John 6:37

All that, &c.--This comprehensive and very grand passage is expressed with a peculiar artistic precision. The opening general statement (Joh 6:37) consists of two members: (1) "ALL THAT THE FATHER GIVETH ME SHALL COME TO ME"--that is, "Though ye, as I told you, have no faith in Me, My errand into the world shall in no wise be defeated; for all that the Father giveth Me shall infallibly come to Me." Observe, what is given Him by the Father is expressed in the singular number and neuter gender--literally, "everything"; while those who come to Him are put in the masculine gender and singular number--"every one." The whole mass, so to speak, is gifted by the Father to the Son as a unity, which the Son evolves, one by one, in the execution of His trust. So Joh 17:2, "that He should give eternal life to all that which Thou hast given Him" [BENGEL]. This "shall" expresses the glorious certainty of it, the Father being pledged to see to it that the gift be no empty mockery. (2) "AND HIM THAT COMETH TO MEI WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT." As the former was the divine, this is just the human side of the same thing. True, the "coming" ones of the second clause are just the "given" ones of the first. But had our Lord merely said, "When those that have been given Me of My Father shall come to Me, I will receive them"--besides being very flat, the impression conveyed would have been quite different, sounding as if there were no other laws in operation, in the movement of sinners to Christ, but such as are wholly divine and inscrutable to us; whereas, though He does speak of it as a sublime certainty which men's refusals cannot frustrate, He speaks of that certainty as taking effect only by men's voluntary advances to Him and acceptance of Him--"Him that cometh to Me," "whosoever will," throwing the door wide open. Only it is not the simply willing, but the actually coming, whom He will not cast out; for the word here employed usually denotes arrival, as distinguished from the ordinary word, which rather expresses the act of coming (see Joh 8:42, Greek), [WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. "In no wise" is an emphatic negative, to meet the fears of the timid (as in Rev 21:27, to meet the presumption of the hardened). These, then, being the two members of the general opening statement, what follows is meant to take in both,

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Joh_6:37

All that the Father hath given Me shall come unto Me, and him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out

The certainty and freeness of Divine grace

I.

GRACE TRIUMPHANT IN SPECIALITY.

1. Christ leads us up to the original position of all things. All men are naturally from the beginning in the hand of the Father as Creator, Governor, and Source and Fountain of election.

2. He proceeds to inform us of a great transaction. That His Father put His people into the hands of His Son as the Mediator. Here was the Fathers condescension in giving, and the Sons compassion in receiving.

3. He assures us that this transaction in eternity involves a certain change in time. The only token of election is the definite open choosing of Christ.

4. He hints at a power possessed by Him to constrain wanderers to return. Not that any force is used, but by His messengers, Word, and Spirit, He sweetly and graciously compels men to come in accordance with the laws of the human mind, and without impairing human freedom. We are made willing in the day of Christs power.

5. He declares that there is no exception to this rule of grace. Not some but all, individually and collectively.

II. GRACE TRIUMPHANT IN ITS LIBERALITY.

1. The liberality of its character: him that cometh, the rich, poor, great, obscure, moral, debauched.

2. The liberality of the coming: no adjective or adverb to qualify. Not coming to the sacraments or worship, but to Christ. Some come at once; some are months in coming; some come running; some creeping; some carried; some with long prayers; some with only two words; some fearfully; some hopefully, but none are cast out.

3. The liberality of the time. It doesnt say when. He may be seventy or only seven; at any season; on any day.

4. The liberality of the duration. Never cast thee out, neither at first nor to the last,

5. Something of the liberality is seen in the certainty, in no wise. It is not a hope as to whether Christ will accept you. You cannot perish if you go.

6. There is great liberality if you will notice the personality. In the first clause, where everything is special, Jesus used the large word all; in the second, which is general, He uses the little word him. Why? Because sinners want something that will suit their case. This means me. (C. H.Spurgeon.)

An account of the persons that come to Christ

1. What is meant by coming to Christ?

(1) An outward coming in application of the means. When we come to His ordinances we come to Him.

(2) Closing with Christ, embracing Him, believing on Him, and submitting to Him. Coming not with the feet but with the heart.

2. What is meant by the Father giving men to Christ?

(1) In Gods eternal purpose and counsel.

(2) In the drawing of our hearts to Him when God by His Spirit persuades us to close with Christ. This giving is mutual: Christ is given to us and we to Him, so there is a marriage-knot drawn and contracted between us.

I. ALL THAT THE FATHER HATH GIVEN ME SHALL COME TO ME.

1. This is an expression of some latitude and universality--all Eph_1:4-5; 2Pe_3:9). From which we learn how to make our calling and election sure, viz., by closing with the conditions of the gospel. We may know whether we are given to Christ by coming to Him.

2. This is an expression of restriction. None come to Christ but such as are given to Him (Joh_6:44; 2Co_3:5; Php_2:13). The reasons why none come to Christ but those whom God gives to Him are

(1) Because all others are ignorant of Him, and without the knowledge of Christ there is no coming to Him (Mat_16:16-17).

(2) There is a perverseness in their wills and affections, so that though many know Him, they hang off from Him (Joh_3:19), so there must also be a drawing of their hearts which is the work of God alone.

3. From the word come we learn that men by nature are distant from Christ.

4. From the word given we see that all men are in the hands of God, for none can give what they have not got.

II. CHRISTS ENTERTAINMENT OF THOSE WHO COME TO HIM.

1. His reception.

(1) He will take them into friendship with Himself (Mat_11:28; Isa_55:7; Eze_33:11).

(2) None excepted (Rev_22:17). There is nothing to exclude Isa_1:18; 1Ti_1:15).

(3) What an encouragement to all men to close with Christ.

(a) The nature of our sins cannot exclude us, since Paul, Manasseh, Mary Magdalene, etc., found mercy (Psa_25:11). The ground of Gods pardon is not our sin, but His grace (Isa_44:3; Isa_44:24-25).

(b) Nor the Humber of our sins (Hos_14:4; Jer_3:1).

(c) Nor any supposed imperfection in our humiliation. We are humbled sufficiently if we come.

(4) Consider the great advantage of coming.

(a) Pardon and the life of justification (Isa_55:7; Mic_7:19).

(b) Power over sin and the life of sanctification.

(c) Comfort and peace of conscience.

(5) To enlarge, we may come not only in conversion, but after it, for assurance, greater measures of grace, and progress. Let us then come boldly (Heb_4:16).

2. His custody and preservation. I will keep him in. (T. Horton, D. D.)

The Fathers gift the sinners privilege

I. THE EXPRESSION. All that the Father, etc.

1. Number. Who can measure the amplitude of all?

2. Definiteness. Not one more or less.

3. Relation. The Father sends His Son to men and men to His Son. The conditions of this relation are the Incarnation and Atonement on the part of Christ; coming or believing on the part of men.

4. Donation. This was mediatorial.

5. Value. What must be the worth of that which the Father could give and Christ accept?

II. THE PROMISE. Shall come unto Me.

1. The certainty. He shall see of the travail of His soul.

2. The act.

(1) Externally, they shall be brought in the providence of God under the means of grace.

(2) Spiritually. If you have come to Christ you have entered into the meaning of four words--conviction of sin, the suitableness of Christ, venturing on Christ, continual coming to Christ.

III. THE ENCOURAGEMENT. I will in no wise cast out.

1. Personality. Him. Sin is personal, so must salvation be.

2. Extent. Christianity is the only universal religion; it can take root everywhere because it makes its offer to everybody.

3. The removal of doubts.

(1) On the part of sinners.

(a) When they have been called late in life; but remember the dying thief.

(b) Sin suggests doubts. It is not what you have been, but what you are willing to be.

(c) Unworthiness and infirmity create doubts.

(d) Doubts arise from ignorance. All these are removed by the invitation.

(2) On the part of saints.

(a) Many feel a sense of inward corruption.

(b) Others are conscious of stupidity and perverseness.

(c) Lowness of attainment suggests doubts; and

(d) Remaining guilt and imperfection. But what are these in the light of the promise, Him that, etc.? (Dr. Andrews.)

Encouragement to seekers from the purposes and promises of God

I. GODS GRACIOUS PURPOSE.

1. God the Father is the prime Mover in the scheme of redemption. Beware of regarding the Father as an enemy and the Son as a friend. The Fathers love is perpetually magnified in Scripture.

2. The Father hath given His Son a multitude which no man can number.

3. This gift was a very burdensome one to the Son. A ransom must be paid and satisfaction given.

4. The acceptance of the gift was most willing, for the Son gave Himself to receive it (Eph_5:25).

II. THE ARTICLE OF THE COVENANT which secures the actual union of His people to the Redeemer. Shall come unto Me.

1. What is meant by coming to Christ?

(1) Seeking, implying a sense of need, danger, misery, condemnation, ruin.

(2) Finding, including an enlightened understanding, and the revelation of the Saviour as suited to the sinners necessities.

(3) Appropriation.

2. The instrument of calling sinners is the Word, the Law with its warnings and threatenings, the gospel with its invitations and promises.

3. The effectual agent is the Spirit. We preach like Ezekiel to dry bones until the heavenly breath breathes upon them.

III. THE PROMISE. Him that cometh, etc. The preachers commission is as unlimited as this promise. Go ye into all the world, go.

1. Our encouragement to go forth under this commission is drawn from our knowledge of Gods purpose. This assures us that our labour shall not be in vain.

2. No degree or kind of guilt will be a bar to the sinners reception if he will but come.

3. Surely then the expostulation is timely, Why will ye die?

(1) Why go on in ways you know to be ruinous?

(2) Why keep away from Jesus when you are sure of a welcome?

4. Whose fault will it be if you perish? Yours, not Gods. (W. Hancock, M. A.)

Comers welcomed

I. GROUNDS ON WHICH THEY FEAR REJECTION.

1. Supposed omission from the number of the given, in which case they deem it hopeless to come.

2. Greatness of guilt--they are too bad to be received.

3. Absence of merit--they are not good enough to be accepted.

4. Lateness of repenting--they are too old to be welcomed.

5. Defects in believing--their faith is too feeble or not of the right sort.

II. REASONS WHY THEY ARE SURE OF A WELCOME. Christ will not cast them out.

1. For their sakes. He knows

(1) The value of the soul.

(2) The greatness of the peril.

(3) The blessedness of salvation.

2. For His Fathers sake. To do so would be to place dishonour upon Him whose will He had been sent to perform.

3. For His own sake. Since every sinner saved is

(1) An increase to His glory.

(2) A triumph of His grace.

(3) A trophy of His power.

(4) A subject added to His empire.

