Saved today, and lost tomorrow? (Part 5)

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By Charles E. Wigg

They shall never perish: Let us now look closely at verses (John 10:27-30), and see what the Master did say. First “My Sheep hear MY voice” This statement makes it clear that it is the habit of those that are Christ’s Sheep to hear His voice. If a person habitually feeds on this world’s garbage, and is not in the habit of reading the Bible each day, then this distinguishing feature does not mark them. It also means that the sheep of Christ habitually gather with His other sheep to listen to His voice.

“And I know them”: This beautiful statement is so comforting. He knows us through and through, and His understanding is infinite. Most of us will have to admit that we are strange creatures, and not the easiest people in the world to get along with. We are sometimes irritable and are offended easily and often unreasonable in the demands that we make upon others. But He knows us, and He knew us before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5). He knew what we would be like, He knew what we would do, and also what we would not do, yet He chose us to be his very own, and shed His own life’s blood to redeem us back to God and to purchase us to be His (spirit, soul and body) for time and for eternity.

“And they follow ME”: If a person claims to be one of Christ’s sheep, but does not follow Him, then we have reason to doubt whether their profession is genuine. If a person is able to live in habitual sin, and yet is untroubled by it, then we can rightly doubt whether that person is really one of His sheep. If a person habitually finds their interests and their pursuits amongst those that do not belong to Christ, again we may rightly doubt as to whether they are truly His. Let none who do not do these things, comfort themselves with the delusion that they truly belong to Christ.

I give unto them ETERNAL life: This eternal life is the possession of Christ’s sheep alone. They have not earned it; they do not deserve it, but it is given to each one as a free gift. Please also note that it is ETERNAL and if I can lose that life, then it is not eternal. It is in fact a different kind of life to our physical life, we can lose that life, or even lay it down, but because the Life that He has given us is ETERNAL, then we can never lose it. If we fall into sin, we may, (and we will), lose the joy of it. This joy will not be restored until the sin is repented of, judged, confessed, and forgiven and cleansed away. (1 John 1:9)

It is a Life that is sustained by our daily feeding on Christ, and on the food that our Good Shepherd provides. It is a life that consists in the knowledge and the enjoyment of the Tri-Une God (John 17:3). It will be realised in the light of this, that it is quite wrong for Christ’s sheep to hanker after the pleasures, the entertainments, or the sports of this world. It is really one of the greatest of God’s blessings.
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