Unless God Draws

One of the most misunderstood and thus misinterpreted verses of the Bible is John chapter 6, verse 44:

Jn 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

This passage holds great import among Calvinists because they feel it bolsters their ideas about how God saves.  They say that the exclusivity inherit in this verse delineates "the Elect".  The Elect being the people God has decided to save while the much, much larger balance of humanity has no chance as God has decided not to save them.  As they usually state it, they have been "passed over".  It is the Elect and the Elect only that God chooses to "draw", and the rest never encounter the "drawing".

Of course myself, not being a Calvinist, believe this view to be incorrect and I'd like to examine this verse in context to show that.  But first I think it's important to underscore some fundamental truths:

1. Salvation is God's alone.  What this means is that God has determined whether or not salvation is possible, how it will work, and to whom it will be extended.  It might sound silly to have to say it, but God is Lord over salvation.
2. And in line with the first point:  God is sovereign.  What this means is that God gets to decide what happens.  He is the great "Decider".  His will is the course of events that will happen.  His will cannot be overcome or circumvented.  This is all part and parcel of being God.
3. Because of our inherit sin, we cannot come to God on our own.  This is the first truth Jesus states in John 6:44:  No one can come to me (Jesus) unless the Father who sent me "draws him".  If God had simply left us alone, none of us could be saved.
4. God did not decide to "leave us alone".  He decided to love us and to send His Son as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.  This is a point that I believe Calvinism often misses.  So much of their theology focuses on fallen man and our depravity (our sinfulness) and our inability to seek out God on our own, that one might forget that instead God has sought us out Himself.  What is necessary is a coming together of the two.  Because we could not move to Him, God came to us - and that fact makes all the difference.  God's ability renders our inability inconsequential.

But what does all this really mean?  What is this "drawing"?  How does God "draw" people to Himself?  Does God fiddle inside a person's head and flip a switch so that they all of a sudden are open to His advances  (or rather to state it in more definite terms - does God fiddle with a person such that they absolutely respond in the affirmative)?  Does God have to basically generate a new person in place of the fallen person in order for them to be able to understand what God says and respond?

Many believe so, and have anchored their entire understanding about God and man to these assertions.

But we have to ask:  is that what the Bible is saying?  I'd like to show you that it's not.

Let's start with a look at the active word in John 6:44 in regard to God's actions upon people, in the Greek "helkyse", the inflected version of the word "elko".  It is translated in English as "draws"   When you listen to Calvinistic teachers, such as John MacArthur, etc., you'll hear them define this word as dragging something along the ground, drawing water up from a well, dragging a lifeless or unresponsive body in a certain direction, etc.  And of course, these definitions fit very, very well with Calvinism.  One could even say they're tailor made.

Well, I'll tell you that all of these definitions are true.  They most certainly are.  However, they are not all of the truth, and that is where the problem lies.  I've found that in general, Calvinism as a system is very, very selective in the definitions of words they accept and teach, and equally as selective in what they ignore.  And if you don't know how to do your own research you'll most likely be stuck believing what you're told instead of seeking out the truth for yourself.  This pattern overall is known as eisegesis.  That means reading something into Scripture that isn't there but one wants to see.  Where does the thing come from then?  It comes from inside one's own head, and it is extracted from there and "read into" Scripture.  Or to put it another way, it is the rule in the head by which Scripture is understood.  And this verse is a perfect example of that truth.

You see, our word in question has another definition.  It also has to do with "drawing" or "dragging", but it is altogether of a different sort.  The other definition has to do not with irresistible or violent force, but with irresistible truth.  And where the first definition requires no response from the object of the verb - in fact the object can mount no response, the second absolutely requires a response - actually a series of them.  And lastly, the responses required by this "drawing" are not available to only a few, but to all human beings.

So how do we know about this other definition?  Is it legitimate?  And how does it apply to understanding our verse?

Well, we know about it because we still have some honest scholars.  And one of their works is known as the BDAG.  That moniker is made up of the initials of its editors:  Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich.  It is a massive Greek-English lexicon and is the pinnacle of definition for understanding the Greek of the New Testament.  It covers not only Scriptural references and other early Christian literature, it also covers older extant Greek literature.  What this means is that when the BDAG gives the definition for a word, it is doing so from a superior point of awareness, education, and understanding - which is exactly what you want.  Unless you knew what a word meant during the full time of its natural usage, you have no accurate way to translate it into a modern language, and that's simply a fact.

