Tag Archives: saving faith

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“I Will Draw All Men”…Are You Sure About That?

KD Jesus Christ dying on the cross Sticker Poster|Christian Posters ...“I Will Draw All Men”…Are You Sure About That?

James R. Aist

“One may infer that saving faith is the result of the elect being taught by and learning from the Father, rather than by deciding to believe in Jesus after being drawn to Him.”

In this article, I will use various scripture passages to connect the dots, so to speak, concerning the mechanics of salvation as described in the Bible. My focus will be on a few passages that deal specifically with people being drawn to Jesus, one way or another. In doing so, I will challenge a very commonly held interpretation of one key verse that is all too often taken out of context to arrive at a conclusion that is not warranted by the text.

What is the result of being “drawn to Jesus?”

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, Jesus answers this question repeatedly, clearly and to the point:

John 6:40 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (Here we can see that when Jesus says “I will raise him up on the last day”, He means that He will raise him up to eternal life.)

John 6:44-45  “No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘They shall all be taught by God.’  Therefore everyone who has heard and has learned of the Father comes to Me.” (There are three pertinent points to see here: 1) No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him; 2) Those whom the Father draws to Jesus will be taught by God; and 3) Everyone whom the Father has drawn to Jesus will be raised up to eternal life on the last day.)

John 6:54 “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life. And I will raise him up on the last day. (Everyone who has eternal life will be raised up on the last day.)

What, then, does it mean to be “drawn to Jesus?” What John 6 is saying is that only those who are drawn to Jesus by the Father can be saved, and everyone who is drawn to Jesus is taught by God and will be raised up by Jesus to eternal life on the last day. Note that there is not even a hint here that, in this process, we are invited to make a choice whether or not to believe in Jesus.

Thus, the path to salvation, according to Jesus, goes like this: an elect person is drawn to Jesus by the Father, then taught by the Father, learns from the Father, and is raised up to eternal life by Jesus on the last day. One may infer, then, that saving faith is the result of the elect being taught by and learning from the Father, rather than by deciding to believe in Jesus after being drawn to Him.

Does the Bible say that all men are drawn to Jesus?

That said, let us now turn our attention to the main thrust of this article, starting with a comprehensive understanding of the meaning of the word “all” in the Bible and elsewhere. If you look up “all” in most any dictionary, you will find not one, but two, alternative meanings. Perhaps the most familiar meaning is inclusive, as in “all have sinned,” where “all” refers to all of humanity. Another meaning is exclusive, as in “all Israel will be saved”, where “all” refers only to those Jews who will believe in Jesus. To discern which of these two alternative meanings applies, one must consider the context of the passage in question.

Now we are ready to examine a well-known utterance of Jesus that is commonly misconstrued: “And if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself.” He said this to signify by what kind of death He would die.” (John 12:32-33). The second verse is usually ignored, leaving only “And if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself”, and is then cited as biblical proof that all of mankind is drawn to Jesus. But, there are at least two reasons why that interpretation cannot be correct. First, the meaning of verse 32 is explained in the very next verse: “He said this to signify by what kind of death He would die,” not “how many would be drawn to Him if He were to be crucified!” And second, if verse 32 was meant to say that all of mankind would be drawn to Him, then this would mean that all people will be saved, because, as we learned above, all who are drawn to Jesus will believe in Jesus and inherit eternal life. Thus, to cite John 12:32 as biblical proof that everyone is drawn to Jesus is tantamount to endorsing universalism, a well-known heresy!  A correct understanding of John 12:32, then, may be to see “all” in this verse to be the exclusive “all”, most likely referring only to God’s elect.

Are we drawn to Jesus to be given a choice to either accept or reject the offer of salvation?

Some say that all people are drawn to Jesus, and then they are given a choice whether or not to accept His offer of salvation. They receive eternal life if they say yes, or so the story goes. There are several reasons why this storyline cannot be true. First, it does not square with what Jesus says about it in John 6, as mentioned above. Second, the Bible does not say, clearly and directly to the point, that anyone chooses to believe in Jesus. Saving faith is a gift of God, given only to His elect. Whenever the Bible speaks clearly to this matter, it is God, not us, who does the choosing. And third, in Romans 8:29-30, the Apostle Paul traces the path to salvation as follows: God foreknew, predestined, called, justified and glorified those He saves. What is missing from this path to salvation is any step at which God presents to us an opportunity to accept  or reject God’s offer of salvation.

