Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20060108.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part XXIX: Resting In Jesus' Infinite Unconditional Salvation Security
(John 10:19-30)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

For many years, we at Nepaug Church have taught that once one trusts in Christ as Savior, he will always be saved. Yet, many in Christendom STRONGLY disagree with this view (as follows):

(1) In the SBC Greater Litchfield Hills telephone book, at least 43 churches listed teach that one can go to hell after trusting in Christ!

(2) A pamphlet given to me years ago holds that to believe one is unconditionally eternally saved as we do actually endangers the soul! It reads: "Peter . . . describes how they that are unlearned twist, to their own destruction, what Paul has written concerning the necessity of continuing in the faith, and make salvation something that does not have to be continued." (Michael A. Drurey, "The Misrepresentation of Eternal Security," Search The Scriptures, Issue 3, Sept. 1996, p. 9)

(3) An area Protestant Assemblies of God minister has directed the staff of his Christian School to tell its students that if they fail to obey their overseers, they could lose their salvation and go to hell!

(4) Not only many Protestants, but one billion Roman Catholics are taught to believe they can still go to hell even after they trust in Christ as their Savior. The Council of Trent that is binding in doctrine for all Roman Catholics put an anathema on the claim "that a man . . . justified is bound by faith to believe he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate" (Bettenson, Docs. of the Christ. Ch., p. 370-371). The Council thus condemned the belief that one could ever be SURE he was saved! Accordingly, Loraine Boettner noted: " . . . the Roman Catholic, though baptized and confirmed, can never have . . . [a] sense of spiritual security . . . he can never do as much as he should in order to be worthy of salvation." ( Roman Catholicism, 1978, p. 267 [brackets ours]) Little wonder, then that as Pope Pius XII faced death in 1958 he expressed "fear and insecurity regarding the future," and so his physician, Dr. Galeazzi-Lisi wrote an article in a Rome newspaper on "the agonizing death of Pope Pius XII.'" (Ibid., p. 269)



Consequently, we may ask, "IS there UNDENIABLE evidence from the words of JESUS that once one believes in Christ as his Savior, he is unconditionally always saved' so we can be SETTLED about this matter?"



