John 6 - On Jesus, the Father has Set His Seal
God the Father has given Jesus to us.
God the Father has given us to Jesus.
God the Father not only predetermined every aspect of Jesus’ earthly ministry but also predetermined who would and who would not respond in faith to Jesus.
In our passage in John 6, Jesus sets forth both of these truths. Why does he emphasize these things at this time? Look at verse 66 of John 6:
John 6:66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
By the end of Jesus’ bread of life discourse in Galilee many of those who had previously claimed to be his disciples will abandon him – and Jesus knows this. Look in verse 64:
John 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)
Jesus knew who they were in the crowd who genuinely believed in him and who did not. It didn’t matter how resolute these disciples seemed to others; Jesus always knew the actual condition of their hearts.
So, in our passage Jesus is anticipating this rejection and has therefore shaped his discourse to address it. He does it in two ways. First by emphasizing that it is God the Father who is behind every aspect of his earthly ministry and second, by emphasizing that it is God the Father who is behind every genuine profession of faith.
By emphasizing these things, Jesus is completely undercutting his critics and detractors.
They will claim that he has come in his own name, doing his own will, speaking his own words, performing his own works, for his own glory. He will emphasize that he has come in the name of the Father, doing the Father’s will, speaking the Father’s words, performing the Father’s works, for the glory of the Father.
Further, they believe that it is entirely within their power to accept or reject Jesus. As if they can frustrate his earthly ministry by refusing to believe in him. He will emphasize that just as everything he does, and says comes from the Father, so too those who believe in him have received their faith from God the Father. He will perfectly fulfill the Father’s will by receiving and saving every single person whom the Father grants the ability to come to him.
At every turn, Jesus will show that it is God the Father who is at work in and through him, and within everyone who believes.
Let’s explore how Jesus makes these points in our passage.
First of all, Jesus says in verse 27, that he has been sealed by God the Father.
John 6:27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
Do you want eternal life? It comes only through the Son of Man. Why so? Because God the Father has chosen for it to be so. He has set forth his Son as the only source of spiritual life. It is Jesus and Jesus alone upon whom the Father “has set his seal.”
So, what does it mean that God has “set his seal” upon Jesus? It’s like a seal of approval, or a seal of authenticity. The picture is that of a King certifying the authenticity of a document by pressing his signet ring into a wax seal. By doing so he gives a guarantee to whoever receives the document that it was genuinely issued from the throne.
In a similar way, God the Father has attested to the fact that Jesus had been genuinely sent by him. Of course, we’re not talking about a wax seal here. So, in what way did God attest to the fact that Jesus was indeed his beloved Son, and that he was operating in his power and with his authority?
In John 5 Jesus shares the same truths as John 6 but with a different audience. In John 5 he is speaking to Jews in Jerusalem. In John 6 he is speaking to Galileans. In John 5 he gives more detail about how it is that the Father has “set his seal” upon him. He says:
John 5:36-38 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.
Of concern here is how one might know that Jesus has genuinely been sent by the Father. Since it wasn’t valid for one to testify of themselves, other witnesses were needed. Here Jesus cites three. First, there’s John the Baptist but he has even greater witnesses than him.
He cites first his works. Why did Jesus come performing miracles of mercy? Why did he come with love for the lowly, the sinners, and the rejected? He was doing the works of the Father. His works were a seal of approval and authenticity testifying to the fact that he was indeed the Son of God, sent by the Father.
In John 14, he said to Philip:
John 14:10-11 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
Jesus’ works bore witness to the fact that he was sent by the Father. We read in John 10:
John 10:24-26 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.
John 10:37-38 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Jesus works were enough to testify to the fact that he was from the Father. No one could do what he did except God were working in and through him. Yet sadly, many still did not believe.
What else did Jesus say in John 5? First, he cited his works but notice what else he said:
John 5:36-38 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.
How has the Father borne witness about Jesus? Well Jesus gives us a clue as he immediately begins to refer to the voice of God. The Jews who refused to believe in Jesus could not claim to have ever heard the voice of God. Jesus on the other hand has not only heard the voice of God but has had God vocalize his approval of him. When did this happen? At his baptism:
Luke 3:21-22 ¶ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
God the Father directly attested to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus would then go on to speak words and do works that clearly testified to the fact that he was sent by God. In these ways, God the Father “set his seal” upon Jesus.
