Calvin on believers boldly raising their eyes to the last day (John 6:39-40)

Image: Calvin on his deathbed

Note: Devotion taken from the sermon on John 6:28-40 (12.17.17).

John 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

We see in these verses a stress upon the Son’s delight in doing the Father’s will and in fulfilling the Father’s decree both to save his elect and to never lose a single one of his lambs.

This does not mean that the believer will never go without physical bread in this life or that he will never face discouragements, sufferings, and setbacks, due to either his own sin or that of others.  It does not mean he will be exempt from death.

But it does mean that he has the assurance that he will never be cast out, he shall never fall from the Father’s hand, and, no matter what he may face in this life, in the end, he will experience the final resurrection.

Calvin says that when we ponder Christ’s words here we should understand that Christ “is not the guardian of our salvation for a single day, or for a few days, but that he will take care of [us] to the end, so that he will conduct us, as it were, from the commencement to the termination of our course…”

He adds:

This promise is highly necessary for us, who miserably groan under so great weaknesses of the flesh, of which every one of us is sufficiently aware; and at every moment, indeed, the salvation of the whole world might be ruined, were it not that believers, supported by the hand of Christ, advance boldly to the day of resurrection. Let this therefore be fixed in our minds, that Christ has stretched out his hand to us, that he may not desert us in the midst of the course, but that, relying on his goodness, we may boldly raise our eyes to the last day.

JTR