Jesus says,
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” –John 6:44
No person on the face of the planet has the ability or desire to come to Christ unless the Father draws that person to Christ.
And when once the Father draws a person to Christ, what does Christ say that he does to that person? He raises them up on the last day.
Why does he raise them up on the last day?
He does so because, he has come to do the Fathers will, which is that he raise up every individual that the Father gives him.
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should loose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”-John 6:37-39
Look carefully:
Fact1: No one is able to come to Christ unless they are drawn to him by the Father.
Fact2: Every single person who the Father gives to Christ, Christ will certainly raise up on the last day.
Consider this, if you are completely wedded to the idea that God must endeavor to save everyone equally because everyone deserves a “chance” and otherwise, he’s not “loving” or “fair.” Then you are forced into a position of absolute Universalism, where every person without distinction will be saved. Because if this drawing is universal, then the salvation that accompanies it must be universal.
Keeping in mind that (in light of such clear passages as Psa. 51:5; Psa. 58:3; Rom. 1: 18-25; Rom. 3:9-18, 23; Rom. 6:23; Rom. 8:7-8; Eph. 2:1-3 and Mat. 10:28, just to skim the surface), no one deserves a “chance” and if God gave to every man what the deserved, every man on the face of the earth would go immediately to Hell. And that if grace is grace, then it cannot be grounded in the merit or “worthiness” of the creature, so God is not obligated to be gracious to anyone in anyway at anytime, ever. Individuals only ever receive mercy or justice from God. No one will ever receive injustice.
Otherwise, you must conclude that God has mercifully worked to save a particular undeserving people in Christ. And this work he will certainly accomplish, because he is faithful to carry out to completion the good work he begins in a person.
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” –Philippians 1:6
There is NO other option.
It must be the latter, and this work he has accomplished before the foundation of the world, because God chose us who are “faithful saints” in Christ before the foundation of the world.
“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.”-Ephesians 2:4-5
However this work is obviously occurring in time, and God has always used means to accomplish his purposes. And God’s choosing of a particular people in Christ in no way removes the command for his people to continue preaching the Gospel. The Gospel is the means. It is the power of God for salvation.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”-Romans 1:16
Not because it is attractive to dead, God hating rebels (don’t forget, “among whom we all once lived”-Eph. 2:1-3) but because it is “foolish” to them, and “a stumbling block” and by this God will save some.
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” -1 Corinthians 1:18
“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” –Corinthians 1:21
“But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” -1Corinthians 1:23-24
Don’t you see, that the difference between those to whom the gospel is a stumbling block and foolish, and those to whom it is the power and wisdom of God, is the particular calling of God? And this calling, which has its foundation in the active foreknowledge and predestination of God, necessarily results in justification and glorification, so it cannot be a universal calling.
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed into the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” –Romans 8:29-30
Likewise, every person, regenerate and non-regenerate alike, has a moral obligation because of who God is to recognize him as King and Lord and to turn from their willful sin against his holiness to repentance. God electing a particular people in Christ and working for their salvation, in no way removes this obligation from those whom he elects. They also must repent, and place their faith in Christ, because like the preaching of the Gospel, repentance and faith are the means by which God saves his people.
Lastly, this sovereign work of God does not undermine or ignore the truth of such passages as John 3:16. It is certainly true and always stands that any individual who turns to Christ in repentance and faith will find him to be a perfect savior. And this is what we must boldly proclaim! Whoever believes in Christ will not perish under the just wrath of God, but will have everlasting life. John 3:16 says everything about what will certainly occur when a person runs to Christ in faith, but is says nothing about who has the ability to run to Christ in faith. John addresses that elsewhere, namely in chapter 6, 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”
As believers we praise God that he is merciful and has not left us in our wickedness. We praise God that he has graciously caused us to love that which we once hated, namely himself. We praise God that he is now working in us to will and to do according to his good pleasure.
The Scriptures do not teach that God tries as hard as he can and fails with regularity.
The Scriptures do however, teach that God is Sovereign and mighty, and accomplishes ALL of his purposes.
“Declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My council shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” –Isaiah 46:10
Shouldn’t John 6:44 cause us to fall on our face and weep with joy at the mercy of the Lord? Praise God for his salvation purpose, which he is accomplishing in Christ Jesus.
