S) "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."
John 6:44 (NASB)
O) There is a wonderful promise there, that I want to be sure is highlighted. Because I have come to Christ Jesus, He will raise me up on the last day. That is an eternal promise that is directed at every believer. That promise should not be ignored, even if it is not necessarily the main point of this verse, given the context. Jesus was telling His followers a hard truth to understand, because it was metaphorical and so unlike anything they'd ever heard. Jesus was telling them plainly, that His flesh was true food and His blood true drink, and through eating and drinking Him, we would obtain eternal life. Many of the disciples fell away at this teaching, and of course the Pharisees were enraged. The twelve certainly remained, though, and it was a testament of their faith. After the Last Supper, things certainly became more clear to them. After 2,000 years of holy communion, these metaphors Jesus used do not necessarily seem so strange. In the middle of that conversation, though, the verse above was a way that Jesus was acknowledging this as a hard teaching. Not everyone was going to get it. Those who came to Jesus, came because of a spiritual calling from the Father. That's important because the things Jesus was saying were spiritual truths, and are only understood and accepted with spiritual wisdom.
A) This verse can certainly be at the center of some amount of controversy, regarding the doctrines of election, God's ordination in salvation, eternal security, and the like. It is plain that the Father must draw someone to Christ. However, what is not said is who all is drawn. It is also not said whether or not a person can resist that draw. But, as I said in the observation above, those kinds of debate really miss the point. No believer can dispute that God's grace is fully at work in every believer. I do not believe in irresistible election, but I certainly know that I didn't come to Christ on my own. Even more than that, even coming to Christ, I have nothing to do with the promise that Jesus made in the words above. I was only able to come to Christ in the first place, because the Father drew me, but that doesn't mean I didn't also choose to come. At the same time, even having come, God was under no obligation to promise eternal life, and yet He does. This verse is an excellent reminder of the love of God, and His promise to me. This verse displays His grace upon me, well before I believed in Christ, or chose to put my faith in Him. This verse is reason for thanksgiving, not debate.
P) Father, thank You for the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Thank You for the grace at work in my salvation, both my life here and now, and my life forevermore. Let me see my salvation with all gratitude, and no grumbling. As much as I might ever want to know more detail about how I am saved, I only ever want that to bear the fruit of humility and thanksgiving. I don't want to grumble in debate and semantic arguments. Let me see this verse as common ground with other believers, that we are all promised a resurrection on the last day. Let me see this verse as common ground with other believers, that we are all loved by God, and we were all drawn by His grace. Let me rejoice with them, and continue to pray that You would draw the world to Christ, as many as will come, because I don't want any to perish, but all to come to repentance. I know that's Your heart, Father God, and so I choose to make it my heart as well. Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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