Examining John 6:45
Last Update: 2024, December 27
To be Drawn is to be Taught by God
To be drawn by God is to be taught by God (John 6:43-45). If this “drawn” is something done internally then it is always effectual. If done externally, then it can be rejected or respond to it for non-salvific reasons by the Unregenerate.
What does it mean to be taught by God? Some will say that when we hear the Gospel and accept God’s message then we are being taught by Him. Similarly to how students are being taught by their teachers—they can accept or reject the lesson. Likewise, people can reject the Gospel and refuse to come to the Son. As I understand it, this is one of the arguments Non-Calvinists (NCs) put forth.
Let me begin by saying that the NC’s argument is only partially true. Calvinists do acknowledge that people can and do resist the Gospel or grace in general. For examples, see here, and here. People will naturally reject the Gospel and call of God until they’re regenerated. However, NCs reject this biblical teaching due to a misunderstanding of John 6:45, and fail to distinguish between the External and Internal Call. A thorough examination of Scripture compels us to differentiate between the two, in the same way we come to understand and see that there’s a faith that does not save, and then there’s Saving-Faith.
Allow me to demonstrate. We read in Jeremiah 32:33,
“…though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.”
However, this is not what Jesus had in mind. The External Call of the Gospel will always be rejected and there is a difference between God reaching out to people through His prophets or messengers and Him giving internal illumination. We see both of that in 1 John 2:27,
“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that ANYONE teach you… the same ANOINTING [Holy Spirit] teaches you concerning all things.”
Obviously John isn’t saying that we don’t need human teachers for he himself is teaching in that Epistle (“anyone teach you”). God works through means, people in this case, to carry His message to the lost world (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:14; Acts 11:18-21), but if His message is taught only externally by human then it will always be rejected, for example, God taught through Stephen and Paul rejected it (External Call). That’s precisely what’s going on in the Jeremiah passage above. Consider Jeremiah 35:14-17 and you will see that this “taught by God” is actually an External Call and not Internal,
“I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying…” (Jeremiah 35:15)
Now, if you continue reading from Verse 33 (of Jeremiah 32) earlier, down to Verse 39 you’ll see the “drawn” or “taught by God” that Jesus had in mind,
“I will give them one heart and one way…” (cf. Deuteronomy 29:2-4)
Human can teach God’s message, but they can not give one heart and one way (cf. 2 Timothy 2:24-26). In this context, the word or Gospel message by itself is not enough to save sinners. However, it is through the general call of the Gospel that God calls specifically (see Acts 11:18-21). Paul had access to the Old Testament and was well taught, but by men. Peter on the other hand was taught by God,
“flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven…” (Matthew 16:15-17).
It was only later at the appointed time that Paul was finally taught by God. We’ll look at how God taught Lydia in a moment to confirm this.
Jesus says,
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” (John 6:44-45)
Paul says,
“Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.… But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.” (Galatians 1:12-16, NLT)
God calls His people to Himself through the general or external calling of the Gospel. The preaching of the Gospel alone does not save, but we still must preach the Gospel to everyone, because through it God does His work of saving.
Another thing to take note here is the word “all”: they shall all be taught by God. Context is crucial and this is one more example of why “all” does not always mean “everyone without exception,” otherwise all would be saved because all would be illuminated by the Father.
Lydia
I have a separate post focusing on just Lydia alone, but I need to touch on it briefly here to prove and strengthen the reformed’s position on John 6:45.
Flowers and others will or can argue that not everyone who has heard from the Father actually learned from Him. In order to come to the Son they must “learn” from what they heard from the Father. Now, for the sake of argument, even if that is true, it does not explain “why” some learn and some don’t. Are we now to say that Paul wasn’t a scholar but an uneducated man? Jesus taught facts, but Nicodemus couldn’t comprehend it. The external call can be received and understood intellectually, but its spiritual truth can’t be received. In the end, Paul had to be taught by God. How does God do that? Look at Lydia.
…The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. (Acts 16:14)
WHY must God open her heart? Well, there’s a correlation between Heart and Ears. God says in Jeremiah 32:33, a passage we looked at earlier,
“though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction…”
They have not listened to receive instruction. There is a listening “to receive instruction.” Apart from a new heart, no ear will be able to receive the spiritual truth of the Gospel (cf. John 6:60,66). God opened Lydia’s heart, for what? To heed, pay attention, listen etc… to what Paul was preaching. Why?
“Indeed their ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.”
—Jeremiah 6:10
Uncircumcised ear cannot give heed. Meaning, Lydia with her uncircumcised ear could not heed what Paul was preaching. But you say, “Where is the heart in this?” Turn to Jeremiah 16:12,
“each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me.”
