John 10:7-16
Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
In this passage, Jesus explains the difference between salvation and false assurance of salvation or eternal life.
Other religions or cults or sects or whatever you want to call them give people a false assurance, a false hope. Just like the hireling in the passage. He gave the sheep he was tending the assurance that he would take care of them, but when the wolf came, he abandoned them. It's the same concept with any other belief other than in the gospel. With false religion, you believe in, or at least have hope of, eternal life. But, if you're a Christian, you know that the only way to eternal life is through belief in Jesus and Him crucified, buried, and raised to life the 3rd day. So, non-christians, don't have that assurance, and are condemned.
But, guess what guys? The Good Shepherd came and died for our sins and lives again, and grants us salvation from hell if we believe in Him! He doesn't abandon us when the wolf comes, in fact, he searches for the one lost sheep and brings him back into the fold! How awesome is that? It gives me goose bumps, it really does. It's so amazing!
Matthew 18:12-14
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
- Disclaimer! You have my complete permission to post a comment disagreeing with anything I have stated in this post. However, please do not be mean, you can disagree without being mean about it. Thanks! :)
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