Never Lost

Finally, notice that these verses also speak at length of God’s perseverance with his saints. That is, they teach us that none whom God has called to faith in Christ will be lost. Indeed, how can they be, if God is responsible for their salvation? Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (v. 28).

“But,” says someone, “suppose they jump out of their own accord?”

“They shall never perish,” says the Lord.

“Never?”

“No, never,” says Jesus. “They shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

永不失落

最后，请注意这些经文也详细讲述了神对祂圣徒的坚忍。也就是说，他们教导我们，神呼召相信基督的人都不会失落。事实上，如果神对他们的拯救负有责任，他们怎么可能会这样呢？耶稣说：“我又赐给他们永生。他们永不灭亡，谁也不能从我手里把他们夺去。”（28节）。

“但是，”有人说，“如果他们是自愿跳出来的呢？”

主说：“他们永不灭亡。”

“绝不？”

耶稣说：“不，永远不会。” “他们永不灭亡，谁也不能从我手里把他们夺去。”

This does not mean that there will not be dangers, of course. In fact, it implies them; for if Jesus promises that no one will succeed in plucking us from his hands, it must be because he knows that there are some who will try. The Christian will always face dangers—dangers without, from enemies, and dangers within. Still the promise is that those who have believed in Jesus will never be lost. We may add that the Christian may well be deprived of things. He may lose his job, his friends, his good reputation. Still he will not be lost. The promise is not that the ship will not go to the bottom, but that the passengers will all reach shore. It is not that the house will not burn down, but that the people will escape safely.

当然，这并不意味着不会有危险。事实上，它暗示了它们；因为如果耶稣承诺没有人能成功地将我们从祂手中夺走，那一定是因为他知道有人会尝试。基督徒总是会面临危险——来自外部的危险、来自敌人的危险以及内部的危险。但仍应许那些相信耶稣的人将永远不会迷失。我们可以补充一点，基督徒很可能被剥夺了一些东西。他可能会失去工作、朋友和良好声誉。但他仍然不会迷失。承诺的不是船不会沉入海底，而是乘客都会到达岸边。不是房子不会被烧毁，而是人们能够安全逃生。