What does Jesus say in John 17:12 about keeping those the Father gave Him?
In John 17:12, Jesus says He kept those the Father gave Him in the Father's name, and none of them was lost. Speaking of His earthly ministry, He declares that all whom the Father entrusted to Him were preserved, with none lost.
Les explains that John 17 is Christ's high priestly prayer, and while the men Jesus refers to are the eleven, they are a picture of all who would one day become the Lord's through salvation. In verse 6 Jesus says He manifested the Father's name to the men the Father gave Him out of the world; they were the Father's, and He gave them to Jesus. Les notes that those eleven were not believers until Christ came, so God already had His finger on them. Then in verse 12, speaking of His earthly ministry, Jesus says, 'I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost.'
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
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What does Jesus mean in John 17:12 when He says He kept them in the Father's name?
In John 17:12, Jesus' statement about keeping the men in the Father's name refers to His earthly ministry.