A Study of John's Gospel: Pt. 14 The Unconditional Love of God for us!
Good Morning...
John 3:16-17 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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Now we come to the most well known verse of the New Testament. I can see why people gravitate toward this particular verse because it highlights the love of God for mankind. However, as we examine this verse in its context we see that His great love is also connected to condemnation of all unbelievers. It is helpful to recall that John wrote his gospel so that all who read it would believe on Jesus Christ.
God loved the whole world!
John 3:16 begins with a profound statement as Jesus continues to elaborate to Nicodemus what it means to be born again. Remember, Nicodemus was Jewish and most of the Jews thought that God intended to save only the Jews and those Gentiles who converted to Judaism.
For Christ to declare that "God so loved the world" was an astounding truth for Nicodemus to hear. The Greek word translated "world" refers to the circle of the earth, the universe and the entire human family. God loves the whole world.
Jesus showed Nicodemus that God is so vast that He planned to shower His unconditional love upon all of humanity, not just the Jewish nation. God is doing this in order to provide a way to save all sinners and make a way to restore all mankind to Himself. However, each individual must personally believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
God's heart is clear: He wants all men to be born again!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Peter was addressing the issue of why God had not yet sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth to establish His kingdom. The apostle states clearly that the reason God is waiting is to give time for people to repent. The heart of God is on display as He patiently waits for people to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Paul also spoke about this issue. He makes it plain that what is good and acceptable to God is for all men to be saved. This is good news for all people! God is satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son and He will accept all who repent and believe on Jesus.
The great love of God saves us and changes us.
What is this form of love that God has for us? The Greek word is "agape" and it refers to an unconditional love. That is, the love of God does not change with the passing of time or evolving circumstances. It does not depend upon what I do; rather this love depends upon who God is. God is love. This love of God goes infinitely beyond the mere emotion of love because it always seeks what is best for us.
1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
The apostle John wrote the text above after he wrote His gospel. Notice what he emphasized. God is love. If any person is truly born again, that person will love others because he or she knows God. When you are born again your life is changed at the soul level and you know something is radically different in your heart.
You find that you can now love God and love others. This is the kind of love that Christ is teaching to Nicodemus. This love is who God is and He took the initiative to direct His love toward sinful mankind.
If we say we love God but in our heart we really don't love Him and don't love our neighbors then we have a problem. We are merely fooling ourselves into thinking we are born again when in reality, we are not. Born again believers have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts and it comes out in our interactions with those around us.
God's love conquers our sin.
COVID gets all the headlines today as an infectious disease but sin is the most deadly disease in all of human history. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and the soul that sins will die (Ezekiel 18:4; 20). We are born with the disease of sin already in us.
The love of God moved the Godhead to plan for saving sinners like you and me before the universe was created (1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). Jesus Christ would die on a cross as God's perfect Lamb in our place to pay for our sins.
His resurrection from the dead provides our justification before God when we exercise repentant faith and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (Romans 5:1-21).
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38) This is the first and great commandment. 39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus gave the perfect summary of the law. Loving God first and then loving others encompasses all that the law of God demands. Sinners cannot naturally love God and others in this way but when the love of God flows into our hearts through the new birth, we are enabled to love Him and love others.
God's love motivated Him to act on our behalf.
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.
Jesus expanded on this wonderful love of God by showing Nicodemus (and us) how it served as the motivation for providing salvation to fallen mankind. God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross in our place.
What does it mean when we read that God "gave" His Son? The word translated "gave" is a word that means to give something to someone as their own. Christ is given to each born again believer when we are united to Him and each other through the indwelling Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12). Christ is given to us as the savior of the world and the only means of salvation for all mankind (Acts 4:12).
The word "gave" means that each born again believer is the special object of God's saving care manifested in Christ. The word "gave" means the gift of His Son is freely given to the world with no strings attached. God does not expect us to offer anything in return for the gift of salvation. We can give Him our heart as we turn to Christ in repentant faith.
The word "gave" means that God provided all that we need in order to enter an eternal relationship with the Father through the Son.
Belief and faith in Jesus Christ is essential.
Here is one of he most powerful and beautiful words in the Bible: "whosoever believeth" on the Lord Jesus Christ receives the gift of eternal life. Whosoever is a broad and inclusive word of gracious invitation. God in heaven is inviting you to come and see His Son Jesus Christ, and to turn from sin to believe on His name for salvation.
All who will not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are going to perish in their sins. They will stand before God for judgment and be sent to Hell. This is why we share gospel truth with others.
Whosoever means that God can save anyone and that He will save all who believe. In order to believe, Christians must do as Philip did with Nathanael and invite them to "come and see" Jesus Christ the Lamb of God.
Thoughts to Ponder...
We learned that God is love and that His infinite love served as the motivation to rescue fallen humanity from sin and death.
We learned that God's love is unconditional and He is always seeking what is best for each one of us. We read that the will of God is that all mankind come to repentance and find salvation in Christ.
We learned of the universal call of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Whosoever" shall call upon the LORD shall be saved.
God's love changes who we are and enables us to love Him and love our neighbors in ways that we never could prior to being born again.
Are you born again? Do you love God and love others? Are you sharing the good news that God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus Christ, as the perfect Lamb of God, in order that He might grant eternal life to all who believe?
I apologize that we only covered John 3:16 in this post but it is necessary to fully see these truths so that God might continue working in us and through us.