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "Though Nepaug Church holds I can not lose my salvation, some firmly say I CAN! Is there undeniable Scripture proof on this issue from JESUS' words so that I can be at PEACE about it?!"
  1. When Jesus said His flock "shall never perish" in John 10:28 KJV, He spoke in the CONTEXT of spiritual blessings OVER TIME:
    1. Jesus' claim that His flock "shall never perish" came in His John 10:25-30 response to the John 10:22-24 revelation by Jerusalem's leaders that they had been restless about Jesus for 2 months:
      1. Jesus' John 10:22-30 words with His "shall never perish" phrase came at the Feast of Hanukkah 2 months after the Feast of Tabernacles when He had given His "Good Shepherd" discourse, John 7:1-10; 9:14-15, 35-10:1; cf. Bib. Know. Com., N. T., p. 298.
      2. The religious leaders had been restless for 2 months for failing to kill Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles (8:59); thus, they surrounded Him in the temple at Hanukkah to ask "How long" He would hold them in suspense on whether He claimed to be the Messiah [so they might finally kill Him for making the claim, 10:22-24 NIV]!
    2. Christ replied that these men were at fault for their unrest versus the experience of His sheep who had known blessing the last 2 months!
      1. Jesus claimed He had told these leaders about His identity and had revealed it by way of His miraculous works at the last feast, 10:25.
      2. Yet, they had not believed His word and works as EVIDENCE of the fact that they DID NOT BELONG to His flock just as Jesus had taught in His 2-month-old "Good Shepherd" discourse, 10:26.
      3. Hence, Jesus concluded their unrest was their own fault in contrast to what His flock had enjoyed in hearing Jesus, in being known of Him and in following Him the last 2 months, 10:27 (all present tense verbs to show ongoing activity, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966 ed., p. 368; J. G. Machan, N. T. Greek For Beginners , 1951, p. 21-22)!
  2. Then, BUILDING ON His 2-month-old "Good Shepherd" theme in the CONTEXT of spiritual blessings OVER TIME, Jesus ADDED that His flock had UNCONDITIONAL SALVATION SECURITY!
    1. In John 10:28b, Jesus built on His 2-month-old "Good Shepherd" theme to report He had ALSO been giving (didomi = present tense) His flock eternal life OVER the last 2 months, John 10:27-28!
    2. He added that His sheep would thus definitely NOT perish (10:28c):
      1. The verb "perish" in John 10:28 KJV is preceded [in the Greek N. T.] by the negatives ou may, words that modify the verb, apolontai that appears in the subjunctive mood and aorist tense, cf. U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966 ed., p. 368; Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 26.
      2. Such a negative with this verb in this particular construction "expresses emphatic denial," cf. C. F. D. Moule, An Idiom-Book of N. T. Greek, 1975, p. 156 (emphases ours).
    3. That denial is applied CONTINUOUSLY until eternity, John 10:28d:
      1. The word "never" (KJV) in part translates the Grk. N. T. phrase "eis ton aiona" that means "unto eternity," Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the N. T., p. 26.
      2. Thus, Jesus claimed His flock will EMPHATICALLY NOT perish BETWEEN their INITIAL FAITH in Him and when they enter ETERNITY beyond ALL threat of salvation loss!
    4. Now, Jesus did not make this salvation security rest on a condition of activity by the sheep like their continuing to follow Him [as in 10:27]; we learned in "I,B,1-3" above that such acts evidence one ALREADY is part of the flock; Christ's salvation security is thus unconditional!
    5. Lest one assume ANY party might destroy this salvation status, Jesus taught that NO one who is less than God is ABLE to destroy it:
      1. Jesus' reference to one's being able to "pluck" (John 10:29 KJV) a sheep out of His hand is from the same verb in used in John 10:12 KJV of the "Good Shepherd" discourse to describe a wild animal that "catcheth" the sheep, Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 311.
      2. Thus, Jesus asserted no one who is less than Himself or the Father is ABLE to destroy the believer's salvation status, John 10:28-29!
      3. One may try to claim a believer can pluck himself out; but as we noted in "II,E,1" above, the word for "pluck" points back to Jesus' "Good Shepherd" discourse where (a) the sheep do not fight their Shepherd and (b) they are less powerful than the Shepherd! One can NOT "pluck" himself out of God's hand, for "Such security does not depend on the ability of the frail sheep." (Ibid.)
    6. Finally, lest one think the Father might disagree with Jesus over which sheep should stay "unplucked," Jesus said He and the Father are of the same divine essence; thus, both always WILL to keep every sheep:
      1. The word, "one" is neuter in the Greek N. T. (Ibid.), so Jesus is not the same Person as the Father, but has the "closest possible unity of purpose" as both are of the same divine essence, Ibid., p. 311-312.
      2. So, Jesus and His Father both always WILL to keep every sheep!
Lesson Application: (1) Jesus emphatically claimed He gives His flock unconditional salvation security! Thus, (2) may we trust in Him to be saved and (3) REST in His blessed, SURE salvation!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 The Hartford Courant advertises itself on its cover page as being "America's Oldest Continuously Published Newspaper," and it ran a headline last Wednesday, January 4, 2006 about the miners who were trapped in a West Virginia coal mine. The headline on page 1 read: "They're Alive," and went on to assert "Twelve of the 13 miners trapped in an explosion in a coal mine were found alive . . . Bells at the church rang out. Relatives yelled, They're alive!'"

Even the Governor of West Virginia, Joe Machin who himself had lost a relative years ago in a coal mining accident repeated the joyful news, saying, "They told us they have 12 alive.'"

This oldest continuously published newspaper in America added that, "A few minutes after the word came, the throng, several hundred strong, broke into a chorus of the hymn How Great Thou Art' in a chilly night air."

Accordingly, many other news sources carried the same upbeat story! The Thursday morning ABC Good Morning Show held up copies of a New York City paper and a national newspaper that had the same upbeat headlines.

Such definitive statements coming from many sources, some of which were quite reputable, certainly would SEEM to convey true news! However, as we all learned later, a tragic miscommunication had occurred, and just the opposite was the TRUTH -- 1 miner was alive and the 12 were gone! Our hearts and prayers go out to the surviving family members who suffered a false hope only to have it crushed so painfully!



This event, as tragic as it was, illustrates our sermon well! Just because many parties may STRONGLY claim one can go to hell after trusting in Christ does NOT make it a TRUE claim! The TRUTH according to John 10:22-30 in its context is that all who trust Christ for salvation have UNCONDITIONAL SALVATION SECURITY from the instant they first trust in Him until they make it safely into eternity!



May we then BELIEVE in Christ for salvation from sin to BECOME saved, and REST in His UNCONDITIONAL SALVATION SECURITY that is revealed in His WORD!