and I give them life eternal; and they shall never perish, and no one shall seize them out of my hand.
Jesus is speaking about His own sheep, and His death is near. Can His sheep lose what He gives? Everything turns on who gives it and whose hand holds it.
A Gift, Not Wages
The verse opens with a gift. One writer sets that word against what sin pays instead.
Now notice the security of Christ's sheep. First, they have everlasting life. "I give them eternal life." This is His gift. It is in no way earned or deserved. No. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Eternal life, then, comes to us as a gift. Christ does not give less. It is not life for a day or a year, but for ever — eternal life.
The Life He Gives
The word "eternal" is not only about length. It names a particular life, one already seen in the Son on earth.
He gives them eternal life, eternal security, and assures them of divine care. Already the Lord has said that He came to give life to the sheep, and to give it abundantly. Now we learn that the life He gives is "eternal life" — the life that was with the Father and shown in the Person of the Son on earth. The sheep have this life in Christ. It is to be shown in them and enjoyed now, even if they only enter into its fulness when they are with Christ in life's eternal home.
Two Fears Answered
The verse says two things, not one: the life lasts, and the sheep last. One writer explains why that is not mere repetition.
First of all, the life is everlasting. But then it is not merely that the thing itself is eternal — they shall never perish. For it might be claimed that although the life lasts for ever, this depends on something in those who receive it. No: "they will never perish" — the sheep themselves. So not only the life, but those who have it by grace in Christ, shall never perish. Last of all, and crowning everything, their security answers the question of any hostile power… There was no inward source of weakness that could endanger the life, and so there should be no outward power to cause anxiety.
The Strength of "Never"
Some agree that no enemy can take a believer away, but say the believer can ruin himself. One writer answers from the exact wording.
Some say that He said "no one can snatch them out of His hand", but we can do it ourselves by living in sin, and so on. The correct rendering of His words answers this fully: "they will never perish." It means literally, "they shall in no way ever perish." This is absolute; it covers everything.
Bound Up With Christ Himself
Why can the life not fail? Because of whose life it is.
"I give them eternal life." It is a life that is eternal, not a life to be taken away again… Christ must give eternal life; for if one of His sheep could perish, Christ must perish. And it must be a holy life too that He gives, for the same reason. What Christ gives must be holy, for He is holy. "They will never perish." A sheep is a perishing thing; but His sheep do not perish. There are two points to this security. First, Christ is in them, as their life. Second, they are in His hand… You must find someone more powerful than God, if you can be snatched out of His hand.
Held, Not Holding On
The verse puts safety in a hand — His, not ours. One writer pictures the shepherd carrying the found sheep home.
As sheep, our security is the responsibility of our Shepherd. Of each saved sheep it is written, "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing." The struggle of the sheep would not be to keep on, but to get off. We are not saved by our "holding on". Sheep have no hands to hold on by… So the eternal safety of every sheep is the blessed Lord's own personal responsibility and care.
Who the Promise Covers
The promise is huge, but it covers one group: the sheep. One writer warns readers not to claim that comfort too quickly.
These words of our Lord Jesus give us full assurance that His sheep cannot perish. But one must be a sheep — a true believer in Jesus Christ. Someone who claims to be a Christian but has little or no thought for God's claims on his life may not be a sheep at all… His sheep have eternal life.
Summary
- Given. The life is a gift, never earned — sin pays wages, Christ gives eternal life.
- Divine. What He gives is the life that was with the Father — ours now, and enjoyed in full at home with Christ.
- Unbreakable. The promise covers both the life and the sheep: no inward weakness ends it, no outward power seizes it.
- Absolute. "They will never perish" means they shall in no way ever perish. That answers every objection, even our own sinning.
- Carried. Sheep have no hands to hold on with. Their keeping is His own responsibility — and the promise belongs to real sheep, true believers in Jesus Christ.