Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm19990929.htm

JOHN: TRIUMPHING IN LIFE'S MOST CRITICAL ISSUE
Part III: Presentation Of The Messenger Of Salvation
C. Christ's Credentials Revealed In Confrontations With Men
5. Christ's Identity Seen In WHO Responded To Him In Faith
(John 6:22-46)
  1. Introduction
    1. In John 6:44-45, Jesus said: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him . . . Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." This is the key p assage John Calvin used to clarify his view that only those men are saved whom God effectually draws to Himself in salvation. To Calvin, unless God chose to draw a party, he could never believe and would thus irretrievably go to hell, Institutes, v. I, p. 270-277 [translated by Henry Beveridge].
    2. We examine the context of John 6:45-46 to see what Jesus meant, why, and what its lesson is for us today besides making a commentary on John Calvin's treatment of this passage on election:
  2. Christ's Identity Seen In WHO Responded To Him In Faith, John 6:22-46.
    1. John's Gospel was written so the reader would believe on Christ, thereby gaining eternal life, Jn. 20:30-31.
    2. Accordingly, we examine John 6:22-46 to determine how that information fits into John's design to foster faith in Christ from the reader (as follows):
      1. Following Christ's feeding of the five thousand, the crowd missed Jesus and His disciples as they had crossed by night across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, John 6:22-24a with 6:16-21 (last lesson).
      2. They thus crossed the Sea and found Jesus, asking Him there when he had arrived there, John 6:24b-25.
      3. Jesus responded that this crowd was not seeking Him because they believed on Him because of what the miracle of the feeding had taught, but because they had enjoyed being fed by the miracle, Jn. 6:26.
      4. Having noted this spurious faith, Jesus challenged the crowd to work for the spiritual meat that does not perish in contrast to the earthly loaves they had eaten, for that was the Father's will, John 6:27!
      5. The crowd then wanted to know what the Father's work was so they could please Him now that Jesus had mentioned the Father, and Jesus said the Father wanted them to believe in Himself, Jn. 6:28-29.
      6. The crowd responded that they wanted an additional miracle to believe in Jesus, probably one like being fed manna in the wilderness in addition to the feeding of the five thousand miracle, John 6:30-32.
      7. Jesus focused on God's current manna, Himself as people would be saved if they trusted in Him, 6:32f.
      8. Not understanding that Jesus spoke of faith in Himself, the people asked for this heavenly manna, 6:34.
      9. Jesus repeated His claim to be the bread of life, but noted that the crowd would not receive it because they had not believed on Him, John 6:35-36.
      10. Thereupon, Jesus said that all the FATHER gave Him would come to Him, and those who came to Him He would in no way cast out, John 6:37.
      11. In summary, Jesus said the failure of the crowd to believe in Himself indicated a breakdown in the relationship of this unbelieving crowd with His FATHER!
        1. Jesus noted He had come to do the Father's will, not His own, Jn. 6:38.
        2. Part of that will was preserving all whom the Father had given to Him, Jn. 6:39-40.
        3. The reason these were given to the Son is that they had already been taught by the Father, John 6:41-45! Jesus implied that the reason the crowd had not believed in Him is that they had not been taught of the Father, and thus were not drawn to Him as believers, Jn. 17:6 & impf. tense of "were"!
    3. Since John is writing to make believers, and since Jesus urged the faithless crowd to believe in Him (Jn. 6:27), there would be no point in John's presenting Christ's teaching here of an arbitrary divine election to salvation to woo unbelievers to Christ! Thus, the context must show Jesus revealing His credibility as seen in the testimony of those drawn to Him as being true followers of God, making Him believable!
Lesson: (1) Jesus was God's Son as all TRUE believers in the FATHER were led of the Father to believe in HIM. Thus, the testimony of those who came to trust in Jesus acts as evidence of His own credibility for us, cf. Jn. 1:47-49. (3) The refore, John 6:44-45 does not teach an election of who would believe! Calvin's use of John 6:44-45 to teach an effectual drawing of the elect to salvation is in error!