John 3:16

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.

• “For God so loved” – It’s not “sooooo loved.” John is not speaking of intensity, though God’s love is infinitely intense. God’s love is not an emotion or a feeling, though we often get emotional when we love or think of love. God’s love, rather, is an effective benevolence towards its objects. Those whom God loves, by definition of God’s love, receive an actual transforming benefit as a result.
• “For God so loved the world” – “the world” (kosmos) is used at least 14 different ways in John’s writings alone. What does it mean?
  • This second most memorized verse (behind Romans 8:28) is often misunderstood. John is not speaking here of “the world” as “every single individual ever to be conceived.” We read that God hated Esau.
    • John 12:18-34; 17:9; 3:32; Acts 2:17 (cf. 1:5, 2:39, 1:8); Romans 16:26. Is everyone here? Yes. No.
  • John is counteracting the common belief among Jews that “the kingdom of God,” as Nicodemus understood it, was only for Jews. This is a major theme in John’s Gospel (see chapter 4 & 10:16), and in the entire New Testament, for that matter.
  • Here John has in mind when he writes, “the world,” as this: “A humanity that is hostile to God.” All kinds of people in the world = people from every nation.
  • Revelation 5:9 says of Christ, “You were slain and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
  • 1 John 4:9-10; 2:2 – “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins… [and 2:2 from the ESV] He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Propitiation is wrath-removal. And Christ did not remove the wrath from unbelievers (John 3:36). 1 John 2:2 is speaking of Jewish believers and believers all over the world (Gentiles). JOHN 11:51-52 Parallel… We’ll discuss it more as we wrap up.
• “This is how God loved the fallen people of the world” or “Here is the extent of God’s love for the fallen people of the world” would be the most literal rendering of this part of the verse. You may have that as a footnote as well. It actually sets up a limitation in God’s love. There is discrimination in God’s love. There is particularity, but it doesn’t have anything to do with belief or unbelief. It comes from Him (Ephesians 1:5). ABRAHAM / ISRAEL (Wives vs. Sisters). God does not love everybody in a saving way. He doesn’t save unbelievers. And He has an amazing purpose in that (Romans 9-11). Remember, the love of God actually benefits the objects of His love (not merely potential).
• “He gave” – Even though I have said some things that might make you think I am saying God’s love is not all that we imagine, I am really saying that it’s more than we imagine. He loves His people (believers / the elect) enough to actually save them, rather than merely potentially save them. He loves us enough to give, and this giving carries the tone of a great sacrifice. Jesus was an actual ransom for many; we may say that He was a potential ransom for all, but potential has no meaning to our omniscient God.
• “He gave His one and only Son” – God gave His one and only Son, His unique Son, to actually save believers. He did not give the Son to save unbelievers. Matthew 1:21 says, His name will be called Jesus “because He will save His people from their sins.”
• “that” – Here is our next “hina” clause that connects God’s giving of His Son with the eternal life of every believer. God gave His Son to make certain that every believer has eternal life. He will not fail in this assignment.
• “whoever believes” – “Whoever” might imply an offer to anyone, but there is no “whoever” in the text. Literally, it should read, “Every believing one,” and combined with the “hina” clause, it makes perfect sense.
  • The Gospel is not so much an offer as it is a command. 1 John 3:23 says, “This is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.” Acts 17:30 says, “God commands all people everywhere to repent.” But we also read that God grants repentance and belief to some and not others: 2 Timothy 2:25; Acts 11:18; 13:48; Philippians 1:29.
  • Nothing in this verse mentions anything about man’s willingness or ability to believe. For that, we need to look elsewhere: Matthew 19:23-26; John 6:37-44,65; 8:43-47; 10:14-18,26-29; 12:37-40; Romans 5:8; 8:7; 9:16; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-5.
• “whoever believes in Him” – Now we get the object of our belief that was missing from v15. Believe in Jesus.
• “shall not perish” – This phrase has in mind eternal separation from God, which is the Biblical definition of death.
• “but have eternal life” – As I mentioned in v15, “eternal life” is about quality, not quantity or duration, but it does happen to last forever as well. The fact that it lasts forever is not the glorious part. The fullness and glory of life is what the excitement is about.
• Why do I believe the Gospel? It’s not about my choice; it’s about God’s grace applied or bestowed to me by His Holy Spirit.
  • Understanding “these things” is critical to worship and living Coram Deo – glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The message is the application.
• 1 John 3:1 (NKJV) says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” In Greek, the word translated “What manner” (“How great” in the NIV) means, “Out of this world” or from “another realm.” God’s love is other-worldly.