In 10:28-29 the Lord says, “And I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” The eternal life is for the believers’ living. Both the Son’s hand as the hand of power and the Father’s hand as the hand of love are for the believers’ protection. Eternal life shall never run out, and the hands of the Son and the Father shall never fail. So the believers are eternally secured and shall never perish.
When I first began to work in this country, many dear saints asked me if I believed in eternal security. I always answered, “Why not?” After awhile everyone knew that I do believe in the wonderful, eternal security. As long as we have eternal life, we have eternal security. What can be more secure than eternal life? I have the real insurance policy in my spirit. Not only do I have eternal life, but I have two hands—the Son’s hand of power and the Father’s hand of love. These two hands embrace me, and Satan is unable to snatch me out. I am eternally secured by the divine life and by these two divine hands. Praise the Lord! These hands are always on the alert, and no one can kidnap us. Therefore, we shall never perish. We have a divine living and an almighty protection. Thus, we, the sheep, are secured forever. Do not argue doctrinally about eternal security. We enjoy the fact. Do you have eternal security? I do not ask whether you believe in eternal security but whether you have it. Regardless of whether or not we believe in the doctrine of eternal security, we are eternally secured.
In verse 30 the Lord said, “I and the Father are one.” Here the Lord asserts His deity, that He is God (10:33; 5:18; 1:1; 20:28; 1 John 5:20; Phil. 2:6). The Jews took up stones in order to stone Him, saying, “We are not stoning you for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because you, being a man, are making yourself God” (10:33). The Jews persecuted Christ because of His “blasphemy.” It is the same today. Religion claims that we preach heresy. Religion was trying to protect its “belief.” Actually, they had no belief. They had unbelief and they were protecting vanity. Therefore, they persecuted the Lord Jesus.
In 10:40-42 we see life’s desertion of religion and life’s new standing. Christ deserted Judaism and went to the place where John the Baptist preached the New Testament gospel. This is very meaningful. The Lord deserted Judaism and took a new standing for the New Testament. Today we are here on this new standing. We are following the shepherd, we are on the pasture, and we have a new standing.
The hour finally came that the Lord gave up Judaism. Although the religionists sought to take Him again, He escaped out of their hands (10:39). He went beyond Jordan into the place where John the Baptist earlier had baptized Him. The religious Jews had used the law to form Judaism, which had confined the chosen people of God. However, John the Baptist was absolutely separated out of Judaism because he lived in the wilderness, which was outside of Jerusalem beyond the Jordan. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness, always pointing to Christ Himself. John the Baptist pointed to Christ because the age of the sheepfold was over and a new age had begun. All of the chosen people of God had to give up the fold and come to Him. The testimony of John the Baptist was simply that of urging people to come out of the fold and to enter the pasture.
After John the Baptist’s announcement of Christ, the Lord went into the fold in order to bring the sheep out of the fold. Of course, He was not stealing the sheep. He went into Judaism in order that His sheep might hear His voice and come out of the fold. By coming out of the fold and by walking ahead of His sheep, He led His sheep out of the fold. After the Lord came out of Judaism, He went to the very place where John the Baptist had testified of Him. His going to the wilderness beyond Jordan was a sign of His coming out of Judaism and going to a place that was outside of Judaism.
This chapter finally says that many people went to Him and believed in Him (10:41-42). Do you know the significance of this? It simply means that many people followed Him as sheep follow a shepherd. He is the shepherd who went into the sheepfold to lead the sheep out. When He came out of the sheepfold, all of the sheep followed Him to a place where the testimony was that of giving up the Old Testament and realizing the New Testament. The testimony of the Old Testament was the sheepfold, but the testimony of the New Testament is Christ as the pasture. Are you a sheep? Do you prefer to remain in the fold when the pasture is ready? Do you still like to be confined and kept under the custody of the fold? Or will you come out of the fold and go into the pasture to enjoy the riches of Christ? Today, the Lord Jesus is no longer in Judaism. The Good Shepherd is no longer in the fold. He is staying where the testimony of the New Testament is established. He has given up the fold and is staying in the place where He is the pasture. Therefore, you also must give up the fold and come to Him. This means that you must give up “Judaism” and come to take Christ as your everything. He is everything to you. Just look at the sheep. The pasture is everything to them. The sheep enjoy the pasture as the resting place, the food, the water, the life supply, and as everything else. You too must come out of the fold and go into the pasture—that is, you must come out of “Judaism” and go to Christ alone. You have to come out of the “law” and go to the place where Christ is enjoyed. Where is Christ now? Christ is outside of all the Judaistic types of groups and in the place where John the Baptist testified of Him.
Now you know the right meaning of this chapter, which is the conclusion of the case concerning the blind man who was healed. Before Christ came, all of God’s chosen people were in a sheepfold. Now, since Christ has come, the time of the sheepfold is over. You must leave the fold in order to come to Christ. Now is the time for you to take Christ as your pasture and to enjoy Him as your everything. You must live in Him and take Him as your all.
Consider this picture. Look at the sheep and the pasture and see how much the pasture means to the sheep. If you are truly a sheep, you will tell people how you long to be out of the fold, because in it there is too much bondage and confinement. There is simply no freedom because you are kept under the custody of a guardian. Now you know where there is the pasture, the freedom, and the life supply.
Christ is the all-inclusive pasture. The fold is the law and Judaism. Christ, the very exit out of the fold, is the shepherd who leads you out of the fold and brings you to Himself who can be everything to you. He is now your pasture.
Allow me to repeat once again. Where is Christ now? He is not in Judaism, but in the very place where the New Testament is testified. Christ is in the place where John the Baptist testified of Him. This is very meaningful because the Lord is now out of the fold and is standing in a new position where He is everything to the chosen people of God. Therefore, you must come out of the old fold and go into the new pasture where Christ Himself is everything to you.