June 22, 2023
Our Eternal Identity
“… and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; 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 is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:28-29 (NASB)
Each of us have a father. We wouldn’t exist without him. Likewise with our mothers. These are simple statements, but share deeper implications to life. I have a family. Now I leave the family legacy to my son. He continues our name and legacy for future generations. Such is the design of our Heavenly Father. When God created Adam and Eve, He designed the family concept in Genesis 4:1-2a. We see the beginnings of the family; “Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord. Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel…” God’s design is for a man and woman in parenthood. Each took on their specific God-given role and became a family. A family unit cannot exist Biblically any other way. Modern thought today though has created a same-sex union within the family unit. This is not Biblical or biological. Neither could exist without God’s design in Creation. Both are impossible. Each have specific roles within the family unit. One gender cannot perform what the other is designed to do, and each are delegated responsibilities only to be performed by a specific gender. This is God’s design, not mankind’s.
“… no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” In God’s creation, man was designed as the protector of the family, much like the shepherd was protector of the sheep. When Jesus referred to Himself and God, He wanted the Jews to know He as the Shepherd had the power to keep and protect the sheep. This power came from His Father. “Neither thieves and robbers (vs. 18), nor the wolf (vs. 12) can harm them. Verse 29 makes clear that the Father ultimately stands behind the sheep’s security, for no one is able to steal from God, who is in sovereign control of all things (Colossians 3:3).”[1] When the sheep came under a shepherd’s care, they took on his identity; a name change if you will. They became Shepherd of “so and so’s” sheep. Such is the design of God with the Christian life. We take on the identity of our Father and get a name change. We also have the security to know we are of the fold, and nothing can “snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
I remember how I thought about this verse as a young Christian. I used to think about someone being big enough to pry open the hand of God. I have met some pretty strong men in my time and felt the power in their hands. Some were almost bone crushing, but one day they would no longer have that strength. In God’s power, “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” His hand doesn’t weaken. It doesn’t age. It is powerful beyond comprehension. It secures us. As I reflect, I remember thinking about the hand of God, and how it affected me so deeply. Psalm 8:3 says, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained;” or Isaiah 48:13, “Surely My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand together,”they speak of His power. If His power is this mighty in Creation, I am quite sure He has the ability to lock down my salvation. “He is greater than all…” (vs. 29).
[1] (MacArthur, John, 1997), 1604.