For God So Loved The World!
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Some 3:16’s
Some 3:16’s
Before We dive into this. I chose this verse because today is March 16th (3:16).
How many of you have looked to see how many 3:16 verses there are in the Bible? OK, so it is just me, I am the weird one!
Here are a few:
16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.”
As Adam and Eve rebelled against God and plunged all of mankind into sin and death, God curses the woman, along with the man and the serpent. In the verse prior, the serpent is told that the seed of the woman will crush him; nevertheless, man must live in the effects of sin. Here we see man's need for and God's promise of redemption.
16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did it go, my daughter?” And she told her all that the man had done for her.
Ruth went to meet Boaz and he promised that he would redeem her as the kinsman.
16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
The Messiah had come to earth and, in order to fulfil all righteousness, He was baptized. As the Holy Spirit descended on Him, a voice roared from heaven, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." The Father's plan of redemption was unfolding.
16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
From the beginning it was recognized that Jesus was coming to do something different on the earth. Through the redemption He offers, the Christ imparts the Holy Spirit to everyone who believes.
John 3:16
John 3:16
Set the Stage: The visit of Nicodemus
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
We all know this verse. It probably the most well known verse in the Bible!
And it is probably a verse that is frequently taken out of context.
People have said:
God is not going to send anyone to Hell, he loves us (everyone).
Jesus is begotten, meaning he was created at a certain point in time and did not exist before that point. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe this.
“All I have to do is have faith in Christ,” they say, taking a superficial approach to avoid making any changes in their lives.
And the list goes on.
When we study the Bible we cannot use one verse theology, we must take the verse in the context in which it was written. We need to look the preceeding verse(s), the following verse(s), the chapter, the book, the whole Bible, the genre of the writing, the historical setting, use of original grammar (Hebrew and Greek),the writing style of the writer, the history (cultural background), and finally from a Theology element which uses Exegesis (the leading out of the meaning, which leads us the the appropriate conclusion).
So lets dive into this verse. Actually we are going to be looking at several verses from John Chapter 3 to learn more about John 3:16.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved. What does this word “love” mean in this instance? In the Greek and Hebrew language words are rich in meaning. They carry a deep, complex, and multifaceted layer of interpretation; that convey a lot of information or evoke a variety of ideas beyond its literal definition.
In the west we at times just throw that word “love” around, and now it is to the point that some in our society have used that word “love” to affirm and promote all sorts of sinful actions.
In the Greek there are four different words for “Love”
Storge (Stor-jay) Love: This type of love is “Familial Affection” Love between friends and family: Such as parents toward their children, love between siblings, love between spouses and sometimes very close friendships.
Phileo Love: “Friendship”, an example would be good friends looking out for each other. Or the love the the church shows it’s community.
Eros Love: “Passion” is a kind of affection meant to describe a healthy, sensual love between husbands and wives. Romance, physical attraction play a part in it. God gave us this kind of desire with clear instructions to express it only within the bonds of marriage.
Agape Love: The essence of agape love is goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object of love. Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character.
Agape Love is best describe in 1 Corinthians 13.
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
This type of love does not come natural to man and for that reason Agape is almost always used to describe the love that is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself or in other words “Omnibenelovence”
He gave his only begotten Son. How many of you have really thought about that word begotten?
Begotten from the Greek (monogenēs/Mono-gen-es) which means unique, only, one and only, one of a kind. The term monogenēs therefore refers to uniqueness and has no inherent reference to chronology or origin.
Think about it like this: Isaac was not Abraham’s first child—chronologically, Ishmael came first. But Isaac was considered unique because of the supernatural intervention that aided in his birth and his role as the son through whom God’s covenant with Abraham continued.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;
Abraham’s only “unique son”
So to the Jehovah’s Witness who is using the birth of Christ as the chronological starting point of Jesus, they have misinterpreted the word begot and have ignored other scriptures.
Such as John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Just to name a few.
I have proven the Jehovah’s witness interpretation wrong.
That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So lets tackle the “God is not going to send anyone to Hell, because He loves them” fallacy.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
So in verse 16 Jesus told Nicodemus, that if you believe in the Son of God, meaning Jesus, you will have eternal life.
Disciples of Jesus are promised eternal life. Eternal life means living forever.
28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Well the opposite of life is death. The Greek word for perish is “apollymi” (ap-ol’-loo-mee). has many meanings but in this case it means to die, to die for all eternity, to be separated from God for all eternity. We will all experience the first death, but those that are not disciples of Christ Jesus, they will perish, they will suffer a second death, they will be separated for all eternity from the giver of life.
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
I think I just proved God will judge those that do not believe on His Son and they will go into the Lake of Fire (Hell).
Remember part of the definition of “Agape Love” It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character. And 1 Corinthians 13:6
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
"God is love but also delivers just punishment" means that while God is fundamentally characterized by love and compassion, he also has a righteous side that necessitates punishment for wrongdoing, reflecting the idea that a loving God must also uphold justice and accountability for actions; essentially, even in love, there can be consequences for sin, similar to how a parent disciplines a child out of love and concern for their wellbeing
The last fallacy I will cover and disprove.
All I have to do is have faith in Christ and they take this superficial approach so as not to have to make any changes in their lives.
In the Gospel of John, John never uses the word “Faith” he uses the word “Believe”. But the concept of Faith is woven throughout the Gospel of John.
