So, the discussion remains whether those who observe these and other symptoms of decline within the SBC should stay in or leave. Michelle Lesley suggests a few required changes within the SBC to transform it and remove false teaching from the church for those contemplating remaining within:
There would be no more conferences, simulcasts, or leadership training seminars featuring false teachers, and false teachers would certainly not be invited to speak in any capacity at the annual Southern Baptist Convention.
Pastors, authors, and speakers who attempted to build a career inside the SBC by teaching false doctrine would be subject to church discipline for their sin, not turned into celebrities or appointed or elected to denominational leadership positions.
Messenger voting privileges at the Convention would be revoked for churches which habitually and unrepentantly welcome false teachers.
If the Bible were to become our sufficient authority for both orthodoxy and orthopraxy, our eyes would quickly be opened to the enormity of the hold false doctrine has on our denomination, churches, and individuals, and we would act accordingly and biblically.
As long as your church doesn’t affirm homosexuality and gives to the Cooperative Program, you’re in. Never mind if your pastor twists God’s word until it’s unrecognizable.Or lets women and false teachers get behind the pulpit like Steven Furtick does. Or plays AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” on Easter Sunday and says he probably wouldn’t have strippers on stage like Perry Noble does. Or any of the other ridiculous and blasphemous shenanigans so many of the seeker sensitive types in our denomination pull. Nope, as long as you give your money and stand on the right side of homosexuality, you’re good to go.
Michelle Lesley. “‘Wayback Wednesday’ ~ It’s Time for a Reformation in the SBC – 3 Issues We Need to Set Right.” Michelle Lesley- Discipleship for Christian Women, 27 Apr. 2021, a Reformation in the SBC – 3 Issues We Need to Set Right.”
We’ve observed the continued unwillingness within the executive level (and spreading through local churches) to stand firm on the sufficiency of Scripture and bend to the will and expectations of the secular world. This is observed through Mohler’s comments regarding the sin of women in ministry, Rice’s comments regarding those who attempt to stand firm, Litton’s excuses for the sin of plagiarism, the promulgation of many false teachings such as tithing and the continued allowance of local church pastors to defy the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) with impunity. Then, when someone such as Gary Leroy, a messenger from Tulip Grove Baptist Church in Old Hickory, TN, spoke at the 2021 annual convention and suggested doing something to initiate a transformation, they are essentially ignored. Leroy proposed setting up satellite locations throughout the country to allow more messengers to participate at the annual convention without having to travel, in person, to the annual gathering and, thus, increase the voting power of the local church members who desire to engage in such changes. There was the sound of crickets and the convention moderators quickly transitioned to another issue.
But, despite it all, Leroy still dared to stand up and speak out. Others still see the value of remaining within the SBC to bring transformation. Lesley also surmised, “There are several brave and hardy Joes and Janes out there who still have fight left in them. Who believe the SBC is worth saving. Who believe it can be turned around if there’s a groundswell of involvement from the grassroots.” (Lesley, Michelle. “Change in the SBC? Field Notes from the Grassroots.” Michelle Lesley- Discipleship for Christian Women, 30 Apr. 2021, michellelesley.com/ 2021/04/30/change-in- the-sbc-field-notes-from-the-grassroots/)
Chuck Kelley in a June 17, 2020 blogpost, “The Dilemma of Decline: Part 9 – Can the SBC Be Born Again?” made the following assertions regarding the needs of the SBC in dealing with this decline:
Declare the rebirth of evangelism! Publicly.
Focus on the essentials. Win the children of the church and community to Christ, baptizing them and guiding them into life as disciples of Christ. Teach students the basic skills and practices of discipleship, including how to walk with God, discern truth, and live on mission to reach others. Engage adults in Bible study and some aspect of ministry in the church.
Most importantly, REPENT!” and “God must move in us first, if He is ever to move in our churches. God will not bless those unpleasing to Him. We must become blessable or we will become expendable. The hindrance to revival is us. All of us.
“The Dilemma of Decline: Part 9 – Can the SBC Be Born Again?” Dr. Chuck Kelley, Dr. Chuck Kelley, 17 June 2020, www.drchuckkelley.com/post/the-dilemma-of-decline-part-9- can-the-sbc-be-born-again.
The crucial point from Kelley here appears to be “REPENT!” I fail to compare Kelley’s concept of repent and that found within Scripture with the vague statements claiming to an apology coming from Litton and those supporting him.
