Choice: God or Man - exegete John 6:32-40

I believe John 6:39 makes it clear that our Lord was speaking of all those individuals predestined to eternal life - the Elect.

 

The context is not the salvation of everyone. The context is the unbelieving Jews and His disciples.

 

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

I also agree, it is the elect and it is God that does the choosing, according to God not according to man... We look with an eye of faith on Jesus Christ, who in faithful perfection carried out the will of God his Father... We have eternal life because of his life and not by anything in our life we did to obtain it... My Salvation is 100% Christ!... Brother Glen

I forgot to add within the three and one counsel of the Godhead!

 

[Gen 2:7 KJV] 7 "And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

This was all God's doing. Adam did not have a choice in the matter.

Adam became a living soul physically and spiritually then lost his spiritual relationship with God due to sin - became spiritually dead.

Spiritually dead men cannot choose spiritual life.

God is in control of who is in His family.

[Jhn 6:32-40 KJV] 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 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. 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.

Jesus was addressing the physical senses of man - seeing. Does this passage have direct application for salvation today?

I think not.

 

Why must there be an imbalance? Which wing on an airplane is more important to flight?

 

the verb - to see - in this passage has a dual meaning just as it does in English - to see with the eyes, to see with the mind. Strong 3708.

My exegesis is a summary passage from the OT where there is an equality of the meeting of the minds - not the minds themselves but the MEETING of the minds.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

 

Yes - verse 36 IMO they perceived/understood who He claimed to be, hated Him, rejected Him and later tried to kill Him and eventually crucified Him.

John 8
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

John 10
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

 

I'd like to emphasize portions here:

but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

27“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”


The offer was made to these people who later reject him.

The rejection is they don't believe he is the bread sent for them: "But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe."


In the end instead of Jesus saying your right I am not the bread that is for you, He seeks to use the miracle of ascending to heaven to prove his intention to SAVE THEM

60Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” 61But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? 62“What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?

Now aside from Catholics we'll tell you its the real presence that is being proven, He is using his acending to heaven to prove either way that HE is here to SAVE THEM, And these same folks reject. Some never walk with him no more.

Jesus has done this sort of thing before:

Matthew 9

2And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” 4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? 6“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7And he got up and went home. 8But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Here the contention is He can't forgive sins. The miracle he uses to back it up is tells paralytic to pick his bed up and go home.

All you got to do is ask yourself what is the contention by which he intends to prove by Ascending to heaven.

We can't say well Jesus didn't die for "the reprobate" because that is exactly the sin being involved that they don't believe he is their savior.

 

Are you wanting this particular text isolated from the rest of scripture in order to explain it?

 

What topic would that be? we are talking about John 6.

"Is Jesus emphasizing God choosing men or Men choosing God in John 6:32-40? "

Jesus starts off with hey you guys aren't looking for me because I did some fancy miracle but because you finally got something to eat. Instead of seeking that food thats just gonna leave you hungry tomorrow how about you seek the food that endures eternally.
Its men choosing God. Jesus is the embodiment of God choosing men. If the ball was solely in God's court its meaningless gibberish for him to convince people to seek the bread of life.

If it was only on God this is all need be said: " If God likes you than you will be saved, If Jesus Christ has a unconditional hatred of your soul then you will be damned, The End, have a great day"

Look I said it effectively perfect in one line. I'm not even God. And Jesus is there trying to "prove" things to them with miracles of ascending to heaven etc.

If God has to push a spiritual button in your soul then he obviously doesn't need miracles for convincing folks.

I can do 1000 miracles God doesn't hit that elect/regenerate button, you are not saved. vice versa. If God hits the regenerate switch it you don't even need miracles.

This common sense folks. If you think we are totally depraved at least when you get born again make sure to get your common sense regenerated.

 

Well I cannot do that. I neither study scripture that way nor do I arrive at my understanding of doctrine that way. Calvies like doing that especially Dr. White but it is a inferior way to handle scripture and in fact is taught against in most Seminaries.

Now I can deal with that text but not divorced from other scripture.