How Does God Draw Me To Him

How God Draws People to Salvation

John half-dozen:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I volition heighten him up at the last twenty-four hour period."

This verse points to God'southward sovereign work that brings people to Jesus Christ, and from the context of John 6, they evidently believe in Him for eternal salvation. Some think this poetry teaches that God draws people in such a way that they cannot resist. They understand the word draw to mean drag. Simply would God force His conservancy on people against their will? Is God's grace irresistible? The passage, its context, and other Scriptures assist u.s.a. understand that God draws people to faith in Christ in a number of ways.

God uses man'southward power to respond. This does non diminish God'southward sovereignty, just recognizes that He has sovereignly designed man to have free will which allows him to reply to God (for a related discussion on election run across GraceNotes no. 72). Since the Bible teaches that human does non seek God on his own (Rom. 3:eleven), God must take the initiative. He reveals Himself in cosmos, and though homo knows this, he all the same refuses to award God (Rom. ane:19-21). Then God, in His dearest, seeks us out (Luke 19:10; John three:16; 1 John 4:nine-10). But how should nosotros understand the word describe every bit it is used in John 6:44? The range of pregnant for the word elkuo includes to draw, pull, or attract. It is constitute five times in the New Testament, four of those in John. Though the literal uses in John and Acts clearly mean elevate or pull (John 18:10; 21:6; Acts 16:19) the ii figurative uses in John half dozen:44 and 12:32 are better understood as attract. The context shows why. In John 6, eternal life is spoken of equally a gift that is received by believing in Christ (6:27-29, 32-35, 40, 47, 51). The idea of a gift assumes the freedom to accept or reject it. The motive behind this gift assumes God'south dearest (John iii:16). This is consistent with how the Greek translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint) sometimes uses elkuo in a context of love's attraction: "With loving kindness I have drawn you" (Jer. 31:three; see too Song of Solomon 1:iii-four). In other ancient Greek literature, this verb is used to describe a mother drawn by love to her sons (iv Maccabees 14:xiii; xv:11). The idea of God forcing someone irresistibly is contrary to His loving nature and manner. No homo getting married wants to force his partner to the altar, but rather woos and loves her to come willingly. And so also God does non force people in a direction they are not already inclined to take. His drawing in poetry 44 is in the context of those who willingly believe (vv. 40, 47, 65). God'due south will does non forbid man's will and liberty to answer, but includes it. If man does not have this liberty, so why does God judicially blind the Jews or apply parabolic language to hide His truth? It would be like putting a blindfold on a corpse.

God uses Jesus' work on the cross. Jesus explained his role in drawing people to Himself for salvation: "And I, if I am lifted upwardly from the globe, volition draw all peoples to Myself. This He said, signifying what expiry He would die"(John 12:32-33). The word "peoples" is not in the original Greek, but is supplied in the English translation. "All" could speak of the extent of Christ's work providing for all people, both Jew and Gentile. Or it could it could speak of all people realizing that while all are drawn to some extent, some will resist and refuse to believe. Either way, this is not speaking of compulsion, merely of a moral pull on the inner person. The cross is proof of God'due south dearest, our sin, His righteousness, and the coming judgment (John 16:viii-11). A similar reference to Christ being lifted up in John 3:14-15 refers to the story in Numbers 21:4-9 when those who looked at the statuary snake on the pole were healed. In both passages, the provision of conservancy is available to whoever believes.

God uses the Word to teach. The teaching of God's Word is designed to draw people to Christ. Following John six:44, verses 45-46 say, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught past God.' Therefore anybody who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." The quotation from Isaiah 54:thirteen is in the context of God wooing Israel dorsum to Himself as a woman or wife is wooed (Isa. 54:half dozen). The procedure is that God teaches, people hear and learn, then people respond by coming to Christ for salvation (In John, the phrase "come to" Christ evidently refers to coming to him in faith for conservancy; cf. John five:40; 6:35, 37, 65; 7:37). Simply those who take listened and learned believe. A receptive attitude towards God's Word is always rewarded with more truth (Mark four:24-25). Many, nonetheless, volition pass up the truth most Christ just as many rejected Moses' educational activity (John 5:45-47; cf. Luke 16:27-31) and just every bit the crowd did in John 6 in spite of seeing a great miracle and hearing the greatest Teacher. We also know that Judas Iscariat was constantly taught by Jesus, yet evidently never believed (John 6:64). Today, the Gospel is the power of God to salvation (Rom. 1:sixteen). Every bit we teach and preach information technology, it draws to Christ those who mind and learn from it.

God uses the Holy Spirit to convict. According to John16:8-11, the Holy Spirit convicts of truth (elegcho can also be understood as exposes or convinces): "And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will captive the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." As Christ draws all men through His work on the cross, the Spirit exposes to all and convinces all ("the globe") of that truth as the Discussion of God is taught. The Spirit uses divine persuasion to convince, reprove, disturb, draw, and beloved a person. But that does not guarantee that all who are convinced of the truth will receive it. A person can understand the truth, yet decline information technology (John 5:39-40). But whoever responds positively and seeks God volition be rewarded (Heb. 11:vi).

God uses people equally instruments. God has chosen to use people equally agents for teaching the Word of God which the Holy Spirit uses to convict the earth. In addition to His piece of work on the cantankerous, Jesus also taught the gospel. The campaigner Paul reminds the Corinthian church building that the first thing he fabricated known to them was the gospel (1 Cor. 15:three). He reasons with the Romans "How and so shall they phone 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? (Rom 10:14).

God draws people to Christ using these various means in collusion; they are not in conflict with one another. Before Jesus speaks of the Begetter's drawing in John 6:44, He twice says the Father gives people to Him (vv. 37, 39). The context suggests that the Begetter gives people to Christ so that they volition be secure--in five. 37 Christ will never cast them out, and in v. 39 Christ will not lose any but guarantees their resurrection. In verses twoscore and 44 He also guarantees their resurrection. But before that day, v. forty explains that the Father has given people to Christ that they may "encounter the Son" and believe in Him for everlasting life. So here we have the collusion of God'south sovereign work directing people to Jesus so that they will believe in Him for salvation. A good example of God drawing someone with various means is the story about Lydia in Acts 16:13-xv. Lydia goes to a prayer coming together (Is she drawn by her own initiative or God's –or both together?) and hears Paul teach (the gospel). We read, "The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul" (v. 14). God worked, Paul taught the gospel, the Spirit convinced, and Lydia responded by believing and then was baptized.

Conclusion

God does not strength His salvation on anyone. He uses diverse ways to draw people to answer with faith in Jesus Christ. If people accept to be dragged to conservancy because they have no ability to believe, how could anyone be held responsible for non believing? Their condemnation would be God'due south fault, not their own. Ultimately, our seeking after God is our response to Him seeking us. We should therefore preach the gospel of God's gracious gift of eternal life relying on the Holy Spirit to convince people of its truth and draw them to Christ.

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