When we look at the root of our word above (in the Greek: elko), we find definition #1 as already described:  

"to move an object from one area to another in a pulling motion, draw, with implication that the object being moved is incapable of propelling itself or in the case of persons, is unwilling to do so voluntarily, in either case with implication of exertion on the part of the mover."  

And the BDAG goes on to give several scriptural and extant Greek literature references for this definition.  But one of those references is NOT John 6:44.  And this turns out to be very, very important.

John 6:44 is referenced in the second definition, and this definition is the true target of explanation for this post.  So what is it?

Definition # 2 says:  

"to draw a person in the direction of values for inner life, draw, attract".  

And the BDAG goes on to give John 6:44 as just such a reference, as well as several notable pieces of Greek literature.  I'd like to mention three of these other references as I feel they give a good picture of the full meaning of elko.  Specifically I'll mention Plato, Epictetus, and Porphyry.

Plato uses this word in his famous work entitled "Phaedrus", a typically Platonic dialog between two people covering a range of important ideas.  In sections 237d-238c, we have a debate between Socrates and Phaedrus concerning the inner war that is waged inside of every person.  In fact, this debate is a perfect picture of the prelude to Romans where Paul talks about how God's power is known through creation because He has made it known, therefore no person has an excuse for their sin.

This knowledge God has given extends even to our inner selves:  the most inner thoughts and urges that we have - the core of our soul.  Some of these are from our most base instincts:  emotion, lust, greed, gluttony, etc., while others are from a higher part of our nature:  the acknowledgement, appreciation, and exercise of things like love, truth, beauty, nobility, and morality.   Because of length I won't reproduce it here, but Plato's main point and usage of elko, is that we can be "drawn" by outward stimuli to an indulgence of our lower instincts - we all recognize and have fallen prey to this in our own lives.  But by the same token we can also be "drawn" by outward stimuli to exercise our higher nature.  We all recognize this fact to be true as well.  We willingly go along either path as we decide which is more important to us.

But in either case the "drawing" is not a picture of an object, corpse, or unwilling person being drug along against their will.  Rather, it is a picture of a person examining truth around them and making a choice to take a step up or a step down.  This is a much different definition for our word than Calvinism would suggest exists.  Yet there it is in the Greek language, big and bold for anyone willing to be Berean and do the work that fidelity to God in learning requires.

Consider also Epictetus.  In his "Discourses", Book 2, Section 20 he writes:

"What was it, then, that waked Epicurus from his sleep, and compelled him to write what he did; what else, but that which is of all influences the most powerful among mankind, Nature; which draws every one, however unwilling and reluctant, to its own purposes."

Epictetus speaks here of nature as a drawing force: our word elko.  What he means is truth imparted or ordered by nature.  You see, he was convinced that God created the universe according to reason.  And because of that, any rational person could take advantage of that fact to look at creation and learn about God.  It is exactly this truth that Paul states in the prelude to Romans.  The problem is that in our sin we suppress the truth creation speaks to us and in one way or another, fashion a god of our own making and turn away from the Creator.  Epictetus goes on:

"So strong and unconquerable a thing is human nature! For how can a vine have the properties not of a vine, but of an olive tree; or an olive tree not those of an olive-tree, but of a vine?  It is impossible. It is inconceivable. Neither, therefore, is it possible for a human creature entirely to lose human affections.
But even those who have undergone a mutilation cannot have their inclinations also mutilated; and so Epicurus, when he had mutilated all the offices of a man, of a master of a family, of a citizen, and of a friend, did not mutilate the inclinations of humanity; for this he could not do, any more than the idle Academics can throw away or blind their own senses, though this be the point they chiefly labor.
What a misfortune is it, when any one, after having received from Nature standards and rules for the knowledge of truth, does not strive to add to these, and make up their deficiencies; but, on the contrary, endeavors to take away and destroy whatever truth may be known even by them."

So Epictetus uses our word "draw" here in the sense we would say of drawing certain conclusions based on evidence. When exposed to the truth, there are certain conclusions that cannot be avoided.

He writes at another point:

When you eat, where do you put your hand, - to your mouth, or to your eye? When you bathe, where do you go?

It is impossible to be a rational person, and to see truth, and not come to the necessary conclusions. We are "drawn" to these conclusions based on truth because they are rationally inescapable.  

