The Father’s Choice

Lesson #106

As Jesus reveals more to the crowd before him it does not result in greater clarity for his listeners, but instead produces greater resistance. Without understanding and accepting the virgin birth, what Jesus is saying about himself simply is not possible and in the minds of the people it does not make any sense and is the cause of their grumbling. As Jesus continues to share we will find this resistance to increase to alarming levels. But let us not get ahead of our text and spend some time with verse 44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (ESV).

As we move forward we must keep in mind, and we will see again and again, that this drawing of God is not in conflict with our choosing to come or with our wanting to come, but without this drawing being decisive on the part of God no one would come. What Jesus says in verse 44 is essentially said in five other passages: John 6:37, John 6:63 – 65, John 8:47, John 10:26 – 27, and John 12:37 – 40. We will look at these passages to help give clarity to what Jesus is saying.

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37 ESV). The Father gives people to his Son as a gift and everyone given will comes; none drop by the wayside when coming. Each one that comes is accepted by the Son. Jesus accepts us as a gift from the Father and then he gives to us eternal life as a gift. In the process of coming God is preparing our heart to be spiritually ready for being born again. Who are these people the Father gives? They are the ones in verse 44 that the Father draws; the ones chosen “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit” (1 Peter 1:3 NASB). This drawing is the deciding cause that compels us to come to Jesus Christ; it is what opens our eyes to see and our minds to comprehend spiritual things.

What about those who do not believe? What does Jesus say about them? In our next lesson we will look at John 6:63 – 65, our second of five passages, and see what Jesus says.

Prayer

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV). Father, this extremely familiar verse tells what you do and it tells what the one who believes has, but it does not say anything about how one comes to believe. We have now learned how one comes to believe; it is the result of the Father drawing and giving to Jesus. Father, thank you for showing me that I am no better than some of my friends who are still unsaved. My salvation is totally from grace as there was nothing that I was able to do to help in my coming. Thank you for your love and grace. Thank you for bringing me to Jesus Christ.