CAN I LOSE MY SALVATION?
John 10:7–11, 14–18, 27–30
While in my third year of college, my girlfriend (now my wife), Amy, and I were driving to the campus when we were forced to take an alternate route due to a car crash.
While waiting to make a turn off the highway onto a small county road, Amy screamed. I had just enough time to look in my rearview mirror and see a red sports car slamming on its brakes and smoke billowing from its tires. Then, one second later, we were airborne. While stopped, we had been hit from behind by a car going more than 50 miles per hour.
The adrenaline from the impact caused me to clutch the steering wheel with both hands. While the car was totaled, Amy and I both avoided serious injuries. However, even after almost 25 years, it still has a lasting effect on my grip.
If I use my hands to squeeze or hold something for an extended period, they become numb and weak. My grip will eventually give out. Some people think our salvation is us holding on to God. It is not. Salvation belongs to the Lord, and His grip will never fail.
When we come to Jesus, we are promised salvation. (7–11)
There are many pictures and names for Jesus throughout the Scriptures. Few are as vivid and intimate as the symbolism of a shepherd. While much has been written about sheep, it serves us well to remember that sheep are essentially docile and prone to wandering from the fold.
The beauty of the sheep-shepherd relationship is the love and commitment the shepherd has for his herd. He understands the will and the ways of sheep, and yet he still loves and cares for them. A good shepherd will always save his sheep. The same is true of Christ and His children.
The salvation He gives is based on His merit and grace. He will never break His promise to keep and secure us from demise.
Jesus secured our salvation by laying down His life for us. (14–18)
Not only does Jesus, the Good Shepherd, demonstrate His love for us through His protection, but He also demonstrates it through His provision. That excellent provision is the laying down of His life for the world. How many things in your life would you willingly die for? That list is probably not as long as you may think.
Jesus states that the Father loves Him because of His love and sacrifice for the sheep. Again, please note that our salvation is secured in the finished work of the cross, not in our feeble efforts or determination.
We are secure through the Father and the Son. (27–30)
The sheep that belong to Jesus are secure in the hands of God. We are sealed by the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13–14). Nothing can remove us from God’s hand. “Nothing” means “nothing!” I am thankful for that “nothing.” It includes our worst days, darkest sins, most foolish choices, the devil, the flesh — nothing.
The grip of God is unchanging. On our most difficult days, we might be tempted to think that we are holding on to God.
It is after those days have passed that we will fully realize that it was Him embracing us the whole time. If you belong to Him, He will never let you go.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The Sunday School lesson outlines are provided by Lifeway.
By Bobby McKay
Pastor of New Liberty Baptist Church in Morton, Mississippi