4. For the worlds sake. How could the gospel prevail if it got noised abroad that one was rejected. Lessons

1. Despair for none.

2. Hope for all. (T. Whitelaw, D. D.)

High doctrine and broad doctrine

Consider

I. THE ETERNAL PURPOSE.

1. If all that the Father giveth to Christ shall come to Him, then some shall come, and why should you not be among them? One says, Suppose I am not one of the elect; but suppose you are--or, better still, leave off supposing altogether and go to Christ and see.

2. Those who come to Christ come because of the Father and the Son. They come to Christ not because of any good in them, but because of the Fathers gift. There never was a soul who wanted to come but Jesus wanted him to come a hundred times as much.

3. They are all saved because they come to Christ, and not otherwise. There is no way of salvation for peculiar people. The Kings highway is for all.

4. If I come to Christ, it is most clear that the Father gave me to Christ.

II. THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL.

1. Him that cometh, go., is one of the most generous of gospel texts. Generous

(1) As to the character to whom the promise is made. Him, the atrocious sinner, the backslider, you.

(2) The text gives no limit to the coming, save that they must come to Christ. Some come running, some limping, etc.

(3) There is no limit as to time. Young and old.

2. The blessed certainty of salvation--lit. I will not, not, or never, never cast out.

3. The personality of the text--Him, that is, thee. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Coming to Christ

Every stage of the Redeemers life confirmed the delightful fact, that God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, etc.

I. THE OBJECT OF APPROACH. Prophets spake of Him, that around Him should throng the sons and daughters of woe. Jacob said, when dying, Unto Him shall the gathering together of the people be. Isaiah said, Unto Him shall men come; and He Himself said, All that the Father hath given Me, etc. And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me. He possesses qualifications to relieve our wants, in opposition to all assumed characters.

1. He is infinitely wise.

2. He is of illimitable power.

3. He is of boundless compassion: and by possession of these, He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him.

II. THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH WE ARE TO COME.

1. For instruction. We are ignorant of ourselves--of God--of Christ--of the way of salvation. He is the light of the world--the great prophet. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord, etc.

2. For pardon. We are guilty, and need pardon. Him hath God exalted with His right hand, etc. In whom we have redemption through His blood--the forgiveness of sins, etc. Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.

3. For strength. We have duties to perform, difficulties to encounter, trials to endure. Without Him we can do nothing: but He has said, My grace is sufficient for thee, and always remember as a check to indolence and supineness, that though without Him we can do nothing, we can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth us.

4. For peace. He is the Prince of Peace. My peace I leave with you, etc.; and we, as ministers of Christ, preach peace through the blood of His cross.

5. For eternal life. I give unto My sheep eternal life. He is the record, God hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

III. HOW WE ARE TO COME. A bodily act is not intended; many do this, and not come at all. Jesus said, when they thronged around Him, Ye will riot come unto Me that ye might have life; but a spiritual act is meant; and does it not remind us that we are naturally at a distance, not locally, but spiritually; and hence arises the necessity of the agency of the Holy Spirit--No man can come unto Me, etc.

1. We come by prayer: Hence, says Paul, let us come boldly to the throne of grace.

2. By faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God, etc.

(1) It regards His Divinity.

(2) His humanity.

(3) That He is the appointed medium of approach--I am the way, the truth, and the life.

3. With humility on account of our sin.

4. Contrition. Not sorrow merely for its consequences, but from a view of its nature, and the Being against whom it is committed. That godly sorrow which worketh repentance to salvation, etc.

IV. THE CERTAINTY OF ACCEPTANCE. I will in no wise cast out.

1. From the promises and invitations of Scripture. And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. Ho, every one that thirsteth. Come unto Me, all ye that labour. Wherefore, He also is able to save to the uttermost. As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure. Not willing that any should perish, etc.

2. From the examples of the Scripture. There stands a Manasseh, a Magdalen, St. Luke, a Thief on the Cross, and a Saul of Tarsus. Go to heaven, and ask if Jesus was willing to receive them? The question shall give a fresh impulse to the song, while they swell the strains, and cry, He loved me, and gave Himself for me. Go to the regions of darkness, and ask of them, Is one there that applied to Him? and, while anguish swells their bosoms, they will answer, No; we despised and rejected Him, and would not have Him to reign over us. Go to the north, east, west, and south, and ask believers whether Jesus did not receive them graciously. They will all give their testimony--While a great way off, He ran and met me, and fell upon my neck and kissed me. Conclusion: address to those already come--those coming--and those at a distance. (The Pulpit.)

Coming to Christ

I have read of an artist who wanted to paint a picture of the prodigal son. He searched through the mad-houses, and the poorhouses, and the prisons, to find a man wretched enough to represent the prodigal, but he could not find one. One day he was walking down the streets and met a man whom He thought would do. He told the poor beggar he would pay him well if he came to his room and sat for his portrait. The man agreed, and the day was appointed for him to come. The day came, and a man put in his appearance at the artists room. You made an appointment with me, he said, when he was shown into the studio. The artist looked at him, and said, I never saw you before. Yes, he said, I agreed to meet you to-day at ten oclock. You must be mistaken; it must have been some other artist; I was to see a beggar here at this hour. Well, said the man, I am he. You? Yes. Why, what have you been doing? Well, I thought I would dress myself up a bit before I got painted. Then, said the artist, I do not want you; I wanted you as you were; now you are no use to me. That is the way Christ wants every poor sinner, just as he is. (D. L. Moody.)

Coming to Christ

My next step, said an anxious inquirer, is to get deeper conviction. No, said a Christian friend, your next step is to go to Christ just as you are. He does not say, come to conviction, come to a deeper sense of sin, which you have been labouring to get, but Come unto Me. Ah, she exclaimed, I see it now. Oh, how self-righteous I have been, really refusing Christ, while all the time I thought I was preparing to come to Him. Will you go to Jesus now? Humbly, yet decisively, she responded, Yes, I will. And the Lord in the richness of His grace and mercy enabled bet to do so. (Clerical Library.)

Christ the Saviour of all who come to Him

I. OUR DUTY TO CHRIST. To come to Him.

1. How.

(1) By repentance (Mat_11:28; Mar_1:15).

(2) By faith.

(a) Assenting to Him (Heb_11:6) that He is an only (Act_4:12) and all-sufficient Saviour (Heb_7:12).

(b) Receiving Him (Joh_1:12) for our Priest, to atone (Heb_9:12) and to make intercession (Heb_7:25; 1Jn_2:1); for our Prophet (Deu_18:15; Act_3:22), to make known Gods will and to enable us to know it (Joh_16:13); for our King (IsaJohn 18:36; Mat_28:18), to subdue our enemies Heb_2:14), to rule over us (Psa_110:1-3).

2. What for.

(1) Pardon (Act_5:31).

(2) Acceptance (Rom_5:1).

(3) Purity (Tit_2:14; Act_3:26).

(4) Eternal life (Joh_5:40; Mat_11:28).

II. CHRISTS PROMISE, that if we come to Him He will in no wise cast us out.

1. What are we to understand by this? That He will receive us (Tit_2:14) into

(1) The number of His people (1Pe_2:9);

(2) His love and favour (Joh_13:1);

(3) His care and protection (Joh_17:12);

(4) An interest in his death and passion;

(5) A participation of His grace and spirit (Joh_16:7);

(6) His intercession (Joh_17:9);

(7) His presence and glory (Joh_17:24).

2. How does this appear.

(1) We have His promise.

(2) This was the end of His coming (Joh_3:16; Joh_6:39-40).

III. MOTIVES TO COME TO CHRIST.

1. Are we in debt? He will be our Surety (Heb_7:22).

2. Are we in prison? He will be our Redeemer.

3. Are we sick? He will be our Physician (Mat_9:12).

4. Are we arraigned? He will be our Advocate, (1Jn_2:1).

5. Are we condemned? He will be our Saviour (Rom_8:34).

6. Are we estranged from God? He will be our Mediator (1Ti_2:5).

7. Are we in misery? He will be our Comforter (Psa_94:19).

8. Are we weary? He will give us rest (Mat_11:28). Wherefore come to Him.

(1) Presently.

(2) Cheerfully.

(3) Sincerely.

(4) Resolutely. (Bp. Beveridge.)

The all-important advent

I. THE EVENT. There are various advents.

1. The incarnation.

2. Through the Spirit.

3. At the judgment.

4. That of our text--a mans coming to Christ. This is dependent on the first, is made effectual through the second, and secures that the third shall be blessed and glorious.

II. THE CONSEQUENCE. Those who come will not be cast out.

1. Because it is not in Christs nature to do so.

2. Because He has shed His blood for this very purpose.

3. Because He has said it, which is enough.

III. THE MANNER.

1. Direct--not through any mediator.

2. As you are.

3. As you can.

4. Now. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)

Coming unto Jesus

Take every other verse out of the Scriptures, and leave but this, and you have a foundation on which a world of souls may build their hopes and never be put to shame. Hear it, impenitent sinners, alarmed souls, desponding believers, rejoicing saints.

I. THE PERSON POINTED OUT. What is meant by coming to Him.

1. Negatively.

(1) Not to the Scriptures, they only testify of Him (Joh_5:39-40).

(2) Not the Church, that is only a means, not the fountain of grace.

(3) Not prayer, that is a well of salvation but not salvation.

(4) Joh_6:5; Joh_6:22-24, show how possible it is to come, and yet not to come to Christ Himself.

2. Positively. Christ addresses the spiritual part of mans nature, and the invitation implies

(1) A forsaking of sin. To come to is to come from (2Co_6:14-18).

(2) A renouncing of self.

(3) Faith which worketh by love (Joh_6:35; Joh_6:68-69).

I. THE ASSURANCE GIVEN CONCERNING THE PERSON INDICATED.

1. The assurance itself.

(1) It is unrestricted.

(2) Personal.

(3) Based upon the good will of Christ.

(4) Emphatic, in no wise.

2. The grounds of the assurance.

(1) The purposes of the Father.

(2) The death of Christ.

(3) The resurrection of Christ.

(4) The work of the Spirit.

(5) All Gods attributes make it sure.

Conclusion.

1. What say you to this?

2. Transpose the text, Him that cometh not to Me I will cast out. (S. Miller.)

The gospel welcome

I. THE STATES OF MIND WITH WHICH WE SHOULD COME. The previous part of the text need prove no stumbling-block. All it affirms is that those whom the Father gives do come to Christ. Put the two together and they affirm the absolute freeness of the Divine grace, and exhibit that grace as acting in concurrence with our voluntary powers. Salvation is neither arbitrary, mechanical, nor compulsory. We must corneal. With childlike and dependent trust.

(1) The primary element of all true faith, which is the movement of mind and heart towards God, is simple reliance on the gospel testimony that Christ is all-sufficient for the purposes of salvation.

