CALVINISM: THOSE WHOM THE FATHER HAS “GIVEN” TO JESUS
Let’s look at John 6:37, a statement from Jesus that many contend teaches that God arbitrarily “elected” some to be saved, and these will come to Jesus no matter what. They are the only ones who will, according to this dogma. The others are “left out” by God (“Tough luck,” implies Calvinism. “God just doesn’t love you.”).
The verse says, “Every one of those whom the Father gives me will come to me; and the one who comes to me I will in no way cast out.”
The Bible’s Consistency
It certainly needs to be explained to the new convert to Christ that since the Bible is the inspired word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17), it does not contradict itself. God does not tell you, for example, that you have the freedom and responsibility to make up your own mind about Jesus and then tell you that God made that decision for you.
God is not the author of confusion. His message to humanity was not given to confuse. Calvinism’s convoluted view of the “will of God” and all of these different ways that we have to look at things just to try to make sense of what they’re saying are not good.
What we need are people who love Jesus and want to share the simple message of the Gospel, rather than sit around and debate things that only make Christianity complicated, when it is supposed to be simple.
Being Responsible Bible Students
We should strive to be responsible Bible students. Mature Bible students. Those who handle the word of God correctly (2 Timothy 2:15). We have been “trusted with the Gospel”. It is a valuable gift, more valuable than anything in the world because it leads us to Jesus. He is what life is all about, so be diligent to present yourself approved to God by handling the word of God correctly.
And the way to do that is to take passages that may seem obscure or difficult at first, and compare them with plain passages throughout the rest of the Bible. You do not have the truth on any Bible subject until you have considered all that the Bible says about that subject. And if a statement or a passage seems to contradict clear statements, then you must look at the context of the “controversial” passage to see the ways in which it harmonizes with other, clear passages. And it always will.
Indisputable Biblical Facts
There are certain indisputable facts that have been established by the word of God and the truth of the Gospel. They are settled and they cannot be changed. They represent the truth. Those established facts must influence our interpretation of this verse before us. And here are some of those facts.
First, humanity has been bestowed by God with the freedom to make our own choices regarding our eternal destiny (Matthew 23:37; John 5:39; 7:17; Revelation 22:17). If the Bible teaches anything, it teaches that each individual must decide for themselves what they are going to do about Jesus. Will we receive Him and be saved? Everyone is free to do so. Or will we reject Him and be lost? You are free to do that, as well.
God will knock on the door of your heart, but He will not break down the door. He will not make the decision for you. He has not made the decision for you before you were born. How anyone could view the matter in any other way is amazing to me. Why would you want to take “difficult” passages and make them contradict what the Bible establishes from beginning to end?
Second, salvation is a free gift of grace offered to all who will receive Jesus, but it is offered on the terms laid down by the giver—God Himself. We must accept salvation on the giver’s terms. His terms are trusting in Christ as Savior and receiving Him as Lord. Salvation is by grace through faith, and the way that we demonstrate our faith is that we seek to obey Him as our Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Hebrews 5:8-9; 1 Peter 4:17).
No one can make that decision for you. Even God is not going to make that decision for you. Salvation is a personal matter. You decide whether or not you are going to be saved.
The Error of Calvinism
There are many sincere people who love Jesus who hold to erroneous ideas that contradict what we have just stated. But no matter how sincere they may be, what they believe and teach is wrong. And while their love for Christ in their personal relationship should be taken seriously, their Calvinism should not.
I am not attacking the people and I’m not the judge of anyone’s heart. But I can judge doctrines by the authority of the word of God. These teachings are wrong and misguided. They are spiritually devastating to people seeking Jesus. And, I believe, they are absolutely ridiculous.
Proper Context and Interpretation of John 6:37
When we consider a statement like the one Jesus made in John 6:37, we must look at the terms that are used, how they are used, to whom Jesus was speaking, and what point He was trying to make. To just quote this statement, which virtually all Calvinists I have encountered do, with no consideration for the context or its relationship to other statements Jesus made—even in the very same conversation that is recorded in the context—is not responsible Bible interpretation.
The Connection Between “Coming” and “Given”
Consider also that Jesus said, “The one who comes to me, I will never cast out.” He will never turn away, in other words, the one who comes to Him for salvation. Why is this second part of the statement not as important to our Calvinist friends as the first part?
To imply, much less state outright, that God willfully elected some individuals to be given to Jesus, while others were willfully not given to Jesus, is just wrong. Jesus is clearly saying that those who come to Him have been given to Him in some sense by the Father. But the question is, in what sense?
The Greek Word “Gives”
As we have said before, you do not have to know Greek to go to heaven. You can learn everything you need to know about how to love Jesus and go to heaven from an English translation of the Bible, for example, with absolutely no knowledge of Greek, in which the New Testament was written.
But if you are going to be a teacher, especially if you are going to teach things that are an offense to the Gospel, you need to at least know how to look up words. That will go a long way in keeping us from making immature mistakes. The idea that God determines your salvation for you is not taught by the passage under consideration.
Salvation as a Gift of Grace
The Greek word translated “gives” is a present tense form. In simple terms, what that means is that what Jesus was talking about was happening at the very moment He was speaking about it. They were not given to Christ in eternity past before they were born. They were being given at that moment.
Every time a sinner accepts the free gift of salvation, making his or her own decision to do so, is being given to Christ by the Father. The Father does not have to give them to Jesus and Jesus does not have to accept them. Trusting in Christ does not merit being given by the Father or being received by Jesus. This happens because He is a God of grace.
Conclusion: The Father’s Grace and Your Choice
Your salvation is not a “settled fact” before you even hear the Gospel, based on some mysterious “election” of God. It is not a forgone conclusion. It is a matter of trusting in Jesus and making the decision to follow Him. If you do that, you are given to Jesus by the Father. Your decision to receive and trust Christ has no merit in and of itself. Faith accomplishes nothing by itself. It is faith in Christ that matters.
Therefore, it is not just the fact that you are believing, but that the Father has decided that if you believe, He will give you to Jesus. It is the Father’s grace and goodness that causes Him to give you to Jesus. We do not deserve it even if we have faith. That is the point of what Jesus was saying, as well as the fact that He was sent by the Father and He represented the Father.
When we read the word “gives,” said by Jesus, we should be mindful of the fact that the scriptures teach that salvation is a free gift of God. It is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). The very fact that He would speak of something being given means that it is a gift.
And if you are at all acquainted, even on an elementary level, with what the Bible teaches about the free gift of salvation, then you know it is a gift that can be accepted or rejected. You make that choice. I make that choice. We receive the gift on the giver’s terms. Calvinism/Reformed Theology is simply not true.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
