GREAT EXPRESSIONS OF GOD'S LOVE:
In the Gospels—Love that Sends (John 3:16-17)1
In the Gospels—Love that Sends (John 3:16-17)1
Dr. Paul Manuel—2005
To avoid unnecessary strife in a marriage, it is best to reach an agreement when it comes to making expensive purchases, even when it involves a gift from one partner to the other.
One of the most familiar exchanges in the gospels is the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus in John 3. It is also one of the most puzzling, at least for Nicodemus. He comes to Jesus on behalf of others who are interested in what this rabbi has to say, recognizing that he represents God.
wishes to make.
In the first century, there were several erroneous views in circulation about how a person secured salvation.
None of these views is correct, however, and Jesus wants to make certain this "teacher" (v. 10) understands how a person does get into heaven, so he talks about the necessity of rebirth by God's Spirit and of belief in God's Son. Whether or not Nicodemus grasps what Jesus is trying to tell him is uncertain.3 John's recounting of the conversation ends in v. 15 with Jesus' call to believe.
If you have a red letter edition of the New Testament, you will notice that, like vv. 10-15, vv. 16-21 are also in red, as if Jesus is still talking to Nicodemus. While the words of scripture are inspired, the colors are not, and there is evidence that these words actually belong to John.4 What they tell us, though, is no less important than if Jesus himself said them.
At this point, John adds his own commentary, beginning in v. 16 with one of the most well-known passages in the New Testament. It is certainly one of the most important, because it identifies...
I. The Object of God's Love (v. 16)
Nicodemus is understandably puzzled by the suggestion that rebirth is something a person could do, let alone would want to do. Then Jesus explains that he is not talking about repeating the experience physically, which is impossible, but replicating it spiritually. Just as a person can only enter the world of his earthly father through physical birth, so he can only enter the world of his heavenly father through spiritual birth.
The problem is that a person's sin prevents his undergoing this second birth, and that problem is of great concern to God, because He loves the world; that is, He loves the people in the world,5 and...
Earlier, I mentioned some of the erroneous views in circulation about how a person secured salvation. Those notions are still prevalent today, and you must not adopt them.
Having identified the object of God's love in v. 16, in v. 17 John turns to what God wants to accomplish through this display of affection...
II. The Objective of God's Love (v. 17)
It is gracious enough of God that He does not want to destroy man, that His immediate reaction to man's rebellion is not to dump him as a failed experiment and start over.9 Neither does God want to ignore man, to let him fend for himself while God turns His attention elsewhere. Rather...
Despite the fact that this offer of salvation has been on the table for thousands of years, it is not permanently open-ended. There are two dates that mark its close.
So, which date are you waiting for...the day death takes you or the day Jesus takes you?12
In these two familiar verses from John's gospel, the apostle records one of the Great Expressions of God's Love. It reveals the breadth of God's concern, that He cares for the whole world. It also reminds us that salvation is none of our doing and all of God's doing. As John says elsewhere...
A woman was especially attracted to a new outfit she had seen in the mall but knew that her husband would not agree to her purchasing it. Still, she could not get it out of her mind. Whether she was driving in the car or doing laundry, she thought about that outfit. After having dreamt about it one night, she decided to approach her husband. "I had a wonderful dream last night," she said. "In it, you gave me $200 to buy a new outfit. I was thrilled. Because you love me, I know you wouldn't want to do anything to spoil a perfect dream like that?" "Of course not," her husband replied... "Keep the $200." (Adapted from Hodgin 1998:145)Far more significant than a new outfit is what God gave in the person of His son. It is one of the Great Expressions of God's Love, recounted In the Gospels—Love that Sends.
One of the most familiar exchanges in the gospels is the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus in John 3. It is also one of the most puzzling, at least for Nicodemus. He comes to Jesus on behalf of others who are interested in what this rabbi has to say, recognizing that he represents God.
John 3:2c For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.In response, Jesus wastes no time on polite conversation but gets right to point he
wishes to make.
John 3:3 ...Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."Whatever Nicodemus hoped to learn, he probably did not expect it to include the suggestion that his entry to God's kingdom was in question, that he might need something more than what he already had.
In the first century, there were several erroneous views in circulation about how a person secured salvation.
- According to one view, the right genes (not jeans) get you into heaven. If you come from good parentage, specifically Jewish stock, your salvation is guaranteed. But...
Matt 3:7a ...when [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them... 8 "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 ...do not.., say ...'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham."The right genes do not get you into heaven.
- According to another view, the right deeds get you into heaven. If you do good things, specifically the things God expects, your salvation is guaranteed. But...
Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed... 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector....said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14a "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God."The right deeds do not get you into heaven.2
- According to yet another view, the right offerings get you into heaven. If you make good sacrifices, regularly in the temple, your salvation is guaranteed. But...
Heb 9:9 [The author of Hebrews writes that]...sacrifices [are] not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are...external regulations....13 ...[for] those who are ceremonially unclean...so that they [can be] outwardly clean. Heb 10:4 ...it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.... 11 [Animal] sacrifices...can never take away sins.The right offerings do not get you into heaven.
None of these views is correct, however, and Jesus wants to make certain this "teacher" (v. 10) understands how a person does get into heaven, so he talks about the necessity of rebirth by God's Spirit and of belief in God's Son. Whether or not Nicodemus grasps what Jesus is trying to tell him is uncertain.3 John's recounting of the conversation ends in v. 15 with Jesus' call to believe.
If you have a red letter edition of the New Testament, you will notice that, like vv. 10-15, vv. 16-21 are also in red, as if Jesus is still talking to Nicodemus. While the words of scripture are inspired, the colors are not, and there is evidence that these words actually belong to John.4 What they tell us, though, is no less important than if Jesus himself said them.
