"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent

me draws him and I will rasise him up on the last day."

Michelangelo's beautiful painting "The Creation of Man" on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel of God giving the touch of life to Adam symbolizes in many ways our foundation in God from the very beginning. He imagines and creates us, he knows us and he gives the breath of life.  This fresco also illustrates the divide between us on earth and God in heaven.

In John 6:44 Jesus proclaims "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: They will all be taught by God.  Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; Only he has seen the Father." 

Faith itself is actually a gift of God demonstrating God's mercy and favor bestowed upon an individual allowing them to be drawn and instructed by God, for without faith, none of it would be possible. In bestowing faith upon an individual, God works with the Son on the salvation of that individual, as He desires all men to be saved.

Jesus completes the work of the Father in John 6:37 "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and who ever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."

Since Jesus Christ is the "end of the Law" or "telos" in Greek,  as offspring of Abraham, we are heirs to the promise and blessings credited to him in his righteousness.  We are under the blessings of faith, not the law.  This doesn't mean that we shouldn't follow the Ten Commandments; it means that our faith comes from our hearts and our voluntary will, rather than maintaining over 600  Kosher Old Testament rules to be perfect in God's eyes.

In presenting this painting by Michelangelo, I knew that it would be something everyone would recognize as "The Creation of Adam".  In a way, I felt a little disingenuous, putting the title "Called by the Father, Saved by the Son", when what is actually happening is the creation of Adam.  

Isn't it interesting that Adam is born as a full grown man, not a child? I hope however that picture stimulates in your mind God's constant presence in your life from the very beginning: his hopes, dreams and ambitions for you.  As Jesus promised, like the good Shepherd, he will lose none of the sheep that are assigned to him.  You are in the best of hands.  Praise God!