Christians: Didn't Jesus tell us who are of God, and who is not being drawn to

[tuberoot]

Christ by Him? John 8
47 "He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

John 6
44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' "

John 14
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. "
Garden Man,
The 'other fold' are the Gentiles. I don't know where you are getting the next part; 'those who seem like children of the devil'. Where do you get that?
Oregon Flower,
Thank you.
5 Point Calvinist,
The time is ripe to preach the old truths. Why have they been forgotten for so long, and a different teaching put in it's place? Hmmmm.
I am not today giving anyone a thumbs up or down on this question. FYI.

[KAL]

I interpret these verses as warning us of the folly of believing that we can convince or persuade others to accept the message of Jesus. I don't believe it draw some line between those that God wants and doesn't want...instead it reminds us that we can't and shouldn't try to make that decision.

For God so loved THE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten son that WHOSOEVER believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. I believe that God draws all peopl to him...and he can and does use us to accomplish it...but those who don't heed the call are beyond our reach.

Just think of how much pain and suffering could have been prevented (for example, during the ninth to eleventh century) if people could have accepted that you can't bring people to Jesus at the point of a gun (or a sword).

[Molly S]

Anyone can pick and choose verses to support a particular idea about the Bible and what Jesus says, but the Bible has to be taken as a whole.
God draws every man. It is ultimately the choice of the man to accept or reject God.
The parable of the seed is an example of how God sows seed in everyone, but not all the seed is allowed to grow (Matthew 13:19-23)

[Garden Man]

Yes He did, but He also said He has other sheep He will draw to the fold in His time. They which seem like children of the devil may very well be children of God in the days to come.

[gina p]

some have been given over to a reprobate mind and while I believe that they could be saved if they wanted, I don't believe they want it. I don't pretend to understand every thing I read in the Bible, but I know that people get so hateful with Christians because they don't feel the love of the Lord within themselves and if they don't have that love then they are lost .I wasn't looking for God when He found me,I was one of the lost sheep He came looking for because He is my Shepard and I know His voice.

[Callen]

Yes.
But notice it's Jesus making the determination.
Not His followers.

[5 Point Calvinist]

The reformed theology in action!! That's exactly what he said.

John 6:36-38 - But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

Arminians only choose to focus on the second half of the verse ("whoever comes to me I will never drive away"), but it is clearly stated that the giving comes before the coming.

God acts (calls), man reacts (comes), never the other way around.

The arrogance of man has led them to believe that somehow they can participate in the process of salvation. This removes the sovereighty of God from the equation, which is clearly revealed through these verses and others. Who wouldn't want to hear that they can participate, thus that's what men have come to believe. I find it ironic that men have no problem letting God be sovereign in EVERYTHING else in their life except that which involves their eternal salvation, and then they all of the sudden have a say in the matter. "Dead in sin..." When was the last time something dead was able to make a decision about anything, up to and including salvation. Return God's sovereignty to the foot of His throne.

[jackie2heaven]

Hon, the best answer I can give you is in the scriptures you just wrote down. God Bless You and Jesus Loves You.

[discipleabct]

Yes, the spirit called "man" was created by God the Father, spirits called "man" are children of God.
Angels are the first born of God the Father and they are called Sons of God.

We all (spirits and angels) have but one Father, and that is God the Father.

But "spirit called man" had children, and they are called the sons of man.

The sons of man have only a possiblity of 2 fathers.
1. God the Father who arts in heaven. (good seeds)
2. God the father who arts in hell.(tares)

Those born of God the Father, were born with the Father's commandments written in their hearts and minds.

Those born of God the father were born with their father's commandments written on stone.

The Father knows His children and will lead them to the Son, to the Living word of God, where their spirit is fed the true bread from heaven.

John 1:17-18, John 5:37, John 6:32, John 10:8, John 3:14, John 4:20-22, Luke 4:5-7, Luke 24:25, Revelation 13:10-18, Num 21:7-9, 1Chron 10:14

[Susanne]

C.H.Spurgeon used to say "God drags nobody into heaven by their ears" so while it is true that all is of grace, people will only be lost because they chose to be. They just don't want to be saved-even though they can see how dark the world is becoming the further men and women move away from God