Merry Christmas! Those who were healed by the serpent did not die physically. The man had attended faithfully and listened attentively to my sermons for some time, and so I was shocked when he unhesitatingly said to me, “Bob, I think that I am about 80% saved.” Now I must admit that I had never before known of anyone who was 80% saved, and certainly no one had ever told me before that they thought of themselves in that way. The answer is pretty clear in John 3:16. The word “whosever” appears twice in this passage. January 19, 2014 by William Higgins. But, to the contrary, those people who are in the state of unbelief – “he that believes not” – are “condemned already.” The fact that they are living mortal lives is merely a temporary reprieve from the condemnation that awaits them. It is an exclusive group made up only of those who actually do believe in the finished atoning work that Christ fully accomplished on His cross. That’s utterly shocking to our sensibilities. But, he contrasted them with “the world.” That’s a critical distinction. 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave [] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Jesus drew a parallel between Himself and that brass serpent. He was a highly respected man, a leader in the community. Insidious Arminianism in Local Churches: -Some everyday examples of this heresy, The 'Decade of Evangelism'or Decayed Evangelism? On Salvation John 3:16 (believe, scripture, praying, sinners) User Name: Remember Me: Password ... Man is better off had he not been born. Only the particular group – “all the believing” – are gifted with eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Now as we read this one verse, we read that “WHOSOEVER” shall believe in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be granted everlasting life. In truth, kosmos can have one of a number of meanings, all found in the Greek of the New Testament. So Israel recognized their sin and adjured Moses to intercede for them. John 3:16 is a widely quoted Bible verse that summarizes the cornerstone Christian belief that their God sacrificed his son for the salvation of humanity. And, the world knew Him not – the people did not recognize Him. Yes, John 3:16 does matter with eternal salvation. Therefore, I believe that each person in this room has some hope of heaven, something that we believe in! Evil would burn in the heart's of man otherwise. In both instances, it is used in regard to faith – “whosoever believes.” The implication of this English phrase is that anyone who wishes to may exert his will and freedom of choice in order to believe something about Christ. Of the doctrines that are important for us to master, salvation is one of the most important. It is a text meant for the encouragement of the saved, not for the evangelisation of unbelievers. “Houto” (the root of “houtoos”) means “in this manner” or “after this fashion.” That’s the same way we use the word “so” when we instruct a child to do something “just so.” We mean, do it “like this,” or “after this manner.”, In the modern readings of John 3:16, folk get the impression that John was exclaiming, “God loves the world ssssooooo much!” But, that was not John’s meaning. His hatred and love are both of purity and holiness and cannot ever be wrong. So critical, in fact, that Jesus went on to pray only for His own beloved people, but not for the world. The word for ‘world’ is kosmos it can certainly mean just that – the whole world (people). Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, who, we read, amazed Jesus by his ignorance of holy matters. Let’s start by addressing the heart of the argument and then we’ll get into the details. Everyone in this room is trusting in something or someone this morning! Now, the words “should not perish, but …” were added by the translators and are not in the original text. 'What Are You?' The New American Standard Version more definitely reads: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15). Ships from and sold by Moments With The Book. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. ——————————————————————————————– 2:8-9! They conclude that obedience, especially baptism, is not necessary to salvation. We must always apply meanings that are sustainable only by the text itself. John 3:16 is a good verse unless you are trying to preach the cross of Christ, the power of God unto salvation. All the unbelieving do not. Jim – Good question! It is talks about a true story of a deaf farmer was led to Christ by his pastor. Are they really saved – or are they playing Christians for fools? Ships from and sold by Moments With The Book. What this is, then, is a promise from God of the eternal security of the believer, rather than an open invitation to “whosoever will.” And, the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for His own people was demonstrated in His willingness and decree to sacrifice His own Son on their behalf. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born on earth and die on a cross. King James Version John 3:16 - "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. But, a large crowd in Jerusalem did. Overall, it’s a rather stinging indictment. And, there is no Greek equivalent for the English word “whosoever.”. Six lessons based on John 3:16 New International Version John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. January 19, 2014 by William Higgins. The Alpha Course - “Another Charismatic Deception". Because this is so important, let us briefly examine this text and see what it says: “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.”, If we were to put this into ordinary modern-day English, it could read: “For God so loved His own that He gave us His only Son, that those He called and who believed should be saved.” Of course, Arminians and those seduced by their message will say this is just my opinion. But, there’s a problem. It could be said that even if this is so, why pick out this meaning – surely we can also pick out ‘whole world’ as a meaning? So, John 3:16 cannot ever be used to maintain the position of universal salvation – or even universal preaching. Our conversation was on the topic of salvation, and although he had no idea about the Bible or Jesus, or practically anything, he knew two things. