Strathalbyn Church of Christ

Some Bible texts are well-known and liked by many Christians. This may be because they go to the heart of the Christian faith, encourage us, and express profound truths simply. Maybe one such text is given to us in today’s bible reading. I’m referring of course to John 3:l6. Let me requote it, using the King James translation, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

This morning I’d like to revisit this well-known text for our encouragement and strengthening.

The broad context of John 3:l6 is a private conversation one evening between a ruler of the Jews, called Nicodemus, and Jesus. The immediate context of John 3:16 is an incident in the Old Testament Book of Numbers about which Jesus reminds Nicodemus. So Let’s hear again what Jesus told Nicodemus.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:l4,l5

What’s this story of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness? Let me recount this story as found in the Book of Numbers.

The Israelites - around 2 million of them are in the wilderness of Sinai. Why are they there? After all, they had been delivered from slavery in Egypt by God through Moses.

The Israelites had sent spies into the promised land, to check it out. So 12 men, one from each tribe, were sent in from a place called Caddish barnea.

Well, they came back with a cluster of huge grapes, and 2 of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, gave a good report encouraging them to trust in God and to go in and take the land.

However, 10 of the spies gave a bad report - “they are bigger and stronger than we are; we can’t take the land.” And their voices and unbelief prevailed.

So God said that whole generation, 20 years old and upward, would wander in the desert for 40 years. (The spies had looked over the land for 40 days). God said only Caleb and Joshua would get into the land.

So they were in the wilderness for 40 years, but God had mercy on them and fed them with manna ( a bread like wafer) each day, and gave them water (from a rock ) keeping them alive.

Even so, they grumbled and complained, and said to Moses “We are fed up with this food. Why did you bring us out of Egypt?”

So God sent fiery venomous snakes among them, and many people were bitten and died. Then they “woke up” to this being God’s judgement on their ingratitude, and they went to Moses and confessed their sin, and asked him to ask God to remove the snakes.

Now God didn’t take away the snakes, but what he did do was to give them a way of escape from death. How did he do that?

He told Moses to make a bronze snake and attach it to a big pole and go to the nearest hill overlooking the camp, and put it up on the top of the hill, and then to tell the people - when you are bitten, if you go and look at that snake, the venom will not be fatal, it will lose its power to kill, and you will be healed.

This was an act of the love of God; and Jesus, in talking to Nicodemus, refers to this and says, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

And then, John, in writing his own inspired words in v.16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Having noted its context, its link with Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, let’s now look at the text itself.

“For God so loved the world that he gave…..”

“God” here is the God of the bible, the Creator of this universe, the God who made male and female in his image. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only God there is. And here the word “God” specifically refers to God the Father, for the verse goes on to say he gave his Son.

And this God “so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…”

There were a number of words in the Greek language of the bible for our word “love”.

There was the word “eros”, the love of attraction between man and a woman.

That’s not the word for God’s “love” in John 3:16.

There was a word “philia”, the love of affection between brothers and sisters. That’s not the word used in our text either.

Then there was another word “agape”, the love of caring action.

If you really care for someone, you pay attention to their need, and then do something about it.

That’s the word used here in John 3:16. God saw man’s need and did something about it. What he did was a very loving action.

We have seen how Jesus reminded Nicodemus that long ago in their history God had acted in love to provide a way of escape for Israelites who had been bitten by a fiery serpent.

In just the same way, even so, John says, God the Father acted in love on another occasion this time for the whole world by giving his only begotten Son.

The word “world” in this text is both a big word, and a bad word.

It is big - for it means the human race.

And it is bad - for it means the sinful human race.

Putting it another way, “the world” here is God’s family of rebellious kids!

So God acted in love, “he gave his only begotten Son”.

“Gave” is the tense meaning once. He once gave his Son. God on one occasion “delivered up his Son for our offences.” Rom 4:25.

That was a very loving thing God did for us.

“God gave his only begotten Son”. “his only begotten Son.”

If you like, this Son is the only one who shares the very DNA of God the Father. We could say he is God’s only ‘natural’ Son.

“Only begotten” does not mean he had a beginning, but the only one who shares the very nature of the Father; he is the eternal Son of God, fully divine.

But for what purpose did God give his only begotten Son? “that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

“that whosoever believes.” That’s very inclusive, there’s a real breadth intended here. It means everyone who believes in him, or all who believe in him.

“that whosoever believes in him”, that is, trusts in him, clings to him, relies on him.

“should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Sometimes things perish and so are no longer useful to you, like, say a tyre on your car wheel or a hot water bottle before we had an electric blanket. Perished things get thrown out or taken to the dump. Or perhaps you have seen the ruins of a house or homestead when travelling in the country or outback, like Cheryl and I did recently. It still exists, but in a ruined condition, and you couldn’t live in it.

God doesn’t desire people to perish or come to ruin and be useless to Him. That’s why He gave his only begotten Son so that believing in him we should not perish but have eternal life.

God provided a way of escape from the deadly result of sin. And we now know what God’s way is: “God’s love provided a way, and that way is what Jesus said to Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up that whosoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

The bronze serpent, lifted up, brought health and cure within the reach of all who were bitten by serpents. Christ crucified, in like manner, brought eternal life within reach of sin bitten and dying mankind. Christ has been lifted up on the cross, and people looking to him by faith may be saved.

And so, “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”, Jn.3.16

Faith in the Lord Jesus is the very key of salvation.

Later in John we hear Jesus say the following words: “And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Jn 17:3.

Eternal life is to know God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

“ To know” in the Bible refers to having a close, personal relationship with, like a husband and wife have. This fellowship with the Father and with his Son is true quality of life, and is everlasting!

Now today’s reading didn’t end at v 16, but went on to v 18. Let me therefore re read those 2 last verses.

“For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

And so, there’s no unwillingness on God’s part to save any sinner, however great his sins. The main object of God sending his Son into the world was not to judge us, but to die for us; not to condemn, but to save. He came to seek and to save the lost. “He who believes in him is not condemned”. In other words he/she is pardoned, acquitted, cleared from guilt, no longer counted a sinner but reckoned, counted righteous, in right-standing, in the sight of God.

“He who believes in him is not condemned” .

But, “he who does not believe is condemned already…”

God has provided a glorious salvation, at so mighty a cost, by the death of his only begotten Son.

To refuse to believe in Jesus Christ is to be left in a state of condemnation before God, even while the person lives.

Well, brothers and sisters, we have looked into a well known, and what for many, may be a favourite bible text. I believe John wrote this to encourage and strengthen believers to hold onto the faith, and to go on having eternal life. The love of God was supremely displayed in the cross.

Our confidence is not in our love for him, which can be frail and faltering, but in his love for us, which is steadfast, faithful, and persevering.

Let me end with a verse from Romans 8. “He did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him graciously give us all things? (8:32)

In other words, since God has already given us the supreme and costliest gift of his own Son, how can he fail to lavish every other gift upon us? In giving his Son he gave everything. The cross is the guarantee of the continuing, unfailing generosity of God.