As followers of Jesus Christ we must guard our hearts and minds against relying upon Scriptures, taught out of context, to teach us the truth of the gospel. So many people today are creating a gospel of salvation that is not of God, and that is not consistent with the teachings of the Scriptures, because they are teaching the Scriptures outside of their correct biblical context. And some (or many) of them are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who are doing this purposefully in order to lead the people to believe the lies.

Here are some of the Scriptures that are typically taught out of context:

I Give Them Eternal Life

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30 NIV)

Taught out of context, this is typically used to assure all who profess the name of Jesus that their salvation (genuine or not) is secured for them for eternity, and that not even their deliberate and habitual sinful lifestyles and practices, and their refusal to surrender to God to obey God’s commands, in practice, will keep them out of heaven for eternity. But why do they leave out verse 27 which tells us who “they” are? Mostly this is done by liars and deceivers in order to give a false message of grace. For Jesus said,

“27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

So, it is not all who say they believe in Jesus who have this promise, but all who are truly his followers (his sheep) who are listening to the Lord, who are heeding (obeying) his commands, and who are following him in living self-controlled, upright, and godly lives, for his glory. Yes, it is possible that we might still sin (1 John 2:1-2), but if sin is our practice, and not obedience to God, we will not inherit eternal life with God (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Galatians 5:16-18; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 3:4-10).

In Christ Jesus

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2 NIV)

Taught out of context, often this is used to assure all who profess the name of Jesus that they truly are “in Christ,” and therefore they are not under the condemnation of God, so no matter how much they sin, those sins will not be charged against them, and heaven will still be secured for them no matter how they live. And it is very popular today to tell people who are, indeed, deliberately and habitually sinning against God, that they should just “claim who you are in Christ,” as though that covers all their deliberate sins.

But God, via Jesus as our sin offering “…condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4)

So, those who are “in Christ” are all who, by the grace of God, no longer live (in practice) according to the flesh (in sin) but according to (in agreement with) the Holy Spirit, in surrender to our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, in the power of God. For “our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6). For we are slaves of the one we obey, either of sin, leading to death, or of obedience, leading to righteousness and to eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

My Sheep

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

Out of Context 1
An Original Work / February 9, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love