Bob
John 3:16-17 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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Now we come to the most well known verse of the New Testament. I can see why people gravitate toward this particular verse because it highlights the love of God for mankind. However, as we examine this verse in its context we see that His great love is also connected to condemnation of all unbelievers. It is helpful to recall that John wrote his gospel so that all who read it would believe on Jesus Christ.
God loved the whole world!
John 3:16 begins with a profound statement as Jesus continues to elaborate to Nicodemus what it means to be born again. Remember, Nicodemus was Jewish and most of the Jews thought that God intended to save only the Jews and those Gentiles who converted to Judaism.
For Christ to declare that "God so loved the world" was an astounding truth for Nicodemus to hear. The Greek word translated "world" refers to the circle of the earth, the universe and the entire human family. God loves the whole world.
Jesus showed Nicodemus that God is so vast that He planned to shower His unconditional love upon all of humanity, not just the Jewish nation. God is doing this in order to provide a way to save all sinners and make a way to restore all mankind to Himself. However, each individual must personally believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
God's heart is clear: He wants all men to be born again!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Peter was addressing the issue of why God had not yet sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth to establish His kingdom. The apostle states clearly that the reason God is waiting is to give time for people to repent. The heart of God is on display as He patiently waits for people to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Paul also spoke about this issue. He makes it plain that what is good and acceptable to God is for all men to be saved. This is good news for all people! God is satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son and He will accept all who repent and believe on Jesus.
The great love of God saves us and changes us.
What is this form of love that God has for us? The Greek word is "agape" and it refers to an unconditional love. That is, the love of God does not change with the passing of time or evolving circumstances. It does not depend upon what I do; rather this love depends upon who God is. God is love. This love of God goes infinitely beyond the mere emotion of love because it always seeks what is best for us.
1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
The apostle John wrote the text above after he wrote His gospel. Notice what he emphasized. God is love. If any person is truly born again, that person will love others because he or she knows God. When you are born again your life is changed at the soul level and you know something is radically different in your heart.
You find that you can now love God and love others. This is the kind of love that Christ is teaching to Nicodemus. This love is who God is and He took the initiative to direct His love toward sinful mankind.
If we say we love God but in our heart we really don't love Him and don't love our neighbors then we have a problem. We are merely fooling ourselves into thinking we are born again when in reality, we are not. Born again believers have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts and it comes out in our interactions with those around us.
God's love conquers our sin.
COVID gets all the headlines today as an infectious disease but sin is the most deadly disease in all of human history. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and the soul that sins will die (Ezekiel 18:4; 20). We are born with the disease of sin already in us.
The love of God moved the Godhead to plan for saving sinners like you and me before the universe was created (1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). Jesus Christ would die on a cross as God's perfect Lamb in our place to pay for our sins.
His resurrection from the dead provides our justification before God when we exercise repentant faith and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (Romans 5:1-21).
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38) This is the first and great commandment. 39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus gave the perfect summary of the law. Loving God first and then loving others encompasses all that the law of God demands. Sinners cannot naturally love God and others in this way but when the love of God flows into our hearts through the new birth, we are enabled to love Him and love others.
God's love motivated Him to act on our behalf.
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.
Jesus expanded on this wonderful love of God by showing Nicodemus (and us) how it served as the motivation for providing salvation to fallen mankind. God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross in our place.
What does it mean when we read that God "gave" His Son? The word translated "gave" is a word that means to give something to someone as their own. Christ is given to each born again believer when we are united to Him and each other through the indwelling Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12). Christ is given to us as the savior of the world and the only means of salvation for all mankind (Acts 4:12).
The word "gave" means that each born again believer is the special object of God's saving care manifested in Christ. The word "gave" means the gift of His Son is freely given to the world with no strings attached. God does not expect us to offer anything in return for the gift of salvation. We can give Him our heart as we turn to Christ in repentant faith.
The word "gave" means that God provided all that we need in order to enter an eternal relationship with the Father through the Son.
Belief and faith in Jesus Christ is essential.
Here is one of he most powerful and beautiful words in the Bible: "whosoever believeth" on the Lord Jesus Christ receives the gift of eternal life. Whosoever is a broad and inclusive word of gracious invitation. God in heaven is inviting you to come and see His Son Jesus Christ, and to turn from sin to believe on His name for salvation.
All who will not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are going to perish in their sins. They will stand before God for judgment and be sent to Hell. This is why we share gospel truth with others.
Whosoever means that God can save anyone and that He will save all who believe. In order to believe, Christians must do as Philip did with Nathanael and invite them to "come and see" Jesus Christ the Lamb of God.
Thoughts to Ponder...
We learned that God is love and that His infinite love served as the motivation to rescue fallen humanity from sin and death.
We learned that God's love is unconditional and He is always seeking what is best for each one of us. We read that the will of God is that all mankind come to repentance and find salvation in Christ.
We learned of the universal call of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Whosoever" shall call upon the LORD shall be saved.
God's love changes who we are and enables us to love Him and love our neighbors in ways that we never could prior to being born again.
Are you born again? Do you love God and love others? Are you sharing the good news that God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus Christ, as the perfect Lamb of God, in order that He might grant eternal life to all who believe?
I apologize that we only covered John 3:16 in this post but it is necessary to fully see these truths so that God might continue working in us and through us.
Bob
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