All those whom He has
given will be saved
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 Lord was not
discouraged by the unbelief of the Jews. He knew that
all the Father's purposes and plans would be fulfilled.
Even if the Jews to whom He was speaking would not
accept Him, then He knew that all of those who were
chosen by God would come to Him. As Arthur Pink puts it,
"The realization of the invincibility of the eternal
counsels of God gives a calmness, a poise, a courage, a
perseverance which nothing else can."
This verse is very important because it states in a few
words two of the most important teachings in the Bible.
The first is that God has given certain ones to Christ,
and that all those whom He
has given will be saved. The other is the
teaching of man's responsibility. In order to be saved,
a man must come to the Lord Jesus and accept Him by
faith. God does choose some people to be saved, but the
Bible never teaches that He chooses some to be damned.
If anyone is saved, it is because of the free grace of
God. But if anyone perishes forever, it is his own
fault. All men are condemned by their own sinfulness and
wickedness. If all men went to hell, they would be
receiving only what they deserve. In grace, God stoops
down and saves individual people out of the great mass
of humanity. Does He have the right to do this? He
certainly does. God can do as He chooses, and no man can
deny Him this right. We know that God will never do
anything that is wrong or unjust.
But just as the Bible teaches that God has elected
certain persons to salvation, it also teaches that man
is responsible to accept the gospel. God makes a
universal offer - that if a man will believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, he will be saved. God does not save men
against their will. A person must come to Him in
repentance and faith. Then God will save him. No one who
comes to God through Christ will be cast out.
The human mind cannot reconcile these two teachings.
However, we should believe them even if we cannot
understand them. They are Biblical teachings and are
clearly stated here.
William MacDonald, "Believers Bible Commentary"
