(This post is part of a series on John chapter 6. To read the first post in the series click here.)
John 6:37, 44 and 65
All that the Father gives me will come to me…
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him….
And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
How Did God Give People to Christ?
We have discussed the context of Jesus’ conflict with the Jewish authorities and the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant in the Gospel of John. Now all that is left is to finish un-wrapping the other two so-called “Calvinist verses” in John chapter 6.
We have seen that the Father was placing his faithful followers under the Lordship of Messiah. And since they are obedient to the Father, Christ is able to confidently say, “They will come to me.” When we consult the context of John 6:37 we discover that there is not the slightest hint of Calvinism found in it. Reformed theology has read its doctrines into the verse and then tried to validate its error by appealing to it.
Now we need to turn our attention to John 6:44 and 65. We started off by asking who God gave to Christ, now we must ask how he gave them. These two verses are closely related to John 6:37. John 6:37 tells us that the Father is giving his followers to the Son. John 6:44 tells us how he gives them, namely by “drawing” them to Jesus. And John 6:65 reiterates John 6:44 using different words.
Continue reading “Drawn by the Father – John 6 (Part 6 – Father’s Testimony)”
Kingdom Theology 