All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. John 6:37
When this verse is read in isolation of the truth regarding how the Father gives people to the Son, we will assume that God randomly selects those to be saved. But in what way do people come to Jesus Christ? Or how does God give people to Christ?
John, quoting Isaiah 54:13, shows how this is done. "And they shall all be taught by God." Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."
So we find that from of old, God draws people to Himself by teaching them, through the preaching of His word. And those who respond to the preaching of God's word are regarded as drawn by God. God does not arbitrarily draw people to Himself as some people assume that He does because of what Jesus said in John 6:37.
When Jesus said that those that the Father gives to Him will come to Him, He meant not an arbitrary giving. The Father always does it by means of the preaching of the word and conviction of the Holy Spirit. Those who hear and respond positively are said to have been given to Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul, in Romans 10:17, made it clear that saving faith comes by hearing of God's word, and this is available to everyone in the world. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
Toni
