For God so Loved the World

Perhaps the Bible verse most often quoted in the controversy between Calvinists and Arminians is John 3:16, where the Lord Jesus Christ declared to Nicodemus: “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.”

Both Calvinists and Arminians agree that it was as a manifestation of God’s love that he sent his only begotten Son into the world in order to save many sinners (not to save all sinners; for neither Arminians nor Calvinists are universalists). And both agree that the object of God’s love is the world.

The disagreement is over whether God sent his only-begotten Son with the purpose of providing a hypothetical (potential) salvation for the entire human race, or with the purpose of saving only those who will believe in him (in all the world, not only in Israel).

• Arminianism: God loves each and every fallen human being in all the world—and because of his love for all people, God sends his only begotten Son to make salvation hypothetically possible for all people in general—but then, each person in particular needs to believe in God’s Son to make salvation actual, for themselves.
• Calvinism: God has set his love upon particular fallen human beings throughout all the world, not only among the people of Israel—and because of his love for these people, God sends his only begotten Son to save them—these being those people who will believe in his Son.

So, what is the Lord Jesus Christ teaching Nicodemus, that “master¹ of Israel” (John 3:10), and all who read these words? It is this: because of God’s love for those whom he will save—an enormously great number of Jews and Gentiles from all around the world—“he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life” (v.16).

This important rabbi of Israel came to Jesus by night, and he respectfully acknowledged that Jesus was also a great teacher, and more: “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (v.2). So, Nicodemus already had a high appreciation of this God-taught, God-sent rabbi from Nazareth. He had come to hear for himself, and to seriously consider Jesus’s message from his own lips.

As this passage (John 3:1-21) progresses, Jesus purposefully elevates and broadens Nicodemus’s perspective, so that he—and we, readers—can appreciate something of who Jesus is and what he came to do. (The Lord Jesus Christ is certainly more that Nicodemus thought he was, at that time.)

You Must Be Born Again

Jesus first declared the necessity of the new birth: that quickening of a spiritually dead person, without which he cannot “see” or “enter” the kingdom of God (vv.3,5; see also Ephesians 2:1). This regeneration comes by the work of the invisible Holy Spirit in the soul (vv.5-8; see also Titus 3:5).

We must also notice how in verse 3, Jesus begins to explain that he came into the world to save sinners from among the human race in general, not from among the people of Israel only. He did not imply, merely, “Except an Israelite be born again” when he declared, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Similarly, Jesus says, “…so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (v.8)—another phrase not necessarily restricted to Israel. And later, he says that he has been sent from God to provide salvation for those who turn to him in faith: “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (v.15).

Jesus then makes clear to Nicodemus, and to us who read these words in the Bible, that all along he had in mind the world in general and not only Israel—and he would have rabbi Nicodemus know it—because he eventually declares, “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (vv.16-17).

The words translated “that the world through him might be saved” do not mean that Christ provided only the possibility of salvation for the world, but that he actually does save the world—“might be saved” does not mean “may be saved.”

So, what we need to understand is, who are included in this “world” that God the Father sent his only begotten Son to save? Thinking personally, are we included? We know that we are—if we believe in him.

If you, reader, find that you do believe on God’s only begotten Son, then you shall not perish but have eternal life. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36). You can rest assured, that “He that hath the Son hath life” (1 John 5:12).

How Can These Things Be?

But, at first, master-teacher Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus was teaching him, for it was beyond his spiritually dead mind to accept it. He was ready to reject it as unbelievable and untrue. And in doing so, he would have disrespected the Messiah himself, as well as his doctrine. Yet he should have known these things, as someone who had had an in-depth education in the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. He asked Jesus, “How can these things be?” (v.9); and for his question he receives a gentle reproof: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” (v.10).

In order to make these truths more clear, therefore, Jesus reminded Nicodemus about an event in the history of Israel, and he uses it as an earthly analogy from which he will bring out John 3:16 as his inference: “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; also Numbers 21:5-9).

It is evident that God had not intended to heal all the people of Israel, who were dying from the bite of the “fiery serpents”. He commanded Moses to set up the brass model of a serpent on a pole, and he instructed Moses to proclaim to them all, “and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8). We see that God’s stated purpose was that he would heal those, and only those, who looked upon the brass serpent with repentance and hope toward God in their hearts.

Therefore, let us understand:

• Analogy: Moses lifted up the brass serpent on a pole in the presence of all Israel in the wilderness, so that “every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon” it, God would heal him of the fatal poison.
• Inference: In the same way, the “Son of man” must be lifted up,² so that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Jesus continues: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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).

This is still part of Jesus’s same inference from his analogy involving Moses and the brass serpent—this whole passage stands together as one unit, linked together by his repeated conjunctive: “For…” (see the first word in both verses 16 and 17). So:

• Analogy: It was God’s will to heal all who looked upon the brass serpent from the deadly snake bite. God intended to heal Israel (in general) by healing those (in particular) who looked up to the brass serpent. Those who would not look, died.
• Inference: In the same way, it is God’s will to save all who will believe in God’s only begotten Son from their sins and the hell that they deserve. God sent his Son in order to save the world (in general) by saving those (in particular) who believe in him. Those who do not believe in Christ remain under condemnation to hell for their sins.

Therefore, John 3:14-18 does not teach that God wills to save, or even that he attempts to save, any people beyond those whom he does save—namely, those who will believe.

