Through The Bible in a Year - July 10, 2026

"So Jesus again said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.'" - John 10:7-9

A traveler visiting the Holy Land once stood inside an ancient sheepfold—a small room formed by rocks stacked against a hillside with one small opening. She asked the shepherd where the door was. He looked at her as if she'd asked something slightly ridiculous, then lay down across the opening.

"I am the door," he said.

No wood. No hinges. No lock. The shepherd himself was the door. He lay across the entrance so that nothing could get in or out without going through him. His body was his sheep’s protection.

When Jesus said "I am the door," this is exactly what He meant. He is not a door among many doors. He is the door through whom all who enter will be saved and the door that will close to protect all who enter from danger.

He is the true door—giving himself for our spiritual safety and salvation. And He is the door that will open to all who want His care.

The unified message of Scripture from Genesis through Revelation underscores two vital truths. First: "You are not your Redeemer."

Second: “No one but Jesus can redeem you from this world’s spiritual dangers.” Not Abraham. Not Moses. Not David. Not you by your good deeds, your prayers, your church attendance, your moral record. None of these are the door to your spiritual safety.

"I am the door," Jesus says. "If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved."

Jesus says that He is the door to make it clear you can't provide for your spiritual safety by yourself. But he also makes it clear that He is the door provided for you—opened not by your abilities but by faith in His.

Respond: Honest question: What are you still trying to add to Jesus’ provision as the basis for your eternal safekeeping? More consistent Bible reading? Better behavior? More generous giving? Years of faithful church attendance?

None of those things will be the door to your eternal safety. They may be good things—but they are not the way in. Only Jesus is.

This week, practice saying this: "I am not the door. He is. My relationship with God is through what He has done, not what I do. He has opened the door for me. Trust him for your spiritual safety. He is the best door—and the only door that will truly open eternity for you and protect you from every evil that would endanger it."

Let that penny drop from your head to your heart.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confess that I am always tempted to go through other doors to get to God—my good behavior, my religious track record, my efforts to be worthy. Forgive me. You are the true door, the only door, and the open door. My standing before God is not based on what I bring but on what You have done. You laid down your life across the entrance of eternity, inviting me to pass through safely and be protected eternally. Thank you for being a door for me. In Your name, Amen.