Jn 6:44,65 – an answer to this Arminian rationale on Jn 6:44 – “Do you mean God drags us kicking & screaming?”:
John 6:44,65: 44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day……65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
(The question was posed to me by a fellow believer as to how to respond to this mindset that he hears from so many folks at the church he & his family attend – 12/16/22; see his suggested analogy @ end of this response)
Titus 1:1-3; Ephs 1:3-6 (Rev 13:8*; 20:15; 21:27); Acts 16: 14; I Ptr 1:3,4-5,6a; II Ptr 1:1-2,3-4
Those who question the character & Holy nature of our God by asking “Do you mean God drags us kicking & screaming” are inherently revealing their grievous lack of knowledge of God’s Holy word (Ps 19:7-11; II Tim 2:15; Ephs 1:3-6) & as such, their lack of a Biblical understanding of His Sovereign majestic, sinless, radiantly beautiful Holy Person – Is 6:1-6; Rev 21-22; Num 23:19*.
As to God’s Sovereignty – Ps 50:21; 135:6; Is 55:8,9-11; 44:6; 40:5-8; 42:5-8; 43:6-7,10-13; 45:5-7; Rev 20:15; Is 46:8-10***.
To ask such a question reveals the insidiousness of Arminian soteriology that so unabashedly declares God to be impotent to fulfill His will apart from the “free will” agreement of finite, fallen, spiritually dead men (Roms 8:6-8; 3:10-18; 1:18). Such a question also reveals 1) virtually no comprehension of the impending wrath of God & the eternal torment of hell that it brings & 2) a prideful foolish attitude that says “I’d rather have/retain my free will to reject God’s gift of salvation & choose hell instead.” – what foolish folly (Jer 10:8-9)!
Those who embrace this mindset are in one of two camps Biblically. They are in the camp of infantile believers as identified in Hebs 5:12-13 or they are in the camp of unbelievers in the church as identified in Mt 7:15-20; II Cor 11:13- 15; Hebs 6:1-6; I Jn 2:19; Jude.
The Biblical testimony of the meaning of the principle in Jn 6:44,65 – “…..unless the Father draws him…..” begins in God’s Holy heaven before time began: Titus 1:1-3; Ephs 1:3-6; Gen 3:15; Ezkl 36:25-27. What God here in Ezkl declares to be His future blessing of Israel, He has already accomplished for us in Christ in His glorious New Covenant as testified to by Paul in Col 2:9-15; 1:22-23; II Cor 5:17; Roms 8; I Ptr 1:3,4-5,6a. Each of these passages testify, in the Holy Spirits inspiration, to the glorious truth of Hebs 11:39-40 (1,6,3; II Ptr 1:1-2,3-4,5-7,8-11).
The way of God’s Sovereign,elective, immutable “drawing” Biblically revealed: Ephs 1:3-6; Ezkl 36:25-27(Ecc 3:11; Roms 2:14-16; Jer 31:33(29-34)); Ezkl 11:19-21 (Roms 8:6- 9); II Tim 2: 25***(God “grants repentance leading to salvation – saving faith all of which is clearly revealed in II Ptr 1:1-2 (1-11) & Col 2:9-15; 1:22- 23); Acts 9:15; 13:48 (Roms 9:22-24); Jn 3:1- 8,16-18; 13:18; 15:16***(Phil 3:8); 6:37; Acts 10: 40-41*(38-43); Mt 13:11; Phil 3:12*; II Thess 2:13-15.
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My friend & fellow believer initially suggested the following analogy to try to combat this mindset toward God & His saving grace:
“A better analogy would be like a parent watching a child play in the street & dragging him out of the street because the child doesn’t comprehend the danger.”
In response I shared the following – There are many analogies in Scripture, but remember, analogies are human & finite, always. Be careful to avoid ever using an analogy apart from clarifying an already addressed, authoritative passage of Scripture. Never, never attempt to answer Biblical questions with human analogies. Christ never used an analogy as an answer. It was always to serve to clarify an already established clear Biblical principle/answer.