Now, back to John 6.
After Jesus asserted that the Father had attested to his authenticity; that is, that he really was the Son of God, sent to do the Father’s will, some in the crowd responded in this way:
John 6:28 ¶ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
They’ve kind of ignored Jesus’ incredible claim that the Father has set his seal upon him and focused upon what they might be able to do to earn favour with God. Jesus responds:
John 6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
Jesus returns to his claim that he is the one sealed and sent by the Father. If you want to please the Father, believe on the Son. That’s the only way.
He then goes on to not only claim that he has been sealed by the Father, and sent by the Father, but he makes an explicit claim that the Father has made him the only source of eternal life.
John 6:33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
And notice that in all of this, the emphasis is on the fact that it is the Father who has made it so:
John 6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
John 6:32-33 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
You see that at every turn Jesus points to the Father. Why does he do this? Because essential to salvation is believing what God the Father has said about Jesus and what he has done through him. We know this because of what Jesus would pray in John 17:
John 17:6-8 ¶ “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
And in verse 3:
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Jesus is giving the crowd all the revelation they need in order to believe in him and have eternal life.
[APPEAL]
This morning, the same is true for you. If you have not yet believed in Jesus as the only saviour from sin and submitted to him as your Lord, then now is the time. Jesus is the Son of God, sent by the Father, attested to by his miraculous works, his authoritative words, and his bodily resurrection. He is the only source of eternal life. You must believe this to be saved.
Do you believe that Jesus came in the name of the Father, doing the Father’s will, speaking the Father’s words, performing the Father’s works, for the glory of the Father? Do you believe that in doing so, he gave himself on the cross to bear the penalty of your sin? And that he rose three days later and is now exalted at the Father’s right hand? Do you believe these things? Then come to Jesus, be baptized in his name, and continue as his disciple.
Now, the sad thing is that although Jesus is giving this crowd all the revelation, they need in order to believe everything that must be believed in order to receive eternal life, many of them will reject him. That’s where this passage is going.
[TRANSITION TO SECOND POINT]
As we noted in our introduction, Jesus is anticipating this rejection. His emphasis on God the Father then served two purposes. First, it provided all the revelation that the crowd needed to be saved. But second, it served to state with authority that anyone who rejected Jesus was actually rejecting the will of the Father. Anyone who refused to believe in Jesus was actually rejecting God’s own testimony about Jesus. There was no way around it, to become an enemy of Jesus was to become an enemy of God.
Jesus said as much in John 5:23:
John 5:23 … Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
This brings us to the second way in which Jesus shaped this discourse in anticipation of the rejection which was to come. First, he did so by emphasizing that it is God the Father who is behind every aspect of his earthly ministry and second, he will do it by emphasizing that it is God the Father who is behind every genuine profession of faith.
How does this anticipate the rejection which will come? Jesus is eliminating any avenue by which the crowd can claim that it is their fidelity to the Father which compels them to reject Jesus. Remember, they will eventually crucify him under the false accusation of blasphemy. They will claim that in rejecting Jesus, they are obeying the Father. Jesus is completely destroying that line of reasoning.
So, how does he do it? He will turn the tables on them and show them that their rejection of him does not prove that they are faithful to the Father, but that they are completely outside the work that the Father is doing.
Look in verses 35-37:
John 6:35-37 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
Here Jesus uses the ideas of coming to him and believing in him synonymously. To come to him is to believe in him and to believe in him is to come to him (cf. John 5:38-40; 43-44; 6:64-65). Notice what he says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me.”
“You don’t believe, but everyone that the Father gives to me will believe.” What’s the implication? He is saying, “You don’t believe because the Father hasn’t given you to me.” In other words, “You are on the outside of the work that the Father is doing.”
Jesus is revealing some profound truths in this passage. He is giving us a glimpse at how our salvation is orchestrated by God the Father and carried out by Jesus. Amazingly, what he is claiming is that before anyone comes to Jesus and believes in him, that person is first given to Jesus by God the Father.