Jared Longshore on the Founder’s Ministries June 29, 2021 podcast, “Shenanigans: Resolution 9, President Ed Litton, Whistleblowers and a Watching World,” in addressing the sins of racism and sexual abuse, clearly stated:
I’m convinced that the Christians that assemble there for the Southern Baptist Convention abominate both of those sins should abominate them that’s not the that’s not a fork in the road the fork in the road is are you going to follow Yahweh are you going to follow Baal you know it’s Elijah showing up and saying if Baal is god serve him and if the Lord is God then follow Him but how long are you going to go on limping between two opinions so that that is our message to the Southern Baptist Convention at large and the leadership that is highly concerned about the world watching them it is choose this day whom you will serve who is it going to be and for those who are a part of what’s going on in the like they’re with us they see all of the problems our encouragement to you is go on being a jolly warrior truly love your brothers and sisters in christ and when shame comes or you’re ruled out of order for the 17th time you say well I still, I love all of these people and I love them enough to stay here and to continue to speak the truth to you and pray that God will send that rain.
“TS&TT: #SBC21 Shenanigans: Resolution 9, President Ed Litton, Whistleblowers and a Watching World.” YouTube, Founders Ministries, 29 June 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_0z3AoDds, 44:58.
Tom Ascol concluded by this same podcast by exhorting:
Let your your main focus of your life be built around your church I mean serve the local church brothers and sisters. Christ died for the church he didn’t die for denominations. Praise God for every good thing that a association of churches does but build your life around a healthy church. Do whatever you can to find a healthy church and then establish yourself in that healthy church so that you can receive the benefits and you can also help provide benefits that Jesus Christ himself has provided through that mechanism this is His idea and as you do so if your Southern Baptist or your church is affiliated with that well good. Now don’t treat that as the most important thing in the world but if you’re going to be affiliated with it try to work for its health. If you’re not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention fine you know that’s fine too you’ve got a local church build your life around that church but don’t be completely unconcerned about what happens in the SBC because what happens in the SBC matters and it will have an impact that ripples out through the evangelical world in North America and indeed around the world through our mission endeavors.
“TS&TT: #SBC21 Shenanigans: Resolution 9, President Ed Litton, Whistleblowers and a Watching World,” 45:59.
There seems to be more encouraging news. During his Tuesday presentation at the 2021 convention, International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood gave seemingly encouraging data regarding missions activities during the pandemic of 2020. Chitwood shared 500 missionaries were sent, 247 new people groups and places were reached, 769,494 people heard a Gospel witness (up from 500,000 in 2019), 144,322 new believers, 86,587 people were baptized and 18,380 churches were planted. (Leslie Peacock Caldwell. “’Together, We Press toward the Vision,’ Chitwood Assures Southern Baptists.” Baptist Press, 15 June 2021, www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/together- we-press-toward-the-vision-chitwood-assures-southern-baptists/) Many theological conservatives remaining within the SBC remain hopeful for lasting changes with news like this.
Voddie Bauchamon, on the “Conversations That Matter” podcast with Jon Harris July 29, 2021, provided a clear assertion relating to a discussion on whether to stay: “America is a huge country and a lot of people are a lot of people despair because they think that big eva is Christianity in America and that’s just not true there are thousands of prophets who have not bought their knee to baal.” (Conversations That Matter. “Voddie Baucham Answers Questions on Social Justice and Christianity.” YouTube, Conversations That Matter, 29 July 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF0vynYCK_s, 46.22) Assuming this statement is true and many have not succumbed to false teaching and many remain grounded in the truth of Scripture, shouldn’t everyone agree to remain within the SBC to enact necessary changes? Well, not everyone agrees.
A growing number of those who observe the decline decide to leave rather than stay within and fight to overcome false teaching. Among many, there are a few notable SBC local congregations leaving recently, as can be easily found online:
- Southside Baptist Church, Gallatin, Tennessee in August 2019
- First Baptist Church of Victoria, Missouri in September 2019
- Fellowship Baptist Church, Steinhatchee, Florida in September 2019
- Grace Life Church, Muscle Shoals, Alabama in October 2019
- Shelbyville Baptist Church, Shelbyville, Tennessee in July 2021
- Pray’s Mill Baptist Church, Douglasville, Georgia in January 2022
J. D. Hall (left the SBC years earlier), on the Polemics Report podcast for June 23rd, 2021, said, “many southern baptist pastors are trying to sweep the problem under the rug and go it’s not a big deal it’s not a big deal it’s not a big deal.” (Protestia. 2021. “Rod Martin and JD Hall: Puritanism vs Separatism in the SBC.” Youtube. June 24, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7UMLtsNHk, 69:18) Hall also asserted “the body of Christ is the church. God moves through that body and He moves from that body” (Protestia. 2021. “Rod Martin and JD Hall: Puritanism vs Separatism in the SBC.” Youtube. June 24, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7UMLtsNHk, 69:42) from the pulpit to the pew and into the world. But, he rightly claimed that this has been distorted because “social justice and critical theory marxism all of that that is being pressed upon us from outside the church from the seminaries from the para-church ministries upon the pews or pulpits it’s backwards.” (Protestia. 2021. “Rod Martin and JD Hall: Puritanism vs Separatism in the SBC,” 70:22)
J.D. Hall also, on the “Conversations that Matter” podcast with John Harris July 12, 2021, attempted to poke holes in the argument to stay within the SBC due to missions:
So when these pastors get on Twitter and they say the SBC is the greatest mission tool made you know ever invented by God for the expansion of the great commission it is not the SBC is one of the most wasteful poor stewardship organizations created in the mind of the devil.