(2) The great strength and stay of this faith is that it enables the soul to rely exclusively upon a personal Redeemer.

(3) This absolute casting of ourselves on Christ is not offered as a permission, but as a positive command.

2. With chastened humility and godly sorrow, repentance and faith stand together in the gospel commission, and are always united in the experience of the faithful. Going and weeping. The prodigal.

3. In the spirit of total self-renunciation. Leave self, righteousness, sin, etc., and come to ME.

II. THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND CONFIDENCE we have in coming to Christ.

1. Him that cometh or is coming, in the very act of coming now. It is a constantly repeated act; alike necessary in regeneration and sanctification. This includes all of whatsoever country, church, condition, rank.

(1) Hear it, ye young. There is a sense in which your coming to

Christ may be too late, but there is none in which it can be too early.

(2) Ye middle aged whom harassing cares disquiet. He will allow for everything but a refusal to come.

(3) Ye aged. Perhaps the harvest is passed and ye are not saved.

2. In no wise.

(1) But I have stayed away too long.

(2) I am a backslider. No matter.

3. Has Jesus ever cast any one out? No.

(1) All the glorious perfections of His nature bend Him to welcome you.

(2) The mighty price paid for your redemption.

(3) The purpose and promises of God.

Conclusion: Not to come is to be rejected; not to be saved is to be lost; there is no middle state. (D. Moore, M. A.)

Invitations of the gospel--the sinners warrant

In the courts of law if a man be called as a witness, no sooner is his name mentioned, though he may be at the end of the court, than he begins to force his way up to the witness-box. Nobody says, Why is this man pushing here? or, if they should say, Who are you? it would be a sufficient answer to say, My name was called. But you are not rich, you have no gold ring upon your finger! No, but that is not my right of way, but I was called. Sir, you are not a man of repute, or rank, or character! It matters not, I was called. Make way. So make way, ye doubts and fears, make way, ye devils of the infernal lake, Christ calls the sinner. Sinner, come, for though thou hast nought to recommend thee, yet it is written, Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The essential in religion

I. WHAT TRUE RELIGION IS.

1. Negatively.

(1) It cannot consist in any feeling of moral fitness. What need of coming to Christ if our own nature is morally sufficient?

(2) Nor in the observance of external ritual. The source of the corruptions of Christianity is the tendency to put form for faith.

(3) Nor in simple orthodoxy.

2. Positively. A living relation with a living Christ.

II. THE METHOD OF GAINING TRUE RELIGION.

1. Not thronging about Christ.

2. But coming to Christ by faith.

III. THE PROOF OF THE POSSESSION OF TRUE RELIGION.

1. Not in an old experience preserved in the memory.

2. Nor in a present release from the fear of death.

3. Nor in the fervent glow of feeling (these may accompany it), but in the present proneness of the soul on these words of Christ.

Conclusion: Why will you not come to Christ?

1. Is it because you are afraid of ridicule and what others may say? Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed.

2. Is it because of the inconsistencies of Christians? Every man Shall give account of himself to God.

3. Is it because you are not willing to give up all to Christ? What shall it profit a man, etc.

4. Is it because you are thinking you will do as well as you can, and that God ought to be satisfied with that? Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

5. Is it because you are postponing the matter without any definite reason? Boast not thyself of to-morrow, etc.

6. Is it because you fear you will not be accepted? Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out. (W. Hoyt.)

Scripture difficulties

To thread a needle in the dark is a thing which no one can do. The difficulty and impossibility, however, does not lie in the thing itself, but in the circumstances under which it is attempted. Only let there be light, and the thing is not only possible, but perfectly easy. This will serve to illustrate our inability to reconcile, understand, and explain certain mysteries in Divine things; for instance, to reconcile Gods fixed decrees and infallible foreknowledge with mans free will and responsibility. Our Lord plainly declares, that no man can come to Him except the Father draw him; but, at the same time, He gives the widest and most unlimited invitation--Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. And He charges it as entirely their own fault, if any refuse to come, and so perish: Ye are not willing to come to Me, that ye might have life. (W. Hancock.)

I was cruising one day in the western Highlands. It had been a splendid day, and the glorious scenery had made our journey like an excursion to Fairy Land; but it came to an end, for darkness and night asserted their primeval sovereignty. Right ahead was a vast headland of the isle of Arran. How it frowned against the evening sky! The mighty rock seemed to overhang the sea. Just at its base was a little bay, and into this we steamed, and there we lay at anchorage all night, safe from every wind that might happen to be seeking out its prey. In that calm loch we seemed to lie in the mountains lap while its broad shoulders screened us from the wind. Now, the first part of my text, All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, rises like a huge headland high into the heavens. Who shall scale its height? Upon some it seems to frown darkly. But here at the bottom lies the placid, glassy lake of infinite love and mercy: Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. Steam into it, and be safe under the shadow of the great rock. You will be the better for the mountain-truth as your barque snugly reposes within the glittering waters at its foot; while you may thank God that the text is not all mountain to repel you, you will be grateful that there is enough of it to secure you. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Character not needed for salvation

In the mission at George Yard, Whitechapel, a converted street-singer, who had experienced much difficulty in getting work for want of a character, but who afterwards became a licensed hawker and distributed tracts as he walked along, said: Bless God, I have found out that Jesus will, take a man without a character. (J. F. B. Tinling, B. A.)

The essence of the gospel

Pluck a green leaf from a bough and look at it. That leaf, science tells us, is the typical tree. The tree is built upon the pattern of that leaf. The tree is only the leaf expanded, and with its various parts altered to suit new requirements; but the idea manifest in the leaf is the idea according to which the tree is made and shaped. For instance, science tells us that the seed--the starting-point of life to the tree--is only a leaf rolled tight and changed in tissue and in contents, and so fitted for its special uses. The tree-trunk is only the leaf-stem made to take columnar form, and greatly lengthened and strengthened and enlarged. All the mingling mass of branch and bough and twig, lifting their manifold tracery against the sky, is but the reproduction and increasing of the delicate tangle of veins striking through the green substance of the leaf. In short, the tree is only the leaf cut in larger pattern. Everything in the huge tree is adjusted to the method of the little leaf. In the leaf you have the tree in germ and type. So it is, it has seemed to me, with this short text I have read to you, Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. It is the typical gospel. In this text we have the whole great gospel in germ and type. The entire system of the revelation of salvation is shaped after the pattern of this text. (W. Hoyt.)

The accessibleness of Christ

Have you never read the story of the good ship that had been a long time at sea, and the captain had lost his reckoning; he drifted up the mouth of the great river Amazon, and, after he had been sailing for a long time up the river without knowing that he was in a river at all, they ran short of water. When another vessel was seen, they signalled her, and when they got near enough for speaking they cried, Water! We are dying for water! They were greatly surprised when the answer came back, Dip it up! Dip it up! You are in a river. It is all around you. They had nothing to do but to fling the bucket overboard, and have as much water as ever they liked. And here are poor souls crying out, Lord, what must I do to be saved? when the great work is done, and all that remains to them is to receive the free gift of eternal life. What must you do? You have done enough for one life-time, for you have undone yourself by your doing. That is not the question. It is, Lord, what hast thou done? And the answer is, It is finished. I have done it all. Only come and trust Me. Sinner, you are in a river of grace and mercy. Over with the bucket, man, and drink to the full. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Human perversity

If a compassionate prince wrote over his palace gate--Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out, would poor beggars reading it need to have these words explained before they could understand them? And if the good man kept his word, and received all who asked his help, would his porch be ever empty night or day? Yet has Jesus, the Prince of Life, emblazoned these words in large, shining letters above His gates of grace, and ever kept His promise to help all the destitute and miserable who come to Him, and thousands of sinners are found to this hour who will not understand them, and millions of sinners who care nothing about them. (H. G. Guiness.)

Abundant mercy

You say, Do not get the invitation too large, for there is nothing more awkward than to have more guests than accommodation. I know it. The Seamens Friend Society are inviting all the sailors. The Tract Society is inviting all the destitute. The Sabbath schools are inviting all the children. The American and Foreign Christian Union is inviting all the Roman Catholics. The Missionary Society is inviting all the heathen. The printing-presses of Bible Societies are going night and day, doing nothing but printing invitations to this great gospel banquet. And are you not afraid that there will be more guests than accommodation? No! All who have been invited will not half fill up the table of Gods supply. There are chairs for more. There are cups for more. God could with one feather of His wing cover up all those who have come; and when He spreads out both wings, they cover all the earth and all the heavens. (T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.)

None cast out by Christ

In some of the hotels on the road to the lead and gold mines of California, there is constantly to be found in the register the names of persons with D.B. opposite to them. This means dead broke, and it is the custom never to refuse a meal to these poor fellows who have risked and lost their all in these precarious ventures. (H. O.Mackey.)

Whosoever comes is saved

A messenger came to a Hasten as quick as you can, there is a Sunday-school superintendent and said: A boy in a garret that wants to see you: he is dying. The Sunday-school superintendent hastened to the place, and in the garret, in the straw, lay a boy who had been crushed by a cart. He was dying; and as the superintendent entered, the boy said: Oh! I am so glad you have come. Didnt I hear you say the other Sunday that whomsoever comes to God he would be saved? Yes, replied the superintendent, I said about that. Well, said the boy, then I am saved. I have been a bad boy, but I have been thinking of that, and I have been saying that over to myself, and I am saved. After he had seen his superintendent, his strength seemed to fail, and in a few moments he expired, and the last words on his lips were: Whomsoever cometh to God, He will in no wise be cast out. He did not get the words exactly right, but he got the spirit.

Mercy for all

Men are going to ruin; but not like the boat that was seen shooting the rapid, and had reached a point above the cataract where no power could stem the raging current. To the horror of those who watched it shooting on to destruction, a man was seen on board, and asleep. The spectators ran along the banks. They cried; they shouted; and the sleeper awoke at length to take in all his danger at one fearful glance. To spring to his feet, to throw himself on the bench, to seize the oars, to strain every nerve in superhuman efforts to turn the boats head to the shore, was the work of an instant. But in vain. Away went the bark to its doom, like an arrow from the bow. It hangs a moment on the edge of the gulf; and then, is gone for ever. Suppose a man to be as near hell!--if I could awaken him, I would. The dying thief was saved in the act of going over into perdition. Christ caught and saved him there. And He who is mighty to save, saving at the uttermost can save, though all our life were wasted to its last breath, if that last breath is spent in gasping out St. Peters cry, Save, Lord, or I perish! (T. Guthrie, D. D.)

A Saviour for the lost

I am lost, said Mr.Whitefields brother to the Countess of Huntingdon. I am delighted to hear it, said the Countess.

