⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

⁹ I am the door.

Jesus is the access to eternal life (Jn 14:6). He is the sole means to enter the safety of the sheepfold. There is no utopia outside of Him.

If anyone enters by Me [emphatic],

Everyone begins on the outside of the fold. Each one must enter through Jesus. Those who make the decision that Jesus is the way to eternal life immediately enter an eternal fellowship with other believers and with God (Jn 10:28).

he will be saved,

Those who believe in Christ will ensure that their souls are safe and secure. Jesus is the protector of the sheep. He saves from both sin and damnation; people will be saved from the means and the end. This is the condition of the result of being saved.

John used the Greek word for “saved” five times in the gospel (Jn 3:17; 5:34; 12:27, 47). Except for 12:27, all of the uses refer to the idea of saved to eternal life, as it is in our phrase here.

and will go in and out

Jesus will provide daily needs for the spiritual sustenance of believers. They will be nourished and refreshed. Beyond salvation of the soul, those who enter eternal life by Christ will have access to God’s operating assets. Salvation means, in addition to receiving eternal life, that the believer will be sustained in the daily routine of everyday living the life that God gives.

and find pasture.

This phrase is a figure of plenty. God’s sheep will find lush, green pastures for their nourishment. God’s people will find many divine provisions beyond salvation itself. There is nothing restricting about Christ’s sheep.

PRINCIPLE:

Jesus provides divine operating assets for life with God.

APPLICATION:

Genuine believers receive freedom from guilt and the misery of the effects of sin. They also receive divine operating assets to live for the Lord day by day. The way of all divine fellowship and communion is through Christ.