Beginning to see the picture yet?

And lastly, Porphyry in his letter to his wife Marcella, paragraph 16, also uses our word "draw" (elko) in the sense of higher truth drawing us higher in our understanding to certain conclusions. Why? Because higher truth, higher virtue makes these conclusions rationally inescapable. 

"Thou wilt best honor God by making thy mind like unto Him, and this thou canst do by virtue alone. For only virtue can draw the soul upward to that which is akin to it. Next to God there is nothing great but virtue, yet God is greater than virtue. And God strengthens the man who does noble deeds. But an evil spirit is the instigator of evil deeds. The wicked soul flies from God, and would fain that His providence did not exist, and it shrinks from the divine law which punishes all the wicked. But the wise man's soul is in harmony with God, and ever beholds Him and dwells with Him. If the ruler takes pleasure in the ruled, then God too cares for the wise man and watches over him. Therefore is the wise man blessed, because he is in God's keeping. 'Tis not his speech that is acceptable to God, but his deed; for the wise man honors God even in his silence, while the fool dishonors Him even while praying and offering sacrifice. Thus the wise man only is a priest; he only is beloved by God, and knows how to pray."

And of course our word elko appears in the second sentence, speaking of this upward drawing from where a person is to higher and more noble apprehensions of truth:  "For only virtue can draw the soul upward to that which is akin to it."

So, you now have a complete sense of the definition of our word elko - "draws".  How can we know if the second one is, as I maintain, the meaning used in our target verse?  

Easily my friend.  Very easily.  Just read the next verse (45) that is usually omitted from most Calvinistic teaching.  I'll reproduce both verses here:

Jn 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jn 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me.

Let me ask a couple of simple questions:

1. Does verse 45 picture an object, a corpse, or an unwilling person being drawn in a certain direction?  Or does it instead picture a person using the reason God gave them to listen to what God is teaching, and following that teaching to come to Christ?  The answer is clearly the latter.
2. Does verse 45 picture a drawing towards the baser instincts of a person, toward unholy things?  Or does it instead picture the upward drawing to higher, more noble truth that is the essence of the second definition of our word elko?   The answer is clearly the latter.

You see, the "drawing" of God is defined by God Himself as being "taught" by God.  That is God's part.  He provides revelation and conviction of truth.  The listening and learning are our part.  We must listen and truly take to heart (learn) what God says and follow the stimuli to its natural destination which is Jesus Christ and His great work on our behalf.

God's savior is for everyone.  It was for the whole world, Jesus said, that He was given.  His cousin, who had the Holy Spirit from birth, proclaimed: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  It was God's love for the fallen world that was the motivation for this great gift.  And apprehension of the gift is made possible everywhere the Gospel message goes.  It is the Gospel message itself that makes faith possible as God's word is not dead, rather it is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  (Hebrews 4:12)

Consider this road of God's truth leading to Christ in Romans 10, but not only leading to Christ, but in itself providing the very means by which Christ is apprehended and the sinner is saved.

Ro 10:4 (Amplified Bible)
For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in and adheres to and relies on Him.

Is this road of God a sprint, or a marathon?  Is it a road of religious exertion upon which one must strive and struggle, exhausting themselves in some sort of energetic piety in order to gain salvation?  No, not at all,  Not at all.

Ro 10:5 For Moses writes that the man who [can] practice the righteousness (perfect conformity to God’s will) which is based on the Law [with all its intricate demands] shall live by it. [Lev. 18:5]
Ro 10:6 But the righteousness based on faith [imputed by God and bringing right relationship with Him] says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into Heaven? that is, to bring Christ down;
Ro 10:7 Or who will descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead [as if we could be saved by our own efforts]. [Deut. 30:12, 13]
Ro 10:8 But what does it say? The Word (God’s message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach, [Deut. 30:14]

So how does it work?  By acknowledgement and confession.  Acknowledgement is a function of listening and learning (John 6:45).  It is the intake of truth and the determination that it is indeed true and worthy of attention.  Confession is the rational fruit of acknowledgment.  The most important truths that we admit, demand action.  Think about this and you'll see that this has been true in your own life.

If it is important to truly provide for those who cannot provide for themselves, then provide for them we must.  If it is truly right that all life is sacred, then seek to protect the unborn we must.  And if Jesus be God, and His words be true, then confess Him as Lord we must.

