NOTES for Joh 10:27-30

When reading the words "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand", a reasonable question can arise: what about temptations? After all, some people, unfortunately, do not remain in the Church, but retreat back into the darkness (see John 3:20), yielding to the temptations of this world. How can this be? After all, they appeared to be with the Father, in His caring hands, and suddenly they have been snatched away?

There may be people who offer as an explanation that those who left were never with God at all. But this is not true. The one who communes with the Lord necessarily has the experience of a personal encounter with Him, which once brought him into the Church (we are not speaking of people who come to the Church for the sake of ritual and not for the sake of Christ Himself). And there is no contradiction here.

The point is that the fulfillment of God's will for a particular person is connected with that person's freedom, given to him for the manifestation of love. And if we use this freedom for creative cooperation with the Lord, then we listen to His Word, thereby entrusting our life into His hands. And this Word is embodied in our life, and the Lord's will that no one snatch us out of His hands (see John 10:28) becomes our truth.