God Sent His Only Son To Save The World
A study of John 3:17-18
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."
John 3:17-18 ESV
Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:
-God: "Theos", "θεός"; masculine noun - spoken of the only and true God. God the Father, the first person of the Trinity.
-Send: "apostellō", "ἀποστέλλω"; verb - to order one to go to a place appointed.
-Son: "Huios", "υἱός"; masculine noun - a son; Son of God.
-Condemn (Judge): "krinō", "κρίνω"; verb - contextually, used specifically of the act of condemning and decreeing (or inflicting) penalty on one.
-Might Be Saved: "sōzō", "σῴζω"; verb - to save in the technical Biblical sense; to deliver from the penalties of Messianic judgment. To make one a partaker of salvation by Christ.
-Through: "dia", "διά"; preposition - Where it is evident from the religious conceptions of the Bible that God is the author or first cause.
-Believes: "pisteuō", "πιστεύω"; verb - used especially of the faith by which a man embraces Jesus, i. e. a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah — the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ. To have faith directed unto, believing or in faith to give oneself up to Jesus.
-Already: "ēdē", "ἤδη"; adverb - now, already.
-Only: "monogenēs", "μονογενής"; adjective - "The Greek word translated by this phrase is monogenes. It doesn't mean "only begotten" in some sort of "birthing" sense. The confusion extends from an old misunderstanding of the root of the Greek word. For years monogenes was thought to have derived from two Greek terms, monos ("only") and gennao ("to beget, bear"). Greek scholars later discovered that the second part of the word monogenes does not come from the Greek verb gennao, but rather from the noun genos ("class, kind"). The term literally means "one of a kind" or "unique" without connotation of created origin." (Dr. Michael Heiser, "Unseen Realm" pg. 36).
Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):
Although the world is justly under the curse of sin, God did not send His only Son Jesus to condemn the world. He sent Him in order that "the world might be saved through Him." Everyone who believes in the name of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, is not condemned. But everyone who does not believe in Him is condemned "already."
Implication (what does this mean to us):
In this conversation with Nicodemus Jesus is challenging Nicodemus's worldview. The Jews thought the Messiah would come to establish a worldwide Jewish nation, and bring judgment on the Gentiles. But Jesus is shattering that incorrect understanding. John 3:16 concisely stated the good news that God's love for all people of the world is so great, He gave His only Son so that no one should perish in eternal misery, but instead have eternal life. From verses 15-16 we learned a lot about God's beautiful, loving heart, and here in verses 17-18 we learn even more. In these verses Jesus expands on His same point from verses 15-16 to make it abundantly clear to Nicodemus that God loves the whole world, Gentiles and Jews, and He did not send His Son to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. This is God's loving intention for mankind from eternity past; and passages of prophecy written hundreds of years before the earthly ministry of Jesus express this beautiful heart of God:
YOU ARE READING
A Study of John's Gospel
Non-FictionI invite you to join me in this verse by verse study of the gospel of John. While the other gospels are centered on the ministry of Jesus in Galilee, John centers his account on Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem. While Matthew's gospel explains Jesus was...
