The Drawing Before Salvation

The Drawing Before Salvation

Written on 20 August 2026.

Introduction

Eternal salvation itself is simple. A person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and receives everlasting life. Salvation is not earned by works, suffering, repentance from sins, religious reform, perseverance, or a long period of preparation.

Nevertheless, this does not necessarily mean that every person's life immediately before salvation looks the same.

There may be a distinction between the condition of salvation and the events which lead a person to the point where he believes.

A person may spend years resisting God, learning through consequences, discovering that his own understanding is insufficient, becoming convinced that God truly rules, hearing Scripture, and being drawn toward Christ. Then, at some particular point, he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and receives eternal life.

The years preceding faith do not save him. The drawing does not become another work required for salvation. The suffering does not merit salvation. Salvation remains by grace through faith.

Yet Scripture itself speaks of the Father drawing men to Christ.

No Man Can Come Except the Father Draw Him

Jesus said:

John 6:44 — King James Bible

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

He later said:

John 6:65 — King James Bible

And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

These verses introduce something that occurs before or in connection with coming to Christ: the Father draws, and coming to Christ is given by the Father.

This should not automatically be turned into Calvinism.

Calvinism normally adds a much larger theological system concerning unconditional election, irresistible grace, regeneration preceding faith, and the limitation of saving grace to particular elect persons. John 6:44 itself does not require every part of that system merely because it states that the Father draws.

The verse nevertheless cannot simply be ignored. Jesus actually says that no man can come to Him except the Father draws him.

Therefore there is biblical room for considering a pre-salvation drawing.

Salvation and the Road to Salvation Are Not the Same Thing

A distinction can therefore be made:

• The road by which somebody is brought to the point of believing may be long.
• The act by which he receives eternal life is simple: he believes on Christ.

The first must not be confused with the second.

A man might spend ten years coming to recognize that there really is a God. Another might believe the gospel shortly after hearing it. Another might have known Scripture from childhood. Another might experience severe consequences from sin which eventually destroy his confidence in himself.

None of those experiences constitute the saving condition.

The saving condition remains faith in Christ.

John 3:16 — King James Bible

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 6:47 — King James Bible

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

Acts 16:30–31 — King James Bible

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The jailer was not told that he first needed to complete several years of preparation.

He was told to believe.

Some People Will Not Come

The simplicity of salvation does not mean that every person is presently willing to believe.

Jesus said:

John 5:39–40 — King James Bible

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

The problem in this passage is not that eternal life is difficult to obtain. The problem is that these people will not come to Christ.

This raises an interesting distinction.

The gospel can be simple while the human road toward believing it can be complicated.

Somebody may intellectually hear the words "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" while remaining unwilling or unable to receive what those words mean. Events over many years may eventually break down assumptions which previously prevented him from believing.

If the Father is drawing that person during this period, the drawing itself should not be confused with salvation.

The drawing leads toward Christ.

Faith in Christ is where the person receives everlasting life.

Learning of the Father

The surrounding passage in John 6 gives further information:

John 6:43–45 — King James Bible

43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

Verse 45 is particularly interesting because Jesus associates coming to Him with having heard and learned of the Father.

This sounds like something can happen before the person comes to Christ.

There can be hearing.

There can be learning.

There can be drawing.

And then there is coming to Christ.

One possible way of expressing the sequence is:

Drawing → hearing and learning → coming to Christ → believing → everlasting life

This should not be turned into a rigid formula which every person must consciously experience in exactly the same manner. Scripture describes the Father's action, but people's individual histories can be different.

"Ye Shall Know That I Am the LORD"

The Old Testament repeatedly contains another striking theme. God acts in history and in judgment so that people will know that He is the LORD.

For example:

Ezekiel 6:9–10 — King James Bible

9 And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.

10 And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

And again:

Ezekiel 12:15–16 — King James Bible

15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

And:

Ezekiel 25:6–7 — King James Bible

6 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;

7 Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

These passages concern God's historical dealings and judgments and should not simply be equated with New Testament eternal salvation.

Nevertheless, they demonstrate an important biblical principle:

God can use events and consequences to bring people to the knowledge that He really is God.

A person may not initially acknowledge God. Events can destroy his confidence in another explanation of reality.

Eventually he knows that the LORD is God.

That recognition is still not necessarily the same thing as believing the gospel, but it can form part of the history leading someone toward Christ.

Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar provides an especially striking example.

He was one of the most powerful men in the world. He became proud concerning his kingdom and accomplishments. God humbled him until he acknowledged God's sovereignty.

Daniel records:

Daniel 4:28–33 — King James Bible

28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

The stated purpose is remarkable:

until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men

Afterward Nebuchadnezzar says:

Daniel 4:34–37 — King James Bible

34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.

37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

Whatever conclusions are drawn concerning Nebuchadnezzar's personal eternal salvation, the account clearly demonstrates God bringing a man through severe circumstances until the man acknowledges God's sovereignty.

Nebuchadnezzar did not merely receive a theological proposition. His entire understanding of himself and his kingdom was overturned.

God Can Draw With Lovingkindness

Drawing does not always have to look like judgment.

Jeremiah contains the beautiful statement:

Jeremiah 31:3 — King James Bible

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Thus Scripture contains both severe dealings and lovingkindness.

God is not limited to one manner of dealing with people.

For one person, the road may appear gentle.

For another, it may involve the collapse of things in which he formerly trusted.