Is that really what he’s saying? Is this idea supported in any other passages? Yes. Look at John 17 again:
John 17:1-2 ¶ When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
According to Jesus’ own prayer, to whom does he give eternal life? To all whom the Father has given him. He continues in verse 6:
John 17:6 ¶ “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
Here we learn that it is not only right to say that God the Father gives individuals to Jesus, but it is accurate to say that before they ever came to Jesus, they first belonged to the Father. He says again in verses 9-10:
John 17:9-10 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
Now, let’s go back to John 6 and see if we can sort this out. Jesus says in John 6:36-40:
John 6:36-40 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Taking these passages together, this is what we learn:
Some belonged to the Father (John 17:6: “Yours they were, and you gave them to me…”)
The Father gave the ones who were his, to Jesus. (John 17:6: “Yours they were, and you gave them to me.”
The evidence that some belonged to the Father and had been given to Jesus is that they “have kept [God’s] word. (John 17:6)”
All that the Father gives to Jesus will come to Jesus.
All that come to Jesus will receive eternal life, will never be cast out and will be raised on the last day.
God the Father gives as a gift to the Son, individuals who will believe in him. All who come to Jesus, evidencing the fact that they have been given to him by the Father, he receives. He gives them eternal life, will not lose any of them, and will raise them all up on the last day.
Every believer is a love gift from God the Father to Jesus Christ. A gift which Jesus gladly receives.
Well, as Jesus continued his discourse in John 6, he continues presenting himself as the bread which came down from heaven. The Jews in the crowd don’t like this and so they grumble among themselves.
Jesus says in John 6:43:
John 6:43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.
The Jews faithless, unbelieving, and ungrateful ancestors grumbled against Moses as he was trying to lead them out of captivity and into the promised land. Apparently, nothing has changed. Here the Jews in Jesus day are grumbling against him as he is seeking to lead them out from the captivity of sin and into eternal life. But look at how Jesus continues in verse 44:
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Now he has given us even more insight into how God sovereignly works behind the scenes in salvation. Not only has Jesus stated positively that all who come to him are given to him by the Father but now he states explicitly that no one can come to him unless it is the Father who draws them to Jesus.
The same word is used to describe the drawing of a fishing net into a boat. In some way the Father likewise brings people along to Jesus. Specifically, those people who first belong to him. He draws them to his Son, gives them to him (as evidenced by their faith in him) and then Jesus gladly receives them, giving them eternal life.
So, the Jews were grumbling at the idea that Jesus was sent by God. As if their protests and speculations could arrive at the truth of Jesus’ identity. Jesus simply tells them to stop it. While they saw themselves as God’s people, standing in judgment of Jesus, he turned the tables on them and said that their unbelief was evidence that they were outside the work of God and that they would not be raised up on the last day.
These statements are astounding. Remember that he is saying this to Jewish leadership. Men who not only believe that they are part of the people of God but that they have the authority to determine who else belongs to the people of God. Jesus is saying that their refusal to believe in him is evidence that they are entirely outside the scope of the work that God the Father is doing on earth.
Who belongs to God? Who is counted among the people of God? Those who can show Jewish ancestry? Those who have descended from Abraham. No. The entire makeup of the people of God will be transformed to revolve around this one figure – Jesus Christ. Everyone whom the Father gives to Jesus is part of the people or God. Everyone whom the Father draws to Jesus are part of the people of God.
Look at what Jesus says next in John 6:45:
John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
As we learned two weeks ago, Jesus is here quoting from Isaiah 54:13. That passage describes a renewed and restored city populated by God’s people. He’s saying that the day has come for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Instead of the people of God being made up of everyone who claims Jewish ancestry, whether a genuine worshipper of Yahweh or not, it will now be the case that this identity will be determined by genuine faith – a faith granted by God himself. This of course is a prophecy and description of the New Covenant and the church.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (cf. Ezekiel 36:25-28)
Notice in verse 34 it says, “no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they shall all know me.” There will be no need to evangelize among the people of God because every person counted among them will have first been taught by God himself. And what will they be taught? Look again at John 6:45:
John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
Isaiah and Jeremiah both state that the day is coming when everyone named among the people of God will have been taught by God himself. And what would they be taught? They will be taught by God all about Jesus. All who have heard and learned from the Father come to Jesus.
