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Enjoying God Blog

When a person comes to Jesus through the drawing of the Father, it is impossible for him/her to be turned away or cast out. Look at how Jesus says this in John 6:37-40.

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 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” (John 6:37-40).

Notice that three times in the span of four verses Jesus declares that it is impossible for someone whom the Father has given him and drawn to him, to ever be cast out or not reach the end of life saved and secure: “I will never cast out” / “I should lose nothing of all that he has given me” / “I will raise him up on the last day”. If that were not enough, Jesus says it yet again in John 6:44 – “and I will raise him up on the last day.”

This, Jesus says, is the “will” of my Father, that all he has given me come to me and that all who come to me be raised up saved and secured and glorified on that final day. There are several other texts in the NT that, in my opinion, reinforce with unmistakable clarity this truth. Among them are the following.

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand” (John 10:28-29).

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:9-10).

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30).

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32).

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35-39).

“so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:7-9).

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:23-24).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).

I want to close by telling you a true story that I believe illustrates well the truth that we find in John 6 concerning the security of the believer.

It was 1984, our daughter Melanie was about to turn six years of age, and all she wanted was for us to take her to the Texas State Fair. We were living in Dallas at the time and didn’t want to disappoint her. However, the city had been filled with disturbing reports of young children being snatched while playing in their own backyards. I can still recall reading in the Dallas Morning News a warning to all parents who planned on taking their children to the fair. They were instructed to keep their children close at hand and not let them wander off along the midway. We took it to heart!

The fair was an incredibly entertaining event, especially for a six-year old girl who wanted to jump on every ride and eat everything she could lay her hands on. As we ventured down the midway, Melanie would constantly struggle to break free of my grip on her hand. She was first drawn to the Ferris wheel and then to a game of darts, and after that to the bumper cars and then to the booth selling cotton candy. She grew increasingly frustrated by my refusal to let her run free. But I assured her again and again that there wasn’t the slightest chance that I would ever let go of her hand, no matter how energetically she pulled to break free or how loudly she complained on being kept by my side. Although she was a precocious child at six, I don’t think she fully grasped my commitment to her as a father. She likely interpreted my refusal to let her run wild as the fearful and anxious strategy of an overly-protective and controlling parent whose primary aim was to rob her of the joys she otherwise might have experienced.

After more than two hours of this tug-of-war Melanie showed no signs of giving up. If anything, her stubborn little six-year-old heart had intensified in the determination to have her way along the midway, her daddy’s persistent grip notwithstanding. My question for you is this. What would you have thought of me had I said to her: “Fine! I’ve had enough of your nonsense. If you want to get yourself kidnapped and abused, go ahead. Have at it. I’m done with you. Your refusal to be grateful for my loving protection has worn me down,” spoken in a disillusioned tone as I let go of her hand and watched passively as she wandered into a potentially deadly crowd. I know what you would have thought, as I would have thought of you if it were your child: “What an incredibly unloving and weak-willed father! I can’t believe your alleged devotion to your child and your purported concern for her welfare could so easily dissipate under the pressure she imposed on you. What a jerk! If possible, I’d bring charges against you and make sure you suffered the full penal extent of the law.”

I can assure you of this one thing. No matter how frustrated or exhausted or disappointed I may have grown with her efforts to break free, nothing in this world could have induced me to let go of her hand. And don’t forget, I’m a fallen, selfish, and sinful man. Yet, my depravity notwithstanding, I would never, by no means ever, let go of my child and release her into a potentially dangerous crowd of strangers.

I’m sure you can see where I’m heading with this. If I, being evil, am committed to the ultimate safety and welfare of my child, how much more is your heavenly Father, being good, committed to yours! If it is inconceivable to me even remotely to consider the option of abandoning my child, how much less is it a possibility that your heavenly Father would ever dream of abandoning you. If I was willing to do everything imaginable to keep my little girl safe from life-threatening circumstances, including patiently enduring her incessant whining and lack of gratitude for such efforts, how much more will your heavenly Father do whatever is required to keep you safely and savingly embraced in his arms.

Of this you can be certain, and in it you may rest assured: Your loving and gracious heavenly Father will never let go of your hand; he will never, by no means ever, leave you or forsake you, or ever allow you to leave or forsake him!

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