Does John 6:44 Really Teach Calvinism?

If you've spent any time in theological discussions, you've probably heard John 6:44 cited as proof of predestination and unconditional election. The verse seems pretty straightforward: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." But here's the thing—context changes everything. And when we actually dig into what John is saying, the picture becomes much clearer.

Today, we're looking at three crucial layers that will help us understand this passage: the immediate context, the greater context of John's entire gospel, and the meaning of that key word—draw.

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Understanding the Immediate Context

Let's start with the full passage. Jesus says in John 6:35-40:

"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst... All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. For I've come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father so that everyone who looks upon the Son and believes in him should have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day."

Then in verse 44, Jesus adds: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day."

The immediate context reveals something crucial: the issue is one of authority.

In verse 37, the Father is presented as having all authority—everything is in His hands. But that authority has been given to the Son, who came not to do His own will but the will of the Father. The Father has entrusted the care of His people into Jesus's hands. Those whom the Father "gives" to Jesus are simply those who "draw near to the Father through the Son" by receiving Christ.

This is about authority and care, not about secret selection. Verse 37 doesn't teach unconditional election or effectual calling any more than a shepherd's authority over his flock teaches that the sheep were predetermined to exist.

In verse 39, Jesus confirms this: "This is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day." This same theme appears in Jesus's high priestly prayer in John 17, where He says that those given to Him have been taken "out of the world, out of Adam, out of the kingdom of darkness" and placed "into the kingdom of light, into the kingdom of God's beloved Son, Jesus Christ."

The continuity is clear: it's about the Son's authority, about the people of God being given to Him, and about the Son faithfully preserving everything the Father has entrusted to Him.

The Greater Context: Why John Wrote His Gospel

Now let's zoom out and see the bigger picture. Why did John write everything he wrote? His answer is explicit in John 20:30-31:

"Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name."

Everything—and I mean everything—in John's gospel is designed so that we can look upon the Son and believe in Him. The entire gospel is a collection of witnesses bearing testimony to Christ.

In John 5, we see these witnesses laid out clearly. First, there's the witness of John the Baptist. Then the works themselves—the miracles Jesus performed in the power of the Spirit. Third, the Father bears witness through His voice and presence. Fourth, the scriptures themselves testify about Jesus. And fifth, John's own purpose in writing is to bear witness so that "whosoever can look upon the Son, receive the Son believing in His person and work and character" would have eternal life in His name.

The greater context of John is that God has been orchestrating a massive testimony that Jesus is who He says He is—the Messiah, the Son of God, divinity in bodily form, the exact representation of the nature and work of the Father. And through believing this testimony, we have life in His name.

Unpacking the Word "Draw"

This brings us to the crux of the matter: what does Jesus mean by "draws"?

The Greek word here is helkō, which appears six times in the New Testament—five of those in John's gospel. Let's look at how it's used in different contexts:

• John 6:44: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him"

• John 12:32: "If I'm lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself"

Notice something? The same word is used in these two seemingly different contexts. If "draw" means an irresistible selection of a few, how can Jesus say He'll draw "all men"? From a Calvinist perspective, this would mean all men and women universally—Jew and Gentile alike. But that contradicts unconditional election.

But there are other uses too:

• John 18:10: Simon Peter "drew" his sword and struck the servant

• John 21:11: Simon Peter "drew" the net to land, full of large fish

• John 21:6: They cast the net, and "were not able to haul it or draw it in because of the great number of fish"

In these passages, "draw" simply means to pull or haul something out. A sword is drawn from its sheath. A fishing net is drawn from the water. The action requires effort and motion—drawing something from one place to another.

The Fisherman Metaphor

Here's how I understand this: We're all born into this world of Adam. We're naturally in the kingdom of darkness. But God's testimony goes out into the world like a fishing net cast into the sea. Those who look up and behold the Son and believe in His person and work are drawn out of that world and placed into Christ.

Think about a fisherman. The fish don't draw themselves out of the water. The fisherman draws the fish out of the water and brings them to their final resting place. In the same way, no one can come out of Adam into Christ by themselves. The only thing we can do is behold the Son and believe in Him. What God does is take us out of Adam and place us into Christ. He draws us out of the water of condemnation and places us into life, which is Christ. He draws us out of the muck and mire and places us into abundant life.

And here's the beautiful promise: all who are in Christ will be raised up on the last day. All who have been taken out of Adam, out of this world, out of the kingdom of darkness and placed into the kingdom of God's beloved Son, Jesus Christ—because the testimony went out, and everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life.

Why This Matters: The Work of the Father

The Father draws us out of eternal death and places us into eternal life because the Father brings life from death. And it's all the work of the Father. It's not a work of man. There's nothing we can do but receive the testimony—and God does the rest.

Think about what this really means. You can't save yourself. You can't regenerate yourself. You can't draw yourself out of the kingdom of darkness. That's the work of God. But you can receive the testimony. You can look upon the Son. You can believe. And when you do, God takes it from there. He does the work of drawing you, transforming you, raising you up.

The Bottom Line

So to summarize: John 6:44 does not teach irresistible grace or unconditional election. It teaches—with continuity throughout scripture—that whosoever looks upon the Son and believes in His name, God the Father takes out of Adam and puts into Christ, just like a fisherman draws fish out of the water. The fish don't draw themselves. The fisherman draws them and brings them to their final resting place.

So the Father draws us out of this world of condemnation and places us into the world of Christ.

The testimony is out there. The nets are cast. The question for you is simple: Will you look upon the Son and believe?