John 6:38-40

John 6:38-40 — The Will of the Father

Structure of the Passage

Jesus reveals the Father's will in two complementary statements: - Verse 39 (specific): The will regarding those already given — "that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing" - Verse 40 (universal): The will regarding all believers — "everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life"

Verse 38 — The Foundation

"I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." The will Jesus reveals about salvation is grounded not in human will but in the transcendent will of God. Everything that follows is the Father's revealed will, not Jesus' private agenda.

Verse 39 — The Perfect Tense and the Disciples

"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."

"Has given" (δέδωκέν): Perfect tense — a completed action in the past producing a present state. The ones presently existing as "given" at the time Jesus spoke were the disciples. This is confirmed by John 17:6-12 where Jesus identifies those given to Him: - "The men whom You gave Me out of the world" (17:6) - "They were Yours and You gave them to Me" (17:6) - "They have kept Your word" (17:6) - "They believed that You sent Me" (17:8)

Judas was NOT included: John 13:18 — "I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen." John 17:12 — "not one of them perished but the son of perdition." Judas was chosen as a disciple but never given to Jesus by the Father because: - He did not keep the Father's word - He did not belong to the Father - He was a practiced thief (John 12:6) - He was an unbeliever and betrayer (John 6:64)

Verse 40 — Universal Scope Through Belief

"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

"Everyone who beholds... and believes" (πᾶς ὁ θεωρῶν... καὶ πιστεύων): Both are present tense substantival participles functioning as nouns — "the beholding ones and the believing ones." The present tense indicates continuous, ongoing action. It is those who continue to behold and believe who receive eternal life.

"Beholds" (θεωρῶν): From θεωρέω — to perceive, observe, behold with understanding. Not mere physical sight but contemplative seeing that leads to comprehension.

Theological Significance

1. Two dimensions of God's will: Verse 39 addresses the security of those already given (the disciples); verse 40 broadens to all who believe. The Father's will encompasses both preservation and universal invitation.

2. The condition is belief, not election: Verse 40 does not say "everyone whom the Father chose" but "everyone who beholds the Son and believes." The determining factor is the human response of faith, not a prior decree.

3. The "him" who is raised is the believer: The one raised on the last day is explicitly the one who "beholds the Son and believes in Him" — not an unconditionally elected individual who may or may not believe.

For the full argument analysis, see the Argument Library entry.

Summary: Calvinists argue that John 6:39 proves eternal security through unconditional election — God gives certain people to Jesus, and Jesus loses none of them. The "all" given refers to the elect chosen before the foundation of the world.