Episode 28 - God loved the world
John 3:16-18
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 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.
We have arrived at what is likely the most famous or well-known verses in all of the Bible; at least in the English language. You have likely driven down highways and seen this verse on a billboard. You may even recall watching sporting events where spectators who were sitting in areas frequently captured by television cameras would be holding placards with the reference John 3:16.
Just because and maybe even especially because it’s so familiar, we should not move past it so quickly. Take the first phrase “For God so loved the world . . . “ for example. This part of the verse is frequently interpreted as a description of quantity; a measure of how much God loved us. However nice that sounds, it is likely more accurate to understand this as an expression of the manner in which God loved the world. In other words, we could paraphrase this as “God loved the world in such a way that he gave his only Son . . . “ Regardless, that phrase is intended to cause its hearers or readers to stop in awe. Ideally, mankind confronted by this reality should be stopped in our tracks at the wonder that God would love any one of us that he would send his only Son into the world to die on our behalf so that we might not perish. If you get nothing else from this blog or podcast episode, I hope this Scripture will have such an effect on you. It should move us to be humbled, to be thankful to God, and to say to God, “God, let the gift of your Son have the effect You desire in me. Help me trust you in all things.”
Notice that the rest of this little section we’re reading speaks of two kinds of people; those who are perishing and those who are given eternal life. This sounds pretty extreme and so it is if you believe this is the truth from God’s Word.
The first part of this that is important to understand is that it’s God’s love, expressed through the giving of His only Son, makes it possible for people to not perish, but be given eternal life. This is important to realize God’s good intention toward mankind. In verse 17, it’s more fully explained by saying, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world.” I’m continually amazed by how many people I meet; religious or not who tend to think that God is always waiting to judge and condemn people for the slightest misstep. The situation, however, is that mankind is already in a judged and condemned condition. How did that happen? That happened back at the beginning of time when the first man and woman who were perfectly created by God, used their God-given wills to choose to disobey God. They brought “darkness” into the world through their disobedience. We are their children and are, therefore, born into this condition of darkness. But, God is saying, “I don’t want you to be there and I’m going to do something about it.”
Don’t miss the repetition of “the world.” God’s intent is not simply to save the Jews. God’s intent is to save the world; people all over the world regardless of race, ethnicity, etc.
Do these people need to do anything to not perish and have eternal life? Yes. They have to “believe in him.” Who is him? The answer is God’s only Son Jesus Christ. Think of it this way: Someone can give you a gift. But, you don’t have it unless you accept it. In verse 18, John writes that if you believe you are not condemned. However, everyone who has not believed is already condemned, “because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (v18)
There are people who want to say that everyone gets to God in their own way or everyone ultimately is saved. But, this verse is in direct contradiction to that kind of thinking. The point is that we all have this problem of “darkness.” We need God’s light in our hearts and minds leading us Him. That light, the true light that came into the world was God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.