Posted on 03/09/2024 7:58:33 AM PST by Charles Henrickson
“For God Loved the World in This Way” (John 3:14-21)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” That of course is the famous John 3:16, part of the Holy Gospel for this day. “For God so loved the world.” But there’s a lot riding on that little word “so.” How do we understand it? Simply as “God loved the world so much,” and then we fill in what we think his loving the world must mean, based on our own opinions, not on what the Word of God actually says? “For God so loved the world.” This morning let’s explore what this all means, because that little word “so” in the Greek literally means “in this way.” And then our text tells us what God’s loving the world does mean--and what it does not mean. And so our theme this morning: “For God Loved the World in This Way. . . .”
“God Loved the World.” That in itself is amazing! Because when the Bible talks about “the world,” it usually means the world as it is opposed to God and his ways. The rebellious world. The world shrouded in darkness. The world that does not know God. It’s like you heard in the reading from Ephesians: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world.” The course of this world is a dead-end course, and we were all part of it: dead, lost, blind, enemies of God, really. “By nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” And yet God loved this fallen, rebellious world of sinners.
Our text from John 3 tells us what the world is like: “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” You see, Jesus Christ is the light of the world, and he has come into the world, but the world rejects him and hides and runs away from his light. They prefer the darkness. You and I would prefer the darkness, if God had not intervened and rescued us and brought us into the light. But the world--with all of its inhabitants, as a whole--the world hides from the light. Its people are happier in the darkness.
Why? “Because,” as our text says, “their works were evil.” The works of this world, the works of our own sinful flesh--those are the things that violate and break God’s commandments. It doesn’t matter how popular those things are at the moment. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks of those works, even when they condone them and celebrate them and declare them to be good. No, because if God’s Word declares those works to be wrong--evil, sinful--then that’s what they are.
Last week I mentioned several sinful behaviors that are among the most prominent in our society right now and are being condoned and even celebrated in our culture. For example: cohabitation outside of marriage; unscriptural divorce; having children out of wedlock; and the whole gender ideology issue. I could have added abortion to the list. And those things are indeed sinful. But that list is not exhaustive by any means. Other sins may be more respectable--they may be more our particular cup of tea--but they are still sins. Things like lust, greed, gossip, hatred, slander, unforgiveness, boastfulness, a haughty spirit. Those too are evil works, sins of the flesh, the ways of the world. And God declares them also to be wrong and sinful. And even if we’ve managed to avoid some of those wicked works, we have not escaped them all. God’s law condemns all of us as sinners, in one way or another.
And down deep, this is why people hide from God and run away from the light. They’re trying to escape God’s judgment against their sin. Our text states it plainly: “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”
But in spite of the world’s wicked works, God loved the world. So now the question becomes: “How?” In what way has God loved the world? First of all, let me tell you what it does not mean. That God loves the world does not mean that God excuses our sin or condones it. It does not mean that God has changed his mind about right and wrong and that he no longer thinks that certain sins are sinful. It does not mean that because our society approves of certain behaviors that now they are OK. They’re not. The Ten Commandments have not changed. What we think that God loving the world must mean is not necessarily the case.
But now I’ll tell you what God loving the world does mean. Actually, our text itself tells us. How has God loved the world? “For God loved the world in this way, that he gave his only Son.” That’s what God has done to love the world. He does not excuse or condone or ignore our sin, but he deals with it decisively. God sent his own Son into this sin-darkened world to bring us his light and his life. God gave his own Son, gave him into death as the one and only sacrifice for sin. That is real love!
God gave his own Son into death, death on a cross, to deal decisively with sin, your sin and mine. Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross to be our healing and our salvation. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” The rebellious, snake-bitten Israelites were suffering judgment for their sin. Yet God provided a way of healing for them, in the form of a bronze serpent lifted up on a pole. In like manner, Christ Jesus was lifted up on the cross to provide healing and rescue for us! Look to Jesus, look to Christ crucified, and you will be saved! “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Friends, this is how God loved the world! This is how he loves you! In this way!
And what is the result? “That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This is the outcome for you and for everyone who looks to Christ and trusts in him. You will not perish. You will not die forever under God’s judgment. No, you will live, really live! You will have--and you do have even now--eternal life. This means resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of your body, on the day when Christ returns. Because he lives, you will live also! Forever! With Christ our Lord and with all of his saints, in a restored creation, made new and whole and glorious. Eternal life: It’s yours as a gift, because of what God’s love in Christ has done for you!
“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.” Friends, the world is heading on a highway to hell. But Jesus came to save us from that fate. Oh, it’s not that sins are no longer sinful. It’s not like, “He gets us,” as though Jesus is somehow OK with our sins. No, he’s not. Rather, it’s that Jesus Christ has taken the full punishment for all of the world’s sins by being lifted up on the cross. This is true love! “For God so loved the world,” that is, “For God loved the world . . . in this way.”
[Jesus said:] “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Ping.
Thanks!
I have a small square placard nailed to the right side of my front door with this scripture and the impression of large nails have been pressed into it. Thank you so much for the reminder of how important this scripture is. I ponder the depth of God’s love for me but, in truth,I have never located the place where it ends. The human heart cannot know how great it is until we see Him as He is.It is the center of the meaning of Philipians 2:12 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.