Ro 10:9 Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Ro 10:10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.
Ro 10:11 The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. [Ps. 34:22; Isa. 28:16; 49:23; Jer. 17:7]
Ro 10:12 [No one] for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith].
Ro 10:13 For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved. [Joel 2:32] 

But then of course the great question, the next step in this road:  how can people hear the great Gospel message of and about Christ?

The answer is that preachers must be sent.  You are reading the writing of such a one even now.  Your job is to listen and learn from God's word being presented and move to acknowledgment and confession.  Open your heart to what God is saying to you, and believe.  And after believing, act.

Ro 10:14 But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?
Ro 10:15 And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!] [Isa. 52:7]

The required final element: faith, is made possible by hearing.  This is possible because God's word is not dead, but alive.  It comes with life and power, and like the seed in the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8), it must encounter a receptive heart to germinate.  This is why in His explanation Jesus says, "be careful therefore how you listen..." (Luke 8:18).

When God's word comes and you harden your heart against it because you don't like what it says about your sin, or the sin of someone you care about, then your heart becomes harder towards God.  But if instead when the word comes, if you open your heart, laying down your own opinions about right and wrong, and instead choosing to be taught by God, then the Word will come in and provide life.

In closing, Paul describes this situation in Romans 10 as well.  When the Gentiles (non Jews) heard the Gospel they came in droves.  They came in multitudes.  But not the Jews.  They were hampered by their own beliefs they had layered over the Old Testament Scriptures.  And when Messiah came, they missed Him.   The Old Testament history of the Jews, sadly, is one of rebelling against God with very few bright spots in that long story.  But the saddest part of their history was when their Great Hope came, and most of them didn't even recognize Him because they had so hardened their hearts against God that they could no longer tell the genuine from the artificial.

But it wasn't God that caused this misapprehension of Christ.  Not at all.  Listen to who God says is to blame.  It wasn't the fact that He didn't "draw" them.  He did.  The fact was, and still is, that some people don't like where the "drawing" leads:

Ro 10:16 But they have not all heeded the Gospel; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed (had faith in) what he has heard from us? [Isa. 53:1]
Ro 10:17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
Ro 10:18 But I ask, Have they not heard? Indeed they have; [for the Scripture says] Their voice [that of nature bearing God’s message] has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the far bounds of the world. [Ps. 19:4]
Ro 10:19 Again I ask, Did Israel not understand? [Did the Jews have no warning that the Gospel was to go forth to the Gentiles, to all the earth?] First, there is Moses who says, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry. [Deut. 32:21]
Ro 10:20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, I have been found by those who did not seek Me; I have shown (revealed) Myself to those who did not [consciously] ask for Me. [Isa. 65:1]
Ro 10:21 But of Israel he says, All day long I have stretched out My hands to a people unyielding and disobedient and self-willed [to a faultfinding, contrary, and contradicting people]. [Isa. 65:2]

And of course this makes perfect sense.  Scripture interprets Scripture, and all throughout the Bible God appeals, He calls, He even pleads with His creation to be saved.  He provides lessons from the created order, the Old Testament, but fully and finally in the person of His Son as recorded in the New Testament.

You see, the message from God in vv 44-45 is that no one can save themselves.  If God had not first moved none of us would have a chance.  But of course the clarion cry of Scripture is that God has not left us alone.  We could not go up to Him, so He came down to us.  He took our sin upon Himself, paid the penalty for it and endured the hell for it, and then rose again on the third day so that all who place their trust in Him will enter into Him and realize His victory over sin, death, and the grave.  His victory over sin is ours.  He conquering of death is ours.  And His resurrection will one day be ours as well.

The road-map of truth God has provided in creation and Scripture lead the honest listener directly to God the Son.  Now it is true that a person can decide to exit off of this highway early.  He or she may decide laying down their life for Christ isn't worth it.  They may not decide to climb down off the throne of their life so Jesus may rule, just like the Jews described at the end of Romans 10 above.  But they cannot do so and remain true to the message God presents.  They cease to "listen and learn" from God.  

It is this concept of "elko - drawing" that exists in John 6:44-45.  And it is the hope of this writer that you the reader understands this and follow God's road directly to the One who laid down His life for you.  Accept His gift with childlike trust and enter into His kindness and love forever.

God bless.