On his website, Arminian Perspectives, Ben Henshaw has a questions page at which he answers questions about Arminianism and Calvinism that visitors to his site pose in the comment section of the page. Here is a question submitted by a man named Kevin and Ben’s answer:
Question Part 1: Looking for help on my last hurdle with Eternal Security. In Jn 10, Jesus promises eternal life, his sheep will never perish, no one can snatch his sheep from his hand nor the Father’s hand and that the Father is greater than all. My understanding is that the Arminian position is that these promises are to those who are presently believing and therefore, presently his sheep. Here is my question: If someone is presently believing and therefore being kept by God’s power, how can they move toward unbelief? In that case, in what way would Jesus be fulfilling his promise? If someone was a believing sheep under this passage and Satan or the world’s influence was to lead them from Christ in an ultimate sense, hasn’t the sheep been snatched from Jesus’ hand? I appreciate your help.
Answer Part 1: I address that passage in this post: https://arminianperspectives.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/perseverance-of-the-saints-part-12-examining-passages-commonly-appealed-to-by-the-advocates-of-unconditional-eternal-security/.
You will probably also find the comments about Rom. 8:35-39 helpful, which is right under the treatment of John 10. I think the quotes by Forlines are especially helpful.
Let me know if you still have questions.
Question Part 2: I reread your article on Jn 10. The point that I’m struggling with isn’t really addressed. Forlines says “Though all the powers of the universe were to combine against the believer, they could not take the believer away from God.” This is my problem. If the powers of the universe come against a Christian (and they do) and that believer is beaten down by them…tempted by them…deceived by them…and that believer eventually chooses to turn away from Jesus, haven’t they been successful in taking them away from God? In that scenario, how has Jesus kept his sheep from being snatched away? How is God demonstrating that he is “greater than all” when his sheep are deceived and led away? If the believer can be turned by the enemy away from God, what are we saying that Jesus is really doing for his sheep in John 10?
Answer Part 2:
I think it was addressed, but you seem to be missing the implication. One of Forlines’ points is that such outside forces can never have irresistible sway over the believer to the point where the believer cannot help but to turn away. That is impossible. In that sense, nothing can snatch the believer away from his security in Christ. For example, you write,
This is my problem. If the powers of the universe come against a Christian (and they do) and that believer is beaten down by them…tempted by them…deceived by them…and that believer eventually chooses to turn away from Jesus, haven’t they been successful in taking them away from God? In that scenario, how has Jesus kept his sheep from being snatched away?
It seems clear that you are describing a scenario where the believer is completely overwhelmed by outside forces to the point where they really have no choice but to fall away. But this passage is saying that the believer can never be overwhelmed in such a way that turning away is inevitable. If outside forces could overwhelm the believer and thereby irresistibly turn the believer away from God, then those forces would have indeed forcibly snatched the believer away. But that is not the case. Regardless of the influences in the believer’s life that may be working to take the believer away from God, they cannot succeed unless the believer freely decides to yield to such influences to the point of unbelief.
So while they may have a powerful influence on the believer at times, that influence is still resistible as God empowers the believer to remain in Him. That power is always able to prevent the believer from being influenced to the point where such influences become irresistible. God’s power and influence is “greater” than the powers that are trying to remove the believer from God. They simply cannot do it. But if the believer freely yields to those resistible powers and no longer makes use of the power of God to resist those powers and remain, then the believer will of his own accord turn away from God. That is what Osbourne meant in saying that the protection described in these verses addresses outward forces and not “inward apostasy.”
It is similar to the issue of a believer resisting sin. 1 Cor. 10:13 makes it clear that when we are tempted, God provides a way of escape so that we can endure the temptation and not fall to it. So when a sinner falls to temptation, it is despite God’s power to protect the believer from sin. Did sin triumph over God’s power to enable the believer to resist temptation and make use of the way of escape? Not at all. The believer freely yielded to that temptation despite God’s powerful provision to resist it.