Oh, cried he, what a dreadful thing to say! Nay, said she, for the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost; therefore I know He is come to save you. O sinner, it would be unreasonable to despair. The more broken thou art, the more ruined thou art, the more vile thou art in thine own esteem, so much the more room is there for the display of infinite mercy and power.

The gospel for dying hours

You may know the name of Mr. Durham, the author of a famous book on Solomons Song, one of the most earnest of Scotlands ancient preachers. Some days before he died he seemed to be in some perplexity about his future well-being, and said to his friend Mr. Carstairs, Dear brother, for all that I have written or preached, there is but one Scripture which I can now remember or dare grip unto now that I am hastening to the grave. It is this--Whosoever cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out. Pray tell me if I dare lay the weight of my salvation upon it. Mr. Carstairs justly replied, Brother, you may depend upon it, though you had a thousand salvations at hazard. You see it was a plain, sinners text that He rested on. Just as Dr. Guthrie wanted them to sing a bairns hymn, so do dying saints need the plain elementary doctrines of the gospel to rest upon. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Jesus a great Saviour

Remember He never did cast any one out. Never yet! Never one! I have declared this everywhere, and I have said, If Jesus Christ casts any one of you out when you come to Him, pray let me know; for I do not want to go up and down the country telling lies. Again I give the challenge. If my Lord does east out one poor soul that comes to Him, let me know it, and I will give up preaching. I should not have the face to come forward and preach Christ after that; for He Himself has said it, Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out; and He would be a false Christ if He acted contrary to His word. He cannot cast you out; why should He? Oh, but then I am so bad. So much the less likely is He to refuse you, for there is the more room for His grace. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Christ never fails

When a man brings out a patent medicine, he publishes verifications of the efficacy of his physic. He gets a number of cases, and he advertises them. I suppose they are genuine. I should not like to be hanged if they were not. I suppose, therefore, they are all accurate and authentic. But there is one thing which you never knew a medicine advertiser do: he never advertises the failures of the medicine. The number of persons that have been induced to buy the remedy, and have derived no good from it: if these were all advertised, it might occupy more room in the newspaper than those who write of a cure. My Lord Jesus Christ is a Physician who never had a failure yet--never once. Never did a soul wash in Christs blood without being made whiter than snow. Never did a man, besotted with the worst of vice, trust in Jesus without receiving power to conquer his evil habits. Not even in the lowest pit of hell is there one that dares to say, I trusted Christ, and I am lost. I sought His face with all my heart, and He cast me away. There is not a man living that could say that, unless he dared to lie; for not one has with heart and soul sought the Saviour, and trusted in Him, and then had a negative from Him. He must save you if you trust Him. As surely as He lives He must save you, for He has put it, Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. I will repeat it, Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. You have never come if He has not received you; for He must save those who trust in Him. (C. H.Spurgeon.)

The forgiving mercy of God

It is reported of Julius Caesar, that he never entertained hatred against any so deeply but he was willing to lay down the same upon the tender of submission. As when C. Memnius put in for the consulship, he befriended him before others of the competition, notwithstanding that Memnius had made bitter invectives against him. Thus the great God of Heaven, to whom all the Caesars and kings of the earth are tributaries and homagers, doth never hate so irreconcilably but that true humiliation will work a reconciliation--let but the sinner appear before Him in a submissive posture, and His anger will be soon appeased. (J. Spencer.)

How to come to Christ

At a gathering in the West End of London the Rev. Caesar Malan found himself seated by a young lady. In the course of conversation he asked her if she were a Christian. She turned upon him, and somewhat sharply replied, Thats a subject I dont care to have discussed here this evening. Well, answered Mr. Malan, with inimitable sweetness of manner, I will not persist in speaking of it, but I shall pray that you may give your heart to Christ, and become a useful worker for Him. A fortnight afterwards they met again, and this time the young lady approached the minister with marked courtesy, and said, The question you asked me the other evening has abided with me ever since, and caused me very great trouble. I have been trying in vain in all directions to find the Saviour, and I come now to ask you to help me to find Him. I am sorry for the way in which I previously spoke to you, and now come for help. Mr. Malan answered her, Come to Him just as you are. But will He receive me just as I am, and now? Oh, yes, said Mr. Malan, gladly will He do so. They then knelt together and prayed, and she soon experienced the holy joy of a full forgiveness through the blood of Christ. The young ladys name was Charlotte Elliot, and to her the whole Church is indebted for the pathetic hymn commencing, Just as I am, without one plea. (Ira D. Sankey.)

None cast out

I went the other day to St. Cross Hospital near Winchester. There they give away a piece of bread to everybody who knocks at the door. I knocked as bold as brass. Why should I not? I did not humble myself particularly and make anything special of it. It was for all, and I came and received as one of the people who were willing to knock. (C. H.Spurgeon.)

The comfort of the gospel in a dying hour

When the great Bishop Butler was lying on his death-bed, he was observed to be unusually pensive and dejected, and on being asked the cause, ha replied, Though I have endeavoured to avoid sin and please God to the utmost of my power, yet from the consciousness of perpetual infirmities, I am still afraid to die. A friend who stood by read him this text. Ah, said the dying man, I have read that a thousand times, but I never felt its full force till this moment, and now I die happy. (Dean Stanley.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6:37-40 Jesus’ mission in the world is sure to succeed. God sent Jesus (6:38) and calls people to follow him (6:37, 44). Those who come to him are secure in Jesus’ promise that he will not reject them or lose them (6:39).

6:37 those the Father has given: God moves in people’s hearts, bringing them to Jesus.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Joh 6:37. Πᾶν) all. A most weighty word, and, in comparing with it those things which follow, most worthy of consideration; for, in the discourses of Jesus Christ, what the Father hath given to the Son Himself, that is termed, both in the singular number and neuter gender, all [omne]: those who come to the Son Himself, are described in the masculine gender, or even the plural number, every one [omnis], or they [illi]. The Father hath given, as it were, the whole mass, in order that all whom He hath given, may be a unity [unum]: that whole the Son evolves individually [one by one], in the carrying out of the Divine plan. Hence that expression, ch. Joh 17:2, that ALL which [πᾶν ὅ, omne quod] THOU HAST GIVEN Him, HE SHOULD GIVE THEM [αὐτοῖς, eis] eternal life. In the Greek style of the New Testament, especially of John, wheresoever fastidious minds would say the construction was a solecism, an elegance truly divine, which to the Hebrews never seemed harsh, is usually found to lie beneath. That remark especially holds good of this passage. It is owing to it that this 37th verse has two members, which are presently handled, the same words being repeated; and indeed the former of the two, at Joh 6:38-39, where the all [πᾶν ὃ δέδωκε, omne, etc.] is mentioned in conjunction with the Father; the second member, at Joh 6:40, “This is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life;” where the every one [πᾶς, omnis] is mentioned in conjunction with the Son. The former, by means of the ὅτι, for [Joh 6:38], and the latter, by means of the γάρ, for [Joh 6:40: δέ is the common reading; but γάρ, [128][129][130][131][132][133][134] Vulg.], are connected with Joh 6:37.—δίδωσι μοί, giveth Me) by means of that drawing, Joh 6:44, “No man can come unto Me, except the Father, which hath sent Me, draw him.” The present tense. Afterwards the past, Joh 6:39, “This is the Father’s will,—that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose nothing,” with reference to their preservation. The Father giveth to the Son: the Son chooseth, i.e. gives as it were to Himself; Joh 6:70, “Have I not chosen you twelve?” Believers are given; it is given to believers; Joh 6:32; Joh 6:65, “My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.—No man can come unto Me, except it were given unto him of My Father.”—πρὸς ἐμέ) The emphasis rests on this; in other places it is usually written πρός με.—ἥξει) shall come. It is only that all [which the Father giveth Me] which shall come unto Me. Jesus speaks those things, which [such—as] if the Jews would receive, they would be believers in reality: and, after their unbelief has been brought home to them, He now offers them faith: and what He had before spoken under a figure, He now declares plainly.—οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ἔξω, I will not cast out) This signifies not merely the first reception, but the lasting preservation, through all changes and progressive steps in their course, even up to the resurrection—that goal, which takes for granted all things anterior to it; Joh 6:39-40, “This is the Father’s will, that—I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day;—that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise Him up, etc.;” Joh 6:44; Joh 6:54. There is a Litotes [the meaning is stronger than the literal words]: I will not cast him out, but by all means will preserve him; ch. Joh 10:28, etc., “They shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand:” a passage which closely corresponds to the passage here. Comp. ἔξω, out, ch. Joh 15:6, “Cast forth as a branch, and is withered;” ἐβλήθη ἔξω.

[128] the Alexandrine MS.: in Brit. Museum: fifth century: publ. by Woide, 1786–1819: O. and N. Test. defective.

[129] Cod. Basilianus (not the B. Vaticanus): Revelation: in the Vatican: edited by Tisch., who assigns it to the beginning of the eighth century.

[130] Ephræmi Rescriptus: Royal libr., Paris: fifth or sixth cent.: publ. by Tisch. 1843: O. and N. T. def.

[131] Bezæ, or Cantabrig.: Univ. libr., Cambridge: fifth cent.: publ. by Kipling, 1793: Gospels, Acts, and some Epp. def.

[132] Vercellensis of the old ‘Itala,’ or Latin Version before Jerome’s, probably made in Africa, in the second century: the Gospels.

[133] Veronensis, do.

[134] Colbertinus, do.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh_6:37 ff. Through this culpable οὐ πιστεύετε, they were quite different from those whom the Father gave Him. How entirely different were all these latter; and how blessed through me, according to the Fathers will, must their lot be!

πᾶν] Neuter, of persons as in Joh_3:6, Joh_18:2; 1Co_1:27. It designates them as a totam, quasi massam, Bengel.

ὁ δίδ. μοι ὁ πατ.] viz. by the efficacious influence of His grace (Joh_6:44-45), whereby He inclines them to come, and draws them to me; οὐ τὸ τυχὸν πρᾶγμα ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς ἐμέ. ἀλλὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν δεῖται ῥοπῆς, Chrysostom. Moral self-determination (Joh_5:40, Joh_7:17; Mat_23:37) may obey this influence (Joh_6:40), and may withstand it; he who withstands it is not given Him by the Father, Php_2:13. There is implied here a humble, simple, hungering and thirsting soul, Luther. Explanations resting on dogmatic preconceptions are: of the absolute election of grace (Augustine, Beza, and most others[233]), of the natural pietatis studium (Grotius), and others.