In some way the Father imparts the truth about Jesus into the hearts of those who belong to him, and they come to Jesus. This is a creative work carried out by the Father in the hearts of those who first belong to him, and who he then gives to Jesus. Paul described this reality this way:
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
This is a divine creative work on par with his work of creation. It is creative, it is sovereign, and it is unilateral. What Jesus is telling the people in John 6 who are about to reject him is that their rejection of him is not a reflection of whether or not he has been sent by the Father but instead reveals that they have not been taught by the Father. They are not beneficiaries of the New Covenant. They have not been taught by God. They are outside the people of God.
John 6:45…Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
Well, Jesus goes on to present himself as the bread from heaven. He is the one sent by God to bring spiritual life and sustenance to everyone who would believe in him. This is too much for his audience to handle and so this leads to their rejection of him. Look at what he says in verse 63 after they become offended by him:
John 6:63-64 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)
They were attempting to judge Jesus according to their human reasoning. He responds by stating that it is the Spirit who gives life. They were like dead men trying to reason themselves back to life. What they needed was a creative work of God which would make them new on the inside. He continues in verse 65:
John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
Jesus had previously stated that in order to come to him one must be given to him by the Father. He then said that in order for one to come to him, they must be drawn by the Father. He then said that in order for one to come to him, they must be taught by the Father. Now he says that in order for one to come to him, it must be granted them by the Father.
The point is, although they believe it is entirely within their power to accept or reject Jesus, as if they can frustrate his earthly ministry through their unbelief, it is actually their unbelief which exposes them as being entirely outside the work of God.
They are not exposing Jesus through their rejection; they are exposing themselves.
[QUESTIONS OF SOVEREIGNTY AND RESPONSIBILITY]
Now, all of this raises some questions, doesn’t it?
If no one can come to Jesus (which is synonymous with believing in him) unless God grants that belief to him, then what about personal responsibility?
If no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him to Jesus, then what about human free will?
If no one can come to Jesus unless the Father gives him to Jesus, then what about human culpability?
If no one can come to Jesus unless they are first taught by the Father, then what about human wisdom and decision making?
Well, some would deal with these questions by saying that although God gives, and draws, and teaches, and grants, he does so in such a way as to bring individuals right to the threshold of belief but then to leave it up to them to choose Jesus in and of their own will and ability. It’s like bringing a horse to water, but not causing him to drink.
There are some problems with that idea right here in our passage.
First of all, in verse 37 it says:
John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
There’s a guarantee there. If the Father gives someone to Jesus, they WILL come to him. Now, what does “coming to Jesus” mean? It’s synonymous with belief. Jesus makes that clear in verse 35. He says:
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Coming to Jesus and believing in Jesus are the same thing. Therefore, anyone whom the father gives to Jesus, will, without a doubt, believe in Jesus. There’s no giving and hoping that someone might believe. There’s no “giving a chance” to believe, or “enabling” someone to believe and then waiting to see what happens. No. If God gives someone to Jesus, they will believe in Jesus.
And notice again, that coming to Jesus happens after the Father gives that person to Jesus. “All that the Father gives me will come to me.” The giving happens before the coming. The giving happens before the believing. And it is a guarantee. If God gives someone to Jesus, they will believe in Jesus.
There’s another problem with the idea that God’s sovereign working in salvation is simply a matter of giving someone the ability to believe while leaving it up to them to choose whether or not they exercise that ability. As if for God to “draw” someone to salvation only means that he gives them some sort of push, or suggestion to believe in Jesus.
Look again at verse 44:
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
You say, “See! It just says that no one can come unless the Father draws them. It doesn’t say that if they are drawn, they must come!” Well, keep reading.
Jesus further explains what he means in verse 45. In fact, he defines what it means to be drawn by the Father. He says:
John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
Jesus defines what it means to be drawn by the Father by quoting Isaiah 54:13. To be drawn by the Father is to be taught by the Father. It is to hear and learn from the Father. The Father draws men to Jesus by teaching them about Jesus. And what is the result? Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. There are no exceptions. If they are taught by God, they come to Jesus. If they are drawn by God, they come to Jesus.
So, this giving, drawing, teaching and granting cannot simply be a matter of God giving some illumination, a suggestion, or a push in the right direction. No. It is nothing short of God taking sovereign, unilateral, saving action in the lives of men and women. It is him performing a sovereign act of re-creation in which he opens the heart of individuals, shines within them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6) and saves them. He teaches them who Jesus actually is and makes him precious in their sight.
