Drawn, Given, and Chosen

Published in

The Flower Falls

17 min readApr 26, 2019

NOTE: The post you are about to read is adapted from Chapter 13 of my book The Flower Falls: A Careful Examination of Calvinism’s TULIP. The entire book is available here in blog format, but you can find it in print form on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or ask for it at your favorite bookstore.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life
(John 3:16).

The words of John 3:16 are perhaps the most well-known and frequently quoted in the entire Bible, but the simple truth of them is profoundly distorted by the complexities of TULIP. Calvinists rejoice in knowing that whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life, but they’re not always eager to divulge the TULIP-colored interpretation that claims people are incapable of believing unless they were unconditionally elected to do so. In other words, whoever can’t believe in Jesus; only “chosen and predestined” people have that ability. This brings a whole new perspective to Jesus’ words — one that goes beyond the Scriptures.

Many of the Scriptures Calvinists use to support their claim are also found in the Gospel of John. Jesus said in John 6:37, “All the Father gives Me will come to Me.” He said in John 6:44 and 65 that only people drawn by the Father could come to him. And in John 15:16 he said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.”

When taken out of context like this, these passages seem to make a strong case for the Calvinistic view, but their greater contexts reveal Jesus was referring to the men he chose to be eyewitnesses of his earthly ministry and later commissioned to go into the world and make disciples of all nations.

I’ll expound on that claim later, but I’ve talked with enough people who’ve struggled with Calvinism to know how deeply its ideas are embedded in their hearts and minds. So, before digging into exegetical explanations, let’s take a quick look at passages in John’s gospel that point to God’s love for the world and his desire and provision for the salvation of all people.

To begin, Jesus not only spoke of himself as given to the world by his father so that people who believe in him would not perish but have eternal life, he went on to say, “For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16–17).

Before that, John spoke of Jesus as the “Light of men…the true Light, which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” (1:4, 9). And John the Baptist called Jesus, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (1:29).

Later, Jesus told the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water I give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (4:14). Then, when speaking to a crowd in Capernaum, Jesus said he was the bread of life which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (6:33–35).

When in the temple for the Feast of Booths, Jesus cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (7:37–38). And after refusing to condemn the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life” (8:12).

When speaking to some Pharisees, Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (10:9). He told his friend Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies (11:25).” He told his disciples, “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him” (12:26). Then, speaking of his future crucifixion he said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (12:32).

Not long after, he cried out, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world (12:46–47).

Furthermore, while speaking with his disciples, Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him” (14:21). And, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him” (14:23).

These are just a sampling of the passages in John’s gospel that make room for everyone; but whether quoted by Calvinists as support for TULIP’s unconditional election or by me to counter their claim, it’s important to remember that the Gospel of John is a narrative. And, as with all narratives, statements might not be fully understood until long after they are made. An example of this can be seen in John 3.

The Importance of Context

Soon after recording Jesus telling Nicodemus that God loved the world so much that “He gave his only begotten Son” (v. 16), John wrote about Jesus baptizing people. Verse 22 says, “After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.” Then, in verse 26, he recorded John the Baptist’s disciples speaking to him about Jesus saying, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him.”

It’s not clear whether John’s disciples were excited, surprised, or jealous that Jesus was baptizing people; but John seemed neither threatened nor surprised. In fact, beginning in verse 27 and continuing throughout the end of the chapter, he spoke about his role as “the friend of the bridegroom,” saying of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (v. 30).

A simple reading of John 3 seems to make it clear that Jesus was baptizing people, and the first verse of chapter 4 appears to confirm it: “Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John.” This passage marks the third time within sixteen verses that the text says Jesus was baptizing. Nevertheless, if we were to read these passages and conclude that Jesus was baptizing people, we would be absolutely wrong. I make this claim confidently because John 4:2 records this important clarification: “(Although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were).”

This example, like Paul’s words to the Ephesians about those who were chosen and predestined, is a reminder that we must read the entire context of a passage if we hope to interpret it correctly. We only had to read seventeen verses to determine whether Jesus was baptizing people or not, but determining the identity of the given, drawn, and chosen people Jesus referred to in the gospel of John will require a bit more effort.

