The Exaltation of the Word

In John 6:37, Jesus says, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me, I will certainly not cast out." Other versions translate the second part, "and he who comes to Me I will never drive away." In John 6:44, Jesus says, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him (the drawn one) up on the last day."

So very clearly, Jesus teaches that the Father must give, the Father must draw, in order for anyone to believe in Jesus. Beyond that, whoever the Father gives Jesus and draws to Him will certainly come and receive eternal life. These are comforting and humbling truths for the believer. But a question arises: How does God draw a man to Jesus?

We need look no further than the Word of God. When the serpent tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, He attacked God's Word. Adam and Eve called into question the validity of God's Word and sinned by denying its truth. That's what sin is - denying the truth of God's Word, and we do it every day. But notice when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Satan also attacked God's Word. But Jesus did not call into question the validity of it; rather, He upheld its truth in the three temptations He faced at that time. Jesus was all about following God's will, and that meant obeying completely the Word of God.

And it is this word which God uses to draw His people to Himself. Jesus said in Luke 11:28, "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it." Luke tells us in Acts 13:48, "When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed." Romans 10:14,17 says, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ...Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Ephesians 1:13 says, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." Finally, in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul says, "We also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe."

So it is the timeless and timely Word of God that God uses to draw men to His Son. And amazingly, Jesus is that word. John 1:1,14 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ...The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates, even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Psalm 138:2 says, "I will bow down toward Your holy temple and will praise Your name for Your love and Your faithfulness, for You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word." Has the Word of God drawn you to Jesus?