All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. John 6:37-39 WEB
These statements of Jesus Christ give assurance to those who accept him as Lord and Savior. In addition, Jesus’ words demonstrate his obedience to the will of God. Beyond that, the Lord’s words raise the issues of predestination and eternal security in salvation.
The crowds that gathered around Christ grew large due to the miraculous healings Jesus performed. These physical manifestations of the divine power of Christ served as proof of his claims to divinity. To avoid confusion and properly direct the mass of people who followed him, Jesus begins to teach the spiritual significance of his ministry to remove the misguided material focus of the masses.
God Desires Salvation for Everyone
Jesus’ words are often interpreted as teaching predestination of heaven for some and eternal condemnation for others. However, this is controversial. God desires salvation for everyone. To clarify this, we read Paul’s urging of prayer and petition for all people in 1 Timothy 2:3-4 which states, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth. WEB” Allowing freedom to choose, God knows those who accept his offer of salvation and mourns the loss of those who reject him. In his wisdom, God is predetermined to welcome the repentant into heaven and condemn those who reject him.
Jesus says it is the will of my Father that “I should lose nothing.” This raises the question of eternal security or the doctrine of once saved always saved. To clarify this, Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. WEB” This helps us understand that salvation is by faith and the proof of faith is obedience to the will of God.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for the clarity of your word. Thank you for the hope we have in Christ. Help me to do your will on earth. Guide me to live a life that is pleasing to you – In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Peace With God