For another, it may involve years of hearing Scripture before finally understanding the gospel.

The mistake would be turning one man's individual history into a universal requirement.

John the Baptist Was Different

Scripture also shows that not everybody begins from the same position.

John the Baptist was exceptional:

Luke 1:13–17 — King James Bible

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

John was filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb.

This is obviously very different from the experience of someone who spends many years living without knowledge of God and is later drawn toward Christ.

Individual histories differ.

Jeremiah Was Known Before His Birth

Jeremiah likewise had an unusual calling:

Jeremiah 1:4–5 — King James Bible

4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

This again demonstrates why one person's spiritual history should not necessarily be turned into a universal pattern.

God's dealings with Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Nebuchadnezzar, the Philippian jailer, and other people were not externally identical.

Salvation Can Still Occur in a Moment

None of this contradicts the proposition that eternal salvation occurs when a person believes.

Paul writes:

Ephesians 1:12–14 — King James Bible

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The passage contains a progression:

They heard the word of truth.

They believed.

They were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Thus a long history before faith does not make salvation itself a long process.

The preparation might last years.

The believing can happen at a particular point.

The Danger of Making the Drawing Into Another Gospel

There is nevertheless a serious danger in teaching this subject incorrectly.

Suppose somebody says:

"Before you can be saved, you must undergo years of punishment."

Or:

"You must first reach the bottom."

Or:

"You must suffer enough for God to permit you to believe."

Or:

"You must reproduce another believer's pre-salvation experience."

Such teaching would add something to the gospel that Scripture does not place there.

A person hearing the gospel should not be instructed to postpone believing.

He should believe Christ now.

2 Corinthians 6:1–2 — King James Bible

1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

The fact that God may have been drawing someone for years does not mean the gospel preacher should tell him to wait another seven years.

If he understands the gospel now, he should believe it now.

Jacksmack and Arthur Falls

This distinction is relevant to Jacksmack's sermon concerning Arthur Falls.

Arthur Falls reportedly stated that "unless the Holy Spirit is dealing with the heart of a person, they can't get saved." Jacksmack immediately characterized this idea as sounding like Calvinism and argued that such a position makes a person wait until the Holy Spirit deals with him.

Jacksmack's concern about adding conditions to salvation is understandable within Free Grace theology. In the same sermon he correctly distinguishes works from the saving condition and argues that good works are not necessary either to obtain or maintain eternal salvation.

However, there is another question which should not be confused with that one.

The question is not:

Must a man accomplish some pre-salvation work before God will save him?

The answer to that is no.

The different question is:

Can God draw and deal with a man before the moment at which that man finally believes on Christ?

John 6:44 makes it difficult to deny the existence of some kind of drawing.

Therefore one can affirm Jacksmack's basic Free Grace gospel while still allowing a much larger category for God's dealings with somebody before conversion.

An Individual Pre-Salvation Phase

A person's pre-salvation phase might therefore last days, months, or years.

During that period he might gradually discover:

• that his own wisdom cannot save him;
• that sin has real consequences;
• that God actually rules;
• that Scripture describes reality more accurately than he previously believed;
• that earthly institutions and people cannot ultimately save him;
• that death and judgment are real;
• that Jesus Christ is the only sufficient Saviour.

None of those discoveries themselves constitute eternal salvation.

They may instead prepare the ground upon which the gospel is finally understood and believed.

Then the person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is the dividing line.

My Own Interpretation

One way of understanding my own life is that approximately seven years before my salvation constituted such a drawing period.

From roughly 2009 or 2010 until 2016 there were events which increasingly forced the question of God, authority, judgment, human systems, and the ultimate foundation upon which a man can stand.

I do not regard those years as having saved me.

I regard my salvation as occurring when I believed on the Lord Jesus Christ in 2016.

The preceding years can instead be interpreted as a period in which I was being drawn.

After believing the gospel, I had something fundamentally different from the things that had preceded it: the bottom line of eternal salvation.

This interpretation should remain an interpretation of an individual life rather than another condition imposed upon other people.

Another person may have a completely different road to Christ.

Salvation Is Easy Even When the Road to It Is Hard

This leads to an apparent paradox:

Salvation can be easy even though the road before salvation can be hard.

The hard road does not purchase the salvation.

Christ purchased salvation.

The sinner receives eternal life through faith.

Romans 4:4–5 — King James Bible

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

And:

Ephesians 2:8–9 — King James Bible

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

A lifetime of suffering could never purchase everlasting life.

A single moment of genuine faith in Christ receives what Christ has already provided.

Conclusion

There is no contradiction between saying that salvation occurs when a person believes and saying that God may have dealt with that person for years beforehand.

The two belong to different categories.

The drawing is not the gospel.

The suffering is not the gospel.

The preparation is not the gospel.

The consequences of sin are not the gospel.

The gospel concerns Jesus Christ and what He has done, and eternal life is received by believing on Him.

Yet Jesus also plainly says:

John 6:44 — King James Bible

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Therefore a theology of salvation should leave room for God's drawing without transforming the drawing into another requirement for salvation.

For one person that drawing may be almost invisible.

For another it may encompass many years.

One person may have been surrounded by Scripture from childhood. Another may first have to lose confidence in everything else upon which he depended.

God's dealings with individuals can differ.

But when the question finally becomes, What must I do to be saved?, the answer remains extraordinarily simple:

Acts 16:30–31 — King James Bible

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

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