In the Gospel of John belief is not intellectual assent, but wholehearted trust, entrusting our lives/futures to God. Faith in the gospel of John is a verb, not a noun.
Before I go on let me define “Intellectual assent” It is the mental agreement that something is true, even if you don't feel strongly about it or act on it.
Here is an example from Got Questions:
Most people believe it is important to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly; however, most people do not personally eat healthy food and exercise regularly. They believe that a certain set of facts is true, but they have not committed themselves to the implications of the facts. They have belief but not faith, in the modern sense.
Likewise, many people today believe a certain set of facts about God, and in some cases their facts may be completely orthodox (meaning true). However, if they have never committed themselves to God, if they have not trusted Him, then they do not have faith or biblical belief in Him. Biblical faith (biblical belief) is never simply giving assent (meaning to agree with or approve of) a certain set of facts. Biblical faith is trust and commitment that result in a change of behavior. James 2:19 puts it this way: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” The demons believe that God exists, and they may even know more about God than people do, but they do not have faith in Him. Unfortunately, many people have the same kind of belief that the demons have, but that it is not sufficient for their salvation.
In contrast to the Synoptics and Paul, John's Gospel never uses the noun ("faith, belief") πίστις (pistis), but only the verb ("to believe; to trust"). πιστεύω (pisteuō),
Believing is an action that one does, not an object or thing that one possesses; thus, the translation "believing" is better than "having faith."
Since believing involves relationship, an even better translation in English would be "trusting" or "entrusting oneself to [God or Jesus]."
But let’s look at what Jesus told Nicodemus a few verses up.
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
another way of saying this is: I am telling you that will never see the kingdom of God without being born again! Jesus is speaking from a position of authority to a very powerful earthly religious leader.
Any time we see “Truly, truly” we know to pay attention, this is important.
The word “Truly” or some translations use “Verily” and in this verse he uses them twice for emphasis. These expressions all use the Greek word amēn, taken directly from the Hebrew word āˈmēn. The same word we use at the end of a prayer or statement as a way of accepting, agreeing or endorsing that statement and it means “so be it”. But when used at the beginning of a statement as Jesus did quite often such as in Matthew 18:3, Mark 3:28, Luke 23:43, John 8:51, and this verse it takes on a very different meaning or a slightly different implication.
Leading off with amen not only implies that what follows is true but also that the person making the statement has firsthand knowledge and authority about it. Saying, “Verily, verily,” before making a statement is a strong claim to truth, presented from an almost audacious attitude.
So, when Jesus leads off with the words verily, verily or truly, truly as in the verses just mentioned and John 3:16, He is not merely saying, “Believe me, this is true.” He is actually saying, “I know this is true firsthand.”
And since many of these comments are on heavenly, spiritual, or godly issues, Jesus’ use of verily, verily or truly truly is part of His consistent claim of divinity. Jesus is not merely aware of these truths: He is the One who originated them!
Let’s think about this His statement: “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Born again, what does this mean? By the way did you notice Jesus answers a question that was not even asked by Nicodemus?
John MacArthur writes Jesus read Nicodemus’s heart and came right to the core of the problem. Basically Jesus “cut to the chase.” and answered the question Nicodemus really wanted to ask.
Most commentators take “Born again” to mean to be born from above or better yet one version the Syriac version reads “from the beginning” unless one is from the beginning he cannot see the kingdom of God” it has the meaning of made “afresh” made “anew.”
It is the idea that we need spiritual transformation or regeneration produced by the Holy Spirit. To be born again is to become a child if God.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
The word “see” used here is not necessarily seeing as in eyesight. The Greek word is: horaō (hor-ah-o) has several meanings. see as in staring, pay attention to, understand as a result of perception, visit as in to go and see, experience an event or state as in first entry, learn about as in acquiring information.
In this sense I am torn between understand as a result of perception and experience an event or state as in first entry
For in one sense without being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit we cannot understand the word of God.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
But on the other hand if we are not born again we will not enter the kingdom of God as Jesus states in verse 5.
I am leaning toward the understand as a result of perception, because Jesus is speaking with a Pharisee, a learned man, who had lots of knowledge but no spiritual knowledge.
let’s look at verse 5
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Born of water, Jesus is not speaking of baptism here, for baptism does does not save. Ephesians 2:8-9 along with many other versus would contradict this Theology.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
But, water in this instance could mean any of the following or all of the following:
1. The act of repentance that John the Baptizer’s baptism signified.
2. Natural birth, the fluid that is released from the amniotic sac prior to birth resembles water. Meaning we have to be born to receive salvation.
3. The word of God, as in:
John 15:3NASB95
3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Ephesians 5:26NASB95
26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
4. Or as in being made “anew” being made “afresh”, the need of being “Regenerated.”
Titus 3:5NASB95
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
One Truth we know for sure: the new birth is from God through the Holy Spirit.
For without being made “anew”, being made “afresh”, being “born from above” being “regenerated” by the Holy Spirit we cannot enter the kingdom of God!
So what does all of this mean?
It means that God loves us, his created beings: Disciples and Non-Disciples
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God does not wish for anyone:
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That to see and enter the kingdom of God we must “Believe” in Christ Jesus our Lord. Belief is an action that leads to faith.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Faith leads to repentance.
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
And by our belief, faith and repentance we become children of God. By the “Agape” LOVE shown us, we show love to others by proclaiming the excellencies of God.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
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