πρὸς ἐμέ] afterwards ΠΡΌς ΜΕ. But ἘΜΈ is emphatic. The ἭΞΕΙ is not more (arrivera jusquà moi, Godet) than ἐλεύσεται, as Joh_6:35 already shows; comp. the following Κ. Τ. ἘΡΧΌΜΕΝΟΝ, with which ἭΞΩ is again resumed.

Οὐ ΜῊ ἘΚΒΆΛΩ ἜΞΩ] I certainly will not cast him out, i.e. will not exclude him from my kingdom on its establishment; comp. Joh_6:39-40; Joh_15:6; also Mat_8:12; Mat_22:13. The negative expression is a litotes full of love; Nonnus adds: ἀλλὰ νόῳ χαίροντι δεδέξομαι.

Joh_6:38-39. How could I cast them out, seeing that I am come only to fulfil the divine will? and this requires of me, not the rejection of any one, but the blessed opposite.

οὐχ ἵνα, κ.τ.λ.] Comp. Joh_5:30.

ΤΟῦΤΟ ΔῈ … ΠΈΜΨ. ΜΕ] impressive repetition of the same words.

ΠᾶΝ Ὁ ΔΈΔΩΚΕ, Κ.Τ.Λ.] Nominative absolute, unconnected with the following, and significantly put first. Comp. Joh_8:38, Joh_15:2, Joh_17:2; and see on Mat_7:24; Mat_10:14; Mat_10:32; Mat_12:36; Buttmann, N. T. Gr. p. 325 [E. T. p. 379]. Here the Perfect δέδωκε, because spoken from the standing-point of the future.

μὴ ἀπολ. ἐξ αὐτοῦ] sc. τι; see Fritzsche, Conject. p. 36. The conception of losing (i.e. of letting fall down to eternal death; see the antithesis ἀλλὰ, etc.) is correlative to that of the ΔΈΔΩΚΈ ΜΟΙ. Comp. Joh_17:12.

ἈΝΑΣΤΉΣΩ, Κ.Τ.Λ.] of the actual resurrection at the last day (comp. Joh_5:29, Joh_11:24, Joh_12:48), which, as a matter of course, includes the transformation of those still living. The designation of the thing is a potiori. It is the first resurrection that is meant (see on Luk_14:14; Luk_20:34; Php_3:11; 1Co_15:23), that to the everlasting life of the Messianic kingdom. See on Joh_5:29. Bengel well says: hic finis est, ultra quem periculum nullum. Comp. the recurrence of this blessed refrain, Joh_6:40; Joh_6:44; Joh_6:54, which, in the face of this solemn recurrence, Scholten regards as a gloss.

[233] See, on the contrary, Weiss, Lehrbegr. p. 142 ff.Schleiermacher rationalizes the divine gift and drawing into a divine arrangement of circumstances; see L. J. p. 302 ff. Thus it would be resolved into the general government of the world.According to Beyschlag, p. 162, there would be in this action of the Father, preparing the way for a cleaving to Christ (comp. vv. 44, 45), an opposition to the light-giving action of the Logos (vv. 4, 5, 9), if the Logos be a personality identical with the Son. But the difference in person between the Father and the Son does not exclude the harmonious action of both for each other. Enlightening is not a monopoly of the Son, excluding the Father; but the Father draws men to the Son, and the Son is the way to the Father. Weiss has rightly rejected as unjohannean (p. 248 f.) the idea of a hidden God, as absolutely raised above the world, who has no immediate connection with the finite.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh 6:37 . No; for πᾶν ὃ δίδωσι … ἥξει . “Everything which the Father gives”; the neuter is used as being more universal than the masculine and including everything which the Father determines to save from the world’s wreck, viewed as a totality. Cf. Joh 6:39 . ἀναστήσω αὐτό : and the collective neuter, as in Thucyd., iii. 16, τὸ ἐπιόν for τοὺς ἐπιόντας . Lampe thinks the neuter is used, “quia hae personae spectantur ut reale peculium, haereditas, merces, genus, semen, sacerdotium, sanctuarium Domini”. What is meant by δίδωσι ? It is an act on God’s part prior to the “coming” on man’s part; the coming is the result of the giving. Calvinistic interpreters have therefore identified the giving with election. “ Donandi verbum perinde valet ac si dixisset Christus, quos elegit Pater, eos regenerat” Calvin. “Patrem dare filio est eligere” Melanchthon; and similarly Beza and Lampe. On the other hand, Reynolds represents a number of interpreters when he says, “It is the present activity of the Father’s grace that is meant, not a foregone conclusion”. This identifies the Father’s “giving” with His “drawing,” Joh 6:44 . It would rather seem to be that which determines the drawing, the assigning to Jesus of certain persons who shall form His kingdom. This perhaps involves election but is not identical with it. Cf. Joh 17:6 . Euthymius replies, from a Semi-Pelagian point of view, to the objections which arise from an Augustinian interpretation of the words. The purpose of the verse is to impart assurance that Christ’s work will not fail. καὶ τὸν ἐρχόμενον … ἔξω . Grotius thinks the “casting out” refers to the School of Christ; Lücke thinks the kingdom is referred to. It is scarcely necessary to think of anything more than Christ’s presence or fellowship. This strong asseveration οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω , and concentrated Gospel which has brought hope to so many, is here grounded on the will of the Father.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The gift of faith proceedeth from the free election of the Father in Christ, after which followeth necessarily everlasting life: Therefore faith in Christ Jesus is a sure witness of our election, and therefore of our glorification, which is to come.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 37. All that the Father giveth me] The neuter gender, παν, is probably used here for the masculine, πας.

Shall come to me] All that are drawn by the Father, Joh 6:44, i.e. all those who are influenced by his Spirit, and yield to those influences: for as many as are LED (not driven or dragged) by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God, Ro 8:14. God sent his prophets to proclaim his salvation to this people; and he accompanied their preaching with the influence of his Spirit. Those who yielded were saved: those who did not yield to these drawings were lost. This Spirit still continued to work and to allure; but the people being uncircumcised both in heart and ears, they always resisted the Holy Ghost; as their fathers did, so did they; Ac 7:51. And though Christ would have gathered them together, as a hen would her chickens under her wings, yet they would not. See Clarke on Mt 23:37. Those who come at the call of God, he is represented here as giving to Christ, because it is through his blood alone that they can be saved. God, by his Spirit, convinces of sin, righteousness, and judgment; those who acknowledge their iniquity, and their need of salvation, he gives to Christ, i.e. points out unto them the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Our Lord may here also refer to the calling of the Gentiles; for these, according to the ancient promise, Ps 2:8, were given to Christ: and they, on the preaching of the Gospel, gladly came unto him. See ample proofs of this in the Acts of the Apostles.

I will in no wise cast out.] The words are exceedingly emphatical - ου μη εκβαλω εξω, I will by no means thrust out of doors; excellently rendered by Matthew of Erberg in his Italian Bible-Io non cacciaro fuori, I will not chase him out of the house. Our blessed Lord alludes to the case of a person in deep distress and poverty, who comes to a nobleman's house, in order to get relief: the person appears; and the owner, far from treating the poor man with asperity, welcomes, receives him kindly, and supplies his wants. So does Jesus. Newer did he reject the suit of a penitent, however grievous his crimes might have been. He is come to the house of mercy; he is lying at the threshold: the servants bid him come in-he obeys, and stands trembling, waiting for the appearing of the Master, doubtful whether he is to be received or rejected: the Master appears, and not only grants his suit, but receives him into the number of his family: he alleges his unfitness, his unworthiness, his guilt, his crimes, his ingratitude: no matter, all shall be blotted out through the blood of the Lamb, and he be put among the children, and on none of these accounts shall he be put out of the house. The Gentiles shall be as welcome as the Jews; and the invitation to them be as free, as full, and as hearty: they shall become his adopted children, and never be cast out, as the Jews have been. O thou God of love! how able and WILLING art thou to save the vilest of the vile, who come unto thee! Thou art not the God of the Jews only, thou art also the God of the Gentiles. Rejoice, therefore, ye Gentiles, with his people.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

37. All that the Father giveth me. That their unbelief may not detract anything from his doctrine, he says, that the cause of so great obstinacy is, that they are reprobate, and do not belong to the flock of God. His intention, therefore, in distinguishing here between the elect and the reprobate is, that the authority of his doctrine may remain unimpaired, though there are many who do not believe it. For, on the one hand, ungodly men calumniate and utterly despise the word of God, because they are not moved by reverence for it; and, on the other hand, many weak and ignorant persons entertain doubts whether that which is rejected by a great part of the world be actually the word of God. Christ meets this offense, when he affirms, that all those who do not believe are not his own, and that we need not wonder if such persons have no relish for the word of God, but that it is embraced by all the children of God. In the first place, he says, that all whom the Father giveth him come to him; by which words he means, that faith is not a thing which depends on the will of men, so that this man and that man indiscriminately and at random believe, but that God elects those whom he hands over, as it were, to his Son; for when he says, that whatever is given cometh, we infer from it, that all do not come. Again, we infer, that God works in his elect by such an efficacy of the Holy Spirit, that not one of them falls away; for the word give has the same meaning as if Christ had said, “Those whom the Father hath chosen he regenerates, and gives to me, that they may obey the Gospel.”

And him that cometh to me I will not cast out. This is added for the consolation of the godly, that they may be fully persuaded that they have free access to Christ by faith, and that, as soon as they have placed themselves under his protection and safeguard, they will be graciously received by him. Hence it follows, that the doctrine of the Gospel will be salutary to all believers, because no man becomes a disciple of Christ who does not, on the other hand, feel and experience him to be a good and faithful teacher.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(37) All that the Father giveth me.—There is something startling in this power of the human will to reject the fullest evidence, and to remain unbelieving, after the proof which it has itself demanded as a foundation for its belief. In that assembly there are representatives of the differing stages of faith and non-faith in Him, which every age of Christianity has seen. Here are men in the pride of human wisdom rejecting Him because He does not fulfil their own idea of what the Messiah should be. Here are men of humble heart finding in Him the satisfaction of the soul’s deepest wants, and believing and knowing that He is the Holy One of God (Joh_6:69). Here are men of the Nicodemus type, passing from one stage to the other, almost believing, but held back by their will, which willeth not to believe. Here are men, too, of the Judas type (Joh_6:64; Joh_6:71), traitors even in the faithful few. For these varying effects there must be a cause, and in the next few verses Jesus dwells upon this. He finds the reason (1) in the eternal will of God, of whose gift it is that man willeth; and (2) in the determination of the will of man, of whose acceptance it is that God giveth. Men have seized now one and now the other of these truths, and have built upon them in separation logical systems of doctrine which are but half-truths. He states them in union. Their reconciliation transcends human reason, but is within the experience of human life. It is, as St. Bernard said, following the words of Jesus, “If there is no free will, there is nothing to save; if there is no free grace, there is nothing wherewith to save; “or, in words more familiar to English ears, “. . . . the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will” (the Tenth Article of Religion).

