The religious leaders of Israel did not enter by the door (Jesus) meaning they didn’t get saved through faith, but they practiced and taught justification by obedience to their man-made doctrines.
In this context, the shepherd who enters by the door refers to Jesus, but true pastors (shepherds) also enter by the door (Jesus) — they are saved by Grace through faith in Jesus, and they teach that to their congregations as well.
The gatekeeper (or doorkeeper) is the Law.
The only way to appease and fulfill the requirements of the Law is to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior — Jesus fulfilled the Law on our behalf.
Then the door will open to you and you will enter into eternal life.
If you are a sheep (believer) then you will hear Jesus’ voice through the Holy Spirit that indwells you — not hearing it audibly through your ears, but speaking from within your heart.
The shepherd (Jesus) goes out before the sheep — Jesus will prepare your way and lead you in the direction you should go.
“A stranger” refers to any false preacher or teacher, including the religious leaders of Israel who taught false man-made doctrines.
If you’re a believer with the Holy Spirit inside you, you will be able to discern true teaching from false teaching based on the peace or absence of peace in your heart when you hear it.
The sheep didn’t listen to the thieves and robbers who came before Jesus — the people of Israel were disinterested in the things taught by the religious leaders of Israel because they could perhaps sense that it wasn’t true.
The moment you enter by the door (Jesus) by faith, you are saved and have eternal life.
You can come in and go out freely — you have more freedom and access than unbelievers — the Christian life is not small and restricted.
Unbelievers can’t access the sheepfold beyond the door. You can!
The devil is definitely a thief who kills, steals and destroys, but the passage above is not talking about the devil — in this context, the “thief” refers to the religious leaders of Israel.
They killed the people by stealing the true meaning of the Scriptures from them, destroying their lives.
On the other hand, Jesus came to give eternal life to anyone who believes in Him. Not just to let believers barely survive, but to enjoy abundant life — all the benefits of eternal life and the gift of righteousness.
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