Anchor My Faith

Who Are His Sheep?

Scripture: John 10:27-29

In the previous lesson Jesus told the Jews the reason they did not believe; it was because they were not his sheep. The implication of that statement is that unless you are a sheep you cannot believe, so then, how does one come to the point of belief? Consider a parallel between the physical and the spiritual. Man places his seed in a woman to produce a child who remains in the womb for approximately nine months and then experiences physical birth. In Luke 8:11, the seed is the word of God and is the basis for spiritual life, but as in the physical case there appears to be a variable time before that life is ready for spiritual birth. When the time is ready the Father causes us to be born spiritually (1 Peter 1:3). It is by grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8), not by the will of man but by the will of God (John 1:13). The belief that Jesus told the Jews they did not have is given at the time of spiritual birth.

Jesus continues his statement to the Jews: ^{Jn 10:27} “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ 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.”

From our study of Jesus as the great shepherd, we understand that those who are of the true flock will hear the shepherd’s voice and they will follow that voice in obedience. Jesus knows who his sheep are because at the time of spiritual birth they were given to him as a gift from the Father.

As the Father provides the seed to the one chosen, spiritual life begins but spiritual birth has not yet happened. This period of time in my life was very clear to me, but then one day, like a woman ready to give birth knows, I knew it was time and I was born spiritually. At that point the Father gave me to Jesus as a gift and Jesus gave me eternal life. If it were possible for me to turn away spiritually during the time from receiving the seed of God and the time of spiritual birth, then there would never be another chance to repent.

⁴ “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt” (Hebrews 6:4 – 6 ESV).

I am convinced that I experienced the things described in verses 4 and 5 prier to my spiritual birth, and if I could have fallen away then I would not have another chance to repent. I know a person very well that went through Bible College and served on the mission field for several years, who I believed was a believer who I supported financially. Then one day he left the mission field and embraced a very different lifestyle, and publicly stated that he was faking it and never was born spiritually. There is no question in my mind that he experienced the things described in verses 4 and 5, and if that was the case, then verse 6 would apply to his life.

We will end this lesson at this very sober point and continue next time.

Conclusion

John 10:26 – 29 requires one’s deep attention. These verses are complicated by the statement of verse 26, which implies that you must be a sheep before you will be able to believe. There are many who do not believe this, because I believe they are applying a democratic view to the sovereignty of God.