(a) John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
(b) John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:…”
(c) Romans 8:29-30, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
When reading scripture, it is very important to keep verses in context. So often we converse with Bible students who interpret verses that are in the temporal context as an eternal lesson. When we say temporal, we are saying that it is a verse which is for the child of grace in this temporal world and has temporal consequences or blessings (often referred to as Time Salvation). When we say a verse is in the eternal context, we are saying the verse is about the eternal salvation of the covenant children of God, which is by grace and God’s grace alone. One of the biggest differences between a Primitive Baptist and a Calvinist is the Calvinist often interprets the temporal verses in the eternal context, and the eternal verses in the temporal context, this makes one sound exactly like an absolute predestinarian.
When reading the three verses previously cited, we cannot and should not interpret these in a temporal context. Please consider:
(a) John 6:37 is not and cannot be interpreted in a temporal context. If a person interprets this verse as a person coming to the Lord to trust Him for everlasting life, they have without question missed the mark. The verse teaches “All” that the Father gave the Son “shall” come to Him. There are only two times when all the covenant (Father gave) children of God come to the Lord. These two times are in Regeneration and in the Resurrection. The verse cannot be interpreted as coming to Jesus in trusting, otherwise we would be forced to conclude all infants and all mentally challenged are NOT children of God (which is heresy).
(b) John 10:27 is a verse which must be interpreted in the eternal context for the same reasons. The previous verse (John 10:26) declares the Lord’s knowledge in knowing His sheep. Those did not come to Him in the context considered, nor believe in Him because they were not His. There are many reasons why people will not believe, and because we cannot see as the Lord sees, we cannot thus judge. But the Lord knows why these did not believe. He knows they are not His.
John 10:27-30 teaches us about the covenant children of God following the Lord, without fail. The only two times this happens is in regeneration and in the resurrection. If these verses are used to teach gospel obedience, the Bible student has missed the mark.
(c) Romans 8:29-30 is a precious portion of scripture to many Bible students. The verses teach us about God’s eternal grace in saving His people from the condemnation of sin. Nowhere in these verses does it teach that this work will result in the recipient of grace manifesting faith in God. Every born again (called) child of grace has the Spirit in them. Every child of grace has an ability to manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), but these verses do not teach that every child of grace will manifest these fruit to be seen by those present. If a person says that eternal salvation will always result in faith in the truth being manifested, my question to them is, what do you call truth? The second question is, Do you believe everyone who uses the name Jesus in their teaching is declaring truth? If God’s eternal grace will always result in the recipient manifesting faith in God, heaven will be a small place in my opinion. Why? Because most of God’s children do not believe the truth, and that’s a fact. The majority of God’s children, in this world, are taught everything but the truth. I wish more believed the truth, that’s why I keep trying to preach. But most do not. If more did, there would be more Primitive Baptists, Amen!
In closing, I truly want the reader to understand why I enjoy trying to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have a longing desire for more of God’s little children to follow Jesus in gospel obedience. But while preaching this gospel I’m also comforted in believing that God shall eternally save all His sheep and not one of them will be lost from His precious and loving hands. So whether they manifest belief or not; whether they follow Him in gospel obedience or not; they shall all be with Him in glory. Amen!