teaches once we are right with Him we can NEVER perish. Perish means to be separated for eternity from God. The Greek word for “never” can also mean impossible. It is impossible to be separated from God after He has given the believer eternal life.
Jesus then says no one can snatch the believer out of His hand. Let me ask you, who can take a follower out of the hand of Jesus? The answer is NO ONE! My brother-in-law once told me a believer can walk out of Jesus’ hand. When I first heard that I asked, where do you see that in the text? He said the text doesn’t rule it out. I then said, yes it does! It is ruled out according to John 10: 29. “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.”
The reason you cannot walk out or jump out is because Jesus closed the door on that possibility. You cannot because God the Father is greater than all! In order for you to get out Jesus’ hand or the Father’s hand you have to be greater than God. Who is greater than God? The text clearly says God the Father is greater than all; so therefore no one can be snatched out, walk out, or jump out because God the Father is greater than all.
As I said before no one has adequately answered these passages or any of the previous verses I utilized in support. Not only does John write we have eternal life and we can never perish, he says once we are in the hand of God we cannot be snatched away. Only if you are stronger than God can you walk out.
The five sets of scriptures I have posted make a strong case for eternal security. The few verses that possibly support losing your salvation, pale in comparison to all the verses that teach you cannot lose your salvation. All true believers in Jesus Christ have eternal security.
Once after teaching these passages I had an 80 year old woman come up to me and tell me this was the most uplifting sermon she had ever heard. This was a woman who had heard thousands of sermons. Why was it so uplifting? She knew her time here on earth was limited and understanding the clear teachings on this issue of eternal security reassured her she’d be in heaven with Jesus when she died. This teaching was like providing water to a person on a desert island. She was thirsty for the truth.
