Saved, Safe, and Satisfied
John 10:7–10
I am the door of the sheep. John 10:7
Jesus speaks of three great benefits of entering into God’s flock through him. First, Jesus says that anyone who enters in will be saved. This promise is not only about the future, but also about the past and the present. It affects who we are and what happens to us from beginning to end. A better way of talking about it is in terms of sin’s penalty, power, and presence. By entering in through Christ, we immediately escape sin’s penalty, so that we need not fear our sins will ever rise up against us. This is justification. Then, too, we also enter into a life in which we are increasingly delivered from sin’s power. The Bible calls this sanctification. Finally, we look forward to a day marked by the return of Christ or else our passing into his presence through death, in which even the presence of sin will be gone and our salvation will be perfected. The Bible calls this glorification.
Second, Jesus promises that anyone who enters in will be safe. This is the point of his reference to going “in and out.” To be able to go in and out means security (see Deut. 28:6; Ps. 121:8), for in Christ’s day, when a man could go in or out without fear, it meant that his country was at peace and that the ruler had the affairs of the nation under control. When danger threatened, the people were shut up in the cities under siege. Thus, Jesus promises safety for those who trust him.
Third, he also promised that they would be satisfied—saved, safe, and satisfied—for he said that they would be able to go in and out and “find pasture.” Palestine is a barren land for the most part, and good pasture was not easy to find. Consequently, to be assured of good pasture was a wonderful thing. It spoke of prosperity and contentment, of health and happiness. It was in this sense that David wrote of the care of his Good Shepherd: “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul” (23:2–3). It was this that Paul wrote of when he told the Philippians, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). This last verse does not speak of all our desires, of course. We often desire that which is wrong or is not good for us. It speaks only of our needs, but even in that form, it is a great promise. It is the promise that the one who enters in by Christ will not lack any good thing.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd, our Savior. He leads us in and he leads us out. Under his care we find pasture.
Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865
Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.