John Chapter 6 Examined

We will begin examining John chapter 6 at verse 25, the verse which begins the passage that some Christians believe is the foundation of the "TULIP" doctrines of Calvinism.

Calvinists say that John 6:37-45 is teaching that the "drawing" and "giving" done by God is a mysterious, secret, invisible and instantaneous change of the heart and regeneration of the dead spirit within, transforming someone from hating God to loving Him instead.

Calvinists further claim John 6 is teaching that only those who have been secretly regenerated will come to Jesus for salvation, and that the reason why people reject Jesus is because they were not regenerated by God. In Calvinism, every single person who has been "drawn" will be saved. No exceptions.

So, let us begin examining John 6 to see what it actually says.

John 6:25-27 (NET Bible):

6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”  6:26  Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted.  6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears,  but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.”

This crowd of Jews was seeking Jesus so they could get more free food. They weren't seeking Him because they truly believed He was sent from the Father to save them and give them eternal life. Jesus wants them to realize that He was sent from God the Father and that the Father has approved Him.

John 6:28-31 (NET Bible):

6:28 So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?” 6:29 Jesus replied, “This is the deed  God requires – to believe in the one whom he sent.” 6:30 So they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 6:31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Now the crowd is getting a little more serious about Jesus' spiritual message. They inquire to Jesus and ask what they should be doing to get eternal life from God. But, they are demanding a miracle from Jesus to prove that He was sent from God. They reason that Moses performed the miracle of raining Manna from heaven, so Jesus should be able to do something similar to prove He is from God.

John 6:32-34 (NET Bible):

6:32 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. 6:33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 6:34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!”

Jesus points out to them that it was not Moses who performed the miracle of the Manna, but rather was Jesus' own Father in heaven who provided the Manna. And not only did His Father provide the original Manna, He has now provided a far greater Manna-- The Son of God, the Living Bread from heaven. The people still don't get it. They think Jesus is talking about literal, physical bread.

John 6:35-40 (NET Bible):

6:35  Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.  6:36 But I told you that you have seen me and still do not believe. 6:37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 6:39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me – that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day. 6:40 For this is the will of my Father – for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus is now telling the crowd of Jews that the only way to get eternal life is by spiritually and figuratively "eating" the "Living Bread" who came down from heaven-- Jesus Christ. Jesus explains in verse 36 and verse 40 that the "eating" of this "Bread" is done when a person looks on Jesus and trusts in Him.

By examining verses 39-40, we can see clearly that the ones which are "given" to Jesus by the Father, are the ones who have 'looked on the Son and believed.'

John 6:41-51 (NET Bible):

6:41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” 6:42 and they said, “Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 6:43 Jesus replied, “Do not complain about me to one another. 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. 6:45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. 6:46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God – he has seen the Father.) 6:47 I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life. 6:48 I am the bread of life. 6:49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 6:50 This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

This crowd freaks out when Jesus says He "came down from heaven," because they've seen Jesus on earth ever since He was a child growing up, and they know His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary. Jesus points out to them that if they had truly previously been taught about the God the Father and had learned  about God, they would be coming to God's Son and trusting in Him. 

In other words, Jesus is telling the crowd this: "You may know Me and my earthly family in an earthly sense, but you don't know My real Father in a heavenly sense. If you had known and trusted My Father, you would be trusting Me now." (Compare John 5:36-44, John 8:42-47)

A person is "drawn" or "dragged" toward trusting in Jesus when they are taught the truth from the Scriptures. (Compare Romans 10:14-20, John 5:46) Many Jews had already been "dragged" toward Jesus by the preaching of John the Baptist and others. (John 5:33-35)

Again, Jesus tells them that the only way to eternal life is by "eating" the "Living Bread" (trusting in the Son of God). "Eating" is trusting. "The Bread" is Jesus.

In Summary

There is no invisible prior instantaneous "change of heart" or "regeneration of the spirit" being discussed in these verses. Rather, Jesus is saying that all of the people who have been taught about the Father from the Scriptures (and from John the Baptist and others) and have come to trust in the Father, will also come to trust in His Son and thus receive eternal life.

All those who have truly trusted the Father will trust the Son and be saved through faith. The only Jews who will be saved are those who trust the Father and the Son for salvation by faith and not by works. (Compare Romans 9:30-33)

And later, in John 12:32, Jesus is proclaiming that after His death and resurrection, all people (Gentiles and Jews) will be "drawn" or "dragged" toward the Son of God by means of the preaching of the Gospel (Compare Romans 10:13-20).