If we could see the Lord Jesus here with our eyes, we could ask Him: "O blessed Lord Jesus, please tell us, once and for all, whether we are always in danger of losing our salvation. Is it possible that one who is really born again and becomes God's child may after all be lost?"
Suppose He should reply, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life, would that be sufficient?
And suppose He should continue with, And they shall never perish, would that be sufficient?
And suppose He should still go on and say, Neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one, would that be satisfactory?
As one friend said to another while they were discussing this: "Well, that's all right, and I agree that no one can get us out of God's hand, but we can get ourselves out of His hand if we will."
The other answered: "You remind me very much of my son who, while a very small boy, went with me for his first ride in a boat. He had never seen a boat before, and he was greatly interested in it and in the deep water in which we were floating. He saw no danger in that water as I did, and during the whole trip I was carefully and firmly holding onto him with my hand lest he fall or jump overboard and be drowned."
"Yes, but your boy could have wiggled out of his jacket and jumped into the water."
"But," was the reply, "I was not holding the jacket, I was holding the boy, and I saw to it that he could not get out of my hand even if he wanted to. Supposing you could succeed in getting out of God's hand, and staying out, then what would be the result? Would you perish?"
"Certainly!"
"But don't you see that the Lord has covered just that point? He says, And they shall never perish."
"Why, so He did! I never thought of it that way. Oh, how wonderful that is! The Lord has said that shall never perish! What a burden that lifts from my heart!"
For one who really understands the gospel of the grace of God, there is no possibility of doubt as to the eternal safety of the Christian. All the statements of Scripture dealing with the subject are in perfect harmony, and they all teach that the saved person has been saved by the grace (that is, the unmerited favor) of God. Salvation is a gift which he has received by faith. Since he never deserved it and never can keep it by deserving it, even to the end of his earthly life, if anyone is ever finally saved at all it must be by God's power alone.