Can You Jump Out? (John 10:28-29)

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Question

Most of our pastors say a believer can jump out of God’s hand, based on John 10:28. How can I refute such a claim?

 

Answer

I’m sorry to say your pastors are wrong (or, actually, I’m happy to say they’re wrong):

1.) John 10:28-29 does not say anyone can jump out of the Father and Jesus’ hands. That is not taken from the words or the context of those verses.

2.) John 10:28-29 says “no one is able” to snatch them out, which would include the believer himself.

3.) John 10:28-29 says the Father is greater than all, including the believer.

4.) John 10:28-29 promises that believers “shall never perish.” If you could lose salvation by “jumping out” or by any other way, you could perish, and Jesus’s promise would be false.

5.) John 10:28-29 promises that believers have “eternal” life. If you could lose it, it wouldn’t be eternal.

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Shawn Lazar

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Shawn Lazar is the Editor of Grace in Focus magazine and Director of Publications for Grace Evangelical Society. He and his wife Abby have three feral children. He is an ordained Baptist pastor. He has a BTh from McGill University and an MA from the Free University of Amsterdam. He has written two books: Beyond Doubt: How to Be Sure of Your Salvation and Chosen to Serve: Why Divine Election Is to Service, Not to Eternal Life.

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