Why is it important to know how God saves us, if all He saves will be with Him in heaven anyway?

There is no solid, biblical basis for believing that the Father draws us to Jesus to then, give us an opportunity to accept or reject God’s offer of salvation; it is nothing more than a human construct designed to give the impression that the free will of men is sovereign over God’s will in the matter of salvation. This idea may be attractive and appealing  to the ego and easy to believe, but it robs God of the full measure of glory in saving us. God is not willing to share His gory with anyone (Isaiah 42:8). My Bible says that salvation belongs to the Lord (Psalm 3:8), not us!

You can read more of my articles on biblical topics by clicking (HERE).

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What Must I Do To Be Saved?

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What Must I Do To Be Saved?

James R. Aist

 “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (John 6:29)

Before I begin to answer this question directly, there is something I need to say to the “seeker” who wants to understand the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. First, abandon all of your pre-conceived notions about earning your way into heaven by doing “good works.” That’s not how it operates. God’s plan of salvation is based on the good works of a sinless man, Jesus Christ, when He died on a cross to pay the price (death) for your sins. All that is required of you is to believe in Jesus (John 3:16), and you will be saved. This Gospel is foolishness to unbelievers, but to believers it is the power of God unto salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18). Second, believe only what the Bible actually says about salvation, seeking the truth there alone. There is no other way to heaven than to trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross (Acts 4:12).

Many different answers have been given when someone asks, “What must I do to be saved?” Jesus said that it all boils down to having faith in Himself, the Son of God, and, of course, He was exactly right. Paul elaborated a bit when he wrote, “… if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9). But, I believe that there is more that can be said truthfully and gainfully about it in order to help a seeker know and understand more fully the answer to this question.

I love to hear detailed accounts of how God has saved different folks. The details vary, but there are some aspects that are apparently universal. Of course, God knows exactly how He is going to save every one of His chosen people, and He does whatever He pleases in order to do it. Nevertheless, He has chosen to reveal to us, in His written word, some of the universal aspects concerning how He goes about saving people.

Firstly, we must recognize that we are all born into a state of enmity and rebellion toward God (Romans 3:10-12).

Secondly, we should understand that God is in control of whom He will and will not save; salvation belongs to God (Psalm 3:8; Revelation 7:10; Revelation 19:1). In fact, God chose whom He would save before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

Thirdly, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). No one can believe in Jesus of their own accord, apart from the Father’s influence. And all whom the Father influences in this way will be saved. One universal aspect of the Father’s influence in this regard is that He uses believers to tell unbelievers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:14).

Fourthly, a person can think their way toward Jesus under the influence of the Father, but it requires a direct and singular act of grace by the Father to get them all the way to saving faith in Jesus: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

And, finally, just as we are not in control of our initial salvation experience apart from God’s intervention, so also it is God Himself, not us, Who keeps us saved by His own power (1 Peter 1:4-5) and by the presence (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14) and activity (Philippians 2:13) of His Holy Spirit in us. In fact, the Holy Spirit in us is God’s guarantee that we will spend our eternity with Him in heaven (Ephesians 1:13-15).

Thus, the mechanics of salvation can be summarized in this way: We are all born into a state of enmity and rebellion toward God. God is in control of whom He will and will not save. No one can come to saving faith in Jesus unless the Father draws him. Saving faith in Jesus is a gift from God, not a product of our efforts apart from God’s influence. And, just as it is God who saves us, it is also God who keeps us saved. So, perhaps a better question to ask is , “What must God do to save us?”

If you want God to save you and keep you saved, then purpose in your heart to end your rebellion toward Him, confess your sins to the Father, ask Him to give you the gift of saving faith in Jesus Christ and commit yourself to put your faith and trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. God is faithful and just to forgive your sins (cf. 1 John 1:9) and to grant you the gift of saving faith (Romans 10:8-10). Rest assured that He will do it (John 5:24; Romans 10:13), because He chose you for salvation before the foundation of the world!

Finally, remember Jesus’ words: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29). When God the Father has drawn you to the point that you believe in the One He has sent, Jesus, then you will already be “born from above” into eternal life with God in heaven. We have God’s word on it. Rest assured that God knows exactly how to save each and every one of His elect, so surrender to His influence, and let Him save you today!

