I ran into this verse the other day, “”No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:44)
Yes, I have come to Christ, although many times and many days I do not feel as though I am a Christian. Other times, I feel that I am such a bad person that I don’t know how God could possibly love me, and…am I really a Christian after all? This verse tackles those kinds of doubts with complete assurance in Christ.
Starting Point: Have I come to Christ? Yes, I have; it is a fact of my personal history that at a certain time and place I received Christ into my heart. And, Christ is my witness, because he was there.
Next, the verse tells me that I could not have received Christ in my heart on that occasion unless the Father had drawn me. Therefore, knowing that at one time in my life I did go to Christ and I did receive him, I know that the Father himself has drawn me.
We think of drawing as the physical or spiritual action of pulling someone towards themself. That is what the dictionary tells us for this verse. But on this occasion, I want to think of “drawing” as the homonym definition of drawing with a pencil on paper.
God created me; therefore, he did have a plan or design. And he fashioned me according to his design. Genesis tells us that God created us in his own image. Therefore, God gave me a shape and form that functions a bit like predestination. For example, if I were a potter and I threw a clay pitcher, it would be highly unlikely that my pitcher would spend its life being used as a plate. A life of pouring water–yes, but a life of carrying people around on its back as a donkey would–no.
So God drew me–he designed me–in a certain way, so that at the right moment in my life, when he was ready to draw me in the sense of pulling me towards himself, I was ready to be pulled. The verse tells me that my coming to Christ is only because God drew me in.
Well, proceeding, if my salvation is utterly dependent upon God from start to finish, then I know that I am secure, because God is God. He takes good care of his “stuff.” I am “stuff” that belongs to God, and I know that he will neither lose me, nor break me, nor toss me on the junk heap, nor abandon or otherwise destroy me. I belong to God, and he takes the best of care of what belongs to himself. So, my salvation is safe and secure in his hands.
The rest of the verse bears this out, because Christ promises to raise me up on the last day. And we all know that Jesus doesn’t lie.
I spoke here from my own point of view, and what I said is true for all Christians. May this verse bless and encourage you on what can at times be a difficult path. Know that you are safe and secure in the most capable hands of Father and Son.
Blessings of reassurance, joy, and peace!