Whosoever Will
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Welcome to March 16, otherwise known as 3/16 - and what better way to acknowledge 3:16 than to look at one of the most recognized 3:16 - John 3:16 if you are able, please rise as we read this familiar verse.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
To me, this is one of the most impactful verses in scripture. It lays out the attribute of God and why He would send His Son to die on a cross. But, of course the first thing we must have an understanding of is why His Son had to come to earth to begin with, and it is all because of sin.
So one of the most important things that I think we need to define this morning is “what is sin”?
According to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.
The American Dictionary of the English Language defines sin as the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not actions only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts, purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God’s commands or law.
The Master Study Bible: Cornerstone Encyclopedia of Bible Knowledge states sin is actions by which humans rebel against God, miss His purpose for their lives, and surrender to the power of evil rather than to God, and become estranged from God. Sin is an attitude of rebellion against God. Rebellion was at the root of the problem for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3) and has been at the root of humanity’s plight ever since.
R.C. Sproul in The Essential Truths of the Christian Faith uses this analogy “Sin can be pictured as an archer releasing an arrow from his bow and missing the target. It is not, of course, that failure to hit the bull’s-eye in target shooting is a grave moral matter. Rather, the simplest biblical definition of sin is “to miss the mark.” In biblical terms, the mark that is missed is not a target filled with straw; it is the mark or “norm” of God’s law. God’s law expresses His own righteousness and is the ultimate standard for our behavior. When we miss achieving this standard, we sin.”
Clarence Larkin further points out in Rightly Dividing the Word, that “We must distinguish between “SIN” and “SINS.” “SIN” is that tendency or disposition to sin that we inherit from Adam. “SINS” are the “specific acts” of sin that we commit as the result of our tendency to sin. The first like diabetes is internal, the second like boils and carbuncles are external. Jesus came to make an Atonement for “SIN,” not for “SINS.” He came to remove the “Natural Depravity,” or tendency to sin, of the human heart. That is to impart a “New Nature” in which there will be no tendency to sin, and therefore no desire to commit specific acts of sin. By “Natural Depravity” is not meant that there is nothing good in human nature at all, that men are never kind, affectionate generous, lovable, but that the tendency of the human heart is naturally toward evil. It is because people do not understand the nature of sin that they are offended when we speak of them as sinners. They think that a sinner is one guilty of some specific crime, as murder, theft or adultery, whereas a sinner is one who has a sinful disposition.”
Now, is it sin, itself, or the consequence of our sin that is most important? I guess it depends on what side you are looking from. Kind of like the Florida and Alabama basketball game yesterday, if you were an Alabama fan, the game wasn’t much. If you were a Florida fan, it was a great game! From the human eye, sin does not always look like a bad thing, but in the eyes of God it is complete disobedience and is always bad.
God had angels, he had created beings, all of which have at least a level of free will and there was a rebellion even in heaven. We can find this account in Revelation 12:7-9
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,
8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
I truly think we need to look closely at the fall of Satan, and the fall of mankind. Satan wanted to be God, and he didn’t want us to be. Remember, we are created in the image and likeness OF God, and he couldn’t stand that God had created us that way. He used our free will - the ability of us to make choices of our own - as a way to tempt us into sinning. Satan still uses the temptation of sin to keep us from being like God created us, and the original sin separated us from God and all the goodness He had planned for us in the same way sin still separates us from God’s goodness today.
Why am I taking so much time defining what sin is? Because we all are guilty of sin. Romans 3:23 tells us we ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Because sin is inherited and a natural part of our being, it is a struggle we all will deal with. But the one part that is hard for us to fully and wholly understand and accept is there is nothing we can do about it.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
God provided a way for sin to be forgiven through the gift of His Son, Jesus. As we once again look at John 3:16, if gives us the reason, the requirement, and the promise from God.
The Reason
The Reason
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
Subject - God
Verb - loved and gave
Notice that there are no mentions here of humans having any interaction or bearing on the reason God sent Jesus.
God knew that, when original sin entered the world, there would be the need for a plan of redemption, of restoration of the relationship between God and His creation. One might wonder why God would forgive someone who makes the conscious decision to disobey.
The reason given is simply God’s love for us. He loved us - each and every one of us past, present, and future - so much that He was willing to give His only begotten son. Jesus was God’s only Son, an even bigger sacrifice when we think of the close connection we have to our children as parents, but the meaning is even deeper. The Greek word used for only begotten is monogenēs - meaning Jesus was unique or incomparable to anything we can comprehend. No one else could be the Savior of the world except the unique, incomparable Son of God, the one sent as the supreme proof of God’s love of His creation. He is the risen Lord, the preexistent Lord, who is with God, is loved by him, and shares his glory from all eternity and for all eternity.
It should humble us to think that we serve a God that, in eternity past decided to set his love on me. But why did he decide to set his love on me? Not for anything good in me, but simply because he decided to love me. There is no more ultimate reason than that. We have no claim on God’s grace whatsoever, but our salvation is totally due to grace alone, but there is a requirement.
The Requirement
The Requirement
16that whosoever believeth in him
Maybe one of the most important questions that can be asked is “What is the definition of ‘whosoever’”? pás - each, all, everybody - any person who will. There is a thought of, when speaking of “whosoever” that it is the elect, or those predestined. This can be seen in Ephesians 1:4
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
and Romans 8:29
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
and can be wrongly interpreted as only “the elect”, or a chosen group will be saved and enter into heaven. The problem with that is election does not mean that God has chosen some to be saved and others to be lost. The Scriptures clearly teach that all men are lost. “For there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:22–23. Election simply means that God for some purpose best known to Him, and for which He can justify Himself, has chosen certain ones to be saved, but as we shall see He has not limited the number that shall be saved to those, for the door is left open for the “Whosoevers.”
The “Whosoevers” must do something though - the must believe in Jesus as their personal Savior. It is that belief in the Son of God that leads to a promise.
The Promise
The Promise
16 should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Scripture tells us that we were hopeless and helpless as sinners. Without the intervention of God through Jesus, we would still be lost and destined for hell. But… one of the greatest words used in the Bible… But
8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ had to die for us - as a substitute for us and our sin, because sin leads to death.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Oh, but the last part of that verse is our hope - we have a free gift given that changes our destiny.
However simply understanding and acknowledging that all have sinned, that the penalty of our sin is death, and that Jesus died, rose from the dead, and paid our penalties for our sins is not enough. Having head knowledge isn’t everything, we must have heart knowledge too. We must respond to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of our sins, and respond by repenting of our sins and respond by trusting in Jesus as our Savior personally. It is the personal response to the invitation given by Jesus that secures salvation for the believer. It is when we put our faith and trust in Him that we are then received into the family of God and our eternity is secure - we will live eternally with our Father in heaven.
Closing
Closing
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
While we all carry the burden of the original sin in our life, we have a way (provided by Jesus) to be made righteous - seen as blameless, sinless, and restored in the eyes of God. By hearing the gospel call, being regenerated by the Holy Spirit, responding in faith and repentance, God forgives us and gives us membership in his family, as well as granting us growth in the Christian life and keeping us faithful to himself throughout life. At the end of our life, we die and go into his presence; then when Christ returns, we receive resurrection bodies, and the process of acquiring salvation is complete.
It is then that we can read John 14:2-3 with a new confidence and with assurance.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Do you have that confidence today, that Jesus is coming back and that we have a place prepared for us in heaven?
If not
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Are you willing to come today, repent of your sins, turn from your sinful ways, so that YOU sins may be blotted out and you, too, can be one of the whosoever that will?
