Man's natural helplessness
and inability to repent or believe
" No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him..."John 6:44
We learn, for another thing,
from this passage, man's natural helplessness and inability to
repent or believe. We find our Lord saying--"No man can come
unto me, except the Father who has sent me draws him." Until the
Father draws the heart of man by His grace, man will not
believe.
The solemn truth contained in these words is one that needs
careful weighing. It is vain to deny that
without the grace of God no one ever can become a true
Christian. We are spiritually dead, and have no power to give
ourselves life. We need a new principle put in us from above.
Facts prove it. Preachers see it. The Tenth Article of
our own Church expressly declares it--"The condition of man
after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare
himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith
and calling upon God." This witness is true.
But after all, of what does this inability of man consist? In
what part of our inward nature does this impotence reside? Here
is a point on which many mistakes arise.
Forever let us remember that the will of man is the part of him
which is in fault. His inability is not physical, but
moral. It would not be true to say that a man has a real wish
and desire to come to Christ, but no power to come. It would be
far more true to say that a man has no power to come because he
has no desire or wish. It is not true that he would come if he
could. It is true that he could come if he would.
The corrupt will--the secret
disinclination--the lack of heart, are the real causes of
unbelief. It is here the mischief lies. The power that we lack
is a new will. It is precisely at this point that we need the
"drawing" of the Father.
These things, no doubt, are deep and mysterious.
By truths like these God proves the faith
and patience of His people. Can they believe Him? Can
they wait for a fuller explanation at the last day? What they
see not now they shall see hereafter.
One thing at any rate is abundantly clear,
and that is--man's responsibility
for his own soul. His inability to come to Christ does not make
an end of his accountableness. Both
things are equally true. If lost at
last, it will prove to have been
his own fault. His blood will be on
his own head. Christ would have saved him, but he would not be
saved. He would not come to Christ, that he might have life.
- J. C. Ryle, The
Gospel of John
