All who are drawn come to Jesus? John 6:44

I have shared the context of Jesus’ words, but if you are a Calvinist reading this blog and you disagree with my view, here are some questions that I would like you to answer from the context of John 6:44 – 1. Who did Jesus address His words to in John 6:44? If you disagree that Jesus spoke to the grumbling Jews concerning Him being the bread, then please show from the context, to whom Jesus was speaking. 2. What was the purpose of Jesus’ words to those that He was addressing these words? 3. In what way does John 6:45 relate to John 6:44? 4. In John 6:45 how many will be taught by God? 5. Why did Jesus respond with “It is written” in John 6:45?

My friend, In this article you wrote “It is important to note that the bible never says that all those who are drawn, come to Jesus” But the Bible says “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” John 6:37 And just in case you were thinking that some one can come to Christ and still end up in Hell, “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day” John 6:39 Christ is clearly teaching 1) No one seeks after God (Rom 3:11 ), you always refuse to choose God on your own (John 6:44) 2) The only way that you will ever come to Christ is if God draws you(John6:44) 3) God chooses who He draws/elects/saves (Eph1:5, Rom9:16, John15:16,Matt11:27,Psalm65:4…whole Bible) 4) All people that God draws do in fact come to Christ (John6:37) 4) All people that come to Christ are effectively saved. He loses none!(John 6:39, Phillipians 1:6, Romans 8:38-39) Paul taught the exact same thing, “these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:30 My dear friend, God chooses, He calls/draws, and justifies, and He glorifies. Please glorify Him today by submitting your thoughts and theology to His perfect truth!

Hi chaseb, Welcome to my blog! Your point equates all those who are drawn as if everyone who is drawn is given to Jesus. However my point that I made was: It is important to note that the bible never says that all those who are drawn, come to Jesus. Unfortunately you cannot say that the Greek term for “drawing” means the same thing as the Greek term for “given”. The Scripture does not show these words mean the same thing. Also in Romans 8:30 the term “drawn” is not used at all neither is the word “given”. While I fully agree with your second point that no one can come to Christ without being drawn, my point is that not all that God draws will come to Christ. God’s drawing and God’s giving are not synonymous. They are not the “exact same thing”. I do appreciate that you took the time to give your thoughts. Do you have a response on my 5 questions that are listed on the first comment?

Doesn’t John 6:65 say it must be “given to a man” to come?

Cheryl, thank you for this discussion on John 6. You have pointed out that the text does not teach, implicitly nor directly, that all who are drawn come. Jesus (who is God) taught that if He was lifted up in crucifixion, He would draw all to Himself. It would seem that unless Jesus lied, all are drawn since the crucifixion. But the scripture does not teach all will believe.

Brad, Welcome to my blog! You are exactly right. Jesus did not lie. All are drawn to Him. But all do not believe. When we put these two together with the exact grammar of John 6, we will not be deceived to believe that Jesus lied or that God only wants some to believe. Those pesky grumblers are to blame for their own unbelief.

Could someone please define drawing? And, what it means to be “taught” by the Father? By drawing and being taught, do we mean that the Holy Spirit and the Father make Jesus look appealing? Or, is the drawing and the teaching merely that the bare facts of the death and resurrection are known? What advantage do people have today that people didn’t have prior to the death/resurrection? (And, if there was no advantage prior to the time of Jesus, how was God loving everyone?) My son went on a mission trip to China this summer… He met a man who literally never heard the name Jesus before. Apparently, China is full of people who don’t believe a God even exists, let alone knowing anything about the Son. These people are dying every day with no knowledge of salvation. Salvation wasn’t rejected… it wasn’t even known. How are these people drawn or taught? Thanks for your time.

Robin, Perhaps one can say it this way, that every human has an inner knowledge that is placed within himself by God. I think we can all agree that all of us have a conscience. That includes everyone throughout the whole world. Because we are limited as human beings, we cannot know what God is doing inside a person except that He tells us. He told us through Paul in Romans 1:19 that there is knowledge about God within a person and God makes the knowledge evident to each person. Romans 1:19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. In Romans 1:18 we are told that people “suppress the truth”. This shows that people are given (taught) truth by God, but they suppress what He gives them. If I would identify what being taught by God means by what is written in the Bible, I would say that being taught by God is knowledge given and truth given that we can either accept or suppress. Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. What I also see is that God has determined to give people enough truth that they will seek God. Acts 17:26–27 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; While a person in China has not heard the gospel and does not believe in God, I can confidently say that the person has been given knowledge of God within the person and that God is not far from them if they will seek Him and grope for Him. I will answer your other questions in a bit, if not tonight, then hopefully I will get at it tomorrow.

