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.
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| To Part 2 |
Before
looking at some more heavenly things on the summit of Saint John 3:16, I wanted to mention a proven strategy for Satan, since I left off talking about him in Part 2. Surely you know that he flat out wants believers in Jesus Christ to stop putting any trust
into listening or reading of God’s Word (cf. Gn 3:4)? So, he will use anything at his disposal to prevent that from happening.
You do know that the Bible was assembled over
a period of 1500 years, by 40 authors on 3 continents, written in 3 languages
(Hebrew, Aramaic, Koine Greek), and translated into numerous languages. If you are one who hates to read, are you seriously planning on telling Yahweh at the Bema seat on why you did not love Him enough to read His Word that was provided for you so you can obey it, “Sorry, God, You know that I don’t
like to read?”
And yes, it is a love problem because how can you keep what you intentionally have no knowledge of? If you love Me, keep My commandments (Jn 14:15), right? Failure to love Jesus is a sin for that love for Him is reflected in the obedience of the heart toward His commandments. Jesus wasn’t saying these things for His health! What about other alternatives to reading, provided there are no medical exacerbations?
And yes, it is a love problem because how can you keep what you intentionally have no knowledge of? If you love Me, keep My commandments (Jn 14:15), right? Failure to love Jesus is a sin for that love for Him is reflected in the obedience of the heart toward His commandments. Jesus wasn’t saying these things for His health! What about other alternatives to reading, provided there are no medical exacerbations?
I struggle with learning the Scriptures, but the key to successfully understanding the Scriptures
is, in my opinion, persistence (barring spiritual regeneration and unholiness issues). I am
not the sharpest tool in the shed; so, I have to stay at it longer while others that I
know learn very quickly. I like this quote from Einstein, “It is not that
I am so smart; it’s just that I stay with the problem longer.” I may appear smart, but I have to stay with the problem longer! I have no choice in the matter.
Apparently, the enemy is doing a good job of getting people from hearing or reading less of the Bible for spiritual ignorance of the Scripture poses the greatest threat to Christianity today even though there is a proliferation of Bible literature than any other time in history. Keep on persisting to possibility!
Apparently, the enemy is doing a good job of getting people from hearing or reading less of the Bible for spiritual ignorance of the Scripture poses the greatest threat to Christianity today even though there is a proliferation of Bible literature than any other time in history. Keep on persisting to possibility!
This
may come as a surprise to some with all this lofty talk of love on the summit, but did you know that this verb loved (agapao) associated with God in v16 can be mirrored by the
world to a certain degree? We will see this a little later in v19, but it
is important to note that the noun form (agape) is never used or
associated with the lost (cf. Rom 5:5; 8:9), only its verb form (agapao),
hence v19, men
loved (agapao)
darkness
rather than light.
Incidental music intro: dun, dun, dun, dun!
Incidental music intro: dun, dun, dun, dun!
The
world can mirror action but not possession. When you express something you do
not have, it is an imitation or worse, hypocrisy, but it reveals an unnerving
intensity of an unbeliever’s love for the darkness! Agapao (loved) in v19 is the same
TVM as agapao (loved) in v16: (tense) aorist, (voice) active, (mood)
indicative. Since man is finite and has a beginning, it is readily apparent
that the tense of the verb in v19 cannot possibly share the same quality as the
aorist in v16 in their respective context. The parlance would be that of comparing apples to oranges.
When
we look at the one lifted up on the cross, who could ever doubt God’s love? A
good observation that comes from NICNT is this, “There
is not one scripture where God tries to prove His love for you except those
that relate to the cross” (cf. Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:10; Rom 5:8). God’s plan from
the foundation of the world was the giving of His Son to die for sinners, you
and me (Rom 3:10, 23; 5:12). His death on the cross demonstrated His love for
us (1 Jn 4:10). As the writer said, “It is the only proof that you and I will
ever need.” If you base God’s love solely upon favorable circumstances, the
ferocious beast of the darkness will have you for lunch. Let nobody be lunch for the beast today!
It
can be categorically stated that those who claim to love God and are willfully
sinning against God does not love God (also cf. Jn 14:21, 23, 24, 31;
15:10). I did not say that “They cannot be a Christian.” Oh, but along those same
lines, there is the identifiable fruit of our lifestyle that indicates what
manner of a tree we are! If we claim to be an apple tree, we need to show the
world the apples, yes? No good fruit is a very bad sign.
What
was the object of God’s love? According to the summit it is,
3. The world (of
men, people, mankind, the whole human race)
God
does not love evil but fallen man; love the sinner hate the
sin, right? I will confess that I am dumb enough to believe this to be true, whoever believes in Him. It can be argued that
God knows who will ultimately receive Him and who will ultimately reject Him.
