Continued from Part 9
As in the previous essay on Eternal Life no attempt has been made to go into the precise meaning of 'eternal' though on this occasion we have added 'aeonian' as a reminder to those who would like to further research the nature of biblical time. The distinction is important in one argument presented here, viz. in John 11:26, a reason this matter is highlighed in this short preface. Otherwise the overall gist of the arguments here are again unaffected.
Continued from Part 9
"I give them aeonian (eternal) life and they will never perish to the age and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one will snatch out of the hand of my Father" (John 10:28).
Once in His Hand, Always in His Hand?
Here we have another favourite passage of the Calvinists. In this passage, they think that Yah'shua (Jesus) is teaching that once a person has been born again, then there is nothing between their new birth event and Yah'shua (Jesus)' second coming which will result in their apostasy. They see that Yah'shua (Jesus) is saying that once anyone is in his hand, then they are there to stay. This misinterpretation of John 10:28-29 comes from a misguided understanding of John 10. If we look back into the preceding context, we will find just what Yah'shua (Jesus) is talking about.
Yah'shua (Jesus) the Good Shepherd
If we go back to John 10:8, we see that Yah'shua (Jesus) taught that the Pharisees were but hirelings but He himself was the Good Shepherd. The hirelings did not really care for the sheep and when the wolf came (i.e. the devil) this thief, snatched and destroyed the sheep. On the other hand, Yah'shua (Jesus) teaches that He is the Shepherd of the sheep and nothing, such as the wolf, can come and snatch the sheep and destroy them.
A Question of the Good Shepherd vs. the Hirelings
The devil is understood to be that person who holds the power of death (Heb.2:14). He is the wolf in this passage. He comes to "snatch" the sheep. The Greek word used here, harpazo, is the same word used in John 10:28-29. It simply means to "grab", "snatch", "seize", and in some contexts it means to "rob/steal." However Yah'shua (Jesus) says that no one can "snatch" or "seize" out of His hand as the devil was able to "snatch" out of the hand of the hirelings.
Preserved From Death in Christ
Yah'shua (Jesus) came to destroy the work of the devil (1 Jn.3:8). He does this by taking people out of the world and giving them aeonian (eternal) life. In the world, there is death and the devil holds the power of death and no one is powerful enough in any way to stop the devil, the wolf, from seizing people for death. However, Yah'shua (Jesus) has the power of life and all those who are in Him cannot be touched by death. He teaches:
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die (lit. 'not die to the aeon/age - CLNT)" (John 11:25-26).
Don't Fear Those Who Can't Destroy Your Soul
Yah'shua (Jesus) taught his disciples not to fear those who can kill the body but not the soul but to rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28). This passage conveys a concept similar to what we find in John 10:28-29. The Pharisees were not faithful shepherds to the disciples nor did they have the power to prevent anyone from suffering death by the wolf - the devil - who comes and seizes the sheep to destroy them in death. But those who believe in Yah'shua (Jesus) share the aeonian (eternal) life which is in Him and as such, bodily death can do them no harm.
The Danger of a Lost Relationship
We also need to take careful note of John 18:8 where Yah'shua (Jesus) demands that his disciples be let go from arrest and persecution. Then John adds in the next verse that this occurred so that the his word might be fulfilled which said, "I will lose none of those whom you gave to Me." The word translated as "lose" is the Greek word "apollymi." This word means literally "to loose from" and is often translated as "to perish" or "to destroy." When it is translated as "lose" it means that the relationship between the thing which could be lost and the keeper of the thing is not "destroyed." The same word is used at John 3:15-16, 6:39, 12:25 and 17:12. In John 18:9, John is indicating that the disciples were preserved from suffering death at the hands of the Romans.
The Devil is Prevented From Doing It
The word apollymi is used both at John 10:28 and John 10:10. Here we are to see the contrast between the wolf destroying the sheep (death) and the Good Shepherd giving the sheep aeonian (eternal) life. The wolf comes and "snatches" the sheep away from the hirelings but the wolf cannot "snatch" the sheep away from Christ. In other words, those who believe (trust...and continue trusting) in Yah'shua (Jesus) have aeonian (eternal) life by virtue of their faith union with Aeonian (Eternal) Life, that is Yah'shua (Jesus) Himself, and the the devil cannot snatch them and bring death to them because they are in Christ who is life.
Guaranteed Because of the Father
Yah'shua (Jesus) emphasises His teaching at verse 20. Here He says He and the Father are one (echad). Also notice in verse 29 that Yah'shua (Jesus) says no one can snatch out of the Father's hand and now notice that He says in verse 28, "no one will snatch them out of my hand." Why will this not happen? It will not happen because the Father is greater than all and therefore no one can snatch out of His hand and since Yah'shua (Jesus) and the Father are one (echad), therefore no one will snatch out of Yah'shua (Jesus)' hand.
The Calvinist Error of Placing Conditions
So Yah'shua (Jesus) is teaching us that those who are in a faith union with him cannot be brought to death by the devil because they are indeed united with Life who is Christ (1 Jn.1:2). The Calvinist, however, does not understand that this assurance is true only by virtue of remaining in Christ, which He exhorts the disciples to do at John 15:1ff. Because the Calvinist perceives his assurance as a "condition" he runs himself into error. The Christian assurance is not a condition but Yah'shua (Jesus) Christ Himself. He is our hope, our assurance of salvation and this is why we put our faith in Him. The Calvinist, thinking his assurance to be a condition he is in, confuses it with the assurance of salvation which is Christ Himself. Christ has not give us a condition of assured salvation; He has given us Himself for our assurance and if we want this assurance to always be with us we must remain in Christ our Assurance. Hence, to be safe in this hand of the Good Shepherd is necessarily conditional upon our faith in Christ our hope and assurance. The condition of our faith relationship is not an assured condition. Rather, Christ is our Assurance of Salvation and it is only if we remain faithful to this Assurance that we can be sure that nothing can come and snatch us out of his hand.
A Purpose of the Lord's Supper
One of the main reasons we have been given the Lord's Supper is for us to test whether we are in communion with Christ and walking in the assurance of aeonian (eternal) life or not:
"Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (1 Corinthians 11:28).
The Basis of Assurance is Not Calvinistic
For those who are believing in Christ it is true that the devil, nor anyone, can snatch them from Christ's hand unto death. However, as we are reminded by Paul at 2 Corinthians 13:5, we must constantly examine ourselves to see whether we are indeed in the faith. Our faith in Christ is not assured; we must endeavour ourselves to remain faithful to Him. Indeed, this is why we have faith. We put our faith in Christ because he is our assurance. Our assurance is Christ, not a condition apart from Christ. If we faithfully remain in Christ our aeonian (eternal) life is indeed assured. But if we are found not to be in the faith, neither will we find ourselves in the hand of the Good Shepherd and thus we expose ourselves to the power of the devil for death. Our faith in Christ is not assured. Our assurance is Christ Himself, not a condition. Christ himself is our assurance and we need to faithfully remain in Him to have assurance of aeonian (eternal) life. And it is only if we remain faithful to him, that we are in the hands of the Good Shepherd.
The Choice to Remain or Fall Away is Ours Alone
We have a choice to remain in Him or fall away - if we don't remain, we disconnect ourselves from aeonian (eternal) life and our salvation is no longer assured. That is why Christ gives this command - the verb is in the imperative, "Remain!" something that would be wholly unnecessary were the Calvinist doctrine of the 'Perseverance of the Saints' were true. It is our responsibility to persevere, not Christ's, and we persevere by trusting in Him who is our Assurance of Salvation.
Also see Once Saved, Always Saved
More examples in Part 9
Continued in Part 10