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:17-18). The Jesus of Christianity Compared to the Jesus of Mormonism, “Prevent Strategy is the Creation of a Police State by the delegation of monitoring duties in the UK”, Predestination and Foreknowledge:- Different But Equal. If James 2:14-16 means self generated works must be combined with faith to attain or keep our salvation it would stand in direct conflict with several statements by Jesus, who clearly said eternal life comes from belief alone (John 3:16, John 6:28-29. But it was not thought that God loved the world, or that he loved men from every nation and language. The first thing that should be obvious is that the English rendering of this verse begins with the word “for.” That means that it is the conclusion of an argument. Despite its popularity, John 3:16 actually proves the absolute inverse of what the “free will” crowd contend. Everyone in this room is trusting in something or someone this morning! And, he made the world – the physical structure was created and is sustained by Him. Allow me to offer two last verses that will prove that Jesus created a distinction between those that were His and the “kosmos.”, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16-17). Jesus was re-teaching this priest in the ‘process’ of salvation. In John 3:16, "believe" is a present, active, participle, and it's talking about perishing, or losing one's life in the age to come. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Those who fail to trust Christ will perish eternally. Oct 1, 2018 - John 3:16 is often called "The Gospel Text," for here we have the whole gospel briefly stated. After all “God ssssoooo loved the world!”. But, not everyone who ever lived hated Him. 2) Behold the sacrificial lamb that will remove not only the sin of Israelites but of people from every kindred, tribe, tongue and nation. The basic idea was to use March 16th (3/16) to share the message of Jesus with others. Verses 16-21. That’s emotionally appealing, but it’s not what John wrote. Related words: Austin 3:16; books of the Bible; Jesus piece; The Ten Commandments John, The Source of the Salvation Doctrine. Spiritual salvation is not even in view in John 3:16, other than you have to be born from above before you can perish. John 3:16-21. Those who are healed by the Son have eternal life. It is men who have made the matter difficult. Here is the plan of salvation in its simplest form: Rom. John 3:16 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] John 3:16, NIV: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This article relied heavily on exegetical work done by Dr. James White, of Alpha and Omega ministries. On Salvation John 3:16 (believe, scripture, praying, sinners) User Name: Remember Me: Password ... Man is better off had he not been born. Conclusion: John 3.16. As this cannot be possible, for all of scripture is equally valid and God-breathed, the notion of universal salvation, or the possibility of it, must be discarded as unscriptural. Neither Jesus nor John ever taught that God loved and paid the sin penalty for everybody who ever lived. The Holy Ghost is the “proof positive” of salvation. “All the believing” have everlasting life. v.16 “So loved the world” This would have been a new thought for a typical Jew of that day. God is a righteous God and must punish sin. As we will see when we get to verse 18, this stands in stark contrast to “he that believeth not.”. This same God, Who is Creator, chooses those who will be saved (predestination) and who will not be saved. It’s the summary statement. Because, if it does, we’re in hot water! God’s purpose in sending Jesus is salvation. So, Jesus began to explain His authority. “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” (John 13:1). Moses prayed for the people and God instructed him to create a brass replica of the venomous snake and raise it on a pole above the people. Christian Personality - Is There Such a Thing? John 3:16 is a familiar verse about salvation which most Christians often quote without considering what it really teaches about salvation. apart from himself and his grace, has been of such a commanding, exhaustless, immeasurable kind, that it was equal to any emergency, and able to secure for the worst and most degraded, for the outcast, the serpent … Can Philippians 1:15-18 Justify the Alpha Course? The passage at hand, John 3.16, was spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus, a Jew. We are finishing up our “series within a series” on Jesus’ interactions with Nicodemus. Not for Everyone! It literally reads, “that son, his only begotten, he gave.”. Those who did not look at the serpent in the wilderness were not healed. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated! According to John Wesley, “When young Children or the unborn Die, do they Go to Heaven?”. John 3:16 gives us the glorious hope of eternal life in heaven through the love of God and death of Jesus Christ. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. That means that anyone who wants to can accept Jesus and be saved!”. God's Love, Christ's Death, and Salvation. But, it is in the interest of Arminians to maintain this to be the only meaning available. Those who failed to look on the brazen serpent died. I mean, couldn’t they at some later point exercise their wills, choose to believe and transfer their eternal state to one of redemption and everlasting life?”