And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.—It is not easy to improve the English rendering of this verse, and there is a sacredness in the sound of the old, old words; but still, they convey to few readers the full meaning of the original. The word “come” is made to serve, within two or three lines, for three different Greek words. Literally, we should read, All that the Father giveth Me shall arrive at Me, and him that is on the way I will in no wise cast out: for I am come down. . . . The present tense of “giveth” should be noted. The giving is not of an act in the past, but of a ceaseless love ever in the present. The word “all” is the neuter of the collective whole, thought of without reference to individual action. It is repeated, and still with reference to the gift in Joh_6:39; while in Joh_6:40, with the thought of each man’s coming, it passes to the masculine, which marks out the separate life and faith of every unit in the mass.

It may be that the words “come” (arrive at) and “cometh” (is on the way), contrasted as they are in this verse, refer to the different positions of those who seek Him—to the ninety and nine in the fold, and the one who in the far distance hears His voice and comes in doubt and fear; but the context seems rather to point out the fulfilment of the Messianic kingdom as the Father’s gift, and the individual difficulties of, and individual help given to, those who strive to enter it, and shall in no wise be cast out. There were men among those who heard Him who in darkness and difficulty were feeling their way: these men were guided and strengthened by an unseen hand until they found it; there were men there who were being cast out but not by Him.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37–40. Digression on the blessedness of those who come to Christ as believers

37. All that the Father giveth … him that cometh] There is a significant change of gender in the Greek which is obscured in the English version: ‘all that’ is neuter, all that which; what is given is treated as impersonal, mankind en masse; what comes, with free will, is masculine. Men are given to Christ without their wills being consulted; but each individual can, if he likes, refuse to come. There is no coercion. Comp. similar changes of gender in Joh_1:11, Joh_17:2.

shall come to me, and him that cometh … For I came down] The verb ‘come’ here represents three different Greek verbs, but there is no such great difference between them as to make it worth while to change so familiar a text; yet it would be more literal to translate all that the Father giveth Me, to Me shall come, and him that approacheth Me I will in no wise cast out; for I have descended, &c. The second ‘Me’ is emphatic, the first and third are not.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For I came down from heaven,.... by change of place, or local motion; for Christ is the immense, infinite, and omnipresent God, and cannot be said properly to move from place to place; for he fills all places, even heaven and earth, with his presence, and was in heaven as the Son of God, at the same time he was here on earth as the son of man: wherefore this must be understood in a manner becoming his proper deity, his divine sonship, and personality: this descent was by the assumption of the human nature into union with his divine person, which was an instance of amazing grace and condescension. The Jew (m) objects to this, and says,

"if this respects the descent of the soul, the soul of every man descended from thence; but if it respects the body, the rest of the evangelists contradict his words, particularly Luke, when he says, Luk 2:7 that his mother brought him forth at Bethlehem.''

But this descent regards neither his soul nor body, but his divine person, which always was in heaven, and not any local descent of that; but, as before observed, an assumption of human nature, which he took of the virgin on earth; and so there is no contradiction between the evangelists; nor is descent from heaven unsuitable to Christ as a divine person, since it is ascribed to God, Gen 11:7; and if God may be said to go down from heaven by some display of his power, and intimation of his presence, Christ may be said to descend from heaven by that marvellous work of his, taking upon him our nature, and walking up and down on earth in the form of a servant; and which was done with this view, as he says,

not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me; that is, not to do his own will, as separate from his Father's, and much less as contrary to it; otherwise he did come to do his own will, which, as God, was the same with his Father's, he being one with him in nature, and so in power and will; and though his will, as man, was distinct from his Father's, yet not repugnant, but resigned unto it: and this will he came to do, was to preach the Gospel, fulfil the law, work miracles, and obtain the eternal redemption and salvation of his people. What the above Jewish writer (n) objects to this part of the text is of very little moment: whose words are;

"moreover, what he says, "not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me", shows, that he that sent, is not one and the same with him that is sent, seeing the will of him that is sent, is not as the will of him that sends.''

It is readily granted that they are not one and the same person; they are two distinct persons, which sending, and being sent, do clearly show; but then they are one in nature, though distinct in person, and they agree in will and work. Christ came not to do any will of his own different from that of his Father's; nor do these words imply a difference of wills in them, much less a contrariety in them, but rather the sameness of them.

(m) R. Isaac Chizzuk Emuna, par. 2. c. 44. p. 434. (n) R. Chizzuk Emmuna, par. 2. c. 44. p. 434.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Ver. 37. All that the Father giveth me] Gr. παντα, all things, that is, the whole community of Christians, all the elect, of which number you plainly show yourselves to be none by your want of the faith of God’s elect, that distinctive character. Wisdom is justified of all her children.

I will in no wise cast out] Gr. ου μη εκβαλω εξω, I will not not, cast out out. A powerful speech, and a most comfortable consideration. Who would not come to Jesus Christ upon such sweetest encouragement? Surely as all that were in debt and distress came to David, and he became their captain; so should all afflicted spirits come to the Son of David, the Captain of our salvation. Non autem pedibus itur ad Christum, sed affectibus, &c., Moreover he should not come to Christ but with affection, where this life giving carcase is, thither let the eagles resort.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

All - The original word is in the neuter gender, but it is used, doubtless, for the masculine, or perhaps refers to his people considered as a mass or body, and means that every individual that the Father had given him should come to him.

The Father giveth me - We here learn that those who come to Christ, and who will be saved, are given to him by God.

God promised him that he should see of the travail of his soul - that is, “the fruit of his wearisome toil” (Lowth), and should be satisfied, Isa 53:11. All men are sinners, and none have any claim to mercy, and he may therefore bestow salvation on whom he pleases. All people of themselves are disposed to reject the gospel, Joh 5:40. God enables those who do believe to do it. He draws them to Him by His Word and Spirit; “He opens their hearts to understand the Scriptures Act 16:14; and He grants to them repentance, Act 11:18; 2Ti 2:25. All those who become Christians may therefore be said to be given to Jesus as the reward of his sufferings, for his death was the price by which they were redeemed. Paul says Eph 1:4-5 that, “he hath chosen us in him (that is, in Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

Shall come to me - This is an expression denoting that they would believe on him. To come to one implies our need of help, our confidence that he can aid us, and our readiness to trust to him. The sinner comes to Jesus feeling that he is poor, and needy, and wretched, and casts himself on his mercy, believing that he alone can save him. This expression also proves that men are not compelled to believe on Christ. Though they who believe are given to him, and though his Spirit works in them faith and repentance, yet they are made willing in the day of his power, Psa 110:3. No man is compelled to go to heaven against his will, and no man is compelled to go to hell against his will. The Spirit of God inclines the will of one, and he comes freely as a moral agent. The other chooses the way to death; and, though God is constantly using means to save him, yet he prefers the path that leads down to woe.

Him that cometh - Everyone that comes - that is, everyone that comes in a proper mariner, feeling that he is a lost and ruined sinner. This invitation is wide, and full, and free. It shows the unbounded mercy of God; and it shows, also, that the reason, and the only reason, why men are not saved, is that they will not come to Christ. Of any sinner it may be said that if he had been willing to come to Christ he might have come and been saved. As he chooses not to come, he cannot blame God because he saves others who are willing, no matter from what cause, and who thus are made partakers of everlasting life.

In no wise - In no manner, or at no time. The original is simply, “I will not cast out.”

Cast out - Reject, or refuse to save. This expression does not refer to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints, but to the fact that Jesus will not reject or refuse any sinner who comes to him.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Nisi pater traxerit eum. St. Augustine, trac. 26, p. 495. noli te cogitare invitum trahi; trahitur animus et amore.----------trahit sua quemque voluptas. Virg. Ecl. ii.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Here ariseth a great question amongst interpreters of various persuasions, what giving of the Father is here meant; whether an eternal designation of persons to eternal life, in order to the obtaining of which the persons so predestinated are given to Christ, as he who was to be the Messiah, Saviour, and Redeemer of the world; or the infusing the habits of special, saving grace, by which persons are enabled actually to believe. If the former, the words do not only infer an infallible connexion betwixt faith and eternal life and salvation; but also betwixt the decree of election and the collation of special grace, by which men are enabled to believe, and, believing, are saved. That which seemeth to favour the latter opinion is, that the verb is in the present tense; it is not, all that the Father hath given, but

all that the Father giveth; which would incline us to think, that though in other texts the Father’s giving of souls to Christ may signify his eternal election, yet in this text it rather signifieth the donation or giving the habits of special grace. But there are very learned and pious interpreters of another mind, who think by the Father’s giving, is meant the Father’s choosing souls in him, Eph 1:4. Certain it is, that there are some chosen to life, and the certain means by which that life is to be obtained, Eph 1:4,5. And as certain it is, that persons so chosen in him, shall neither miss of that life, nor yet of that effectual means by which it shall be obtained. Whether that eternal election, or donation, be here intended or no, is not so momentous to determine. For the Jesuits’ argument, that if we understand it of such an eternal gift, our Saviour rather excuses than accuseth them for their unbelief, by telling them they could not believe, because they were not given unto him; it holdeth as strong against special grace as against particular election; so as if that were true, it could be interpreted in neither of those senses: but by their leaves it doth not at all excuse them, unless they did what in them lay to come to Christ: but this question belongs rather to polemical writers than interpreters. Certain it is, that it is such a giving here mentioned, as shall be followed by a coming to Christ; that is, believing in him, and by a true faith receiving of him.

And those that do so, our Lord saith, he

will in no wise cast out. Out of heaven, say some; others understand it of perseverance; but certainly the phrase denotes no more than the freeness and readiness of Christ to receive every one who truly believeth in him, and to preserve him to eternal life and salvation. Who they are that are given to Christ, and that will or shall believe in him, is a secret that is known unto God alone: but this may be known to all, that Christ will not throw off any soul that is willing to receive him as its Saviour, and that no such soul shall perish for ever.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

37. All—It is remarkable that this word is in the Greek neuter. It expresses not so much a person as a nature, a thing, a character: The whole sort that the Father giveth me. These gross men did not belong to those given, because, entertaining nothing but hopes of mercenary gain from Christ and his miracles, they truly believed not, as in the last verse is said. See note on Joh_6:26. So in Joh_6:45 it is more fully explained; it is only every one that hath learned of the Father that cometh unto me.