Robin, You asked: By drawing and being taught, do we mean that the Holy Spirit and the Father make Jesus look appealing? No. I believe that drawing and being taught has to do with knowledge that is given and conviction of sin so that we would understand our need for a Savior. Or, is the drawing and the teaching merely that the bare facts of the death and resurrection are known? I also believe that to come to God we need to believe that He exists. He gives everyone a level of revelation of who He is. I believe that the one who accepts the revelation given to him, that more will be given. But to him who rejects, resists and suppresses the truth that has been given, that which is rejected is taken away from him. The death of Jesus and the resurrection is the gospel. I do believe that if some responds to the light that God has given him and diligently seeks God, God will make sure that at some point he will hear the gospel. God talks about rewarding those who diligently seek Him and I believe that He is compassionate and abounding in mercy. Apparently, China is full of people who don’t believe a God even exists, let alone knowing anything about the Son. The Bible says that all have been given knowledge of God so that they are without excuse. I may not understand how all of this works, but I do believe that God will teach all, just as all have a conscience. I know that God speaks the truth and He knows what is in every man.

Thank you, Cheryl, for your response, as I fully appreciate the time it takes to formulate thoughts into words. I heartily agree with you regarding Romans 1; creation and conscience are sufficient evidence of a living God. I went to a Christian high school, and I vividly remember receiving an unaccustomed lower grade by my response to my teacher’s question: Is the light of creation sufficient for salvation? My school was non-denominational, and my teacher not a Calvinist by any stretch…but he emphatically pointed out my 17-year-old-understanding-blunder. I had answered that yes, salvation could result from the light of nature – when, of course, the true answer is that creation gives light as to a supreme being, but salvation itself only comes from knowledge of Christ. So, I guess what I’m getting at, is that it seems to me that the drawing referred to in John 6 and 12 must be something extra, if you will, something above and beyond what all human beings receive through nature and conscience. John 6 seems to indicate that whatever is meant by the Father’s drawing is a prerequisite of salvation…So…(I’m thinking)…if the Father desires all to be saved, then all will be drawn. Jesus said He would draw all people to… Himself. Doesn’t that necessitate that all people should actually hear about Jesus? Especially since He didn’t put any qualifiers (conditions) in that statement? Thanks again.

Robin, I like your questions because it shows you are thinking this issue of salvation through very carefully. So let’s continue to think and to question and start with John 6. In John 6:45 it is clearly revealed that all shall be taught of God. Does this necessitate that all shall be taught about Jesus, in other words will all be taught the gospel? Notice the qualifier in verse 45. Is there something that a person has to do that will make sure they come to Jesus? Is this conditional or uncondtional? Secondly, does verse 44 say that all people will be drawn to Jesus by the Father? Now let’s look at chapter 12. Is John 12:32 conditional or unconditional? Look at John 12:38. What is the answer to the question about “to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Then look at verses 44, 45. Is there a condition in these verses? After looking at these verses, is there something else that is hidden in verse 32 that is conditional elsewhere? I want you to see this for yourself first. Then I would love to discuss the answer with what you have found within the context of the passage. So the answer is in the passage. See verse 32 in the light of verses 44 and 45. Let me know what you find.

…it seems the condition of John 12:32 was the Crucifixion… Has this condition been met? Also, since Jesus is God, wouldn’t God be drawing all to Himself in and as the Christ, meeting the condition laid out in John 6:44?

Brad, You are right in that John 12:32 is conditional and the condition is the crucifixion. I want you to see something else in John 12:38 first. There are two questions that are asked that are seen as a fulfillment of what had just happened in John 12:37. There is a cause and effect in John 12:38. Can you see the condition in John 12:38?

