John 10:26

[Muhd]

"10 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
...
"26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep."

Universalist response?

[Molly]

Ba-a-a-a-a

[jabcat]

1) Context..the setting, and to whom?    And 2) reconciliation of the whole of scripture.  One isolated verse can pretty much be used to appear as if it supports about anything we want it to support.

[WhiteWings]

Luke 15:4  What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

The 1 lost sheep is a unbeliever.
The shepard lays down his life for an unbeliever. And that's exactly what Jesus did. Lay down is life for the lost sheep.

[Tony N]

"10 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
...
"26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep."

Universalist response?

Joh 10:11 I am the Shepherd ideal. The ideal shepherd is laying down his soul for the sake of the sheep.

He gave Himself a ransom for all mankind (1 Timothy 2:4-6) and based upon that, all mankind will be saved.

[jabcat]

Addendum to my post...because one may not be a believer (His sheep) at some particular time, doesn't mean they won't become one in the future.  Some believe now, all later.

[Nathan]

"10 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
...
"26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep."

Universalist response?

Two ways to read this . . . the traditional way . . .or the personal experience way . . .traditional way is to read it as you were taught to read it.  And that is .  . Christ only laid down his life for the saints . .not the sinners .  .

Personal experience way has a big problem with that because, just in saying it . . . it makes no sense.  If the saints were already saints . .what is the need for Christ to come and lay his life down then?  Did Christ die for those who don't believe?  Of course he did . . .but that doesn't make them his sheep.  What makes them his sheep is their submission to the shepherd.  

11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.  13The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Throwing those two verses together like that is a prime example of twisting what Scripture is saying.  The message is not about who's in and who's out . . .it's about those to whom you submit to.  If you submit yourself to doctrinal leadership, these guys . . .specifically the Jewish traditionalists hearing his message . . . the religious leaders are not looking out for "your" best interests . .they are looking out for their own . .they are hirlings.  They teach you what they teach you, not because they care about you, but because that's what they're paid to do . . ."That's" the message there . . .it's got nothing to do with who Jesus died for.

At least that's "my" take on it.