Can a Christian lose their salvation?
Jesus makes it very clear that if you are one of His sheep (if you are a Christian) you can never be lost!
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one."
The question that then arises is, what about those who have followed Jesus but have fallen away?
The answer to this is that some who profess to be Christians were never true Christians, and others are going through a rebellious phase but will return to Christ in time.
A couple of helpful parables on this:
- The Parable of the Sower – Read Matthew 13:1–9, 18-23. Here Jesus explains that some will appear to be Christians but will fall away. Read 1 John 2:19 which is very clear that some will give the appearance of being a Christian, but lack of perseverance is evidence that they never were.
- The Parable of the Prodigal Son – Read Luke 15:11–32. For a while the son looks like He's completely rejected his father and family; but he comes back to his father in the end!
The wonderful news for all who are Christians, as Jesus has promised,
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand".
You can listen to this message at,
Going deeper
– Personal daily study notes on 10:22-42
Monday: read John10:22-25
The Jewish leaders are pursuing Jesus, wanting Him to admit that He is
the Son of God and Messiah so that they can arrest Him for blasphemy.
Through what means does Jesus claim to have clearly revealed His
identity? How would you explain to a friend the reasons why you believe and
follow Jesus?
Tuesday: read John
10:26-27
What reason does Jesus give for their refusal to believe?
What is the proof that someone is Jesus’ sheep?
‘Follow me’ is in the present tense and speaks
of a lifestyle of following.
Wednesday: read John
10:28 and John 5:24
Our eternal life is not dependent upon us holding onto God! Rather, God
is holding onto us! Jesus is giving us assurance of salvation; we will never
fall into judgement.
Meditate and thank God out of John 5:24.
Thursday: read John 10:29
The shepherd is so powerful that His sheep
need never fear being lost; the Father is greater than all, and particularly in
regard to anything that may harm His sheep.
Friday: read John
10:30 and Romans 8:31-34
The Father and Son are one! This is a
reference to the deity of Jesus, but it is also a unity in their purpose to
save and protect the sheep.
Read Romans 8:31-34 and spend some time
meditating of and thanking God for His unbreakable grace on your life.
Saturday: read John 10:31-42
In Jesus’ defense in verses 34-39, He does not
back away from His claim to equality with God; rather, He cleverly side steps
their attack by referring to Psalm 82 where wicked rulers are referred to as
‘gods’; this is a cynical title given to these ruler as they behave like they
are above God and can behave without reference to God. In effect Jesus is
saying,
“If the our bible calls these wicked men
‘gods’ how much more do I have the right, as God’s righteous Son, to claim to
be equal with God!”
Many in our day are ‘gods’ in the Psalm 82
sense! They feel that they can re-write the bible to fit their preferences and
to better fit with popular views.
Jesus is God along with the Father and the
Holy Spirit. Let’s make a fresh commitment to honour His word, being sheep that
listen to His voice.
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