THE CROWD TURNS BACK

By A. W. Tozer

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked
no more with him.           --- John 6:66

    Our Lord Jesus Christ called men to follow Him, but He
plainly taught that "no man can come unto me, except it
were given him of my Father"  John 6:65).

    It is not surprising that many of His early followers,
upon hearing these words, went back and walked no
more with Him. Such teaching cannot but be deeply
disturbing to the natural mind. It takes from sinful men
much of the power of self-determination. It cuts the
ground out from under their self-help and throws them
back upon the sovereign good pleasure of God---and that
is precisely where they do not want to be!

    These statements by our Lord run contrary to the
current assumptions of popular Christianity. Men are
willing to be saved by grace, but to preserve their
self-esteem, they must hold that the desire to be saved
originated with them.

    Most Christians today seem afraid to talk about these
plain words of Jesus concerning the sovereign operation
of God---so they use the simple trick of ignoring them!

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Yours in Christ,
Paul N. F.