John provided clues throughout his narrative, but their identity isn’t fully revealed until chapters 17 and 18. John 6:65 presents the first clue. There Jesus said, “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 phrase for this reason should cause us to ask, “For what reason?” To find the answer, we’ll need to read the twenty-one verses between the time Jesus said no one could come to him unless the Father draws him (6:44) and his explanatory “for this reason” statement in verse 65.

John 6:41–65 records Jesus speaking to the Jews who were grumbling because, after calling himself the bread of life and speaking of their fathers eating manna in the wilderness, he said, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (v. 51). Their reaction is revealed in the next verse: “Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, ‘How can this man give us His flesh to eat?’”(v. 52).

Can you picture the scene at that moment? God’s miraculous provision of bread from heaven during the years their ancestors spent in the wilderness held great significance for the Jewish people, yet there stood a man calling himself the bread of heaven and saying those who ate his flesh would live forever. They seemed to be appalled at his words, but their reaction didn’t deter Jesus in the least. He continued with an even more shocking claim: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:53–54).

People who have read the Scriptures have the benefit of knowing the fuller context of Jesus’ words (see Matthew 26:20–29) so they might not be as shocking to us, but can you imagine the horror of the Levitical law abiding Jews as they heard him say they needed to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life? John 6:60 indicates that even some of Jesus’ disciples weren’t sure how to respond to his words: “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?’”

Difficult indeed! The next verse records, “But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, ‘Does this cause you to stumble?’”(v. 61). Jesus knew his words would cause many people to stumble, and that knowledge seems to have prompted him to say, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father” (John 6:65).

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, many people who had seen and experienced his great power became his disciples and followed him from place to place. But his words about eating his flesh and drinking his blood proved too much for some of them. John 6:66 tells us, “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”

You and I can only imagine the emotion of that moment, but John recorded these touching responses, “So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God’” (John 6:68–69).

Countless followers of Jesus over the years have been able to readily identify with Peter’s words. I’ve uttered them myself when faced with doubt and difficulty. However, though I (and maybe you) can identify with them, we can’t insert ourselves into the conversation that day. This is confirmed by Jesus’ response to Peter and John’s commentary that followed it: “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil? Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him” (6:70–71).

From the Beginning

Jesus spoke clearly of choosing the twelve, so it’s not likely Calvinists today will claim to be one of them, but that doesn’t stop them from using Jesus’ words “You did not choose Me but I chose you” (John 15:16) to support the idea that they’re chosen. The immediate context of those words doesn’t make a distinction in the way John 6:70 does, but the greater context reveals Jesus was referring to the men he ate supper with in the upper room as Passover approached.

John’s retelling of the events begins in 13:2 and doesn’t end until Jesus’ arrest in the garden as recorded in chapter 18. John only alluded to the identity of the “chosen” in his narrative, but Matthew and Mark indicate Jesus was with the twelve men who had followed him throughout the time of his incarnational earthly ministry. Mark 14:17–18 says, “When it was evening He came with the twelve. As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said…” Matthew 26:20 says essentially the same thing but with fewer words: “Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.”

When taking these passages into account, it becomes evident that, with the exception of Judas who went out from them after receiving a morsel from Jesus (John 13:30), the chosen people Jesus spoke with in John 6:70 are the same men he addressed in 15:16 saying, “You did not choose Me but I chose you.”

This is further supported by his words in John 13:33: “Little children, I am with you a little while longer.” It’s supported by John 14:25 where he said, “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.” And it’s supported by John 15:26— 16:4, where he said to the men he had chosen,

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you.”

It’s true that many followers of Jesus around the world have suffered persecution or been killed for their testimony about him. They, and all who will suffer persecution for the sake of Jesus and the gospel, can rightly cling to and rejoice in the promises of comfort, strength, and eternal life that apply to each follower of Jesus. But Jesus spoke these words to men who were with him “from the beginning.”

Calvinists might claim they have been with Jesus from the beginning in a spiritual sense because they believe themselves to be “chosen before the foundation of the world,” but Jesus spoke of people who were physically present with him. The text goes on to say that after speaking of them being with him from the beginning, Jesus told them about the Helper who would come “because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me” (John 16:7–10). Then, six verses later, he said, “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me” (v. 16).

Later still, speaking of what would take place after his arrest, Jesus said, “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (16:32–33).

