Answering John 3:16
By Nick Bibile
Question:
John
Answer:
This is not correct. We will not hold to the popular view but to the correct view. When interpreting scripture it is very important to know the background of the passage, to whom it is being addressed and the context of the scripture, these are the most important issues a word study on a word cannot interpret the scripture unless you have what I have mentioned. Now let’s look at John 3:16
The background.
Jesus the Savior is speaking to Nicodemus, highly respect Jewish leader and a rabbi. Nicodemus have seen the miracles of Jesus regarded him as a divine messenger or a prophet. He was not looking for a spiritual Savior who can deliver him from personal guilt and sin but like all Jews was looking for a deliverer from the foreign yoke of the Romans. We are not sure if Nicodemus came to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah but he saw that Jesus was no ordinary man. He came in the night to have a private conversation with Jesus. He came in the night to avoid any fear of being noticed by his colleagues.
Nicodemus believed that the Messiah’s mission is only for
To Nicodemus the world means Gentiles. A good example is when we are in the church we say we are of Christ but those outside are of the world, it is the same concept the Jews had. They were the children of Abraham and the world was the Gentiles.
The nations or the world was distinct from the Jews. Let’s see this very clearly. Matthew was a Jew and Luke was a Gentile. Let’s take a verse what Jesus said of the Gentiles and how Matthew being a Jew and Luke being a Gentile wrote on this verse.
Lu
Luke was a Gentile and writing not from a
Jewish mind but from a Gentile mind. For the Gentile mind it is the unbelievers
are nations of the world. Now Matthew who was Jew writes on the same scripture.
Mt
When Jesus said, “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.” He is speaking to the believers, Jews and Gentiles scattered all over the world.
See the fulfillment of this scripture.
Ac
Now let us see in context. To get the context you need to go before and after. Let’s begin with verse 14.
Joh
Here we see the picture of salvation, it is Jesus that can take away our guilt and sin and bring healing of salvation to our souls.
Joh
Whosoever believe in him is a Christian.
Joh
For God so loved, not only
Joh
God could have condemned all of us and send us to hell as God is not obligated save anyone, he did not pardon angels when they sinned in heaven but there is salvation for the chosen ones.
Joh
Do all people believe? No only he that believe on him, and only a Christian can believe.
Joh
Here we see in context, all men will not believe as the natural man the fallen man would love their sins rather than coming to Christ unless God will regenerate them first by his grace.
When you see the word world does it mean believers? No.
Joh
Here the world are
the unbelievers
Joh
Here again we see the believers are taken
out of the world by Christ and the world hates the true believers.
Joh 17:6 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.
Jesus was manifested or came to those who
were elected by God and they came out of the world, means there is a separation
from the others.
Joh 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the
world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
We need to take John 3:16 in context, we
see Jesus saying God so loved the world and in John as we see 17:9 He is not praying for
the world. If God loves everyone then
how come Jesus is not praying for all but only to the believers? Jesus did not pray only for his disciples but
for all the believers.
Joh
However he did not pray for those who will
not believe. Does it mean that God hates unbelievers?
God
does not hate all men as creatures but as sinners. God has a general love to
all his creatures as he gives the rain, the sunshine to all. But Gods
particular, intimate love is with the true believers.
Mt
There
are two parties angry God and
Ps
The world does not mean every single individual.
Joh
1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of
the Light, that all men through him might believe.
Joh
Ro
Did all men believe that Christ came to
bear witness? Including king Herod, the Scribes and
the Pharisees? Did they believe that Christ came to die for them? No. They did
not believe that Christ died for them, they did not
believe him to be God, the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Savior of men.
Who are the all men who believe in him,
whom he will draw and all men whom he will justify? Are they the unbelievers or
the believers? Yes believers, because unbelievers cannot believe in him. These
scriptures are referring only to the elect.
When Christ died, did he draw all men
to him? After he was resurrected, did he appear to all men? Are all men
justified? The answer is obvious, No. Then the word
all is to be taken in limited sense. It does not mean every single individual.
If we say that Christ came and died for
all men, meaning every single individual but every single individual is not
saved, then Christ did not die for all. He died only for the true believers.
Now we when we preach the gospel we do not know who is elect and who is not. If
God put a yellow stripe on the face of all the elect who will hear the gospel
and respond, we not waste our time in preaching the gospel to everyone as we
know the people who have a yellow strip on their face will respond and we will
preach the gospel only to them as we know they will be saved. However, God did
not put a yellow stripe on the faces of the elect, so we are commanded to
preach the gospel to every creature, however only the elect will respond.
