John
3:16, For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Finally,
we have reached one of the greatest summits of truth that is widely known and
beloved. In the annals of church history, men have shared with us what they
have seen from this mountain top experience. I don’t pretend that I will outdo
the sages of the past or present; it was never my intention to attempt such a
folly anyway. Men of far greater spiritual stature and knowledge than I have
stood upon this summit and talked of heavenly things as we are going to do over
the next three days, barring the rapture!
I
have always loved coming up here to get a break from valley concerns (Psa
23:4), “getting away,” if you will, is a place of choice where you leave worry
behind and make the Word dominate your thinking. Worry acts like jumper cables
to the imagination. Your mental engine is turning over, but the thinking is
stinking. We need the Word to renew our minds in order for us to produce the right thoughts going
down the road of life. Many think that you have to physically retreat to some lofty
perch to get above the fray, but if the mountains or the ocean are not available,
what do you do? Depress yourself to death?
I
have learned to “get away” down in the valleys or on some mountain top with the assistance of the Holy
Spirit, turning horizontal concerns into vertical attitudes with a
reorientation of moving away from worry and running to the Word, going beyond
the physical four walls closing in on you like a vice. A home with a mental pressure cooker environment can be hellacious. I can spend hours in my study going places
in Scripture and not get bored or drive myself crazy though I do not have a sedentary
lifestyle.
Anyway, the atmosphere is clean and clear up here on the Summit of St. John 3:16. It reminds me of smelling the air in Alaska for the very first time and beckons the time when we will take in the unique celestial air forever.
Anyway, the atmosphere is clean and clear up here on the Summit of St. John 3:16. It reminds me of smelling the air in Alaska for the very first time and beckons the time when we will take in the unique celestial air forever.
As
I write a portion of this article down in south Florida and finishing it in Tennessee, COVID-19 is on
everyone’s mind. This pandemic is bound to consume us if we do not shift our
worry to the Word that speaks of God’s sovereignty in the matters of life. He
is in control even when things seem to be unraveling before our very eyes. I will admit; it is unsettling,
but then I thought about the severity of the times of the prophet Jeremiah who experienced the destruction of his beloved city of Jerusalem in B.C. 586 by
the Babylonians; life was never the same. There was
a new normal that had come to town.
Speaking for myself, it appears that there is something sinister riding on the coattails of COVID that is alarming. The giveaway is churches being targeted by state governments while bars and abortion clinics are not.
Speaking for myself, it appears that there is something sinister riding on the coattails of COVID that is alarming. The giveaway is churches being targeted by state governments while bars and abortion clinics are not.
It
is becoming increasingly clear that we are at war with a competing worldview in
America; it is Satanic in origin. As the absence of birds is one of the first
warning signs alerting us that something is wrong with the natural environment,
the harassment by the powers that be of religious liberties is an indication
something is seriously wrong with our government on so many levels that I fear it may ultimately
lead to civil disobedience. This boat is not going to right itself on its own.
We either confront the enemy in the name of the LORD or sink. Personally, I would
rather go down doing right than doing the wrong of nothing, yes?
I
have never heard of anyone rejoicing over their world being turned upside down
have you? But I have read of people like Job who underwent severe trials and
fell down and worshiped Yahweh and offered blessings to Him rather than cursing
Him to His face (Job 1:20-21). He was a man who recognized Yahweh’s authority
in his life (Job 2:10). We should do the same as believers.
Adam
was spiritually dead the very moment he had partaken of the fruit of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil. He was now spiritually separated from
Yahweh, and Adam, though forgiven, would physically die 930 years later (Gn
5:5; cf. Gn 2:16-17). As my friend Dr. Michael Womack would say, “When you sin
in knowledge, you invite all of the consequences.”
Goodness!
There were cataclysmic ramifications that were universal in scope when Adam fell from
disobedience to the one and only prohibition in the Garden. All of creation is
still reeling (cf. Rom 8:22). By his actions, he literally changed the spiritual landscape of
humanity; sin and rebellion flooded the earth like the global flood in Noah’s
day to what we see today. The results are self-evident and self-perpetuating
(cf. Rom 5:12). If you don’t think that disobedience to God is a serious thing;
think again.
It was Yahweh who took
the initiative and provided a physical covering and a spiritual covering for
the sin of Adam and Eve with the first recorded deaths of living creatures (Gn
3:21): animal skins were used to clothe Adam and Eve and the blood of these animals was used to cover their
sin against God, intimating the Sacrifice that would come one day, the death of
the Son of Man, God’s only begotten Son (cf. Heb 9:22; 10:4, 11, 12).
We
are still at pre-passion contextually as we look around atop the summit of St.
