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esus said: "No-one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them" (John 6:44). He also promised: "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never [in no wise] cast out (John 6:37).

Note the following in this breath-taking promise: (1) "All" not "most"; (2) it is "the Father" who takes the loving initiative not us; (3) he "gives" us – he entrusts us into the gracious care of his Son as a gift; (4) "will come" – God's purpose concerning our salvation and eternal destiny in heaven cannot be thwarted; (5) "whoever comes" – we are not forced to do so against our will, but we must come; (6) "comes to me" not to a set of doctrines – not to a church – but to Jesus, God in human form.

John Bunyan wrote a whole book on John 6:37 entitled "Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ". It has 240 pages and majors on the words "whoever comes to me I will in no wise cast out".

Concerning those who have come to Christ, Bunyan wrote: 

But I am a great sinner, you say. 'I will in no wise cast out,' says Christ. 

But I am an old sinner, you say. 'I will in no wise cast out,' says Christ. 

But I am a hard-hearted sinner, you say. 'I will in no wise cast out,' says Christ. 

But I am a backsliding sinner, you say. 'I will in no wise cast out,' says Christ. 

But I have served Satan all my days, you say. 'I will in no wise cast out,' says Christ. 

But I have sinned against light, you say. 'I will in no wise cast out,' says Christ. 

But I have sinned against mercy, you say. 'I will in no wise cast out,' says Christ. 

But I have no good things to bring with me, you say. 'I will in no wise cast out,' says Christ.

We no longer use the expression 'in no wise' but it was a way of capturing the emphatic double negative of the Greek: "The one coming to me I will not – not – cast out", that is "Whoever comes to me I will most certainly never, ever cast out". Let us picture ourselves held in the strongest, closest, tightest embrace of the kindest, most gracious, loving and totally trustworthy person whoever has, or will, walk this earth – the Son of God Himself – and hear Him say: "I will most certainly never release you from my powerful embrace and cast you out".