" The
whole world has gone after him" Did all the world go after Christ? "then went all
Let us see more on the word all
Lu
11 For unto you is
born this day in the city of
The good news and the great joy is only for the elect of God. This refers again to his
people.
Mt
He came as the mediator for his people,
his people like any other were the children of wrath, and enemies of God and
Christ came to save them.
Isa
53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his
generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the
transgression of my people was he stricken.
Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he
might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to
make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
First, the gospel is preached to them,
and then they realize that they are lost and perishing and they need a Savior.
Then they are convicted of their sins and they will repent and be converted.
The Philippian jailor cried out to Paul and Silas,
sir, what must I do to be saved? There was an urgency of the wrath of God that
is coming, how can I be saved from this danger? Three thousand people were converted
under Peter’s sermon as they saw the danger and were convicted by their sins
1Ti 2:4 Who
will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.
Some say it was the will of God that all men should
be saved, and he died for all.
In this context, the will of God is efficacious,
meaning effectual and productive. His will is for his good pleasure. It is
based on thy will be done. Therefore, what is accomplished is his effectual
will. ," Ps. 115:3. "He doeth according to
his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth,"
If all, then, here be to be understood of all men universally, then God failed on his purpose of his will.
If it was the will of God for all men,
that is including every single individual to be saved, then they will be saved.
Because who can resist his will? However, it is a fact that all are not saved.
Because it is very certain it is not the will of God for all to be saved. The
Antichrist is not saved and his followers are not saved. It was the will of God
not to reveal the gospel truths to everyone. It was his will that it should be
so.
Mt
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed
good in thy sight.
Therefore, it is not his will to save
everyone. Then what about 1
1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first
of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made
for all men;
2 For kings,
and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life
in all godliness and honesty.
3 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.
5 For there is
one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Apostle says that prayers and
thanksgivings be made for all men, then he goes on to say for kings, and for all
in authority. This means not men who are only in low class of life but also to
men who are in high class of life. It is clear that the word all here is to be
interpreted as not every single individual but different classes
of people. Let me give a good scripture that goes along with this to
understand.
Ge
When Noah and family went to the
If someone still does not believe then
he has a problem with verse five. The mediator came only for his people. If the all people are not saved then the mediator failed in his
work to save his people. On the other hand we received the promised of
eternal inheritance because of our mediator.
1
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the
mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of
the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called
might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
By the way this confirms even more if
you read I
1Ti 2:6 Who
gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Again, we know that Christ did not pay
the ransom price for every single individual, if all
would be ransomed then all would be saved. Again, the context of this passage
is all classes of people. The ransom price was paid for all classes of people.
We notice that Paul was ordained to preach for the Gentiles. The ransom price
was paid not only to the believing Jew but also for the believing Gentile. If
the ransom price is paid for every single individual and if they are not saved,
then the price that was paid is in vain, it has no value, as they are not all
ransomed. The ransom price that Christ paid has infinite value as it satisfied
the Father. The ransom price was paid for many for a limited number of people
of all classes including the Gentiles.
Mt
What about 1
1Ti
First, I would like you to see how Paul
made it clear as he distinguished between two. The word specially
in Greek here is malista It means chiefly or above
all.
1.
Savior of all men.
2. Specially
of those that believe.
I would like you to use common logic
that both cannot be the same and true. If he is the Savior of all men, then why
did Paul say specially of those that believe? They
should be included in Savior of all men, because he is the Savior of those
believe. However, Paul distinguished by saying specially
of those that believe that means there is a difference of those that believe
and the first statement Savior of all men. The meaning Savior of all men should
be different or else it does not make any sense. If Christ is the Savior of all
people, including all unbelievers then all must be saved, but some are lost and
go to hell so he cannot be the Savior of all people.
Who are HIS people?
Lu
His people
are called:
The seed of the woman - Genesis 3:15. (Note, not all
mankind as there is a difference between the seed of the woman and the seed of
the serpent.)
The seed of Abraham - Ge 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and
with your seed after you;
God
remembered the elect seed when they were in
Isa 41:8 But thou,
Elect of God - Isa 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and
out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and
my servants shall dwell there.
My People - Ro 9:25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people;
and her beloved, which was not beloved.
Ro
Peculiar People - Tit 2:14
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
My Sheep - Joh 10:26 But ye believe not,
because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And
I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My
Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck
them out of my Father's hand.
Body of Christ - 1Co
Lamb’s wife - Re
21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven
vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither,
I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
Holy nation - 1Pe 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light:
Jesus
Commanded to preach the gospel. The gospel call is universal to every creature
as we do not know who is elect and who is not, so we are to preach the gospel
to everyone. The elect will hear and will respond, as Jesus said, “My sheep
hears my voice.”
Joh