The redemption, atonement, salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished at Calvary has been accomplished for only to those who will believe in Christ, even though there is a more general call to all “under the sound” of the preached gospel of Christ, inviting and commanding all hearers (and readers) to turn to him in faith and repentance.

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Appendix

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, at John 3:16.

Here is God’s love in giving his Son for the world (John 3:16), where we have three things:—

1. The great gospel mystery revealed: “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son.” The love of God the Father is the original of our regeneration by the Spirit and our reconciliation by the lifting up of the Son… God has “given him,” that is, he has made an offer of him, to all [the world in general], and has given him to all true believers [in particular], to all the intents and purposes of the new covenant… Though many of the world of mankind perish, yet God’s giving his only-begotten Son was an instance of his love to the whole world, because through him there is a general offer of life and salvation made to all. It is love to the revolted rebellious province to issue out a proclamation of pardon and indemnity to all that will come in, plead it upon their knees, and return to their allegiance. So far “God loved” the apostate lapsed “world” that he sent his Son with this fair proposal, that “whosoever believes in him,” one or other, “shall not perish.” “Salvation” has been “of the Jews” [John 4:22], but now Christ is known as salvation to the ends of the earth, a common salvation.
2. Here is the great gospel duty, and that is to “believe in Jesus Christ” (Whom God has thus given, given “for us,” given “to us”), to accept the gift, and answer the intention of the giver. We must yield an unfeigned assent and consent to the record God hath given in his word concerning his Son. God having given him to us to be our prophet, priest, and king, we must give up ourselves to be ruled, and taught, and saved by him.
3. Here is the great gospel benefit: “That whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish.” This he had said before [v.14], and here repeats it. It is the unspeakable happiness of all true believers, for which they are eternally indebted to Christ, (1.) That they are saved from the miseries of hell, delivered from “going down to the pit”; they “shall not perish.” God has taken away their sin, they shall not die; a pardon is purchased, and so the attainder is reversed. (2.) They are entitled to the joys of heaven: they shall “have everlasting life.”

John Calvin, Sermons on Deuteronomy. 28^th Sermon, on Deuteronomy 4:36-38.

Remember (said Moses) that your God has chosen you [v.37]. And why? Because he loved your fathers. And the same also is the cause why that in that high and excellent redemption which was made by our Lord Jesus Christ, the scripture sends us to the love of God: for that is the only wellspring. God so loved the world that he spared not his only son [John 3:16]. What is the cause then that Jesus Christ is come to be our Savior? What is the cause that the salvation which he purchased for us, is preached nowadays unto us? What is the very cause that faith is given us, and that God enlightens us by his Holy Spirit? We must always resort to this ground, that it is because God loved us. It is true that Saint John said generally, that he loved the world. And why? For Jesus Christ offers himself generally to all men without exception to be their redeemer. It is said afterward in the covenant, that God loved the world when he sent his only son: but he loved us, us (I say) which have been taught by his Gospel, because he gathers us to him. And the faithful that are enlightened by the Holy Ghost, have yet a third use of God’s love, in that he reveals himself more familiarly to them, and seals up his Fatherly adoption by his Holy Spirit, and engraves it in their hearts. Now then let us in all cases learn to know this love of God, and when we be once come to it, let us go no further. Thus we see three degrees of the love that God has showed us in our Lord Jesus Christ. The first is in respect of the redemption that was purchased in the person of him that gave himself to death for us, and became accursed to reconcile us to God his Father. That is the first degree of love, which extends to all men, inasmuch as Jesus Christ reaches out his arms to call and assure all men both great and small, and to win them to him. But there is a special love for those to whom the Gospel is preached: which is that God testifies unto them that he will make them partakers of that benefit that was purchased for them by the death and passion of his Son. And forasmuch as we be of that number, therefore are we double bound already to our God: here are two bonds which hold us as it were straight tied unto him. Now let us come to the third bond, which depends upon the third love that God shows us: which is, that he not only causes the Gospel to be preached unto us, but also makes us to feel the power thereof, so as we know him to be our Father and Savior, not doubting but that our sins are forgiven us for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, who brings us the gift of the Holy Ghost, to reform us after his own image. When as God does so imprint in our hearts the doctrine that is preached unto us by the mouths of men: let us understand that he shows us a third love. True it is, that to speak properly, God has not diverse affections: we must not imagine so: but I handle these matters according to our capacity, and we must consider of God’s love according to our slenderness, because we cannot attain to his high majesty as I said before, and therefore even he himself also utters himself to us according to our ability. And so we see now that God’s love is uttered and showed unto us evidently three ways in our Lord Jesus Christ: the chief whereof are when we have the Gospel preached, and that faith is added unto it therewithal.

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1. Here master means leader and teacher. This is the New Testament Greek word διδάσκαλος didaskalos (Strong’s Concordance, Greek Dictionary, number 1320), and it was used interchangably with the Hebrew and Aramaic word rabbi (ῥαββί, rhabbi, Greek 4461); compare John 11:8 where the disciples call Jesus “Master” (ῥαββί) with v.28 where Martha called Jesus “Master” (διδάσκαλος). ↩︎

2. Gospel preaching “lifts up” Christ so that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John Calvin restricts the meaning of verse 14 to gospel preaching, whereas others (e.g. Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole) infer that this analogy includes Christ being lifted up on the cross in his crucifixion. ↩︎