Safe in the Good Shepherd’s Fold

The Doctrine of Eternal Security 

Jesus’s teaching in John 10 describes the safety and security believers experience as sheep who follow the Good Shepherd. Those who put their faith in Christ’s finished work do not have to speculate about their eternal future. Salvation cannot be obtained through human works, nor can it be forfeited when we falter. This is true because right standing in God’s sight rests solely on Christ’s perfection, not ours. The Holy Spirit “seals” or guarantees the eternal salvation of all people who put their faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice.1 When God initiates the good work of salvation and redeems a sinner, He continues perfectly unhindered until salvation’s glorious consummation.2

How do we explain people who first profess Christ as Savior, then later walk away from Him? While we cannot accurately assess anyone’s relationship with Christ, God can. Scripture teaches that God holds fast those who genuinely trust Him for salvation. In this life, believers continue to struggle with sin and doubt. However, God’s grip on the true believer is stronger than sin’s pull, feelings of doubt, or the enemy’s opposition.3 When doubts arise, our best focus is to passionately seek the Lord. The promises of Scripture stand firm as an anchor for the soul. Salvation is God’s work from start to glorious finish.4

Many people believe their salvation can be lost. Some walk away for a time and then return. Others who walk away may never have had real trust. We cannot know—only God knows. However, if salvation depends on our wavering obedience, we live life facing eternity without certainty. We do not adequately grasp Christ’s unconditional love and sustaining grace. Struggles that come when we sin cause doubts. Christ’s righteousness, not our own, secures salvation.

What a relief to understand that our soul’s security rests in Christ, not ourselves! We regularly experience the darkness lingering within our hearts. We recognize that we often love our sin more than our Savior. But we also recognize that we are sheep who hear our Shepherd’s voice. When we stray, Jesus comes after us. When we falter, He holds us up. Jesus carries us through. We will persevere in faith, not because we are strong, but because Jesus is mighty.

1. Christ’s sacrifice: Ephesians 1:13-14
2. Secure until salvation’s consummation: Romans 8:29-30
3. No separation: Romans 8:38-39: Philippians 1:6
4. God’s work in salvation: Romans 8:30; Philippians 1:6

Resource: Bible Study Fellowship, People of Promise: Kingdom Divided, Lesson 14, The Gospel of John

Jesus Christ Gives Sight to the Blind

The Doctrine of God the Son 

At his first encounter with Jesus, the newly healed, formerly blind man did not realize who Jesus was. Newfound sight, pressing opposition, and growing understanding led this man to recognize the truth. He soon bowed before Jesus in belief and worship. The Lord Jesus Christ is none other than God’s own Son who came to seek and save the lost.1 Equal to and co-existent with God from eternity past, Jesus came into the world to live, die, and rise again.2 Only Jesus can rescue sinners and give eternal life to all who put their faith in Him.3 

Your response to Jesus determines whether you are spiritually blind or sighted. Like the man born without sight, we are all spiritually blind from birth. Only God can open blind eyes. The eternal destiny of every human rests on their response to God’s Son. One day, Jesus will return to earth and every knee will bow before Him.4 God has exalted His Son and given Him the right to judge sin and grant eternal life.5 To refuse Jesus is to choose spiritual blindness, which tragically results in an eternity separated from God. 

No one remains neutral about Jesus. Throughout history, the name of Jesus has divided humanity.6 The Pharisees denied evidence of Jesus’s divine authority as well as His healing power. Today, people continue to resist Jesus while ignoring the truth about Him. Spiritual blindness remains in those who fail to recognize who Jesus is and the saving work He accomplished on behalf of sinful humanity. To refuse Jesus is to turn away from the only true hope that exists. 

Believing in Jesus means seeing what matters most. When the Lord opens our eyes to behold Jesus, we see glimpses of His glory that will be magnified and celebrated throughout eternity. 2 Corinthians 3:18 speaks of the powerful transformation God sets at work in the lives of those who believe in Jesus: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” What do you now “see” because Jesus has opened your spiritual eyes? How does gazing at Jesus give you a refreshed perspective on your life and the world around you? Seeing Jesus leads us to worship Him. The Son of God, exalted by the Father, will reign for eternity without rival. 

1. Seek and save: Luke 19:10 

2. Equal to God: Philippians 2:5-11 

3. Only Jesus saves: Acts 4:12 

4. Jesus’s return: Matthew 24:30; Acts 1:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11 

5. The Son’s judgment: Matthew 16:27; 26:64 

6. Outcomes of belief and unbelief: John 3:36

Resource: Bible Study Fellowship, People of Promise: Kingdom Divided, Lesson 13, The Gospel of John

Saved from the Death We Deserve

The Doctrine of Salvation from Sin’s Penalty 

Jesus encountered massive crowds and performed spectacular miracles as He walked among sinners. Yet, He sought out individuals. He also willingly revealed Himself to His resistant enemies. The self-righteous, proud, and indignant Pharisees exemplify sinful rebellion. Even so, to fully understand sinful nature, we need only look into our own hearts. Every human is born with a sinful nature inherited from Adam and Eve. Our sin convicts and condemns us, separating us from our perfectly just and holy God. We face the well-deserved punishment of death to pay the penalty that each sin we have committed deserves. 

God sent Jesus to die in the place of sinners to make atonement for the sin of all humankind. By dying on the cross, Jesus paid in full death’s penalty on our behalf. Jesus’s outpouring of amazing love saved us from the righteous wrath of God.1 Through faith in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice, all believers experience salvation. We are freed from sin’s power in our lives and given eternal life with Him. 

Without faith in Jesus, people walk through life dead in sin.2 Deceived by the allure of temptation to sin, death haunts at every turn. Tragically, those who bear sin’s punishment on their own await not only physical death but also spiritual death, which culminates in eternal condemnation and separation from God. Life is lived without hope. 

When we place our faith in Christ and His redemptive work on the cross, Christ sets us free from sin’s death penalty. The sin for which Jesus died will never rise to accuse or haunt a believer.3 Believers are also set free from sin’s present power over their lives. However, even forgiven Christians continue to sin.4 The Holy Spirit leads the believer to confess specific sins and grow in personal holiness.5 Believers are saved not only from sin’s eternal debt but also from a wasted life. How will you celebrate this wonderful gift?

1. Saved from wrath: Romans 5:9 

2. Sin’s penalty: Romans 6:23 

3. Death of sin: Psalm 103:11-12; Isaiah 38:17; Jeremiah 31:34 

4. Continue to sin: Matthew 6:12; Romans 7:14-25; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8 

5. Confession: Matthew 6:12; John 1:29; Ephesians 2:1-5; Hebrews 9:23-28; 1 John 1:9

Resource: Bible Study Fellowship, People of Promise: Kingdom Divided, Lesson 12, The Gospel of John