At this point, John adds his own commentary, beginning in v. 16 with one of the most well-known passages in the New Testament. It is certainly one of the most important, because it identifies...
I. The Object of God's Love (v. 16)
John 3:16 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.Here, John describes the breadth of God's love. It is not confined to a region or a race but is universal in scope....
A. He extends it to the whole world.No place and no people are outside the range of God's concern. Why is He concerned? Earlier in the chapter, Jesus discussed the reason with Nicodemus.
John 3:3 ...Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'Some events are particularly memorable or noteworthy because they have not happened to you before—your first job, your first car, your first date. It may not have been a great job, or a great car...or a great date, but it was significant simply because it was your first experience at working, driving, or dating. Eventually, you would get another job, another car—maybe not another date. The potential was there. That is not the case with birth. It may not have been as memorable for you as it was for your mother, but it was still noteworthy, enough that you mark the anniversary each year. Nevertheless, recalling it is not the same as repeating it.
Nicodemus is understandably puzzled by the suggestion that rebirth is something a person could do, let alone would want to do. Then Jesus explains that he is not talking about repeating the experience physically, which is impossible, but replicating it spiritually. Just as a person can only enter the world of his earthly father through physical birth, so he can only enter the world of his heavenly father through spiritual birth.
The problem is that a person's sin prevents his undergoing this second birth, and that problem is of great concern to God, because He loves the world; that is, He loves the people in the world,5 and...
B. He expresses it through His only son.6This is a recurring theme in John's writings.
- When John the Baptist introduced Jesus to his disciples, he called him "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
- When residents of Samaria met Jesus, they correctly identified him as "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42).7
- When the apostle John wrote to churches in Asia Minor, he said Jesus "is the atoning sacrifice...for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).
John 14:6b No one comes to the Father except through me.There is no alternate plan for those who want to try another path. For the object of God's love, Jesus is all you will ever need and all you will ever get.
Earlier, I mentioned some of the erroneous views in circulation about how a person secured salvation. Those notions are still prevalent today, and you must not adopt them.
- If your parents are Christians and bring you to church every week, does that mean you are a Christian and will spend eternity with God? ..No. Only you can make the decision to become a Christian. The right genes do not get you into heaven.
- If your Jehovah's Witness friend knocks on every door in your neighborhood to tell people about God's kingdom—which is probably more outreach than you have done—does that mean she is a Christian and will spend eternity with God? ...No. Only Jesus' sacrifice can change your sinful state. The right deeds do not get you into heaven.
- If your rich uncle decides to fund the youth group's missions trip to Guatemala, something they could not have undertaken without such generous support, does that mean he is a Christian and will spend eternity with God? ...No. Only when you surrender your entire life to God is He pleased. The right offerings do not get you into heaven.
Having identified the object of God's love in v. 16, in v. 17 John turns to what God wants to accomplish through this display of affection...
II. The Objective of God's Love (v. 17)
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.As in the previous verse, God is still thinking big here. He has not narrowed the scope of His concern; it remains "the [whole] world." Despite man's persistent resistance to God, despite his pernicious rejection of God, despite his perverse (and perilous) recalcitrance toward God, amazingly, God has not given up.
A. He wants not to destroy man.This does not mean that God is tolerant of sin and is willing to overlook it. Biblical history contains several instances of man's exceeding God's patience and of his suffering decidedly unpleasant consequences.8
- The pre-deluge neighbors of Noah
- The pre-brimstone citizens of Sodom
- The pre-conquest kings of Canaan
Exod 34:6 ...the LORD [is] slow to anger, abounding in love... 7a-b maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished....By the way, is there anything in your life, perhaps a habit or a practice, that you know displeases God but that you have been reluctant to give up? ...Do not test the limit of God's forbearance. Sooner or later. you will have to answer for your behavior. Whatever short-term enjoyment "the pleasures of sin" hold (Heb 11:25b), they are not worth the long-term consequences, which are probably greater than you are willing to admit. If it is sin, get rid of it, because it is reducing your effectiveness for God in this life and, at the same time, it is reducing your reward from God in the next life. Do not be short-sighted and dim-witted.
It is gracious enough of God that He does not want to destroy man, that His immediate reaction to man's rebellion is not to dump him as a failed experiment and start over.9 Neither does God want to ignore man, to let him fend for himself while God turns His attention elsewhere. Rather...
B. He wants to deliver man....to give him a better life, to give him "eternal life." That is God's desire for everyone. This is not just John's idea; other New Testament authors say much the same thing. Paul states that...
1 Tim 2:4 [God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.Peter states that...
2 Pet 3:9 The Lord....is patient...not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.This is what God wants. Will it happen? Will "everyone...come to repentance" and "all...be saved?"10 ...Alas, no. Why not? Because God's love is Love that Sends Jesus; but it is not love that forces people to accept Jesus.
Despite the fact that this offer of salvation has been on the table for thousands of years, it is not permanently open-ended. There are two dates that mark its close.
- There is an expiration date for those who have rejected God's offer. Do you know what that date is? The author of Hebrews states11
Heb 9:27 ...man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,The opportunity to receive salvation ends at death.
- There is also a culmination date for those who have accepted God's offer. Do you know what that date is? The author of Hebrews goes on to say that...
Heb 9:28 ...Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.The opportunity to realize salvation in its fullest sense begins at Jesus' return.
So, which date are you waiting for...the day death takes you or the day Jesus takes you?12
In these two familiar verses from John's gospel, the apostle records one of the Great Expressions of God's Love. It reveals the breadth of God's concern, that He cares for the whole world. It also reminds us that salvation is none of our doing and all of God's doing. As John says elsewhere...
1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
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Jim Skaggs