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My Sheep Hear My Voice
Why is it that some respond positively to the voice of the Good Shepherd while others do not? The explanation that Jesus himself gives in John chapter 10 is that at the end of the day, his sheep are the ones who hear his voice, and that those who persist in unbelief are not among his sheep. What are the implications of this message on grace and free will? Are these new ideas or are they rooted in concepts taught throughout the Old Testament? Shane Rosenthal discusses these questions and more with Justin Holcomb, author of On the Grace of God.
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me,[a] is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there. (John 10:22-42)
Show Quote:
“… In the realm of Hollywood and unfortunately, in too many churches where you have freedom of the will, and “I can do this”—”I need Jesus as an example, not as a rescuer, or Savior, and reviving me from death”—and that the problem is not diagnosed as spiritually dead or needing rescue. Well, then, you just need some advice, not good news of a war that’s been conquered on your behalf.” – Justin Holcomb
Term to Learn:
“Concursus”
From the Latin verb concurrere, ‘to run together,’ the idea of concursus, or concurrence, in theology refers to the simultaneity of divine and human agency in specific actions and events. Sometimes God acts immediately and directly, but ordinarily he works through natural means. Aquinas employed the Aristotelian category of primary and secondary causes to make this point.
The concurrence that is necessary for a biblical doctrine of providence is not merely a general oversight but a direction of all events to their appointed ends. We can have confidence that God works all things together for our good only because all things are decreed by his wise counsels. It is only when we recognize God’s hand in everyday providence, through means, that we are able to attribute everything ultimately for his glory. If it were not for his providence and use of ordinary means, we would have no ground for praising God when good things are received through free human agents and natural means. This doctrine of concursus is likewise true in relation to the means of grace and prayer. God has ordained the use of preaching, as well as prayer, for more marvelous ends then we ourselves could cause, things pertaining to salvation. Prayer, therefore, is more than a therapeutic catharsis—venting our fears and frustrations or expressing our hopes and dreams to one who cares but is incapable of overruling in the affairs of free creatures. Prayer presupposes that God is sovereign over every contingency of nature and history.
This doctrine of concursus allows us to say that God works all things together for the salvation of his elect—even their material circumstances. Ordinary daily occurrences —trials, disasters, tragedies, personal encounters, formative events—become occasions for God’s saving hand to reach into our lives, whether we recognize it or not. This doctrine is vividly seen in the life of Joseph in Genesis 50:20,
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Adapted from Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way, pp. 356–58).
(This podcast is by White Horse Inn. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)