The Eternal Identity of the Sheep: Election and the Mission of the Good Shepherd

Among the many profound metaphors Jesus used to describe His redemptive mission, none is more intimate and revealing than that of the Good Shepherd and His sheep. The language of John 10 is not figurative sentiment; it is theological truth grounded in eternity. The distinction between sheep and goats is not one that begins in human response but in divine election. Jesus did not come to transform goats into sheep but to find, call, and redeem those sheep whom the Father had already given Him before the foundation of the world.

1. Sheep and Goats: Two Distinct Natures

In Scripture, the sheep and goats represent two spiritually distinct identities — not interchangeable categories.

Sheep represent those who belong to God’s covenant — chosen, known, and loved by Him from eternity.

Goats represent those outside that covenant — independent, self-willed, and unreceptive to the Shepherd’s voice.

In Matthew 25:31–33, Jesus portrays the final judgment:

“He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.”

This is not a transformation scene but a recognition scene — a divine separation of what has always been true in God’s sight. The sheep are placed at His right hand because they belong to Him; the goats are placed at His left because they never did.

2. The Sheep Known Before the Foundation of the World

The eternal nature of the sheep is established in the Father’s foreknowledge and choice:

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” — Ephesians 1:4

Before creation itself, the names of the sheep were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 13:8). Their identity was sealed in eternity, long before they were born or believed. Thus, Jesus says:

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me.” — John 6:37

Those words carry the weight of divine certainty. The giving happens in eternity; the coming happens in time. The Father’s choice guarantees the Son’s mission, and the Spirit’s calling ensures the sheep’s response.

3. The Mission of the Good Shepherd

Jesus declares:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” — John 10:11

Notice that His death is not general but specific — for the sheep. The Good Shepherd’s atonement is definite, not hypothetical. He did not die to make salvation possible for all; He died to secure salvation for His flock.

In verse 14–15, He adds:

“I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

This knowledge is not awareness but relationship — a mutual bond that mirrors the intimacy between the Father and the Son. Only those who are His sheep experience that communion.

4. Lost but Not Recreated: The Restoration of the Sheep

When Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), He was speaking of His own sheep who had wandered astray. They were not goats becoming sheep but sheep returning to their Shepherd.

This truth echoes through the parable in Luke 15:4–6:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine... and go after the one that is lost until he finds it ?”

The lost sheep was still a sheep — lost by position, not by nature. The Shepherd’s mission was to restore it, not to transform another species. Salvation, therefore, is not a change of spiritual identity but a reconciliation of the elect to their eternal Shepherd.

5. The Goats: The Unbelieving and the Self-Willed

In contrast, Jesus says to the unbelieving Jews:

“You do not believe because you are not My sheep.” — John 10:26

Notice the order: they do not become sheep by believing; they fail to believe because they are not sheep. The cause of unbelief lies not in lack of opportunity but in lack of divine relationship.

Goats represent those who may hear the external call of the Gospel but lack the inward grace to respond. Their nature resists the Shepherd’s voice, and their will stands independent of His leading.

6. The Certainty of the Sheep’s Salvation

The Shepherd’s relationship with His sheep is secure and unbreakable:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.” — John 10:27–28

Here, Jesus reveals the eternal security of the elect. Those who belong to Him cannot be lost again, because their salvation rests not on their strength but on the Shepherd’s promise.

The same hands that were pierced for them are the hands that hold them forever.

7. Theological Summary

Category Description Eternal Status Relation to Christ

Sheep The elect — chosen, known, redeemed Chosen before creation Loved, called, secured

Goats The reprobate — self-willed, unbelieving Never chosen Rejected for unbelief

Lost Sheep Elect who strayed Temporarily lost Found and restored by the Shepherd

Thus, the Gospel is not a universal appeal hoping for conversion of goats but a divine summons calling the lost sheep home.

• The Shepherd’s mission is rooted in eternity and accomplished in time.
• He did not come to change goats into sheep, but to call His sheep by name and bring them safely home.
• The sheep were always His — chosen, known, and loved before the world began.
• Their wandering was temporal; their belonging is eternal.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” — John 10:28

And in that eternal assurance lies the glory of divine grace — that redemption is not the creation of new sheep, but the homecoming of the lost ones whom the Shepherd will never abandon.

By

Dr. P. A. Raj ( MTh, PhD)

Theologian, Author, Bible Commentary 

Founder, YTAM, INDIA