Held by Hands That Created the Universe

If you've ever wondered, "How do I know my salvation is going to last? How do I know I'm not going to lose it?"—this devotional is for you.

Scripture Focus: John 10:27-30

There's a trifecta of emphasis in verse 28 that should blow your mind: "And I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand."

First—eternal life. Jesus says in John 6:47, "He who believes has eternal life." It cannot be conditional and still be eternal. If salvation is a gift (which it is), then it means it's something we did not merit, and therefore we cannot lose it by our bad works—because we were never saved by our good works. It would be contradictory for Jesus to promise eternal life and then for an individual to forfeit that life after a few years.

Second—will never perish. John 3:16: "That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." If you come to Jesus, you will pass from death to life. You will never see death. You will live even if you die.

Third—no one will snatch them. No thief. No robber. No demon. Not the devil himself could take you out of Jesus's hand.

John 6:37-39: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out... This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day."

How many of Christ's sheep will He lose? Not a single one.

Why? Because salvation is a gift from the Father to the Son. If you're a Christian, you're a love gift wrapped with a bow from the Father to the Son. And like any good son, the Son says to the Father, "I'll never lose this gift. This gift belongs to Me. No one will snatch them out of My hand."

Let's talk about those hands for a moment. These are the hands that created the universe. They are loving hands, caring hands, healing hands, lifting hands. When Peter sinks, Jesus lifts him up. These are wounded hands—pierced for you. And these are securing hands.

The illustration is given of a father walking with his young son beside a dangerous railroad track. He doesn't tell his son, "Hold tightly onto me or else you'll die." He says, "Give me your hand, and I'll hold tightly unto you." It is not the son that secures his own safety. It is the father who guarantees the safety of his beloved child.

But wait—it gets better. Verse 29: "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."

Whose hand are you in? Jesus's hand. And the Father's hand. You're doubly secure.

Then verse 30 drops the mic: "I and the Father are one."

You're held by a Trinitarian God who created the universe, who puts galaxies in their place. No one is taking you from the hand of God.

This is why Paul bursts forth with praise in Romans 8: "Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing can separate us from the love of God."

That's in the Bible. Which means it's true.

Stay dialed in.