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| All that the Father giveth me shall come to me... yes, as many as the Father has given. |
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. 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.
Please note a few things:
1. "All that the Father GIVETH me SHALL COME to me..."
2. "... of all which He HATH GIVEN me I should lose nothing..."
3. "... him that COMETH to me..."
The first giving is in the present tense - it speaks of the effectual calling that God does at all present times. At every effectual call of an elect, an elect is PERSONALLY, and effectually brought to come to Christ, united to Him in His death and resurrection. This is the immediate and direct work of God for every elect at His appointed and approved time.
The second giving is in a perfect tense - it speaks of that one giving of the whole number of the elect to Christ in the covenant of redemption in eternity, and remains given to Christ.
There is a coming to Christ that is true of ALL the elect without exception. That coming is by the free, sovereign and divine work of the effectual calling of an elect in his native state of sin and death to that grace and salvation in Christ Jesus. An elect dead in trespasses and sins is quickened and brought to everlasting life in Christ - i.e. he is brought to come to Christ and united with Christ. This coming to Christ is the direct effect of God effectually calling an elect. This coming to Christ happens to EVERY elect, in their appointed and approved time. In this coming to Christ, an elect is completely passive, in that he does nothing. In reality, in his natural state, he is in enmity and rebellion again God, BUT sovereign and divine grace triumphed over such enmity and rebellion.
There is a coming to Christ when a child of God is called by the gospel ministry. Upon hearing, understanding and believing - all these being the spiritual activities of a child of God - he CONSCIOUSLY comes to Jesus Christ, receiving and resting in Him as Lord and Saviour. This coming is conditioned upon the availability of, as well as the positive response to, the gospel call.
However, not ALL the called of God will be called by the gospel ministry. They are God's children that are incapable of being outwardly called by the gospel ministry. Many reject this simple fact and reality because they fail to distinguish the effectual call to grace and salvation that embraces EVERY elect, and the gospel call unto conversion to the gospel truth that involved NOT every child of God. The latter involves everyone who consciously comes to Christ through the gospel call - "and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
The first coming is entirely by the free sovereign divine activity, with the elect entirely passive, being dead in trespasses and sins when this coming was effected entirely by divine power! Divine power draws the dead and makes them alive through the redemption already accomplished by Christ for His people.
The second coming (please note in the simple present tense - "him that COMETH" - is through the instrument of the gospel ministry. The gospel ministry calls upon God's children to believe on the truth of their salvation by God's free grace in Jesus Christ. In this coming, man is active. His intellect is involved, his heart is involved, and his will is involved. He hears, he understands, and he believes, I.E. he comes to Christ, believes the truth of the gospel. This coming to Christ, receiving and resting in Him is not a one-off event, it is the ever-present reality of coming to Him.
Paul reasoned:
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?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Christ gives a glorious assurance to every one who comes to Him, however unworthy or wretched he may feel... "I will in no wise cast out." This applies to the experiential coming to Christ in response to the gospel call. "I will in no wise cast out" DOES NOT apply to the coming as the result of God's effectual call. That would be unthinkable, as well as impossible. The Father and the Son work in perfect harmony; whom the Father gives to Christ are united to Christ in salvation.
A biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology. Failing to do so has caused many to end up believing the lies that every child of God will also hear, understand and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ and COMES to Him.
