EXPOSITION OF JOHN 6: 37-47

 EXPLANATION OF JOHN 6: 37-47

By Edwin Jardinel 

12-22-23

John 6:37-47  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.  (38)  For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.  (39)  And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.  (40)  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.  (41)  The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.  (42)  And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?  (43)  Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.  (44)  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.  (45)  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.  (46)  Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.  (47)  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

ALL THAT THE FATHER GIVES TO CHRIST

The followers of Calvinism doctrine teach that before the foundation of the world, the Father had already given to Christ elected people who had not yet existed.  The giving to Christ occurred before they were ever born, heard of the gospel, and believed.  Many Calvinists, when asked, "Were they already received by Christ before they existed?", would affirm it.  Were they given to Christ before they believed?  Therefore, Calvinists believe that the Father's gift to Christ were non-existent yet foreseen to be unbelievers of the gospel.  

If it is true that some people prior to their existence were already given to Christ, then He should have said, "All that the Father gave me, shall come to me", but what He said was, "All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me".  In modern English the word "giveth" is "gives". So, the statement of Christ is understood, "All that the Father gives me" not gave me.  Giveth or gives is present tense.  If it happened in the past then it should be past tense, "gave".  Jesus was referring the "All" not to non-existent people or unbelievers, but to believers.   That means all believers shall come to Christ.  

 HOW THEN SHALL THEY CALL ON HIM IN WHOM THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED? 

Romans 10:13-14  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  (14)  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

HE THAT COMETH TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

FAITH COMES BY HEARING

Romans 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If one truly believes in the message of the gospel, he will repent toward God and exercise faith in Jesus.   

Acts 20:21  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

No one will come to a point of repentance and faith unless he believes first the message of the gospel.  When he hears the message of the gospel, at first there is that intellectual knowledge and the Holy Spirit uses the word to convict him of sin so that when he responds in humility, he is able to understand the gospel message and comes to a point of repentance. (John 16:8).  It is by the understanding of our sinful condition, its consequence, and the goodness of God that a person comes to a point of repentance and faith.  (Romans 2: 4). When a man responds in pride, he will not really listen to God's word but would insist his own fleshly ideas, therefore will not be able to understand the message.  When the Bible spoke of "granting repentance" it means that the sinner, because of understanding the word is able to repent in a godly manner because he humbled himself under the Spirit's reproof and did not rely on his fleshly ideas.  (Acts 11:18; Romans 10:17;2 Corinthians 7:10).  It does not mean that a proudful man is made humble without a freewill, and without understanding of the word is made willing to repent and believe.  Rather it means that as the sinner listens to the word of God, he understood the truth under the Spirit's conviction, and comes to a point of repentance and faith.  A person who listens yet responding in pride and resistance to the truth will not be able to understand on how to be saved.  (Acts 16:30-31; Romans 1:21).  

Isaiah 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE 

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The Calvinists' view is that the elect were already given to Christ in eternity.  If they were already in Christ before they were born or existed, then they were already new creatures before they were born.  Their doctrine contradicts the word of God.  

CHOSEN US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD 

Ephesians 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

This passage does not mean that the elect or believers were already in Christ before they were born.  Rather, this means that the basis of election is God's foreknowledge of those would believe in Christ's blood.  

ELECT ACCORDING TO THE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD

1 Peter 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

The basis of salvation is the blood of Jesus.  

CHOSEN YOU TO SALVATION THROUGH...BELIEF OF THE TRUTH 

2 Thessalonians 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

The Calvinists have the idea of "Chosen you to salvation without belief of the truth".  

I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT 

John 6:37  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

The promise "I will in no wise cast out" is for all believers.  It is the believers who come to Christ. 

The Calvinists have the idea that all elect, even before they were born, and those who have not known Christ and have been living worst in sin, are eternally secured and are given the promise.  But the truth is that it refers to those who trust Christ as their Savior.   

THE WILL OF GOD

John 6:38  For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

In a discussion with the Calvinists, I asked, "Was Christ sincere in preaching the gospel and calling to salvation those who rejected him?  The Calvinist replied:  "Yes".  Yet according to them, that God does not care about non-elect, and that it is the will of God to punish them.  They seem to believe Christ is contradicting with the will of the Father.  The truth is that Calvinism is full of contradictions.   

GOD WANTS TO SAVE ALL, BUT DECIDED TO SAVE ONLY THOSE WHO BELIEVE.  

John 6:40  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

God desires and is willing to save everyone on the condition that he repents.  

 2 Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The Calvinists teach that if it is God's willingness to save a person, that person will be saved without meeting the condition to repent or else he is a failure.  The Calvinists ignore the passage in John 6:40 that there is a condition to salvation.  It is God's will that only believers will have eternal life as the Scripture says.  

Example:  If the law of the land states that criminals will be sentenced to death penalty, and one criminal was pardoned. Yet a pardon is a deed and without acceptance it cannot be his.  That criminal must accept the pardon. But if he won't, then he will be executed.  If the criminal is executed because he did not receive the pardon, does it mean that the law of that country failed?  No.  Whatever the law states it is to be done.  The Calvinists thinking is similar to the idea that the criminal has to be pardoned even if he will not accept the pardon and admit his sin.  Thus, their thinking contradicts God's decrees.