Secure in Him
Then Jesus declared. “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry. And he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day John 6:35-40
Jesus offered Himself as ‘the bread of life’ to all but few seemed to have responded, “But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.” They had seen some of the miracles but still did not believe. Jesus was not surprised, and may not even have been disappointed because ‘all that the Father gives me will come to me.’ The word ‘all’ is singular meaning those the Father has given Jesus are a single group or entity.
Jesus talks of those the Father has given Him in several places in John’s gospel (6:37,39; 10:29; 17:2,6,9,24). From the human side, those who come to Jesus are those who believe in Him. From God’s side, they are those He has given to His Son. So although at this time Jesus saw little positive response, He could strongly affirm that all the Father had given Him would come and believe in Him, ‘and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.’ They are secure in Him.
‘For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.’ The security of those who believe in Jesus is connected to His own mission (‘to do the will of him who sent me’). The reason none who come to Him will be lost is because Jesus came to do His Father’s will and ‘I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.’ Again ‘all’ is singular meaning all the Father has given Jesus is a single group. Their security is tied to the Son’s obedience to the Father on the one hand, and the Father’s will on the other.
The only way those the Father has given the Son could be lost would be if the Son failed to carry out His Father’s will. This would mean the Father’s will had been thwarted. And what is the Father’s will? ‘For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.’ Those the Father has given the Son will receive eternal life in the here and now and be raised up on the last day. This ‘last day’ is the day of resurrection for those who believe in Jesus (5:28,29; 6:39,40,44,54) but the day of judgement for those who reject Him (5:28,29; 12:48).
These are strong promises and promises most of us, at some point in our lives, (if not at many points), need to come back to for assurance. I need to know who holds onto me as much as I need to be sure of my faith in Him.
He holds on to you!
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