If you are interested to know how God saved me, then click HERE.

 

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Salvation: Who Is Inviting Whom?

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Salvation: Who Is Inviting Whom?

James R. Aist

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37)

Different Christian “traditions” have developed their own “catch phrases” to represent biblical truths with simplicity, and, as such, they can be useful tools of communication in the Christian “world.” But some catch phrases do not accurately convey sound doctrine or theology, however well-intended. This article addresses an important example of a popular, yet misleading, catch phrase.

The catch phrase I have in mind occurs at the end of a “salvation message”, when the evangelist encourages the congregation to “ask Jesus into your life”, or something equivalent in different words.  As I was meditating briefly on this particular invitation – which I have heard on several occasions – a red flag went up. So, I paused to meditate further to try and identify the reason for the red flag.

Then it dawned on me: Do we really want to ask Jesus to join us in our sinful, worldly lives? Is that what it means to be born again? Of course not! When salvation comes, it is not us inviting Jesus to join our lives; rather, it is Jesus who is inviting us to join Him in His life, that is, eternal life.

And, these two kinds of life are of a fundamentally different nature. The life we are born into is a temporary, physical, biological life in which we are separated from God. The life that Jesus invites us to enter into is a spiritual life in which we are connected to God forever, just as He originally intended when He created mankind. Being “born again” produces a truly “new life” in our experience, and it can be ours only when we stop resisting God and let Him save us.

That said, there are surely very important ways in which Jesus does want to bless and change us during the remainder of our biological life. For example, He insists that we let Him become our Lord by being obedient to His teachings and to all of the other moral laws contained in the written word of God, the Bible. This means that the true born-again experience will result in a life that is characterized by the forsaking of evil works and the practice of good works. If these signs of a true believer are absent, then we have not yet received the gift of “saving faith”, but instead, we have received “dead faith” (James 2:14-17). Such faith is worse than worthless, because it leaves us believing that our sin problem has been taken care of, when it has not!

Revelation 22:7 says, “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let him who hears say, “Come.” Let him who is thirsty come. Let him who desires take the water of life freely.” This is an invitation from God for you to become connected to Him, sharing His life forever. The “Spirit” is God’s Holy Spirit, the “bride” and “him who hears” is the company of born-again, true believers in Jesus Christ. All of these are inviting you to enter into God’s eternal life. Those who desire to accept this invitation may take the water of life freely. So, if this is you, I strongly urge you to say “yes” to this invitation now, because everlasting life with God in heaven depends on it! There is no other way (John 14:6).

(To read more of my articles with a biblical theme, click HERE)

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Jesus Is My Co-pilot…Or Is He?

Jesus Is My Co-pilot…Or Is He?

James R. Aist

Its not as common as it used to be, but do you remember when lots of Christians proudly displayed this message on the rear bumper of their car: “Jesus Is My Co-pilot”? That’s a catchy phrase alright, but is it good theology? Let’s look more closely and find out.

One need not think very deeply to realize the theological implications of this bumper sticker. If Jesus is my co-pilot, then who is my pilot? That would be me, of course. In this scenario, I would be in charge of my life, and Jesus would, in effect, function as my assistant. I would want Him right there by my side to steer my life away from trouble and into prosperity. But, heaven forbid that He would ever even think that He’s in charge! After all, its my life, isn’t it?

Or, is it? The Bible says that our life is not our own now, because we have been redeemed; that is, we have been bought by a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). It goes on to say that, as Christians, it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20). Before God saved us, we were living as “pilots of our own planes.” God did not even appear in the equation of our lives at that time. We were without God and without hope in the world (Ephesians 2:12). But God the Father drew us all the way to Jesus (John 6:44) and gave us the gift of saving faith so that, from that moment on, God had a rightful claim on our lives, to the point that He has a right to do anything with our lives that He wants to; we now belong to Him (Mark 9:41), not ourselves.

It can be a long, hard struggle for us to get to the point in our Christian walk that we are really and unequivocally surrendered to God’s will for our lives, no matter what that may look like. But when we get there, it will begin to show. Our friends and family will begin to see outward signs that we are no longer living for ourselves, but for Christ. At that point, we will be fulfilling the chief end of man, the main reason that God created us in the first place; that is, to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

(To read more of my articles on biblical topics, click HERE)