Conversations That Matter. “J.D. Hall on the Southern Baptist Convention.” YouTube, 12 July 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJDALQlOW0Q. 22:27.
On this same podcast, Hall makes a clear historical correlation between the struggle over proper doctrine during the Reformation. Those who remained were called puratists and those who decided to leave were referred to as separatists. Siding with the separatist position in the modern context, Hall rightly asserted the following:
Jesus did not die for the SBC He’s not coming back for the SBC it’s not a church it’s not like the church of Corinth that no matter how bad it is you got to stick with it you are free to leave it there is I’ve I have five children one of them with a learning disability I have a wife that is hard working and needs love and attention I have a church of 127 people that I have to minister to daily why would I put one more fight on my plate to save an institution that is not one that was made by God but made by men I want to fight for institutions made by made by God which is the family and the Church.
Conversations That Matter. “J.D. Hall on the Southern Baptist Convention,” 19:24.
This side of the discussion relies on the premise that the SBC is not infallible and is not a God-ordained institution but is rather a man-made institution and strict allegiance to it is not required.
In his “Conversations that Matter” podcast June 17, 2021, “8 Reasons to Leave the SBC,” Jon Harris makes the following assertions in support of leaving the SBC:
- God commands believers not to be bound with unbelievers
- It is not wise stewardship to give to an organization that is inefficient in missions and promotes false teaching
- It is most likely impossible to recapture the convention for orthodoxy
- There simply are not enough conservative leaders left willing to do the hard work of reform
- Attempting to recover that a convention wastes time and resources spent better spent building alternatives
- We live in a post-institutional world
- Even if the sbc is recaptured accountability, transparency and orthodoxy are threatened because of its size
- It is much more acceptable efficient and fulfilling to function on a local lever according to human scale. (Conversations That Matter. “8 Reasons to Leave the SBC.” June 17, 2021. Last modified June 17, 2021. Accessed September 25, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc0diF7ihk8. 17:31)
Harris makes a few strong statements here. First, he clearly asserts that the current leadership within the SBC are “unbelievers” and we are not to “be bound with” them. This contention would definitely be exemplified throughout our earlier view into the symptoms of decline within the SBC. Second, he definitely disagrees with still supporting the missionary efforts of the SBC due to their observable financial mishandlings and obvious promotion of false teaching among church planters. Third, he claims it would be both “impossible to recapture” the convention and there are “not enough conservative leaders” to reform. This is clearly explained with the increasing number of theological liberals in leadership as well as the growing number of individuals and local churches leaving the convention due to the decline. Lastly, he successfully argues for a return to focusing on the efficiency of the local church because the sheer size of the convention threatens “accountability, transparency and orthodoxy” in the church.
Just when we may assume that the discussion to stay within or leave the convention is primarily a black and white issue, a third option emerges. Rod Martin is on the Steering Committee for the Conservative Baptist Network and was on the Executive Committee until he voluntarily withdrew in October 2021. Martin suggests synthesis may be a third option. In this way, a theological conservative would remain within the SBC to maintain the missionary efforts of the convention without financially supporting any other entity within the convention, including the Cooperative Program.
Based on this premise, Martin suggests there may be another option other than complete withdrawal and full fellowship that amounts to full participation with convention life while effectively defunding specific entities. Martin spoke on the “Conversations that Matter” podcast on June 25, 2021, “Rod Martin on the State of the SBC.” While stating he is not advocating for it, Martin suggested that there is provision in Article III of the SBC Constitution for a local church to remain in cooperation with the convention and still retain messengers to the convention by not giving through the Cooperative Program but giving directly to any specific entity and, therefore, effectively “defund” entities they cannot morally support. (Conversations That Matter. “Rod Martin on the State of the SBC.” Youtube, June 25, 2021. Last modified June 25, 2021. Accessed September 25, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R_- IMPrayE, 12:19) Article III, section 1.3 of the Constitution of the SBC clearly allows for the recognition of messengers from a local church that, “Has made undesignated, financial contribution(s) through the Cooperative Program, and/or through the Convention’s Executive Committee for Convention causes, and/or to any Convention entity during the fiscal year preceding.” (“Constitution – SBC.Net.” n.d. Accessed March 27, 2020. https://www.sbc.net/about/what-we-do -legal-documentation/constitution/) This concept allows for a local church to remain within the SBC to attempt to change it from the inside while simultaneously not financially supporting anything other than its missionary efforts.