Now, some still unconvinced of this might point to another passage in John – John 12:32. In that passage, Jesus says this:
John 12:32-33 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
Some have compared these verses to those in John 6 and have concluded that all people without exception are drawn to Jesus for salvation. This is back to the idea of the horse brought to the water trough but not made to drink.
Well, there is a major problem with this interpretation. Namely, the context. We can’t get into it in detail for the sake of time but look briefly at verses 20-21.
Greeks (that is, non-Jews) have come to see Jesus. When Jesus is told this, he responds in a very unusual manner. He begins to talk about his coming death. He says:
John 12:24-26 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Can they come and see you or not Jesus? Why talk about grain and fruit? He’s saying they cannot come see him yet, but the time is coming when they, and all, will be able to come to him. Like a grain of wheat can’t produce fruit unless it dies, so too Jesus will bring forth abundant fruit after he dies. The day is coming when salvation will be open to everyone who is willing to lose their lives for Jesus’ sake. Anyone who would serve him and follow him will be honored by the Father.
He then says the verses in question:
John 12:31-33 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
What sense is he using “all people” in this context? Not all people without exception but all people without distinction. Whether Jew or Greek, it will not matter. All types of people without distinction will be drawn to him. God’s drawing work will apply to individuals from among every nation, every language and every ethnicity. And that is the case, isn’t it? As we look at the global church, we see the people of God consisting of every possible variation.
Lastly, I would say that God the Father’s giving, drawing, teaching, and granting work cannot refer to him merely giving individuals a chance to be saved because of the way that Jesus appeals to this truth in John 6:65. Look at it again:
John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
If all people are granted the ability to come to Jesus, then why would Jesus use this truth to explain the unbelief of the people? It doesn’t make any sense in this context unless their unbelief can be explained by the fact that God had not granted them to come to Jesus.
[PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY]
So then, where is personal responsibility in all of this? Doesn’t the Bible continually place it in the laps of individuals to decide to believe in Jesus? Yes. In fact, we see calls to believe in this very passage.
John 6:35-36 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
A survey of the New Testament shows us that we can line up passages which call men and women to believe in Jesus on one side, and verses which show us that one cannot believe except that God the Father grants them the belief, on the other. Sometimes we find these truths in the very same passages.
The Biblical authors did not see these truths as contradictory. Jesus did not see them as contradictory. Neither should we see them as contradictory. In some way human beings are responsible for coming to Jesus, and culpable when they do not, yet unable to come to Jesus unless the Father grants it to them. These are not contradictory truths but perfectly harmonized in the mind of God – whether they are harmonized in ours or not.
[CONCLUSION]
In John 6:65-66 it says:
John 6:65-66 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
Not everyone who followed Jesus were genuine believers. Jesus anticipated their defection from the beginning of this discourse. It’s for this reason that he went to great lengths to show that God the Father not only predetermined every aspect of his earthly ministry but that he also predetermined who would and who would not respond to him in faith.
So, in this discourse he first emphasized that it is God the Father who is behind every aspect of his earthly ministry and second, that it is God the Father who is behind every genuine profession of faith. By proving these things, he completely undercut his critics and detractors.
Although they would claim that he had come in his own name, doing his own will, speaking his own words, performing his own works, for his own glory. He proved that he had come in the name of the Father, doing the Father’s will, speaking the Father’s words, performing the Father’s works, for the glory of the Father alone.
Next, although his critics believed that it was entirely within their power to accept or reject Jesus. As if they can frustrate his earthly ministry by refusing to believe in him. He proved that just as everything he does, and says comes from the Father, so too those who believe in him have received their faith from God the Father.
So, where does this leave you this morning?
If you are a believer, thank God that he gave you as a love gift to his Son. Thank him that he shone in your heart the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Thank him that he drew you to Jesus. Thank him that he granted you the faith to believe.
If you are not a Christian this morning but you would like to know that you have eternal life through Jesus, then recognize that the same Jesus who said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” also said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38)’”
In light of all the talk about divine sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation, what are you called upon to do? Respond to Jesus’ invitation to salvation. Choose to trust him as the only saviour from sin and decide to submit to him as Lord. Then immediately thank God that he has given you to Jesus, has drawn you to him, has taught you about him and has granted you the faith to believe.
