Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                  Chapter Ten

                                                                                                                                              Verses 12-14

When Jesus spoke about the "hireling" who runs and allows the "wolf" to scatter the sheep, He meant every false preacher and every false religion in the history of mankind, including apostate Christianity. The "wolf" represents the Devil who puts false doctrines and false ceremonies into every religion, including apostate Christianity. Although true Christianity has some ceremonies and traditions, true Christianity always points directly to Christ as being the only way to obtain salvation by grace. John 14:6; John 1:29. True Christianity preaches that a person can only become born into the family of God by personal repentance, faith, and a  commitment of one's whole life to the service of Christ. Matthew 16:16; Acts 9:6. Any teaching that one must first go through the teachings of a church or a ceremony to get to Christ is a false doctrine. Any person who hears the gospel and becomes convinced by a visit of the Holy Spirit that that person is a sinner in need of Christ's salvation can make a direct appeal to Christ in faith, and Christ will hear and immediately save that person forever. Romans 10:13; Romans 10:17. Yet, because God has miraculously preserved His true doctrine of salvation by grace even within apostate Christianity, some people within these religions may come to a personal faith in the power of the blood of Christ to save them, and they will come to a commitment of their lives to Christ by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Apostate Christianity misleads people by getting them to trust in ceremonies and traditions instead of putting their trust in Christ Himself. Some people can become saved by grace by reading the Bible (KJB), and some by reading a gospel tract that someone gives them, and others who have never even heard of Christ by a direct visit from the Holy Spirit. Christ has many ways to bring people into a personal friendship with Him.

Some persons who have never heard the name of Jesus can become saved by grace because the Holy Spirit visits with them. This certainty exists. Humans can become saved by grace only when the Holy Spirit preaches the gospel to them. The Holy Spirit can use missionaries and preachers to preach the gospel to the inner beings of humans as those preachers serve Christ. No one ever goes to the regions of death because no preacher came to preach to them. Colossians 1:23; I Corinthians 15:1-4. Nevertheless, true Christianity should obey the command of Christ and send missionaries and preachers to preach the gospel to the whole world because that happens to be one of the methods that the Holy Spirit uses to save people by His grace. In addition, Christ desires to greatly reward churches and preachers for their obedience to Him. Matthew 28:18-20. But no church should ever get the idea that people go to Hell because no preacher came to preach to them.

The false preachers flee when the Devil comes because they do not care about the souls and spirits of their followers. They only care about the controls that their false religion gives them over their followers.

The Devil can never permanently scatter the sheep that Jesus leads out of the sheepfold because He personally guards them. But the Devil can scatter the sheep within the sheepfold by misleading them with false preachers and false religions. This fact further indicates that Jesus meant that the sheep within the sheepfold represents the entire human race.

Jesus knows His sheep that He leads out of the sheepfold, and they know Him. This can only mean that they enjoy a personal friendship with Him. Since Jesus knows every one of His sheep that He leads out of the sheepfold, then it cannot be possible that anyone will go to the regions of death because no preacher came to preach to them. To preach otherwise makes the preacher a necessary part of the gospel. The only gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as preached by the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 15:1-4.

Jesus also knows His sheep that He created in His image that remain within the sheepfold. He loves all of them, and since His Love cannot fail, He will visit all of them who reside within the regions of death, and He will cause all of them to come to know Him as the Lamb of God who can save them and resurrect them. Christ will provide a lesser form of salvation for them because He can never lose anything He has ever created. Ecclesiastes 3:14; Revelation 5:11-14; John 5:28-29; I Corinthians 13:8; Luke 3:6; Luke 20:38; I Corinthians 15:22; Revelation 21:1-5.