John 3:16 today. That Sacrifice that was foreshadowed in the Garden of Eden (Gn
3:21) was finally drawing ever closer to reality now that the Son of Man’s
earthly ministry was underway. The Lamb of God would be the only sacrifice that
could satisfy God the Father for the penalty of man’s sin (cf. Jn 1:29; 1 Cor
15:3; 2 Cor 5:2; Ga 1:4; Heb 1:3; 1 Pet 3:18; 1 Jn 2:2; 3:5; 4:10; Rev
1:5).
I
want to point out the spiritual stratification of this summit using literal
truth in an allegorical manner. This summit was in existence in the mind of God
in eternity past before the foundation of the world (cf. Rev 13:8)! This whole
summit was part of the redemptive activity before creation itself; Gn 3:21was
not an afterthought of the Godhead, “We have to do something!?” The fall of man
did not catch Yahweh by surprise because He is all-knowing or omniscient; He
knew from eternity past the fall of man would take place.
Being
finite, we have this innate tendency to be short-sighted! Oh, how we love to opine
on the things we do not know as if we do know (Read Job 38-41; put yourself in
Job’s place as Yahweh addresses you; it is quite sobering). We are without a
doubt the apex of God’s creation, made in the image of God, but 21st-century
man is still finite, having the same heart or nature as the first man, Adam!
Moving
on with spiritual geology, Chuck Smith suggested that “Our planet was probably
formed for the special purpose of becoming the theatre of God’s redemptive love
to man.” And that leads to the layer of strata we are standing on at the
summit, God’s love, For God so loved (agapao).
Actually,
the whole formation of this summit is founded on agape (love). We see
this in the OT with the bronze serpent being lifted up (vs. 14-15) as a type in
the NT of the Son of Man being lifted up, that He gave His only begotten Son. We see and feel God’s
purpose for this summit everywhere we trek, That whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have eternal life (v15) or everlasting life (v16). We lose sight of that at times, yes?
Should
not perish is
not a hope-so hope or wishful thinking, laced with uncertainty. Hope (Gk., elpsis)
in Scripture carries the idea of an expectation, certainty, or a guarantee of
fulfillment. It is a word that conveys the same confidence as the promises of
God being fulfilled. It is a word of beauty, comfort, and reassurance that can
be depended upon regardless of the situation, for it is an investment that is
linked to the sovereign will of God.
But
it also alludes to death, part of that dark matter I touched upon earlier. We
can’t get away from that stuff. Perish is an abrasive, traumatic word, yes?
Thankfully, God’s plan included a way to address the inevitable; it is found in
the verbs must and lifted up
Many
translations and paraphrases omit the word perish in v15; you may be using one of those
translations or paraphrases. Though I am not a KJO (King James only), in this
case, I agree with KJV and NKJV. TR (Textus Receptus) and MT (Majority Text)
both share the idea of believing in Him to be healed: physically in the wilderness and
foreshadowing spiritually on the cross.
One
of the reasons I prefer perish to be included in (v15) is because it was for the very reason
for the bronze serpent being lifted up and the Son of Man being lifted up so
people looking to the bronze serpent (a type of the Son of Man) will not perish (physically die
prematurely).
Keep in mind, I mentioned in the last article, we cannot press the analogy too
far for then, it begins to break down; nonetheless, this analogy is given under
inspiration (2 Tim 3:16), so it is a God-approved analogy,
And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness [that whoever believes [in the serpent, a type
of in Him] should not perish [physical death], even so must the Son of
Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life [emphasis
mine].
Anyway,
the debate over manuscript evidence will drag on until the cows come home, but
I am convinced that Jesus didn’t stop talking to Nick after v15, and I think it
is justified to find the verb perish in v15. Since we have reached the top of the Summit of St.
John 3:16, let’s enjoy this vantage point! There are things to behold, good and
bad!
Now,
if I am right about Nick listening to Jesus speak this discourse that started
in v10 and will continue on to v21, and if I am correct about the disciples
being present as well, then that would mean that the first two lost people to
ever hear of the truth of John 3:16 was Nicodemus and Judas Iscariot. This
discourse changed Nick’s life eventually but did nothing for Judas Iscariot.
Had Judas Iscariot been with Moses out there in the wilderness, he probably would
have gotten bit by one of those fiery serpents and died from unbelief.
Nicodemus would be saved by the words of Jesus, but for J.I., the life-giving words of Jesus rolled off his heart like water on a duck’s back. What effect does the Word have on you? <><
Nicodemus would be saved by the words of Jesus, but for J.I., the life-giving words of Jesus rolled off his heart like water on a duck’s back. What effect does the Word have on you? <><
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| To Part 2 |
