John 3:16 redux. I thought it would be fitting to do a study of arguably the most popular verse in scripture and the most least understood. It have caused many to stray off the path to deception concerning the rescue mission of the Father.
Vere 16 – For God
‘so’ loved
‘the world’…that 'whosoever'......
In Greek: houtous gar egapesen ho Theos ton kosmon, hoste ton Huion ton monogene edoken, hina pas ho pisteuon eis auton me apoletai all eche zoen aionion.
English translation: Thus for loved God the world that the Son the only begotten He gave so that everyone believing in Him not should perish but should have life eternal.
As a modern easier read: Thus God loved (a sacrificial love)
the world by creating and bore his own son and then offering him up as the sacrifice for all sinful human life, and specifically for those who kept believing in faith that they were healed by his sacrifice, and that they should become sinless with eternal life. His love was for the those who believed in his son’s sacrifice of our fallen state of the first death and where there is no second death of condemnation and destruction.
The verse begins with the words ‘hootous/ houtous gar’ meaning in English, ‘so for’ or ‘thus’ and not just ‘for.’ These words signify that a previous argument or discussion just transpired, and that the current statement is its conclusion or a type of summary statement.
Next, the Greek word in this context ‘kosmos’ means those people over time, since when Christ spoke these words, those who are drawn from the world in each generation of people, and not to mean everyone or all humans since the creation of Adam.
The world in verse 16 means only all the remnants of the saved world of people in each generation of the Hebrews and Israelites, and in addition to those since Christ, all saved remnants in each generation and even today. God does not love the whole world as many think or want to believe. He has already condemned most to the 2nd death because of their unbelief based on his foreknowledge of all generations of mankind. God does not need mankind, mankind needs him. The act and process of salvation is in the hands of God’s will and not in the hands of human will. We come to Christ and his Father because the Father already prepared our hearts to accept him and we use our will to acknowledge his presence and his purpose freely. It was and is an irresistible decision by human will to cement the bond and unite us with God through his grace, his gift, the bridging faith that we ourselves do not possess. Our own attempt at a saving faith means nothing to God. He reached out to us in love as we in return display it in return. It's a love affair truly made in heaven.
Next, the common translation of the Greek word ‘pas ho pisteuoon‘ into the English word ‘whosoever believes’ is not accurate and is a very misleading translation. There is no Greek term equivalent to this compound word ‘whosoever.’ ‘Pas ho pisteuoon’ means in English ‘all the in faith, or ‘all those in faith.’ Or ‘all the faithful.’
All the believing.’ It represents a particular group of people who possess faith or
who are believing in him and his son yesterday, today and will be in faith tomorrow. These are the people of
the world who God chose and loves out of
the world. They are the only ones who shall have eternal life.
The misleading word ‘whosoever’ gives the impression that anyone, from anywhere at any time can attain salvation just be saying the magic words found in the gospel. Not true. No one can initiate the process using their carnally conceived faith to salvation, except God.
Incidentally, the words in the verse ‘should not perish, but’ were added into scripture and not part of the original text. Most probably it was a note written down on the side when translating, and incorporated into the verse.
So the last part of the verse should read like, ‘
that all the believing in him should have eternal life.’
True believers do not earn eternal life through their so-called free will and their own faith to decide to become saved and give themselves their corrupted faith to truly believe and seal themselves in the Holy Spirit. No, they believe because they are ordained or appointed by God and because of his actions. Act 13:48 ties directly with the context of John 3:16.
(Act 13:48) And when the nations heard this, they were glad and praised the Word of יהוה.
And as many as had been appointed (elected) to everlasting life believed.
In John 3, verses 14 and 15, Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus about those in the old world (the Israelites only) in the desert of the Exodus from Egypt. And those that believed in the serpent on the pole were physically healed after being snake bitten, and those in unbelief physically died and in their sins. The Father’s son, Jesus, was the final instrument and fulfillment of faith given to us for a healed life, so that now all people of the new world (
of all nations and races) who kept believing that he would heal them, the Father gives them eternal life.
Blessings to all.
