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An Even Closer Look at God’s Election

atpollard

Well-Known Member
If I be lifted from the earth, will draw all men.
When Jesus was "lifted up" in thirty-something AD, were all the Aztec and Mayan people [performing human sacrifice to the winged snake god they worshiped] immediately drawn to Jesus (even though the Gospel did not reach them for another almost 1500 years).

Is it more likely that Jesus was speaking of something like ...
Revelation 5:9 [NLT]
And they sang a new song with these words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation."


Some of each. All without DISTINCTION rather than all without EXCEPTION.
(Just my humble thoughts on "all men" for your consideration.)
 

Alan Dale Gross

Active Member
We must put our faith in the gospel first, check vs 40.

Jesus said,
it
"is the Work of God (the Father),
that ye believe on Him (Jesus)
Whom He (God the Father)
hath Sent."



John 6:28;
"Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"

"Then said they unto Him",.... Understanding by what he said, that they must labour and work, though not for perishing food, yet for durable food; and as they imagined, in order to obtain eternal life by working:

"what shall we do that we might work the works of God?" Such as are agreeable to his will, are acceptable to him, and well pleasing in his sight: they seem to intimate, as if they desired to know whether there were any other works of this kind, than what Moses had directed them to, or than they had done; and if there were, they suggest they would gladly do them; for this was the general cast and complexion of this people; they were seeking for righteousness, and life not by faith, but, as it were, by the works of the law.

John 6:29;
"Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is the Work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent."


"Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God".... The main and principal one, and which is well pleasing in his sight; and without which it is impossible to please him; and without which no work whatever is a good work; and this is of the operation of God, which he himself works in men; it is not of themselves, it is the pure gift of God:

"that ye believe on him whom he hath sent"...; there are other works which are well pleasing to God, when rightly performed, but faith is the chief work, and others are only acceptable when done in the faith of Christ. This, as a principle, is purely God's work; as it is an act, or as it is exercised under the influence of Divine Grace, it is man's act: "that ye believe"; the Object of it is Christ, as sent by the Father, as the Mediator between God and men, as appointed by Him to be the Saviour and Redeemer; and believing in Christ, is believing in God that sent Him."


36 "But I said unto you, That ye also have seen Me, and believe not."

They saw Jesus and yet did not believe.

37 "All that the Father Giveth Me shall come to Me;
and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.


Those that the Father Gave to Jesus will see Jesus and Come to Jesus and believe.

38 "For I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine Own Will,
but the Will of Him that sent Me.


It is the Will of God that Jesus did and is doing here,
which was, "to Seek and to Save that which was lost".

John 6:29;
"Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is the Work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent."


39 "And this is the Father's Will which hath Sent Me,
that of all which He hath Given Me I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the Last Day.


Jesus Will raise those whom the Father Gave Him
and in whom God Worked in them the Work of God that they believe on Jesus
Whom God the Father Sent to be their Savior.


40 "And this is the Will of Him that Sent Me,
that every one which seeth the Son,
and believeth on Him, may have Everlasting Life:
and I Will raise him up at the Last Day."


After God the Father Gave specific individuals to Jesus to Save their souls,
Jesus Accomplished the Eternal Plan of Obtaining Salvation Perfectly,
for those God Gave Him to be their Savior
and IT WAS WORK OF GOD IN THEIR SOUL THAT DREW THEM TO HIM, TO BELIEVE,

so, whereas they saw Jesus all they wanted to and willed in and of themselves,
in the own absence of any Spiritual capibilty, in their flesh which profits nothing,
and since it is not of him that runneth or Willeth, but of God Who Shows Mercy,
where Jesus told them, "That ye also have seen Me, and believe not", in 40:36,
until The Holy Spirit Enabled them to see, the Son, Spiritually in the New Birth,
and "believe on Him", and they wouldn't have believed on their own, of course,

since,
"no man comes" unto Jesus, unless His Father through The Holy Spirit Draws their dead soul FROM THE DEAD SPIRITUALLY AND QUICKENS THEIR DEAD SOUL, WITH ETERNAL LIFE, JUST LIKE GOD SAID HE DID, "YOU HATH HE QUICKENED
WHO WERE DEAD IN TRASSPASSES AND SINS",


