“And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing , but should raise it up again at the last day.”
My Notes
What Does John 6:39 Mean?
John 6:39 is one of the most secure promises in the New Testament — a statement about divine preservation so absolute that it leaves no room for loss. Jesus is explaining the Father's will for His ministry, and the explanation is staggering in its scope.
"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me" — the Greek touto estin to thelēma tou pempsantos me (this is the will of the one who sent me) frames what follows as the Father's direct commission. Jesus isn't freelancing. He's executing the Father's stated will.
"That of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing" — the Greek pan ho dedōken moi mē apolesō ex autou (everything which he has given me I should not lose from it) makes three extraordinary claims. First, believers are given to Jesus by the Father — salvation originates in the Father's initiative. Second, the gift is comprehensive — "all" (pan, neuter singular — treating the entire body of believers as a collective whole). Third, Jesus's assignment is to lose nothing — not a single person, not a fragment. The Greek mē apolesō (I should not lose/destroy) uses the strong subjunctive negative: this must not happen.
"But should raise it up again at the last day" — the Greek alla anastēsō auto en tē eschatē hēmera (but I will raise it up in the last day) moves from preservation to resurrection. Jesus doesn't just keep believers safe during their lives. He raises them at the end of history. The protection extends past death into eternity.
The theology is stacked: the Father gives, the Son keeps, nothing is lost, everything is raised. The security of the believer rests not on the believer's grip on God but on God's grip on the believer. Jesus's job description from the Father is zero loss. And Jesus doesn't fail assignments.
Reflection Questions
- 1.The Father gives, the Son keeps, nothing is lost. How does knowing your security depends on God's grip rather than yours change the way you relate to Him?
- 2.Jesus says His assignment is to lose 'nothing.' How does that zero-loss commission affect your anxiety about your own standing with God?
- 3.The verse ends with resurrection — 'raise it up at the last day.' How does knowing that Jesus's preservation extends past death change how you think about loss and mortality?
- 4.If your salvation is rooted in the Father's will rather than your consistency, does that make you less serious about obedience or more grateful? Why?
Devotional
The Father gave you to Jesus. And Jesus's assignment is to lose nothing.
Let that architecture settle into your thinking, because most of us have it backwards. We imagine that our salvation depends on our ability to hold onto God — our consistency, our faithfulness, our grip strength. And this verse says the security runs in the opposite direction. The Father gives. The Son keeps. Nothing is lost. Everything is raised.
The word "nothing" is doing all the work. Not "most." Not "the ones who try hard enough." Nothing. Zero loss. That's the Father's will for the Son's ministry: of everything the Father has entrusted to Jesus, the loss rate is zero.
This doesn't mean believers are passive or that obedience is irrelevant — the rest of John's Gospel makes that clear. But it does mean that the foundation of your security isn't your performance. It's the Father's will and the Son's faithfulness to that will. You were given to Jesus. He accepted the assignment. And the assignment is to not lose you.
The verse ends with resurrection: "raise it up again at the last day." The preservation doesn't have a death clause. Jesus doesn't keep you safe during your life and then let you go when you die. He raises what He kept. The protection spans from the moment the Father gives you to the Son all the way to the final day of history — and beyond.
If you've been anxious about your standing with God — if you've been wondering whether your failures might push you past the point of no return — this verse says the keeping is Jesus's job, not yours. And He has never lost an assignment from the Father.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And this is the will of him that sent me,.... The Vulgate Latin adds, "of my Father"; and all the Oriental versions read…
Father’s will - His purpose; desire; intention. As this is the Father’s will, and Jesus came to execute his will, we…
I should lose nothing - It is the will of God that every soul who believes should continue in the faith, and have a…
Whether this conference was with the Capernaites, in whose synagogue Christ now was, or with those who came from the…
this is the Father's will, &c. The true reading is; this is the will of Him that sent Me.
that of all Literally, in…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture