Here are a Calvinist's favourite verses from John 6:
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out." (v.37)
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." (v.44)
"And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."" (v.65)
The problem here is that the Calvinist is proof-texting, eisegeting, and twisting Scripture with these verses, forcing them to say and teach something they simply do not. If you have read some of my previous blog articles, you know that I used to use these verses out of context as well, having been seduced and convinced that Calvinism was "biblical."
So what is the context? Well, the audience to whom Jesus is speaking is a group of unbelieving Israelites looking for free food (vv.25-31), and the twelve apostles (v.70). Jesus provokes the Jewish religious leaders with extremely difficult teachings, telling them to eat His flesh and drink His blood (vv.51-58), without so much as an explanation or any clarification. Verses 60 and 61 indicate clearly the difficulty of these teachings for His audience. Verse 66 even records for us that "many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore" because of these difficult teachings. Jesus does not attempt to persuade them to stay. Instead, He provokes them purposefully. All this contextual information aids the reader of John 6 in the correct interpretation.
Calvinists fail to consider the first-century context and meaning of Jesus' words, instead imposing upon His words their already preconceived idea of unconditional, effectual salvation of pre-selected individuals. They over-emphasize verse 37 as it relates to verses 39-40, arguing that God has pre-selected a particular number of people to draw irresistibly while leaving all others without any hope of responding to His appeals for reconciliation. They miss the vital contextual clue provided in verse 38: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." And what is the will of Him who sent Jesus? "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
What was Jesus to do while He was "down from heaven"? What was God's will for Him to accomplish, other than to die for us? God's will was not for Him to be a great evangelist and win thousands to faith (as Peter would at Pentecost), but for Him to train a select group of Israelites in order to carry the Gospel to the rest of the world and establish His Congregation after He had risen from the dead. Jesus was teaching this group of men how to love one another, live in community with each other, and have unity in all things. He was teaching them to imitate Him.
God had selected the Jews to carry the Word of God to the nations (Is. 49:6; Rom. 3:2; 9:5). Jesus, in fulfilling God's will, had entrusted the truth to a select few from Israel while the rest were being hardened in their already-calloused, self-righteous, stubborn condition.
Nowhere is there mention of an inward, irresistible calling or work of regeneration to convince the apostles to remain faithful. In fact, after the other disciples walked away, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked them, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" (v.67). The twelve had been with Jesus every step of the way, witnessing the miracles, having the parables explained to them, etc. They were already well-convinced of who Jesus was, which is why Peter said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God" (vv.68-69).
If John 6:44 means what Calvinists claim it means, especially individuals like James White who argues that the "him" who is called is the same "him" who is raised, then how do they explain John 12:32, without trying to explain it away? "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."