SCRIPTURE John 10:27–29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, 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.” 

COMMENTARY God knows the future, and therefore knows whose faith will endure (God’s perspective was discussed above).  Jesus calls those faithful people “my sheep.” Proponents of eternal security citing this passage fail to consider that the context is set in v27. The qualification to be one of Jesus’ sheep is clear: to listen and follow.  I affirm the essence of this statement; continue listening to and following Jesus and you will be secure.  Note also the Greek verb “give” (as in “I give”) is again in the present tense, indicating an in-process action.  Even though we do not rely on men’s testimony, Professor Dale Moody understood that this continuous and in-process action requires effort on the part of the sheep and the shepherd.  Thus, this passage in the Greek cannot be read as: My sheep heard my voice, and I knew them, and they followed me, and I gave to them eternal life.  Rather, it reinforces, by the Greek verb tenses, the need to continue to follow and listen. Most people who read this verse also fail to fully appreciate the implication of the verb “pluck” (Greek harpazo), which means to snatch away.  We do not snatch ourselves away any more than we rapture ourselves (same word) because the concept of snatch away is one being taking something from another being. Therefore this verse does not address the believer himself voluntarily leaving the hand of God (failing to endure in the faith), nor of God’s removing him for not demonstrating true faith by bearing fruit (John 15:5–6).   Much like other verses, the verbs reflect continuous action demonstrating our need to endure just as John 3:16 does.  Finally, most eternal security proponents will only quote John 10:28-29.  But the context of who the “them” in v28 is clearly set by v27.  In this verse we are told they are Jesus’s sheep and the attributes of the sheep: they listen and follow.  Do this and we will indeed be secure.  Which also means if you decide to stop listening and following, what is described in v28-29 no longer holds.