That would be theologically correct.
However, you and I do not have the insight of being omniscient. So, to all peoples of the earth we go forth being a witness to all who cross our paths, not knowing who will ultimately accept or reject Yahweh’s offer of salvation around the globe. The Apostle Paul didn’t know who they were, and he wrote at least 13 of the 27 books included in the NT under inspiration, of course. If he is credited for Hebrews, 52% of the NT is included in the Pauline corpus (a total of 14). He was quite a missionary!
However, you and I do not have the insight of being omniscient. So, to all peoples of the earth we go forth being a witness to all who cross our paths, not knowing who will ultimately accept or reject Yahweh’s offer of salvation around the globe. The Apostle Paul didn’t know who they were, and he wrote at least 13 of the 27 books included in the NT under inspiration, of course. If he is credited for Hebrews, 52% of the NT is included in the Pauline corpus (a total of 14). He was quite a missionary!
4. That He
gave
Unto
death as an offering for sin His Son God the Father gave. Yahweh did not have
to do that. If God is considered to be so mean in the OT, “a God of wrath,” why
would the same angry God provide His Son as an offering for our sin? I like the way
it was expressed by the Spirit through John, For God so loved the world (Jn 3:16); how about
this one,
In
this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him (1 Jn 4:9, emphasis
mine, we are dead without Him, yes?).
Here
is another great passage,
But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us (Rom 5:8).
Would
that “mean old God” from the OT do such a thing? Because He isn’t “mean;” He is holy, but
yes, the God of yesterday, today, and forever did do that! He is immutable and
changes not; so it is the same God of both testaments. Don’t take me out of
context, please, but if God tells me that He loves me without ever demonstrating
His love, it would be meaningless.
The fact that He demonstrated His love to me in that Christ died for me on the cross means everything! He gave His all to get my all, your all. We cannot come down off this summit with the same mindset we had on the ground as an unbeliever it’s called renewed thinking, right thinking, thinking that pleases the Holy One, looking at the world through the Word, the way that Yahweh does. Hanging around Jesus has that effect.
The fact that He demonstrated His love to me in that Christ died for me on the cross means everything! He gave His all to get my all, your all. We cannot come down off this summit with the same mindset we had on the ground as an unbeliever it’s called renewed thinking, right thinking, thinking that pleases the Holy One, looking at the world through the Word, the way that Yahweh does. Hanging around Jesus has that effect.
5. His only
begotten Son
In
the Greek text, the object begotten (Gk., monogenes) Son precedes the verb, He gave, emphasizing the greatness of the gift. “that his Son, the only begotten, He gave.” The emphasis is on the
action of God the Father, the Gift of gifts!
Only
begotten (Gk.,
monogenes, “one and only,” NIV; also translated, only born-one)
This phrase is not without controversy,
surprise, surprise! It comes across that God’s Son had a beginning which is
theologically impossible when you are eternal and infinite. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
are three distinct Persons, yet they share precisely the same essence; for
example, all three are eternal without a beginning (You can have a mental
meltdown over that one; I have!).
One detestable cult group argues that Jesus is not God because He was begotten or finite, having a point of origin, and therefore maintain that Jesus is not eternal. Suffice to say that for God to be the eternal Father would require an eternal Son, yes? It is remarkable that teachers who are spiritually blind are telling us what the Bible says (cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 2 Cor 4:4)! They got to be working for Satan. It has always been so since the fall of the first Adam.
One detestable cult group argues that Jesus is not God because He was begotten or finite, having a point of origin, and therefore maintain that Jesus is not eternal. Suffice to say that for God to be the eternal Father would require an eternal Son, yes? It is remarkable that teachers who are spiritually blind are telling us what the Bible says (cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 2 Cor 4:4)! They got to be working for Satan. It has always been so since the fall of the first Adam.
Outside of John, monogenes is
associated with an only child, an only child that had a beginning, that is. It appears nine times
in NKJV and has reference to the only son of his mother (Lk7:12), an only daughter (Lk 8:42), my only child (Lk 9:38), his [Abraham’s] only begotten son
(Heb
11:17).
The
other five references are found in John’s writings (John and 1 John) and are referring
exclusively to Christ where having a beginning is not relevant: the only begotten of
the Father (Jn
1:14), the
only begotten Son (Jn 1:18), His only begotten Son (Jn 3:16), the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18), His only begotten Son (1 Jn 4:9). But Jesus
was born of Mary, right? That is dealing with the incarnation; God taking on
the form of a man.
