Posted on 09/29/2025 3:15:41 AM PDT by metmom
“‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him’” (John 3:16–17).
God’s gracious gift of salvation is freely available to whoever believes in Christ. The free offer of the gospel is broad enough to encompass the vilest sinner (1 Tim. 1:15), yet narrow enough to exclude all who reject Christ (John 3:18). But to those who come to Him on His terms, Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37)—they will never perish.
To “perish” is to face God’s eternal judgment. It is true that “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world.” Jesus Himself declared in John 12:47, “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” Yes, God will ultimately judge those who reject His Son, but this was not the mission of the Son in His first coming.
Furthermore, the point of Jesus’ coming was not to redeem Israel and condemn the Gentiles, “but that the world might be saved through Him.” God’s gracious offer of salvation extended beyond Israel to all mankind. Once again, Nicodemus should have known this, for in the Abrahamic covenant God declared, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Gentile salvation was always God’s purpose.
Ask Yourself
Are you ever troubled that your salvation is perhaps still in doubt, eligible for recall if you don’t toe a certain line or achieve a base level of righteousness?
Take heart in the promise that coming to Christ equates to never being “cast out.”
Studying God’s Word ping
Always good to be reminded of eternal life available through Jesus the Christ.
AMEN!
AMEN!
👍
This is a simple and true explanation of the Gospel. And I appreciate it coming from GTY, given their theological background.
John MacArthur was a Calvinist, and preached a Calivinist “gospel”. Quote John 3:16-17 to a typical Calvinist and you will get a bunch of hemming and hawing, along with qualifications and spin. Calvinism does not teach the simple truth of the Gospel as found in these verses. Instead it teaches that in eternity God has chosen those who will be his and those who will be damned. And there is nothing any person can do to change that.
The gospel offer in Calvinism is really no offer at all. In Calvinism, those who God chose are not free to accept the gospel. And those God rejected, have no chance to accept it.
Perhaps there is a change going on at GTY in this regard. And if so, it is a good one.
I was in a Sunday School class recently where we read Matthew 20, the parable of hiring laborers for the vineyard:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2020&version=NIV
The leader of the lesson contrasted those who arrived early and worked a whole day for one denarius and those who arrived near sunset and were also paid one denarius for their labor.
How should the early arrivers feel? How should the late arrivers feel? I said I had a better question:
Are there upgrades in receiving salvation? Do you get bonus points for joining early? Discounts on the merch? No, I said, because you get the VIP package of salvation the minute you receive it - the same if you accept Him on your death bed or as a toddler.
To me, that’s the point of the whole parable. Jesus doesn’t care when you accept salvation, only that you do.
The Calvinist responds with Romans 8:28-30
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (NIV)
I spent years in a church where the young pastor was a Calvinist. I’m not saying whose right or wrong, only that both use Scripture to make their point.
Yes, I am well aware of the responses from Calvinists. They have a theological formula, born out of medieval philosophy, that twists the simple truths of Scripture to fit their model. It’s not something I would want to deeply discuss in this forum.
My OP was simply an observation that the GTY devotion was incompatible with Calvinism, and I found that interesting.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness,
but is patient with you,
not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
I absolutely agree that this was Jesus’ point in the parable. He says there is joy in heaven over one sinner who comes to faith — He didn’t stipulate on when he comes just that he does.
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