They followed their evil heart and listened not to God. According to Acts 7:51, uncircumcised heart and ears are one and the same. In such a state, a person will always resist God and never learn from Him, even if they could hear with their ears. Paul taught Lydia, but she also had to be taught by God. Otherwise she could never learn from Him, and in the end, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. 2 Timothy 3:6-7).
They had the prophets and Moses, and still couldn’t learn. They searched the Scripture but void of God’s love in their hearts and therefore could never come to the Son (cf. John 5:38-42).
“Loving a holy God is beyond our moral power. The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands. Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds His holy love in our hearts, unless He stoops in His grace to change our hearts, we will not love Him... To love a holy God requires grace, grace strong enough to pierce our hardened hearts and awaken our moribund souls.” —R.C. Sproul
An Objection
A follower of Flowers left this comment on a YT video:
to "having listened" and "learned" are not passive, as Dr. White was asserting to prove it's all God's work; rather, "having listened" and "learned" are verbs that are "active, past tense;" meaning, these are the actions of those God taught. Those who "actively" listened and "learned" from God are the ones actually drawn by the Father, and these are the ones who will come to the Son. As God himself states: Romans 10:21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people. [Isaiah 65:2]. And also: Isaiah 30:9 For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord. And also: Jeremiah 32:33 They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction. So many other Passages where God speaks, saying he taught them but they would not listen or learn. Yet, Dr. White acts as if he doesn't understand, and says that Dr. Flowers did not answer. Yet, Dr. Flowers answers were clear, easy to understand, and he gave Scriptures.[1]
The multitude of passages about God extending His arms calling all to repentance, or come to Him do not contradict the reformed position on John 6:45. It’s not possible for me to fully address all the nuances in this post so you’ll have to wait for future posts on this. For now, here are the points you need to keep in mind:
The External (or General) Call is universal. It’s for everyone in the sense that we are to preach to every creature (Mark 16:15).
The External Call can be rejected by the Unregenerate [or] they can respond to it for non-salvific reasons. Flowers and his followers reject the T (Total Depravity) which is why this blunder is being repeated. They assume that because people can and do reject the External Call of the Gospel then it must mean that the calling of God is not effectual. Well, that is only half true. It is the Internal Call that is effectual, not the External Call. Flowers and his followers would say that the reason why people reject the call is because they have freewill. But the biblical answer is “stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears.” Since the T is rejected (I have a separate post on this later), Flowers and his followers then ASSUME and read into the text to say that those responding to the teaching of God must have done so because they exercised their freewill, denying the fact that people will always reject the External Call or respond to it for non-salvific reasons.
“having listened” and “learned” are verbs that are “active, past tense;” meaning, these are the actions of those God taught. Those who “actively” listened and "learned" from God are the ones actually drawn by the Father…
This is putting the cart before the horse. For example, those seeking to refute Eternal Security have used John 3:36 to say that “obey” is the correct rendering, “whoever does not [obey] the Son shall not see life.” But it doesn’t really matter, when all things are considered, whether it says “whoever does not BELIEVE [or OBEY]” because back in John 3:3 the New Birth has been discussed. In the New Birth you’re given a heart of flesh—a new disposition that loves God and wants to follow and obey Him. “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man” (Romans 7:2). Does that sound like an unregenerate man talking? How about King David: “their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in Your law” (Psalms 119:70). There are plenty more examples.
Likewise, even if “having listened / learned” are passive or active does not in anyway refute the reformed view of John 6:44-45 because those whom God calls internally are made willing. It is effectual (see the 3 Soteriological Axioms). If God starts a good work, then the man or woman will thirst and hunger after righteousness. Non-Calvinists have the order reversed, like they did with Noah. To put it simply: Only those of God can hear God’s voice.
Let me end with a biblical example:
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” That is the External Call and the invitation is for everyone without exception. Many will reject this call, however, and only those whom God draws to Himself will respond. Pay attention to Verse 25-27,
“At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
As you can see, the External / Internal Call isn’t something Calvinists made up.
The Howard newspaper organization has as its logo a lighthouse beneath which are the words: “Give the people the light, and they will find their way.” The idea is that people make foolish mistakes and bad decisions because they do not know the right way. Show it to them and they will follow it. However, that is not the way the Bible describes our condition spiritually. When Jesus was in the world, he was the world’s light. The light was shining. But the people of his day did not respond to Jesus by walking in the right path. Instead, they hated the light and tried to put it out. They crucified the lighthouse. John was there. He saw what happened, and he had this damning observation: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). —James Montgomery Boice & Philip Graham Ryken (The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel)
John 6:44 here > https://soteriology.substack.com/p/examining-john-644