I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.
“eternal life” speaks of the quantity of life: it will never end. It starts when we accept it and continues on forever after that.
Note that this is a gift and cannot be earned or paid for. It is free and it is perfectly suited to us. We have a living soul so God gives us life. Our soul is an immortal soul, so He gives us eternal life. His provision is perfect and matches our need.
“snatch” = harpazo = to snatch up, to take by force. Matthew Henry says that “The Shepherd is so careful of their welfare that he has them not only within his fold, and under his eye, but in his hand, interested in his special love and taken under his special protection.” Nobody and nothing can take us away from Jesus. “Our continuance in eternal life depends not on our feeble hold on Christ, but on His firm grip on us.” (Morris) There will be attempts made, but He will never let go.
Jesus promises life to his sheep:
- quality of life
- quantity of life
- security of life
“perish” = There is a real hell and those who are not in the flock of Christ will go there for all eternity. They will never suffer annihilation, for our souls are immortal, but they will suffer punishment forever. Hell is the eternal loss of comfort and the eternal loss of happiness. It is something to be avoided at all costs, but the good news is that we don’t have to “pay” anything to avoid it — the price has already been paid by Christ. All we need do is accept His free gift.