“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
John 6:44 NIV
On my own, would I have ever come to faith in Christ? In this verse, as well as in John 6:65, Jesus teaches that apart from the drawing, or enabling, of the Father, none of us would ever come to Jesus. We might be capable of doing many good things, but that is not one of them.
It is this drawing of the Father that enables belief on our part. And this is an often-overlooked aspect of our salvation experience. God sent his Son into the world so that whoever believed in him would have eternal life (John 3:16). We must believe in Christ to experience salvation. But apart from the drawing of the Father, that belief would not be possible. God has offered us the gift of salvation and enabled us to receive it. Both are essential to our coming to faith.
Two related questions arise from this—questions whose answers often divide believers. Does the Father draw everyone? Or only some people? And is this drawing of the Father resistible? Or is it always effective?
In John 12:32, Jesus told his disciples that when he was lifted up on the cross, he would draw all people to himself. You might question whether the drawing of the Father is distinct from the drawing of Jesus. But Jesus also said that he and the Father were one (John 10:30) and that he does what he sees the Father doing (John 5:19). So it would seem that if Jesus draws all people, it is because the Father does as well.
The answer to the second question is tied to the first. If the Father draws all men, yet not all believe, then the Father’s drawing would be resistible. The Father enables belief on our part but does not require it. But all who respond in faith to the Father’s drawing have eternal life (John 6:47, Eph. 2:8-9).
OK, brother. If your on the foundation of Christ then we are brothers. There are 22 universal text in NT (all – πασ & world – κοσμοσ) that require a careful examination of the context, both immediate and surrounding, that will help in both you and me not reading into the text.
Take care Bro. I like your website.
Thanks. Christ is indeed my Lord and Savior. And I am brother to all who call on the name of the Lord.
Your problem is your understanding of the word “all”. Do we understand “all” (πασ) as “all without exception” or “all without distinction”. What say you?
“All” sometimes is used in a generalized sense, as in “All the world is going after him” (John 12:19). But its most common usage is all inclusive. Everyone of something. And, unless there is something in the text to indicate otherwise, that is how it should be taken. The only reason not to take it as “all without exception” here is because doing so is at odds with what you believe. It becomes a matter of reading into the text rather than reading what it actually says.