Jesus’ encouragement to take courage in tribulation is an example of a principle all his followers can apply to themselves, but this doesn’t mean we can rightly apply the other statements to ourselves. We weren’t with Jesus from the beginning, and we weren’t there to leave him alone. Neither have we seen him in the way he spoke of in John 16:10 and 16. Instead, we’re a small portion of the people Jesus spoke of in John 20:29 where he said to Thomas, “Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed.”

This verse is interesting because, though translated in the English past tense, did and believed are aorist tense verbs which are unique in that they aren’t limited to a specific time frame. In other words, the passage can be translated, “Blessed are those of all time, who have not seen and yet believe.”

The account of the supper is recorded for our encouragement and instruction, but the context of Jesus’ words doesn’t leave room for us to claim he was speaking to us or about us. We who read the Gospel accounts today are observers of the conversations that took place, not participants in them.

Drawn By the Father and Given to Jesus

The evidence presented so far reveals that the chosen people mentioned throughout the Gospel of John were eyewitnesses of and participants in Jesus’ incarnational ministry, but we have yet to consider the identity of those Jesus referred to in John 6:37–40 as drawn and given to him:

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.

After quoting Jesus, John went on to record that, in response to the Jews who grumbled about him, Jesus said,

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me” (John 6:44–45).

These passages provide us with some details about the people who were drawn and given to Jesus, but their identity isn’t revealed until John 17 where, after telling his disciples to expect (but not fear) the coming tribulation, Jesus lifted his eyes to heaven and said,

1“Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent…6 I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which you have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled”(vv. 1–3, 6–12).

Many of Jesus’ words reference people who were physically with him, and three of the verses indicate that those present with him were those the Father had given him (vv. 2, 6, 9). Yet, while praying specifically for his companions and eyewitnesses of his earthly ministry, Jesus went on to say: “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word” (v. 20).

These simple, yet profound words make room for all who believe in Jesus! While we can’t look to Scripture to claim we are the people who were chosen and given to Jesus, we can absolutely claim ourselves as those who believe in him through their testimony recorded in the New Testament and passed from person to person through the proclamation of the gospel.

Any doubt that remains about the identity of people chosen, drawn, and given to Jesus should be put to rest by reading only fifteen verses beyond his prayer. This greater context reveals that, after the Roman guards came to arrest him, Jesus asked who it was they were seeking. When they answered, “Jesus of Nazareth,” he said simply, “I am He”; and they responded by drawing back and falling to the ground (18:5–6). When Jesus asked a second time who they were seeking and they gave the same reply, he responded, “I told you I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way” (v.8). Then, referring to Jesus’ prayer in chapter 17, John added this commentary regarding Jesus’ request: “To fulfill the word which He spoke, ‘Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one’” (v.9).

Many people have become accustomed to reading John 6:70 and claiming they are among those chosen, drawn, and given to Jesus, but the greater context reveals Jesus was speaking in reference to specific men who were chosen to be eyewitnesses of his three-year incarnational ministry. Knowing the weak, frail, and slow-to-believe hearts of humankind, the Father chose particular men and gave them to Jesus to be with him throughout his time of public ministry so that after his ascension they could testify of the crucified and risen Lord whom they had seen, touched, and heard (1 John 1:1).

This does not mean that only chosen people are drawn to Jesus, however. Jesus spoke these beautifully inclusive words in John 12:32: “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

I’ve spoken with some people who use this verse to claim that when Jesus is lifted up in praise then people will be drawn to him. And, I’m confident that some are. But, here again, John inserted a helpful commentary in the next verse to clarify what he meant: “But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which he was to die” (v.33).

Jesus was indeed lifted up on the cross. And, as the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:15, “He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” You and I might not be able to articulate how or in what sense Jesus draws all people to himself, but we can be sure he does. And, based on Paul’s words to the Corinthians, we can be sure he died for all. This indeed is good news!

You can connect with me on Twitter X, or email me at patti@theflowerfallsoff.com

To read more, return to the homepage or follow one of the links below.

Calvinism’s Errors: A Brief Introduction

The Protestant Reformation: Truth and Error

Calvinism, Illusory Truth, and the Scriptures

The Sovereignty and Will of God

Chosen and Predestined Ephesians 1

Calvinism and the Plain Sense of Pronouns

Redemption, Adoption, and the Seal of the Spirit- Ephesians

Romans 8- Foreknown and Predestined

Romans 8:33- A Charge Against God’s Elect

Romans 9- Love & Hate, Potter & Clay