Let’s next put the idea of losing one’s salvation to the test by comparing it to some examples in the Bible. In John chapter 10 Jesus speaks of Himself as the “Good Shepherd”. He explains to the Pharisees that He is the door to the sheep, and anyone who enters can come and go and find pasture. Finally, when pressed about whether He is the Christ (the Anointed One) he says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.” So according to Jesus no one, not even Satan, can snatch us away from Him once we are saved.
Notice that Jesus makes a point to say that, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me?” Let’s jump ahead to another parable, one that was made famous because of its incredible imagery: The Prodigal Son.
I have heard those that say you can lose your salvation use this story as a proof for their argument that one can fall away, but regain their salvation through repentance. I believe this parable says something different. Notice that the young man didn’t feel bad about what he had done, he was looking after himself. He went back to His father because he had to, he was starving!
But Jesus says that the father saw his son while he was, “still a long way off.” His father ran out to him and embraced him! But why would he do this? Because he was waiting for his son to come back so he could express his love to him. As far as the father was concerned, the boy was never an outcast. Would the father run out to greet an outcast?
It made no difference that the boy offended the father deeply, that he took his gifts and squandered them. The boys’ “apostasy” had no effect on his father who was ready and willing for him to come back home and experience his joy and grace. Or do we suppose that if the boy had died in the pig pens, to extend the parable a little, that the father would not go to him, take him and bury him as a rich man’s son?
My friends we are the sons of a rich man. He will not let us go. He will not allow anyone or anything to take us away from His grace. The safety that we have in Him is overwhelming. Though we may squander our gifts, and miss opportunities to glorify Him, He still cares for us, and we are still His sons.
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When the sheep hear the Master's Voice, where they sheep before they heard His voice?
Jesus spoke only of His sheep being able to hear His voice, so if we follow His analogy we can assume that if any were His sheep, they would hear His voice. According to Jesus, the sheep are those that put their faith in Him as Savior and God, but He also said to the Pharisees, "But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep." -John 10:26. *P
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