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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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When “All” Is Not “All” At All!

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When “All” Is Not “All” At All!

James R. Aist

“The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness. But He is patient with us, because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Unfortunately, within evangelical Christianity, there have spring up over the years, several teachings that seem to be biblical and sound right and true at first glance, but, upon closer study and more thorough examination, are found to not really be biblical teachings at all. Here are several examples in the New  testament where the word “all” does not mean, literally, all:

  • Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” The Roman Empire did not extend to all of the known world, but only to the world within its borders.
  • 1 John 2:20 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.” The saved do not know when Jesus will return;
  • John 21:17 And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Even Jesus does not know when He will return;
  • 1 Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things edify.” Lying, stealing, murder, etc. are not lawful for Paul;
  • Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things because of Christ who strengthens me.” Jesus does not help us to sin!

As you can see, “all” does not always mean “all” in the literal sense wherever it occurs in the Bible. The key to understanding the true meaning of “all” in the New Testament is to refer to the context in which it is used. Often, the context will reveal a qualifier that must be applied to get at the true meaning.

That said, the example I want to focus on here is found in 2 Peter 3:9. Many have erroneously interpreted this verse to be saying that God does not want “any human beings” to perish but, rather, that He wants “all human beings” to come to repentance (and be saved). While these may be outcomes that God would prefer, that is not at all what this verse is saying, and here’s why:

  1. Any correct reading of this verse must provide an explanation of why Jesus has not already come again, as He promised He would (2 Peter 3:3-4);
  2. 2 Peter 1:1 makes it clear that this letter was written to all and only to Christian believers of his day. 1 Peter 1:2 reinforces this identification of Peter’s audience as “the elect” of God, which, by extension, would include those elect who were not yet saved;
  3. Throughout 2 Peter, Peter refers to his audience as “us”, “we”, “you” and “brothers” and consistently speaks of their heavenly inheritance;
  4. By contrast, unbelievers are referred to as “they” and “them” throughout, emphasizing their eternal punishment in hell;
  5. So, we can see that when 2 Peter 3:9 speaks of “us”, he is referring to only God’s elect, both the already-saved and the not-yet-saved, not all of mankind;
  6. Thus, a more explicit and scripturally harmonious rendering of this verse would read something like this, “But He is patient with the not-yet-saved elect, because He does not want any of His elect to perish, but all of His elect to come to repentance.”
  7. Further confirmation for this rendering can be gleaned from 2 Peter 3:15, where Peter makes reference to Paul’s explanation of why the Lord is tarrying; namely, so that all of God’s elect, in particular, the chosen Gentiles, will be someday included among the believers before Jesus comes again (Romans 11:25, and click HERE). That is what Peter means here, in verse 15, when he writes, “…the patience of our Lord means salvation”, meaning salvation for those elect who have yet to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

One could also point out that if it is not God’s will that “any human beings” perish but, rather, that “all human beings” come to repentance (and be saved), then He is not doing a very good job of saving sinners, because, as Jesus said, the majority of people do not take the narrow path that leads to life, preferring, instead to take the broad path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Finally, if you want to make a biblical case for God bringing “all human beings” to repentance and salvation, then you will have to look elsewhere. Such a doctrine is a heresy called “Universalism”, and that is not a biblical doctrine.

For a more comprehensive treatment of 2 Peter 3:9 “rightly divided”, click HERE.

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