The biblical gospel insists that man is lost in his sins. He doesn’t want out, and therefore he is enslaved to his own lusts and evil desires. He is dead in his trespasses and sins. Therefore he cannot come to Christ unless Christ draws him.
So Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out… For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day… No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (Jn. 6:37, 40, 44).
So we preach that no one can come to the Father, unless the Father draws Him. But if the Father has given a sinner into the hand of Jesus, that sinner will most certainly look on Jesus the Son of God and have eternal life. And Jesus will never cast that sinner out but will most certainly raise him up on the last day.
We do not preach that Jesus is sitting in heaven hoping that some people will believe. We do not preach that God is dependent on us for salvation. No, we preach that God sent His Son into the world to secure the salvation of a great company, a company so large that it can be rightly termed “the world.” Jesus did not die in hopes of potentially saving the world. No, God the Father in eternity past determined to save the world through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, and therefore everyone who looks upon Him and believes has eternal life.
So the invitation is this: Do you want in? Then come, you will not be turned away. Do you want eternal life? Then come, there is a seat waiting for you. Do you want to know Christ, to walk with Christ? Then come, you wouldn’t want to know Christ unless the Father who sent Him had drawn you. There are no halfway invitations. God does not play games. The invitation goes out to all that everyone who comes to Him will be saved. And everyone who hears and believes is most welcome.
So come and welcome to Jesus Christ.
Photo by Marissa Daeger on Unsplash
Leave a Reply