John 10:9 Commentary and Bible Study

To understand the passage, you must realise in effect Christ is introducing the new fold. There is the sheepfold of Israel: the true Messiah enters in by the door, he arrives on earth, he calls out his own sheep, they leave that fold and now, in verse 9, is introduced, as it were, another fold, and that is the fold of the Christian Church. ‘I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.’ They have been led out of the one but here is a fold, a new fold, anyone who enters into this by Jesus Christ, the only Saviour, is a true child of God. Since Christ’s whole message is constantly about repentance and remission of sin and acceptance with God, that is clearly what he means by being saved. ‘And shall go in and out’, have liberty of access to God. ‘And find pasture’, they will be spiritually nourished and fed and built up.‘Shall go in and out, and find pasture.’ That might seem to be strange language, but if a sheep is led out of the fold then he is feeding in the pasture-land. If he is in the fold, he is in safety and rest overnight, and this going in and out represents two aspects of the Christian life, in which there is liberty to go out and feed, and safety and security, and they are very beautiful aspects. We come to Christ, we repent of our sin, we are truly converted, we find him, we have liberty; liberty from sin, liberty from judgement. And at the same time we have security and rest, and the going in and out represents clearly both the liberty and the security of the children of God.