John 10:24-31 “Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.”

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Throughout the Word of God, the relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and His people is set forth in the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep. In the shepherd-sheep relationship set forth in John 10, one of the most distinguishing characteristics is the type of life His sheep enjoy. His sheep enjoy an imparted life! I used the word “imparted” because His sheep possess a life that comes from another. This divine truth is projected in four ways. The life is presented by another, “I give unto them.” The life that we have as believers was not earned, merited, or deserved; it was a gift from God. The word “give” means to bestow, commit, deliver, offer, or grant. The life is protected by another, “neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” This life is not maintained or preserved by the believer, but by the God that has saved them. It is no more possible to keep yourself saved than it was to save yourself. This protection is due to the fact that He is our shepherd and we are in His hand! The life is made permanent by another, “eternal life; and they shall never perish.” The word “perish” means to destroy fully, to perish or lose. Think what Jesus has just told His people! You have been presented a life by another, protected by another, and it cannot be destroyed or lost because of another. This life is perpetuated by another, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). It is Christ that lives His life through the believer. If you are one of His sheep, this is the kind of life you have, for it is the only kind “The Shepherd” gives!