Looks like that could be what Paul was describing in Romans 11:25…

Cheryl, you brought up the question: Does being “taught by God” necessitate that all are taught about Jesus? Well… yes. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me…” and that He would draw all people “to Myself.” This passage is all about coming to Jesus in particular (knowing and understanding His true identity), not just coming to a general belief in God, right? If the drawing is necessary, and if the Father desires to draw people to His Son, then of course, He must teach them about His Son. A verse that comes into mind to illustrate this is, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6) If it’s true that “the god of this age has blinded” unbelievers, it makes sense that God must intervene somehow in order for His Son to be seen. I once was blind, but now I see… The more I think about it, the more the whole thing seems very…struggling to find the word…God-sided? I mean, it was dark and the Creator spoke and there was light. If God shines “in our hearts” to give “the light of the knowledge” of God “in the face of Jesus Christ” – well, I have to admit that this sounds like a work of God that is not only necessary, but (to borrow a despised term!), effectual! (A side note that really bugs me that I have not seen addressed: I get that the word draw doesn’t mean dragged and all that… but that said, the other instances of the use of the word do, in fact, have the desired results accomplished – the sword really was out of its sheath, the fish really were in the net, the disciples really did have to go along, etc. Doesn’t that have any bearing on how the word is used here as well? Besides that, the Isaiah verse Jesus quoted, “they shall “all be taught,” also seems effectual in its own context. What is up with that?) If you are growing weary of me, no offense taken.

Brad, you are right again, but there is something more in the passage. I will get to that shortly.

Robin, Today I am going to focus on your questions. And no, I am not weary of you at all. I love questions because I believe that honest and well thought-out questions deserve to be answered. You said that being taught by God necessitates that all are taught about Jesus because of John 6:44 and John 12:32. You said: This passage is all about coming to Jesus in particular (knowing and understanding His true identity), not just coming to a general belief in God, right? Verse 44 is about coming to Jesus, but verse 45 goes back to believing the word of the Father before one believes in Jesus. Verse 45 is a quote from the OT that says all will be taught of God (the Father), but it isn’t the taught ones that come to Jesus. It is only those who hear (have ears to hear Matt. 11:15) and who has LEARNED from the Father. Not everyone learns. While there are references to the coming of the Messiah from Genesis on, the Father also taught the Jews about righteousness, sin and judgment. Those who learned from the Father were those who feared God. Malachi 3:16. Those who were taught by God but who did not take the teaching to heart were those who did not learn. They refused to believe the Father’s words and so they were hardened as Brad said so that they could not believe in Jesus. The point is that belief in the Father is a necessary prerequisite for coming to Jesus. The Father NEVER gave unbelievers in Him to the Son. I think that the questions you ask on John 12:32 are so important that they deserve an answer that everyone can see. Not everyone reads the comments on a post. If it is okay with you, I am going to create a new post and then put the link here in the comment section. I will comment further on your questions here as well. I will continue in another comment box.

Robin, You said: If the drawing is necessary, and if the Father desires to draw people to His Son, then of course, He must teach them about His Son. Yes, the Father does desire to draw believers to His Son. However, He only draws believers to His Son. None of those who were unbelievers in the Father was ever drawn to Jesus. In my next post which will be based on your questions, I will explain why that is. You said: A verse that comes into mind to illustrate this is, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  (2 Cor. 4:6) If it’s true that “the god of this age has blinded” unbelievers, it makes sense that God must intervene somehow in order for His Son to be seen. 2 Corinthians 4:6 is written about believers not unbelievers. And 2 Corinthians 4:4 was written about unbelievers and not about believers. Every single person who came to Jesus in the gospel accounts was a God-fearing Jew or a God-fearing Gentile. The ones who did not fear God and who did not walk in obedience to the light that had been given them were hardened in their unbelief. None of them came to Jesus. Robin, you said: I have to admit that this sounds like a work of God that is not only necessary, but (to borrow a despised term!), effectual! God’s work IS absolutely necessary, however not everyone that He teaches will respond. They are required to learn. And the more that God teaches them, the more responsible they are. Luke 12:48 shows that God giving to a person can be negative since with the giving comes a requiring back. I have something to challenge you with – can you find anyone in the Scriptures you hates God, but who becomes a believer in Christ? It appears that God’s teaching is not effectual in those who hate Him. That doesn’t mean that He does anything wrong. It just means that there is a reckoning required from man.

