Why Did Jesus Choose Judas If the Father Draws People to Salvation?
14 November 2026This article is part of "Dialogues," where real questions from people are answered by AI and then reviewed by theologians for clarity, accuracy, and faithfulness to Christian teaching.
Question
"Jesus said He chose the twelve, yet one of them was a devil. He also said that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them, and that He will raise them up. How do we harmonize these passages? Was Judas not drawn to the Lord?"
Answer
Both sayings appear in John 6. Jesus promises resurrection to those who come to Him through the Father's drawing, yet identifies Judas as the disciple who will betray Him.
The first distinction is between being chosen for a place among the Twelve and coming to Christ in faith. Judas's presence among the apostles does not, by itself, establish that he received the life Jesus promises to believers. John also records Jesus' knowledge of unbelief and betrayal (John 6:64–71).
Scripture does not explicitly tell us whether Judas experienced the Father's drawing in the precise saving sense described in John 6:44. These passages invite us to trust God's saving action while taking seriously our response to His grace.
Chosen Among the Twelve
Jesus says, "Didn't I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" John identifies Judas as the person meant (John 6:70–71).
Here, being chosen names Judas's place among the apostles. He heard Jesus, witnessed His works, and shared the disciples' life. Yet outward closeness does not automatically mean inward trust.
Being chosen for apostolic ministry and being drawn into saving faith are not necessarily the same thing. Judas was chosen to serve among the Twelve, but that appointment alone does not establish that he possessed saving faith.
Jesus' description of Judas as "a devil" points to the evil associated with his betrayal. John later distinguishes Judas from Satan, who enters into him (John 13:27). Judas remains a human disciple responsible for his actions.
His story warns us that even a sacred responsibility cannot substitute for receiving Christ's life.
A Promise We Can Trust
Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up in the last day" (John 6:44).
The immediate promise concerns resurrection on the last day. In the surrounding passage, Jesus connects eternal life and resurrection with believing in Him. Coming to Him means more than joining His company (John 6:35–40, 45–47).
Christians differ over how this drawing relates to human freedom. Some understand it here as God's effective action that brings a person to saving faith; others understand grace as enabling a response that can be resisted. On either reading, being appointed an apostle cannot simply be equated with the saving relationship described in this promise.
Scripture does not explicitly tell us whether Judas experienced the Father's drawing in this precise saving sense. What it does tell us is that Jesus chose him to be one of the Twelve, knew of his unbelief and coming betrayal, and distinguished outward discipleship from genuine faith.
John 17:12 adds another difficult dimension, since Jesus speaks of Judas as the one who was lost. Christians interpret the relationship between this verse and the promises of John 6 differently. Yet the distinction between outward membership among the disciples and genuine faith remains essential to understanding why Judas's appointment as an apostle does not, by itself, contradict Christ's promise of eternal life.
Judas's story therefore does not establish that Christ failed to keep someone who had genuinely come to Him in saving faith.
God Takes the Initiative
Salvation begins with God's gracious initiative. No one can come to Christ or receive eternal life through human effort alone. Scripture also reveals God's desire for all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3–6). How this universal saving desire relates to the Father's drawing and human freedom is understood differently across Christian traditions.
Within the Christian tradition that affirms grace can be resisted, God's initiative and our freedom belong together. His call is real, and our refusal is real. Receiving grace does not mean producing salvation through our own strength.
Paul holds together our active response and God's inward work: "For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12–13). Even our willingness to return to Him depends on His grace.
Judas, Peter, and the Return to Mercy
Both Judas and Peter grievously failed Jesus. Judas betrayed Him; Peter denied knowing Him. Peter's story shows that such failure need not have the final word. Jesus had already prayed for him and spoken of his return; after the resurrection, He entrusted him again with caring for His sheep (Luke 22:31–34; John 21:15–19).
We should describe Judas carefully. Matthew says that he felt remorse, returned the money, and confessed that he had betrayed innocent blood. We cannot say that he felt no sorrow. Yet Matthew's account does not show the return to Jesus and restoration that we see in Peter (Matthew 27:3–5).
Remorse recognizes the wrong we have done, but repentance also involves turning toward God and seeking His mercy. Peter's restoration shows the hope of such a return; Matthew does not describe a comparable restoration in Judas's story.
Christ promises that He will not reject anyone who comes to Him (John 6:37). This gives us confidence in the depth of His mercy. Yet the Gospels speak gravely of Judas's betrayal and do not describe his restoration. Jesus even says that it would have been better for his betrayer not to have been born (Matthew 26:24). We should therefore avoid claiming certainty about possibilities that Scripture does not explicitly address.
The distinction between remorse and repentance matters for us too. Sorrow over sin can become a turning toward the One who forgives. We need not remain alone with our guilt.
Trust That Leads Us Toward Christ
Jesus speaks gravely of Judas's loss (John 17:12). We should take that warning seriously without pretending to reconstruct every movement of Judas's heart.
His story calls us to receive the grace offered to us today. It does not require us to prove our security by the strength of our own resolve. Peter's restoration itself begins in Christ's faithful love and intercession.
When we fail, we can confess, seek forgiveness, and return to prayer. These are responses to mercy already reaching toward us. Our hope rests in the Savior who draws us into life with Him.
Conclusion
Jesus' choice of Judas as one of the Twelve and His promise of eternal life to those who come to Him through the Father's drawing concern related but distinct realities. Being appointed to apostolic ministry does not, by itself, establish saving faith.
Scripture does not explicitly tell us whether Judas experienced the Father's drawing in the precise saving sense described in John 6:44. Christian traditions differ in their understanding of how this drawing relates to human freedom and whether it can be resisted. Yet they affirm that salvation depends on God's grace, not on religious position or human achievement.
Judas's story warns us against confusing outward closeness to Christ with genuine faith. Peter's restoration, meanwhile, reminds us of the mercy available to those who turn back to Him. Rather than speculating beyond what Scripture reveals, we are called to respond to God's grace with faith, repentance, and trust in the Savior who gives eternal life.