The Father, finding the willing soul, teaches by his law; attracts, convinces, and convicts by his Spirit; but when the soul has perfectly obeyed all their influences with a living faith, the Father does not himself save, but He draws and hands him over to Christ. Thither coming, and embracing Christ with a full faith, the man is not cast out but accepted and redeemed. But the Father giveth none to Christ who reject his teachings and drawings, none who do not freely consent to be given and go to his Son. Such is the great scheme of salvation.

Shall come unto me—Will come unto me. It is the simple future; the shall expresses no authority or securement of the coming. Every one who freely yields to the teachings and drawings of the Father, is, by the Father, given, and comes to Christ. Such a person coming to Christ will be accepted. For the Father gives none but such as will freely come. The giving by the Father is consequent upon the obedient learning; not the learning upon the giving. See notes on Joh_6:44-45; Joh_6:65.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 37-40. (b) Episode or, the blessedness of those who come to Christ.

Many suppose a time of stillness, a break in the conversation, "a significant asyndeton," from the absence of all connection between this and the previous verse. Vers. 39, 40 would seem to have been addressed more directly to the disciples, the less susceptible hearers retiring from him or engaging in eager conversation (cf. ver. 41). Nevertheless, the Lord takes up the continuous line of his self-revelation, and ver. 37 clearly refers the "non-coming" and "non-believing" in their case to their moral obliquity, and to the apparent inadequacy of sufficient proof to induce the faith which will satisfy spiritual hunger. This spiritual dulness on the part of all suggests some internal and necessary condition, which is, though yet absent, not said to be inaccessible. Seeing ought to issue in believing, but it does not; therefore there is something more than the manifestation of the Christ absolutely necessary. To that Jesus now reverts. All (pan , the neuter is also used of persons in Joh_3:6 and Joh_17:2, used concerning the whole body of real believers, the whole mass of those who, when they see, do come the entire company of believers regarded as a grand unity, and stretching out into the future) all that which the Father giveth me. The subsequent descriptions of the Father"s grace (vers. 44, 45) throw light on this. The "drawing of the Father," the "hearing and learning from the Father," are there declared to be conditions of "coming to Christ." All those influences on the soul, all the new-creating and spirit-quickening energies of the Holy Ghost, the new heart and tender conscience, the honest, serious desire for holy things, are broadly described in this passage as God"s method and act of giving to the Son of his love. There is no necessity (with Augustine) to suppose that our Lord refers to an absolute predestinating decree. For if God has not yet given these particular men to him, it does not say that he will not and may nut do so yet. The Father"s giving to the Son may indeed assume many forms. It may take the character of original constitution, of predisposition and temperamerit, or of special "providential education and training, or of tenderness of conscience, or of a truthful and sincere and unquenched desire. The Father is the Divine Cause. "The giving" implies a present activity of grace, not a foregone conclusion. All that which the Father giveth me shall reach me all souls touched by the Father in a thousand ways to the point of making a moral surrender to my claims, will reach me and him that is coming to mei.e. is on the way to me, is drawing near to me I for my part will not cast out.

Thus authority to refuse is claimed by Christ, and power to exclude from his fellowship and friendship, from his kingdom and glory. (Mat_8:12 Mat_22:13) Admission is not the working of some impersonal law, but the individual response of him who has come down to give life. As far as man is concerned, it turns on his voluntary coming, on his bare willingness to be fed with heavenly food. It is impossible, so far as responsibility is concerned, to get back of personal wish and individual will. The process of genuine coming to Christ does show that the Father is therein giving such soul to his Son. Archdeacon Watkins says, "Men have now seized one and now the other of these truths, and have built upon them in separation logical systems of doctrine which are but half truths. He (Jesus) states them in union. Their reconciliation transcends human reason, but is within the experience of human life." The greatness of the self-consciousness of Christ appears in the further proof that he proceeds to supply of this relation to the Father.

Vers. 37-40. The Father"s will and its Executor.

We see:

1. That the majority of Christ"s hearers disbelieved him. His verdict at last was, "Ye believe not;" "Ye will not come.

2. That they disbelieved him in spite of the greatest advantages to faith. (Ver. 36)

3. That in spite of their obstinate unbelief and cruel rejection, the gracious purposes of God and the mission of Jesus will not be void. "For all that the Father giveth me," etc. Notice

I THE FATHER"S WILL. We see in this will:

1. That he has given a certain number of the human family to Christ. In a general and a true sense all the human family have been given him; they are the objects of his saving love and grace. All are invited to the gospel feast, and commanded to repent. The earth is Immanuel"s land, and the human race, without exception or partiality, are the objects of his saving mercy. But there are some specially given to Christ; they are spoken of as such: "All that the Father giveth me." They have been given in the past in purpose; they are given in the present in fact. This suggests:

(1) That the salvation of the human family is carried on according to the eternal purpose and plan of God. Everything has been arranged from the beginning. Nothing happens by accident; neither the Father nor the Son is ever taken by surprise.

(2) That the mission of Christ is not a speculation, but with regard to him an absolute certainty. Speculation is a term unapplicable to Divine proceedings; they are fixed and determined as to their mode and result. Jesus lived and acted on earth in the full consciousness of this. And who would not rejoice that the blessed Redeemer was not in this hostile world as the creature of chance and at the mercy of fate, but ever fortified with the knowledge of his Father"s will and purpose, the consciousness of his Father"s love, and the certainty of the success of his own mission?

2. That the Father gave these to Christ, because he knew that they would come to him. Let it be remembered that the division of time, as past, present, and future, is nothing to God. All time to him is present. In his plans and election he experienced no difficulty arising from ignorance, but all was divinely clear to him. And we see that he is not arbitrary in his selections, We know that his authority is absolute; that he has the same authority over man as the potter over the clay. He can do as he likes, and perhaps this is the only answer he would give to some questioners, "I can do as I like." But we know that he cannot like to do anything that is wrong, unreasonable, or unfair. He cannot act from mere caprice, but his actions are harmonious with all his attributes, as well as with the highest reason; and can give a satisfactory reason for all acts, and justify himself to his intelligent creatures. The principle on which he gave certain of the human family to Christ was willingness on their part to come to him. In the gifts of his providence he has regard to adaptation he gives water to quench thirst, etc. But, in giving human souls to Christ, he had a special regard to the human will. He knew as an absolute fact that some would refuse his offer of grace in Christ, and that others would gladly accept the same offer under the same conditions. The former he neither would nor could, the latter he graciously gave. It is an invariable characteristic of those given to Christ that they give themselves to him.

1. Those given to Christ shall certainly come to him. "All that the Father giveth me shall," etc. Jesus was certain of this. And if given, they come; and if they come, they were given. Divine foreknowledge is never at fault, and Divine grace can never fail to be effective with regard to those thus given to Christ. Their coming was included in the gift. There was the knowledge of their coming, and every grace, motive, and help was promised with the gifts; so that their arrival to Christ is certain. They shall come, in spite of every opposition and difficulty from within and without.

2. That these were given to Christ in trust for special purposes. These are set forth:

(1) Negatively. "That I should lose nothing" (ver. 39). Not one, not the least, and not even anything necessary to the happiness of that one.,

(2) Affirmatively. "May have everlasting life." The highest good they could wish and enjoy.

(3) That they should have these blessings on the most reasonable and easy terms. By simple acceptance of the gift, and simple and trustful faith in the Giver (ver. 40).

II JESUS AS THE EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE OF THE FATHER"S WILL. In these capacities:

1. He is most gracious, for

(1) the work involves the greatest responsibilities. It is true that those given shall come to him. But look at their miserable condition. They are guilty; he must procure their pardon. They are condemned; he must justify them. They are corrupt; he must cleanse and sanctify them. They are sick; he must heal them. They are in debt; he must pay it. The responsibilities are infinite.

(2) It involves the greatest self-sacrifice. To meet these responsibilities required the greatest self sacrifice possible. Before they could be justified, he himself must be condemned; to heal them, he must be mortally wounded; to make them rich, he must become poor; to pay their debt, he must lay down his life as a ransom; and to bring them unto glory, he must be made "perfect through sufferings." What but infinite love would accept the trust and execute the will?

2. He is most tenderly and universally inviting. "Him that cometh to me I will," etc. These words are most tender and inviting. They were uttered in the painful consciousness that many would not come to him, although there were infinite provisions and welcome. The door of salvation need not be wider, nor the heart of the Saviour more tender, than this. There is no restriction, no favouritism. "Him that cometh.

3. He is most adapted for his position. This will appear if we consider:

(1) That he is divinely appointed. "The Father which sent me." The Father appointed him to be the Trustee and Executor of his will. And he knew whom to appoint. He acts under the highest authority.

(2) He was willing to undertake the trust. It is true that he was sent, but as true that he came. "I am come down from heaven" (ver. 38). There was no coercion. His mission was as acceptable to him as it was pleasing to the Father, so that he has great delight in his work.

(3) He is thoroughly acquainted with the Divine will. Perfect knowledge is essential to perfect execution. Many profess to know much, but where is the proof? Jesus proves his knowledge by revelation. "This is my Father"s will," etc. He was acquainted with all its responsibilities, its purposes, and sufferings, as well as all the difficulties in carrying it out. This he knew from the beginning before he undertook the trust.

(4) He is enthusiastically devoted to both parties to the Testator and the legatees. He is devoted to the Father. "I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but," etc. He had a will of his own, but in his mediatorial office it was entirely merged in that of his Father. He is equally devoted to the objects of his Father"s love; for "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." And he could say more he would help and almost compel him to come in.

(5) He is divinely competent. He is the Son of God, the Elect of the Father, ever conscious of his capacities for this work. Not a shadow of doubt in this respect ever came across his mind. He was serenely conscious of fulness, of power, of life the fulness of the Godhead; and he gave ample proof of his Divine competency as he went along. The sick were healed, the dead were raised, the guilty were pardoned, and all penitents who appealed to him were saved. Naturally and well he might say, "I will raise him up at the last clay." And being able to do this, he can do all. All the qualifications necessary to execute the Divine will with regard to the human race fully meet in him. "His will be done.

LESSONS.

1. The purposes of the Divine will are in safe hands. Not one shall suffer on his account.

2. The lives of believers are in safe custody. Nothing will be lost.

3. The mission of Jesus is certain of success. "All that the Father giveth me," etc.

4. The perdition of man must come entirely from himself. All the purposes and dispensations of God, all the mediatorial work of Jesus, are for his salvation. All that God in Christ could do for his deliverance is done. Nothing but his own will can stand between him and eternal life.

