“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
My Notes
What Does John 6:37 Mean?
John 6:37 contains two of the most absolute promises in Scripture, placed side by side. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me" — pan ho didōsin moi ho patēr pros eme hēxei. Everyone the Father gives to Jesus will arrive. Not might. Not should. Shall. The verb is future indicative — a statement of certainty, not possibility. The Father's giving guarantees the coming.
"And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" — kai ton erchomenon pros eme ou mē ekbalō exō. The double negative ou mē is the strongest negation in Greek — absolutely not, by no means, under no circumstances. Ekbalō exō means to throw out, to expel, to eject. Jesus will never, under any conditions, throw out anyone who comes to Him. The promise is comprehensive and unconditional: everyone the Father gives arrives, and everyone who arrives stays.
The two halves address two different anxieties. The first addresses the sovereignty question: will I actually make it to Jesus? Answer: if the Father has given you to Him, yes — with certainty. The second addresses the security question: once I come, will He keep me? Answer: He will never, under any circumstances, cast you out. Divine sovereignty brings you in. Divine faithfulness keeps you in. The front door is guaranteed. The back door is sealed.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which fear is stronger for you — the fear of not making it to Jesus, or the fear of being cast out after you arrive?
- 2.What does 'in no wise' mean to you — truly, under no circumstances? Can you take that at face value?
- 3.How does knowing the Father 'gives' people to Jesus change how you understand your own journey to faith?
- 4.Is there something you believe might disqualify you from Christ's keeping? How does this verse address that fear?
Devotional
Two promises. Both absolute. Both aimed at the two deepest fears of every person who's ever come to God.
Fear one: will I make it? Will I actually arrive at Jesus? Is this real, or will something go wrong between here and there? Jesus answers: all that the Father gives me shall come. Not might. Shall. If you're being drawn — if something in you is reaching toward Christ, compelled by a gravity you didn't generate — that's the Father's giving in motion. And what the Father gives arrives. Every time. Without exception.
Fear two: once I come, will He keep me? What if I fail too many times? What if the sin is too deep, the doubt too persistent, the backsliding too frequent? What if He lets me in and then decides I'm not worth keeping? Jesus answers with the strongest negation the Greek language can produce: I will in no wise cast out. By no means. Under no circumstances. Not for your worst failure. Not for your most persistent struggle. Not for the thing you're ashamed of right now that you think might be the disqualifying factor.
The front door is guaranteed by the Father's sovereign giving. The back door is sealed by Christ's unconditional keeping. You're not holding onto God. God is holding onto you — from both directions. The Father pushes you toward Jesus. Jesus refuses to let you go. And between those two promises, there is no gap. No crack. No loophole. No scenario where you end up outside.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For I came down from heaven,.... by change of place, or local motion; for Christ is the immense, infinite, and…
All - The original word is in the neuter gender, but it is used, doubtless, for the masculine, or perhaps refers to his…
All that the Father giveth me - The neuter gender, παν, is probably used here for the masculine, πας.
Shall come to me -…
Whether this conference was with the Capernaites, in whose synagogue Christ now was, or with those who came from the…
Digression on the blessedness of those who come to Christ as believers
37. All that the Father giveth … him that cometh…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture