My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish-ever; 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. I and the Father are one. John 10:27-30 LSB
Jesus spoke these words in an answer to a question asked of Him in John 10:24. The Jews had gathered around Jesus and asked Him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are Christ, tell us openly.” Jesus responded by saying in verses 25-26, “I told you and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.”
In chapter 10 Jesus is describing Himself as the good shepherd. You see, sheep are not that bright. If left on their own, they can get themselves into serious trouble which can lead to death. Jesus often compares us to sheep, and I can see why. When He describes Himself as the good shepherd, He is saying that He truly cares for the sheep and would give His life to save them, unlike someone who is simply doing a job or out there to earn a paycheck.
Whether you want to admit it or not, you are like a sheep and you need a shepherd. If Jesus is not our shepherd, then we are following Satan. There is no in-between. Satan is definitely not a good shepherd or any kind of shepherd because all Satan cares about is Himself. He wants you to believe His lies.
He wants you to believe you can do whatever you want, and God won’t punish you. As my dear friend pointed out in our Bible study the other day, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah may think otherwise.
You hear me speak a great deal of true salvation and in my last blog, I briefly discussed the difference. However, this so important it needs to be explained in greater detail.
You may be tired of hearing this quote, but it applies here. Matthew 7:21, Jesus says, “Not all who say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of My Father in heaven.”
You need to understand that false salvation is not going to get you into heaven. I am afraid there are many people walking around today who wrongly believe they are saved. Many go to church every time the doors are open and sit under false teachers preaching false doctrines.
We are responsible for knowing the difference. As I have said before, the only way to know the difference is to use your Bible as a reference. Is what they are saying found in the Bible? If it’s not, you better get out of there.
If salvation is false, it simply means nothing changes. The person may be sprinkled or dunked in water, but they come out doing all the things they did before. Sadly, they go on sinning deliberately thinking they are saved. Hebrews 10:26 warns us of the dangers of deliberate sin.
If salvation is true, you see a changed person. You see someone who is obeying God to the best of their ability. You see someone who is hungry for God’s word. You see someone who loves the Lord with all His heart. You see someone who loves others and has compassion. You see someone who wants to serve the Lord.
My friend, we are responsible for knowing we are truly saved. If you are unsure, talk to someone you trust. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Pray and ask God to show you the way.
There are many out there who have undergone a false salvation and now believe they are good to go. Sadly, they are good to go to hell, but not heaven. You don’t want to be one of those. We must be truly saved.
If you are unsure, you need to be sure before it’s too late.
Have a great day!