5. The duty of all to come to Jesus and accept his grace. There is a marked difference between the conduct of Jesus and the conduct of those who reject him. He receives the vilest; they reject the most holy and gracious One. He opens the door to the most undeserving; they close it against the pride of angels, the inspiration of the redeemed, and the glory of heaven and earth. Beware of trifling with the long suffering mercy of Jesus. The last thing he can do is to cast out; but when he casts out, he casts out terribly. B.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

All that the Father giveth me - All that feel themselves lost, and follow the drawings of the Father, he in a peculiar manner giveth to the Son: will come to me - By faith. And him that thus cometh to me, I will in nowise cast out - I will give him pardon, holiness, and heaven, if he endure to the end - to rejoice in his light.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Our blessed Saviour having lamented the obstinate infidelity of the Jews in the foregoing verse, who, though they had seen him, would not believe on him; he doth in this verse comfort himself with the assured expectation, that there would be a number, which should certainly and infallibly come unto him; All that the Father hath given me, shall come unto me, &c.

Here observe, 1. An account of the persons that shall come to Christ: All that the Father hath given him. There is a double gift of us to Christ.

1. In God’s eternal purpose and counsel.

2. In our effectual vocation and calling, when our hearts are by the Holy Spirit of God persuaded and enabled to accept of Christ, as he is freely tendered to us in the gospel.

Observe, 2. The gracious entertainment which Christ gives to those that come unto him: He will in no wise cast them out; that is, I will kindly receive, and graciously entertain them.

Learn hence, 1. That both God the Father, and Christ his Son, are unfeignedly willing, and cordially desirous of the salvation of lost sinners. The federal transaction which was betwixt the Father and the Son from everlasting about the salvation of lost sinners, evidently declares this.

Learn, 2. That the merciful and compassionate Jesus will in no wise cast out or reject, but kindly entertain and receive, every penitent sinner that doth believingly apply unto him for pardon of sin and eternal life; I will in no wise cast out; that is, I will not cast them out of my pity and compassion, out of my love and affection, out of my prayer and intercession, out of my care and protection; I will not cast them out of my covenant; I will never cast them out of my kingdom: for my nature inclines me, my promise binds me, and my office, as Mediator, engages me, to the contrary.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Christ here, as elsewhere, shows that the power is of the Father. The Jews may reject him, but all whom the Father gives, of every race, will come to him. Christ is God's gift to men, but the believers are his gift to Christ. “The gift of the Father must not be understood of a predestinating decree. Here, and in other passages, when we read of God giving his Son to his people it is the moral and spiritual state of the heart that is thought of under the word. This state of heart by which they are induced to listen to the voice of Jesus is due to God alone.—Schaff. God's chief agencies for preparing the heart are his providences, Christian influences, and “the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.”

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

37–40. Digression on the blessedness of those who come to Christ as believers

37. πᾶν ὃ … τὸν ἐρχ. Note the significant change of gender. What is given (see on Joh 3:35) is treated as impersonal and neuter, mankind en masse (comp. Joh 3:6); what comes, with free will, is masculine. Men are given to Christ without being consulted; but each, if he likes, can refuse to come, as the Jews did: there is no coercion. Comp. Joh 17:2; Joh 1:11. Note also the different verbs for ‘come’; ἥκω expresses the arrival (Rev 15:4), ἔρχομαι the coming. Comp. ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labour’ (Mat 11:28).

οὐ μὴ ἐκβ. Litotes (Joh 3:19, Joh 8:40): so far from casting out, will keep and protect, Joh 10:28. Quale intus illud est, unde non exitur foras? Magnum penetrale et dulce secretum (S. Augustine).

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37.] The whole body of believers on Christ are spoken of by Him, here and in ch. 17, as given to Him by the Father. But Bengel’s observation is very important: “πᾶν—vocula momentosissima, et, collatis iis quæ sequuntur, consideratu dignissima. Nam in sermonibus Jesu Christi, quod Pater ipsi dedit, id, et singulari numero et neutro genere, appellatur omne; qui ad ipsum, Filium, veniunt, ii masculino genere vel etiam plurali numero describuntur,—omnis, vel illi. Pater Filio totam quasi massam dedit, ut omnes quos dedit unum sint; id universum Filius singulatim evolvit, in exsecutione. Hinc illud in xvii. 2, ut omne quod dedisti ei, det eis vitam æternam.” See also 1Jn 5:4. See further on πᾶν ὃ δίδωσίν μοι ὁ πατήρ, ver. 44.

οὐ μὴ ἐκβ. ἔξω does not refer here to the office of the Son of God as Judge; but is another way of expressing the grace and readiness with which He will receive all who come to Him.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37. The questioners of Jesus did not believe or accept Him, but that rejection of theirs does not alter the Divine purpose, which is that all who will shall have eternal life. Upon this Jesus rests, despite incredulity on the part of some who heard Him. “All that the Father gives to me shall come to me”: that is enough, for He came to do the Father’s will, and the Father knows best as to those whom He gives. For the predestinarian doctrine of the Fourth Gospel, see on 2:4, 3:14

For the thought that His disciples are “given” to the Son by the Father, cf. vv. 39, 65, and 10:29, 17:2, 6, 9, 12, 24, 18:9. See note on 3:35.

πᾶν, sc. all men. This collective use of the neut. sing. is not unknown in classical Greek. Jn. has it several times (17:2, 24, 1Jn 5:4, as well as at v. 39 and here), and always of the sum of those who have been “begotten of God” and “given” by the Father to the Son. The ideal for those who believe in Christ is ἵνα πάντες ἓν ὦσιν (17:21), “that they all may be one,” and it is possible that this great conception may be behind the use of πᾶν for πάντες here and in 17:2.

ὁ πατήρ. See on 3:17.

τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρός με. See for this phrase on v. 35 above.

τ. ἐρχ. πρός με οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ἔξω, “I shall not cast out”; a litotes for “I shall welcome.” The “casting out” indicated is from the kingdom of God, hereafter as well as here; in v. 39, the reference is to the Last Judgment, and this is implied here also. Cf. 12:31, where the judgment on Satan is ἐκβληθήσεται ἔξω, the same phrase as here (cf. 17:12); and see for ἐκβάλλειν in similar contexts Mat 8:12, Mat 22:13, Mat 25:30.

א*D om. ἔξω as redundant, but it is well supported (אcABLWΘ), and the combination ἐκβάλλειν ἔξω or ἐκ occurs again 2:15, 9:34, 35, 12:31; cf. Mat 21:39, Mar 12:8, Luk 20:15, etc.

οὐ μή expresses a very strong negation, “I will surely not cast out.” This constr. occurs elsewhere in words of Jesus, Mar 14:25, and Joh 18:11, οὐ μὴ πίω, it being generally taken as interrogative in the latter passage, where see note.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

All that [παν ο] . The neuter singular of the adjective and pronoun. All believers are regarded as one complete whole. Compare Joh 17:24, according to the correct reading, "that which Thou hast given me."

Shall come [ηξει] . Emphasizing the idea of reaching or arriving.

Cometh [ερχομενον] . A different verb, emphasizing the process of coming.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Vv. 37, 38. “All that which the Father gives me shall come unto me; and him who comes to me I will in no wise cast out; 38 for I am come down from heaven to do, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

By the words: All that which the Father gives me, Jesus strongly contrasts the believers of all times with these men to whom He had just said: You do not believe! The neuter πᾶν ὅ, all that which, indicates a definite whole in which human unbelief will be unable to make any breach, a whole which will appear complete at the end of the work. The extent of this πᾶν, all, depends on an act of the Father designated here by the term give, and later by teach anddraw (Joh 6:44-45).

The first of these three terms does not, any more than the other two, refer to the eternal decree of election; there would rather be, in that case, the perfect has given. Jesus speaks of a divine action exerted in the heart of the believers at the moment when they give themselves to Him. This action is opposed not to human freedom, but to a purely carnal attraction, to the gross Messianic aspirations, which had, on this very morning, drawn these crowds to Jesus (Joh 6:26). It is that hunger and thirst after righteousness (Mat 5:6) which the preparatory action of the Father produces in sincere souls. Every time that Jesus sees such a soul coming to Him, He receives it as as a gift of God, and His success with it is certain. I do not think that it is necessary to translate ἥξει (shall reach), as if it were ἐλεύσεται (shall come, advance towards); for ἥκω signifies: “I am come and am here;” comp. Joh 8:42 and Rev 3:3; Rev 15:4, where the substitution of ἔρχεσθαι (to come) for ἥκειν would certainly weaken the thought. Jesus means to say, not only that all those whom the Father gives Him will advance towards Him, will believe, but will reach the end. It will not happen to them, as to the present hearers of Jesus, to be shipwrecked on the way. The second part of the verse is parallel with the first. Commonly, an advance on the first is found here, by making the first words: He that cometh to me, the resumption of the last words of the preceding clause: shall come to me. (See Meyer, Weiss, etc.)

But two things seem to me to exclude this interpretation:

1. The substitution in this second sentence of ἔρχεσθαι for ἥκειν, which would be a weakening, since the former says less than the latter;

2. The parallelism of the two present tenses (δίδωσι, gives, and τὸν ἐρχόμενον him that comes), and that of the two futures (ἥξει, will reach, and ἐκβάλω, will cast out).

He that comes to me answers therefore to: All that which the Father gives me; they are the two sides, divine and human, of the inward preparation for salvation. Then: shall come to me answers to: I will not cast out; it is the accomplishment of the salvation itself in the positive and negative relation. Jesus seems to allude by this last term, to cast out, to the stern manner in which He had received this multitude which were so eager to come to Him, and had repelled them with a sort of harshness (Joh 6:26; Joh 6:36). He received them thus only because He did not recognize in them gifts of the Father; for never will any heart burdened with spiritual wants and coming to Him under this divine impulse be rejected by Him. These words recall those of the Synoptics: “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat 11:28).

The second clause has, therefore, fundamentally the same sense as the first; but it completes it, first by individualizing the πᾶν, all, of the first clause (he that), then by substituting the negative form, which excludes every exception (I will not cast out) to the simple affirmation (shall come). The certainty of this welcome full of love promised to believers is justified in Joh 6:38 by the complete dependence in which Jesus placed Himself with relation to the Father, when coming here on earth. Having renounced every work of His own, He can only receive whoever draws near marked with the seal of the Father. The term καταβέβηκα, I am come down, contains the affirmation of His pre- existence. On the expression “my own will,” see at Joh 6:30. If Jesus had wished to accomplish here below a work for Himself, distinct from that of the Father, His reception or His refusals would have been determined, at least in part, by personal sympathies or repugnances, and would not have altogether coincided with the preparation due to the work of God in the souls. But, as there is nothing of this, and as He has no will except to make that of His Father at each moment His own, it follows that whoever comes to Him as one commended by the Father, is sure to be welcomed by Him; comp. the same idea of voluntary dependence in the discourse of chap. 5.

Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.