I
agree with Vine that occurrences of monogenes in John’s writings are not
a reference to His incarnation but a statement of His eternal being. This would
include His uniqueness as the only One, unlike any other son of God; Jesus is
unique in that regard, His perfection or attribute of eternality, having no
beginning nor end. God’s love for the sons of Adam is the reason for the
hypostatic union of Christ during the Incarnation, literally, God clothed in human
flesh, the God-Man: 100% Man (without sin), 100% God. We are still cooking
those noodles, yes!
That whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
6. That whoever believes
This
is the reason for the great commission (Mt 28:18-20). The offer of salvation is
worldwide and people are perishing. This is one of the reasons for Camel Lips
Ministry is to be a digital witness for Christ to the world, propagating the Word around the world. The offer of salvation is
available to all, but sadly, not all will avail themselves of it due to unbelief. We sow the seed anyway.
7.
In Him
With
God, there is zero-tolerance on the object of believing to avoid perishing.
Look at Jesus’s own claim found in Jn 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
unto the Father except through Me. In Him is
quintessential to the meaning of biblical salvation.
8.
Should not
perish
Isn’t
this word the antonym of everlasting life here, yes? We were all created to be
eternal. Did you know that? People think that when they die that’s it, but we were
created to live forever! Where that forever is located is based on a choice as seen from the summit. Whoever believes in Him
has
eternal life. Whoever does not believe in Him will perish forever, known as the second death,
being eternally separated from God.
This
is why this word perish cuts across the senses like a dull blade. It is part of that
dark matter we alluded to early on. Here we are on one of the greatest summits
of spiritual truth in all of the Bible, the love of God, and we are still dealing with the pulse of dark matter, just keeping it real.
9. but have everlasting life
What
a contrast to perishing! This is one reason why Satan tries so hard to get people
doubting the Word of God. He wants nothing more than all the sons of Adam who
are Christians to be ineffective for God. He also very effective job in
helping unbelievers remain unbelievers through their willful unbelief (2 Cor
4:4). Everlasting life or everlasting death is the greatest and most profound
choice the sons of Adam will ever make for each one has eternal ramifications with a different set of outcomes. You
would think it would be a no-brainer, but it reveals the lethality of spiritual
blindness.
If
the solution to the penalty of man’s sin was the death of God’s Son, it stands
to reason that the cost to reject God’s offer of salvation is also set at a
terrible price, eternal separation from God along with eternal suffering. God
the Father gave His only begotten Son in order that we might avoid perishing. On this Summit, a metaphor for Jesus Christ, everlasting life is found.
While we are here at the Summit, I wanted to touch upon the simplicity of salvation. I have never heard
people say to me, “Michael, this is too good to be true!” Rather, it is more
like, “Michael, this promise of salvation is too simplistic.” I might say
something like, “It is more profound than you realize, but you are right; it is
far simpler than some kind of complex system of working your way to heaven, which according to the Scriptures doesn’t actually ‘work’ for anyone. Sadly, this
spiritual reality is often discovered after it is already too late. Works
simply don’t work according to Eph 2:8-9!”
I
can’t explain to you how that believing in Jesus Christ can cleanse you of your
sin and becoming a child of God. God didn’t waste His time telling the children
of Israel in the wilderness how looking up at a snake lifted up on a pole after
being bitten will neutralize the poison, and Jesus is not wasting his time
explaining how born again works with Nicodemus or anyone of us.
Here
is how it works; if you are not born again, you will not see the kingdom of
God; that is exactly how it works (Jn 3:3)!
Jesus
was nailed to the cross, bearing the judgment of God the Father for our sins, dying in our
place, dying for our sin though He was without sin (Isa 53:6; Jn 3:14-15; 2 Cor
5:21). As Israel looked up at the serpent on the pole in the wilderness and did
not physically die from the serpent’s bite caused through disobedience, we will
not spiritually die from our self-inflicted wound of sin if we look to the
cross in faith and place our trust in Jesus alone, God’s only remedy for the deadly toxin of sin – the Son of Man must be lifted up to provide a way of relief from sin.
For those who refuse to look up to Jesus in faith and receive Him as Savior will not see glory but die from the deadly poison of sin (v14) and be separated from God for all eternity (a constant state of perishing); what a terrible prospect of unbelief! What a wonderful outcome of faith, whoever believes in Him, everlasting life! <><
For those who refuse to look up to Jesus in faith and receive Him as Savior will not see glory but die from the deadly poison of sin (v14) and be separated from God for all eternity (a constant state of perishing); what a terrible prospect of unbelief! What a wonderful outcome of faith, whoever believes in Him, everlasting life! <><
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.
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| End of Series on John 3:16 |