Despite its pragmatic approach, this type of synthesis does not address some of the key arguments from those willing to leave. First, it does not address the issue of the Biblical mandate to not associate with false teachers and we have clearly established that the current leadership and far too may local church pastors are clearly false teachers. Synthesis ignores this mandate. Second, it also ignores the fact that the rise of false teachers seems to equal the rate of prominent churches and leaders who have already decided to leave. As Harris stated, there is not enough of a viable remaining remnant to effectively reform the SBC from the inside. Lastly, Martin’s proposal also ignores the sheer organizational size of the SBC and its threat to any restored accountability, transparency and orthodoxy.
Martin spoke on the Polemics Report with J.D. Hall podcast June 24, 2021 and made the following assertions:
What’s at stake is an awful lot of stuff that really does matter and if it is fully controlled, it is not currently all fully controlled, but if it were fully controlled by people who were teaching false gospels it would be dangerous and extremely harmful to the body of Christ and so it is important from my point of view and understand the other point of view but it is important from my point of view that we understand we have six denominationally owned seminaries that collectively educate one third of all the seminary students on the continent they’re about 50,000 southern baptist churches they’re about 55,0000 churches in America however you define them and so we’re educating a very disproportionate number of their pastors and music ministers and what have you there’s that there’s the largest missionary force in evangelical Christendom we don’t want them on the mission field teaching heresy and also let us not forget the assets because just at Guidestone we’re gonna have almost 30 billion dollars of the Lord’s money that was given one witness might at a time that I don’t want invested in various you know transgender causes by whoever so I want to talk about worth preserving.
Conversations That Matter. “Rod Martin and JD Hall: Puritanism vs Separatism in the SBC.” Youtube, June 24, 2021. Last modified June 24, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7UML tsNHkw, 90:13.
Later in the same podcast, Martin makes the following macro analysis:
America the entire world is under a coordinated assault right now by a socialist movement that is broad and deep and extremely well financed everywhere you know whether it’s the Chinese communist party or George Soros or or just a bunch of democrats who believe in Antifa everywhere they are on the march and we need to not lose Christian institutions in this moment we’ve got to push back if we have any hope of saving not and we call it western civilization but you know what it really is it’s Christendom we need to fight this fight and we need to advance the gospel in the aftermath.
Conversations That Matter. “Rod Martin and JD Hall: Puritanism vs Separatism in the SBC,” 93:15.
Martin then agrees with Hall’s summary of his overall argument that “even not including the assets this is still a stewardship issue” (91:44) and “So long as there’s a mechanism where it’s possible to win we should stay in the fight so as to at the very least not hand it over to the devil.” (Conversations That Matter. “Rod Martin and JD Hall: Puritanism vs Separatism in the SBC,” 92:33) Hall followed up with asking:
Is it possible that the time and the energy spent necessary to save the stewardship of what has been built is it is it possible or do you can you perceive a time in which the time and energy and money and treasure it takes the sweat the blood the tears to save it is not worth the possible distraction from the gospel work and discipleship that needs to be done in the church and I ask this from a personal perspective of a man who has been distracted by things that really matter by focusing on things that don’t. Is it, is it a possibility that it’s not worth that fight?
Conversations That Matter. “Rod Martin and JD Hall: Puritanism vs Separatism in the SBC,” 94:01.
