There are many types of people in the world. We have ways of classifying people that significantly pares down the amount of categories available. Socioeconomic classification, geographical classification, ethnicity, what era of hardcore punk you like. It all serves to put people in neat boxes and wrap our minds around what defines a person, but there’s a significant classification of people that can reduce our options down to two: the people of God, and everyone else.
Is It Really That Simple?
The short answer is, “yes.” The reason I chose the Gospel of John to make this point is because John is constantly dealing with belief and unbelief, as well as recounting times Jesus talked about his people in relation to others. Take these verses out of chapter one, for example:
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.John 1:11-13
John wastes no time in establishing the fact that there are two different types of people in his story. There are people who receive Christ, and people who don’t. He also wastes no time in pointing out why that is. God gives this right to some and not others. God gives it to some by grace, but no one is entitled to it.
Why Are There Two Types of People?
Why do some people believe and some don’t? Jesus talks about this in chapter 3:
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.John 3:6
We’re talking about two very distinctive types of birth—natural and spiritual. The Holy Spirit quickens some people who are dead in sins and trespasses. Before we go trying to set parameters on how and why the Spirit quickens certain people and not others, let’s just remember what Jesus says one verse later:
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”John 3:8
Although Jesus wasn’t attempting to explain these things, he does bring clarity to the subject by explicitly classifying people under one of two categories:
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.John 3:18
Believers and unbelievers, condemned and not-condemned. That condemnation is a present reality for the unbeliever. That thought should give everyone a shiver and display the seriousness of belief and unbelief.
Two Types of People in Other Forms
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”John 4:23-24
Here Jesus distinguishes two types of people—his true worshipers and everybody else.
…and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.John 5:29
Here Jesus makes a distinction between the eternal destinies of people who are his and people who are not.
An Encouraging Promise to Believers
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.John 6:35-37
Jesus distinguishes believers and unbelievers and then declares that he will never cast out believers.
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”John 6:39-40
Jesus puts verses 35-37 in an even more radicalized light when he declares that he will never lose any people who are given to him. He will raise them up on the last day.
…but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”John 10:26-30
Do unbelievers simply choose not to believe? No. They don’t believe because they’re not part of Christ’s flock. The true sheep have an intimate relationship with him of which the others aren’t capable. The sheep have eternal life given to them by Christ, they will not perish, and no one can snatch them away. Why does the Son do this for certain people and not others? Because these are the people the Father has given him. The Father and Son are one, they have a unified objective, they are in unity on this point.
A Promise of Judgment to Non-Believers
Here’s a lengthy quote from John 8 that displays this point well. I bolded the important parts for efficiency, but the quote is here in full if you want to read it all:
They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father–even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.John 8:39-44
Jesus was speaking to Pharisees who simply were not the children of God. They were children of the devil. They sought to kill the Messiah, they failed to love him, they couldn’t understand him because they couldn’t bear to hear his word, and they wanted to fulfill the devil’s desires. That’s quite an indicting list. Jesus probably wouldn’t say these things if he knew these people would one day repent, or if he knew they could repent. He said these things because they had hardened their hearts against God and would never come to the true Messiah.
The Trinitarian Nature of Election
Some of these passages are completely unintelligible without some understanding of election. God has a people. The Father chose them, the Son redeemed them, and the Spirit regenerates and seals them. There can be no division in the Godhead on this point. The Father doesn’t choose people the Son won’t redeem, nor can the Son redeem those the Father hasn’t chosen, and the Spirit isn’t regenerating or sealing people who aren’t chosen or redeemed.
Some say that the Son redeems everybody, and the Father chooses those who will respond positively to that fact, and then those who choose to believe will be regenerated by the Spirit. Not only does that confuse the order of salvation, but it also confuses how the Persons of the Godhead function in salvation when they choose, redeem, and regenerate.
People do not determine these three acts by their choices. The Triune God does these things in perfect unity with one another.
The Mission Cannot Fail
…since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.John 17:2
Before going to the cross, Jesus prays for the specific people God has given to him to redeem.
I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. (Jhn 17:9 ESV)John 17:9
Just in case we’re tempted to say he’s praying for everybody, he says:
All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word…”John 17:10, 20
He’s praying for all believers throughout all time. He’s praying for you in this passage. This shouldn’t be a contentious thing. This should be an encouraging thing. The fact that God has sealed your destiny and saved you is supposed to be an edifying promise to believers. God took you from one category of people and put you in the other category. If you’re finding yourself resistant to these promises of Scripture, I want to encourage you to delight in the things of God. I suggest praying to God to soften your heart toward his word so you can glory in God’s plan of salvation for you and all the people of God.
This only scratches the surface of the two types of people John shows throughout his Gospel account. Virtually every scene is Jesus interacting with someone from one of these two groups. John’s entire purpose of writing was for the reader to believe (20:31), so belief and unbelief are prevalent themes throughout the book. Try circling things related to belief as you read through John. This is a good place to start, and soon you’ll exceed the information given in this article during your own study time.
Below are some resources to get you started. If you want a great commentary on the Gospel of John, you can order it here:
“God’s Love for the World” – an article by Nick Steward from DeathofDeath.net
“What Is Definite Atonement?” – from R.C. Sproul
“Securing Our Faith” – a devotional from Ligonier Ministries
“John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible: John” – from BibleStudyTools.com