Verse 6:40 teaches that it is God's Will THAT THEY ALSO:
1. ) "
may have Everlasting Life"
2.) "and I Will raise him up at the Last Day,"


WHICH ARE THE ONES GOD SENT JESUS TO
AND WHO HOLY SPIRIT GRANTED THE NEW BIRTH

NOW BE THOSE SAVED ONES WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE SPIRITUAL ABILITY
WHERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE

WHO JESUS DESCRIBES AS BEING AMONG THEM
WHO HAVE BEEN BROUGHT OUT OF DARKNESS, INTO THE MARVOLOUS LIGHT,

AND ARE SOME OF THOSE JESUS SAID

"that every one which seeth the Son", AFTER JESUS OPENED THEIR BLIND EYES
AND GRANTED THEM REPENTENCE AND FAITH IN JESUS,

"and believeth on Him," AS THE WORK OF GOD THAT THEY BELIEVE.

You cant put faith in or believe in Christ until you are first drawn by God Jn 6:44, you have the cart b4 the horse
 

Alan Dale Gross

Active Member
If I be lifted from the earth, will draw all men.
The first knee jerk impulse of a carnal man's reasoning,
while only using their fleshly mind which suffered the effects of the Fall of Adam,

WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE AND ENABLEMENT OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD,

MIGHT ALWAYS HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST, IF GOD SAID IT DID,
BUT HE DOESN'T AND IT DOESN'T, AND CAN NEVER BE DREAMED TO BE ABLE
TO THINK THINGS EXACTLY AS IF IT IS GOD'S MIND THAT JUST THINKS LIKE GOD.

BUT GOD SAID HIS THOUGHTS ARE NOT OUR THOUGHTS.

AND IN FACT GOD SAYS OUR MINDS ARE AT EMNITY WITH HIM AND OFFEND HIM.

We have to DIE TO OUR FLESH and bow to the Lordship of Christ,
If we are ever going to anything that is in way that Pleases God.

From: John 12 Gill's Exposition

"I will draw all men to Me; which is not to be understood of the concourse of people about him, when on the cross, some for him, and others against him, some to bewail him, and others to reproach him;

"but rather of the gathering of the elect to him, and in him, as their head and representative, when he was crucified for them;

"of the collection of them, through the ministry of the apostles, and of their being brought to believe on him for eternal life and salvation: and this drawing of them to him, in consequence of his death, supposes distance from him, want of power, and will, to came to him, and the efficacious grace of God to bring them, though without any force and compulsion;

"and this is to be understood not of every individual of human nature;
for all are not drawn to Christ,
or enabled to come to him, and believe in him.


"There were many of the Jews who would not, and did not come to him for life; and who instead of being drawn to him in this sense, when lifted up on the cross, vilified and reproached him; moreover, in the preceding verse, "a world" is spoken of, whose judgment, or condemnation, was now come; and besides, there was at this time a multitude of souls in hell, who could not, nor never will be, drawn to Christ;

"and a greater number still there will be at the last day, who, instead of drawing to him in this gracious way and manner, will be bid to depart from him, as having been workers of iniquity. Christ died indeed for all men who are drawn unto him; but this is not true of all men, that are, were, or shall be in the world.

"Add to this, that the word "men" is not in the text, it is only "all": Beza's most ancient copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read "all things"; and by "all" are meant, all the elect of God, all the children of God, "that were scattered abroad"; the Persic version reads, "I will draw my friends to me"; it designs some of all sorts of men, of every state, condition, age, sex, and nation, Gentiles as well as Jews, and especially the former;

"which agrees with the ancient prophecy, Genesis 49:10, and with the context, and the occasion of the words, which was the desire of the Greeks, that were come to the feast, to see Jesus; and which was a specimen of the large numbers of them, that should be drawn to Christ, through the preaching of the Gospel, after his death: the Jews say, that in the time to come, or in the days of the Messiah, all the proselytes shall be "drawn", shall freely become proselytes (e).

"The allusion here, is to the setting up of a standard or ensign, to gather persons together. Christ's cross is the standard, his love is the banner, and he himself is the ensign, which draw souls to himself, and engage them to enlist themselves under him, and become his volunteers in the day his power; see Isaiah 11:10."
 
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