This last question alone seems to get at the heart of this matter by clearly asking, is it possibly not worth the fight because of the possible distraction from gospel work and discipleship by focusing on things that don’t really matter instead of the things really do matter? To ask it another way, is it time to forsake our devotion to the man-made institution of the Southern Baptist Convention and recommit our allegiance to the infallibility, inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture? I say, “Yes” to both! This sentiment can be clarified by the wise statement made by Martin later in this podcast, “I can’t think of an entity that I’d want to give to.” (Conversations That Matter. “Rod Martin and JD Hall: Puritanism vs Separatism in the SBC,” 1:57:21) Well said…
In contrast, Ascol and Longshore both clearly professed a dedication to remaining within the SBC to enact reform. In the September 21, 2021 Founder’s Ministry podcast, “Voddie Baucham | Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Part 2): Where Do We Go from Here?” Ascol refers to the reformation of the church by asserting, “We’ve got to go back to the basics of the Lordship of Christ, simplicity that’s in Christ and begin to build from that.” (Founders Ministries. 2021. “TS&TT: Voddie Baucham | Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Part 2): Where Do We Go from Here?” Youtube. September 21, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Zs_ImJe0k, 23:01) Longshore follows with, “So there are there are strategies and there are dangers and temptations and that’s why we talk about these things but ultimately there’s no way to manufacture the reformation that needs to happen.” (Founders Ministries. 2021. “TS&TT: Voddie Baucham | Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Part 2): Where Do We Go from Here?” 23:49) Baucham summarizes this by saying, “this is not complicated right it’s it’s hard.” (Founders Ministries. 2021. “TS&TT: Voddie Baucham | Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Part 2): Where Do We Go from Here?” 25:43) He later clarifies:
We have to have confessional standards and I think you know one of the problems is we’ve run away from confessional standards for so long and instead our standard has been you know personality driven, right, um, but we have to have confessional standards and then we have to do the basic work of shepherding the flock of leading and feeding, um, and and the other thing is I would say we have to fight to become local again.
Founders Ministries. 2021. “TS&TT: Voddie Baucham | Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Part 2): Where Do We Go from Here?” 26:07.
Eric Hill’s work reiterates this simplicity: “The point we must see, however, is that our Lord’s concept of preaching the gospel and making disciples is much simpler than our complicated and elaborate beliefs and practices of these commands.” (Eric M. Hill. What Preachers Never Tell You About Tithes & Offerings: The End of Clergy Manipulation & Extortion. SunHill Publishers, 2013. Chap 5, Kindle) Again, the question remains that if we have to get back to a focus on Christ as Lord, there is no way possible to create the reform that is needed and organizational size remains a threat then why remain in it?
2 Timothy 3:1-17 more fully explains the dangers of allowing false teaching to creep into the church and why we MUST separate from false teachers:
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
We often quote vv. 3-5, which describes the sinful attitudes and behaviors that characterize people in the last days and observe the warning to stay away from them. We often quote vv. 16-17, which describes the nature and purpose of Scripture and use vv. 10-15 as context. But, it appears we fail to delve into the wisdom within vv. 6-9. Verse 6 refers to ἐνδύνοντες, or “enter/hide/sneak/creep/worm into” which clearly indicates the subtleness by which false teaching slithers its way into the church. What does Paul clearly assert is the ONLY prevention and intervention in dealing with false teaching? SOUND DOCTRINE!
Jude 1:3-4 describes how deceptive and dangerous these false teachers are:
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
In v. 3, Jude uses Παρεισέδυσαν, or “crept in unawares/unnoticed.” This is a compound word using both παρά, or “from the side of/besides,” and εισδύνω, or “go into/enter or sink into/go alongside.” In this way, Jude is describing those who secretly slip in unaware and settle in among those who already there and do not notice them. In verse 4 we are warned that these people who sneek into and among us are both “ungodly” and turn the grace of God into ἀσέλγεια or “unbridled lust/shamelessness/
excess/shamelessness. 2 Peter 2:1-2 uses this same word in describing how these false teachers sneek in and cause many to follow their “depraved conduct”:
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
Similarly, both Jude and Peter highlight the destructive result for those who either perpetuate false teaching or those who follow it. Jude refers to “certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago” who “pervert the grace of our God” and Peter refers to false teachers “among the people” who bring “swift destruction on themselves.” In both references, these false teachers twist and pervert the teachings of God, deny Christ and cause their followers to believe their heresies and follow their depravity.
In John 10:1-10, Jesus also clearly asserts how false teachers creep and destroy:
‘Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.’ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’
Notice how v. 10 is often quoted within the church to highlight how Jesus gives abundant life but rarely is this verse placed in its correct context. Jesus is comparing Himself with the false teachers who creep in to “steal, kill and destroy.” Here Jesus uses the same imagery of someone creeping in from another way other than using the front door. Use of the front door is obvious and noticeable, even to the casual observer. Jesus calls “thieves and robbers” those who gain access “by some other way.”
Notice that Jesus also clarifies that those who follow the “stranger” are those who do not “recognize” the voice of the stranger because they are His followers and listen to His voice. So, those who listen to those who teach contrary to Jesus are following the stranger who has crept in and intends on causing destruction. Jesus and Jesus alone is our salvation and His followers listen to His voice.