Robin, You wrote: Besides that, the Isaiah verse Jesus quoted, “they shall “all be taught,” also seems effectual in its own context. Does it seem effectual in John 6:45? Jesus used the quote to answer those who were grumbling about Him. Jesus used their own grumbling to prove His point. He said that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him, but the drawing is ineffectual unless one learns from the Father. The fact that Jesus said that EVERYONE who hears AND LEARNS from the Father comes to Him, proves they had not LEARNED of God even though God promised to teach them all. So it isn’t the fault of Jesus that they were not believing in Him. And it is not the fault of the Father that He did not draw them to Jesus. It is their own fault because they refused to believe in Jesus. Remember John 5:46 John 5:46 (NASB) “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. Moses wrote about Jesus, but it was the Father’s words. They did not believe the Father and so they cannot believe Jesus. Jesus gave a conditional statement that had nothing to do with effectual drawing. It had everything to do with believing what was already written.

Brad, I am going to post my complete answer on the John 12 passage on my next post. It just seems too important to let it be answered in a blog comment rather than a post.

I’m a bit confused with the words “He only draws believers to His Son” in light of John 12:32. Perhaps it would be better rendered “Only the subset of those who believe in Jesus, out of all those who are drawn, will come to Jesus.” Being drawn and coming to Jesus are two different concepts using different words with different spellings and meanings…even in the English…

Sorry for the confusion, Brad. What I should have said is that God only draws those who believe the Father. These where those who were believers in the times of Jesus and they were call God-fearers. Those who refused to believe Moses, did not believe the Father. Only those who believed the testimony of the Father through Moses were drawn to Jesus in that time.

Another way to say it is that God draws all by teaching all, but only those who believe what He has said will be drawn to a relationship with Jesus.

So the drawing and believing are two different things with two different words and meanings. Not all of those who are drawn will believe and come to Jesus.

And now, that the Crucifixion is past tense? In light of John 12:32, it seems all are drawn, and yet we know not all come. Just because one is drawn does not seem to guarantee one comes…

Brad, that is the subject of my next post. It may take me a couple of days or so to complete. If you have not yet subscribed to The Giving blog, you might want to do that to be informed when the next post comes out. I think it might have some ideas from John 12 that you may not have noticed before. And if I am wrong, I can be corrected!

I also love correction…I need it!

Cheryl, I’m somewhat surprised. It seems as if you are saying that people must first come to the Father before they can come to the Son. If that was true, then Paul would have said to the jailer, “Believe on the Father, and then also believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Regardless, there’s still the infamous Lydia passage that’s always tossed about. Here was a woman who believed in God (the Father), yet it is particularly pointed out that God “opened her heart” so that she heeded the things spoken regarding Jesus. The million dollar question is, Was it a necessary component in Lydia’s salvation for God to open her heart, or was God just being particularly nice to this lady, although He doesn’t do this in all cases? Surely many Jews believed in a living God, believed in the things Moses wrote, believed in a coming Messiah, but didn’t believe in Jesus. Their hearts were not opened by the Lord… I’m still thinking this one over. There does seem to be some Scriptural support for the idea that spiritual knowledge must be directly communicated by God. For example, Peter was a disciple, but Jesus told him it wasn’t flesh and blood that revealed to him that Jesus was the Son of God, but the Father had. If the natural man doesn’t receive spiritual things, then wouldn’t it actually take a supernatural act of God to communicate truth in a way that can be understood – whether it’s first to believe in a living God, or in Christ Himself? As to an example of someone who hated God but became a believer in Jesus – well, anyone whose mind was once governed by the flesh was at enmity (hatred) with God. We once all hated the light because we loved darkness. We couldn’t serve God and mammon because we’d hate the one and love the other. I would think it would be proper to say that all unbelievers, while in that state, hate God.

Robin, You said: Cheryl, I’m somewhat surprised. It seems as if you are saying that people must first come to the Father before they can come to the Son. Jesus said that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws the person. John 6:44 (NASB) “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. There is something more that Jesus said in John 12, that I will be posting in a few days that is applicable. In John 6 the terms “come” to Jesus and “believe” in Jesus are treated synonymously. So no one can believe in Jesus unless the Father is involved. Jesus had already told the Jews that unbelief in the Father’s word results in unbelief in Him. If one refuses to believe God the Father’s word, will they come to (believe in) Jesus?

Robin, the rest of your statements/questions, I am going to copy and get to them as soon as I can. I am multi-tasking right now and I don’t want to dismiss or consider lightly any of your points.

I do want to apologize that I did not have time this week to get the article done. We had over 1200 plums to process and that project took most of this week so I am behind. I will work on getting the article uploaded this coming week. Sorry for the delay.

Let us remember that “draw” does not mean to give life.

Absolutely, Brad!