Drawn by God

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” John 6:63

“And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’ ” John 6:65

Over and over in John and other passages Jesus makes it clear that no one can come to Jesus without the Father drawing them. This reflects the sovereignty of God over all including salvation. Yes, there are other passages that state that anyone can choose to receive Jesus such as “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20). However, apparently you will not hear God’s voice (or knock) unless He chooses to draw you. In any event, the free will vs predestination debate will not be solved this side of Heaven and a good argument can be made for both (it probably has something to do with God being outside of time but that discussion is for another day).

I was brought up in a strong freewill church and long held the freewill position. However, over time (and much study of the Bible) I have gone over more to a predestination viewpoint. The thing that helped brought me along to that position was my continuing realization of how I, left entirely on my own, would not have sought out God at all. Even if I saw the door I would not have knocked or listened to the voice. This is because, without God, I am hopelessly depraved in my flesh. Without God drawing me to him and opening my eyes Himself I would have marched right down to Hell on the broad road that leads to destruction because that is all I could have done. Thankfully, God did draw me and I am a Believer and on my way to Heaven. But would any Christian pursue God left to themselves? I do not believe so. It is a privilege that has to be granted by God and all the questions this raises have to be left to God in faith. It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh has no ability to do anything profitable, least of all accept God.