. by Murray J. Harris. It is preached on so often, it has almost become a ‘household word’. Why Not? This is the doctrine of "salvation by … Yet, in spite of this fame, most preachers get it wrong. So God sent venomous serpents into the camp and many of the people died. Again, verse 18 will make this abundantly clear. Likewise, those who do not rest in Christ’s finished atonement for their salvation will not inherit eternal life. Price: $3.00 + $4.00 shipping: This fits your . “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. No one has ever gone into Heaven to scope it out and bring back a report. It is not our role to preach only to the elect. The “For” with which v. 16 begins, connects John’s summary with what the Lord had just said. This is also clear, and it shows us how careful we ought to be when providing meanings for Biblical texts: the same word can mean different things even in the same context. ‘Whosoever’ can mean ‘which’, or ‘who’, ‘the things’, ‘the son’, ‘these’, ‘that’, ‘this’, and so on, so even this word can be variously interpreted. Wesley's John 3:16 Bible Commentary 3:16 Yea, and this was the very design of God's love in sending him into the world. Here is the whole passage: “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? Because, if it does, we’re in hot water! I forget deaf man's name. In Stock. They are the recipients of the grace of God that leads to salvation. Verse 15 literally reads, “That all the (pas ho) believing in Him have life eternal.” The phrase “should not perish” infers that the benefits of believing would be granted at some future date. The answer is implicit in John 3:16. Now, with that bit of exegesis in mind, let’s dig into John’s use of “pas ho pisteuo” in the larger context. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15). Apart from ‘whole world’, it can also mean harmony and order in government, things, etc., ornament or decoration (e.g. God did not send His Son into the world – among people of every kindred, tribe, tongue and nation – for the purpose of condemning them. Here, I’ll do it for you –, “If you were part of everybody who ever lived, then everybody who ever lived would love his own; but you are not part of everybody who ever lived, but I have chosen you out of everybody who ever lived, therefore everybody who ever lived hates you.”, Quite a jumble, eh? Then, Jesus reached back into Israel’s history and reminded Nicodemus of a particular event. “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.” John 3:16 – Salvation’s Cost “that He gave His only begotten Son” Our salvation, the free pardoning of our sin, and the promise of abundant and eternal life in Christ did not come without cost. Read full chapter - (3) Divine love and judgment. It was written in Greek. A sermon preached at the Baptist Tabernacle of … In the King’s English, “whosoever” did not have the connotation of randomness or free choice that it has come to represent in contemporary English. :- The way to answer unbelievers. Muslim Immigrants. TRUE CHRISTIANITY IS NOT SOMETHING YOU JOIN. Verse 16. They say, “Look right there! Behold, the world is gone after him.” (John 12:19), Likewise, the Pharisees did not mean to claim that people on distant continents were following Jesus at that moment. Spiritual salvation is not even in view in John 3:16, other than you have to be born from above before you can perish. by Murray J. Harris. But, Jesus stated that the present reality of faith was proof that “all the believing” had already inherited, and were in possession of, the promise of eternal life. Now, let me prove my case…. He employed the word “kosmos” 82 times in his gospel. Many churches use John 3:16 to witness people for salvation. The “For” with which v. 16 begins, connects John’s summary with what the Lord had just said. It is that simple. Does Matthew 22:1-14 Support Arminian Claims? If statement number 1 is true, then every sin of every person who ever lived was paid for at Calvary and God cannot judge anyone on the basis of their actions, thoughts, deeds, rebellion or even unbelief, inasmuch as those sins are all paid for. 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; John 3:16; Eph. The Bible records the conversation in John chapter 3. “Be Ye Not Unequally Yoked”:- Command or Just Opinion? For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that … Yes, John 3:16 does matter with eternal salvation. Six lessons based on John 3:16 New International Version John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. But, if it doesn’t, we really ought to be able to offer a sound, indisputable response. Q – Whenever I’m discussing salvation and “free will” with someone, they always seem to retreat to John 3:16. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19), Now attempt to read that verse and substitute “everybody who ever lived” for the word “world.” Suddenly, the verse makes no sense at all. He gave His Son. Now, this contrast between the believing and the unbelieving begs the inevitable question, “How can Jesus state so categorically that people who failed to believe on Him were already in a state of condemnation? We must preach to all, partly as a call in this world to those who will be saved in their lifetime, but also as a witness to God’s Almighty power before the whole world, and as a sign of His wrath against the wicked. But importantly, He did not mean that “everyone who ever lived” opposed Him. Salvation John 3:16 - 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. We have no right or warrant from God to interpret texts as we wish. Evil would burn in the heart's of man otherwise. Salvation, then, must be God’s enterprise, determining from the beginning the saved from the unsaved, the lost from the found, the elect from the world, and those with eternal life from those who are eternally condemned. That’s important. John was saying one of two things, here. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Only a fool wants to go to Hell. But, I know that this will not suffice for Arminians, so let us put the verse back in to its own context…. They had grown to loathe the daily manna and complained about the lack of other food, even longing for their days in Egypt. Folks who say that John 3:16 is all you need to be saved, however, are really saying that all you have to do to be saved is to just believe on Jesus. The good likelihood is that, due to familiarity, an early copyist inserted this phrase in verse 15. So, we need to look at this verse in its larger context. (For the members of our congregation, that was all introduction and technically does not count against my time. No, we cannot. We know this from many texts throughout scripture, both old and new testaments. It's associated with signs that fans often bring to sports games. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. In John 3:16, "believe" is a present, active, participle, and it's talking about perishing, or losing one's life in the age to come. 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