Verse:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth ( faith / pisteuo ) in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Commentary by Adam Clarke
For God so loved the world Source
Such a love as that which induced God to give his only begotten son to die for the world could not be described: Jesus Christ does not attempt it. He has put an eternity of meaning in the particle ????, so, and left a subject for everlasting contemplation, wonder, and praise, to angels and to men. The same evangelist uses a similar mode of expression, 1[sgl dagger]John 3:1: Behold, WHAT MANNER of love, ?????????????, the Father hath bestowed upon us.
From the subject before him, let the reader attend to the following particulars.They point out also the two grand operations of grace, by which the salvation of man is effected. 1. Justification, by which the guilt of sin is removed, and consequently the person is no longer obnoxious to perdition. 2. Sanctification, or the purification of his nature, by which he is properly fitted for the kingdom of glory.
First, The world was in a ruinous, condemned state, about to perish everlastingly; and was utterly without power to rescue itself from destruction.
Secondly, That God, through the impulse of his eternal love, provided for its rescue and salvation, by giving his Son to die for it.
Thirdly, That the sacrifice of Jesus was the only mean by which the redemption of man could be effected, and that it is absolutely sufficient to accomplish this gracious design: for it would have been inconsistent with the wisdom of God, to have appointed a sacrifice greater in itself, or less in its merit, than what the urgent necessities of the case required.
Fourthly, That sin must be an indescribable evil, when it required no less a sacrifice, to make atonement for it, than God manifested in the flesh.
Fifthly, That no man is saved through this sacrifice, but he that believes, i.e. who credits what God has spoken concerning Christ, his sacrifice, the end for which it was offered, and the way in which it is to be applied in order to become effectual.
Sixthly, That those who believe receive a double benefit: 1. They are exempted from eternal perdition-that they may not perish. 2. They are brought to eternal glory-that they may have everlasting life. These two benefits point out tacitly the state of man: he is guilty, and therefore exposed to punishment: he is impure, and therefore unfit for glory.
Commentary by Barnes
For God so loved. The world.
This does not mean that God approved the conduct of men, but that he had benevolent feelings toward them, or was earnestly desirous of their happiness. God hates wickedness, but he still desires the happiness of those who are sinful. He hates the sin, but loves the sinner. A parent may love his child and desire his welfare, and yet be strongly opposed to the conduct of that child. When we approve the conduct of another, this is the love of complacency; when we desire simply their happiness, this is the love of benevolence. That he gave.
All mankind. It does not mean any particular part of the world, but man as man--the race that had rebelled and that deserved to die. See John 6:33; 17:21. His love for the world, or for all mankind, in giving his Son, was shown by these circumstances:
1st. All the world was in ruin, and exposed to the wrath of God.
2nd. All men were in a hopeless condition.
3rd. God gave his Son. Man had no claim on him; it was a gift--an undeserved gift.
4th. He gave him up to extreme sufferings, even the bitter pains of death on the cross.
5th. It was for all the world. He tasted "death for every man," Hebrews 2:9. He "died for all," 2 Corinthians 5:15. "He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world," 1 John 2:2.His only-begotten Son.
It was a free and unmerited gift. Man had no claim; and when there was no eye to pity or arm to save, it pleased God to give his Son into the hands of men to die in their stead, Galatians 1:4; Romans 8:32; Luke 22:19. It was the mere movement of love; the expression of eternal compassion, and of a desire that sinners should not perish forever.
Galatians 1:4 Romans 8:32
who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, Luke 22:19
He who 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?
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (n) "For God" 1 John 4:9
See Barnes "John 1:14". This is the highest expression of love of which we can conceive. A parent who should give up his only son to die for others who are guilty--if this could or might be done--would show higher love than could be manifested in any other way. So it shows the depth of the love of God, that he was willing to give his only Son into the hands of sinful men that he might be slain, and thus redeem them from eternal sorrow.
Source
Commentary by Coffman
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world ...
We reject the notion of that school of exegetes who make a break at this place, removing this from the interview with Nicodemus and attributing these words, not to Christ, but to John the apostle.
This whole chapter may be read in less than five minutes; and thus there is nothing unusual or atypical in the Master's brief exhortation of Nicodemus concerning those "heavenly things" mentioned in John 3:12. To make of these short remarks some big sermon and to allege on that basis that the interview must have been terminated already is to overlook the near certainty that this interview was longer than a mere five minutes. Moreover, after Nicodemus rejected what Jesus said, exclaiming, "How can these things be?" it was altogether natural for Jesus to have continued for a few moments without any further interruption from Nicodemus. This and the following reasons for rejection of the idea of a break at this point are weighty enough for doing so.
It is fully in keeping with many of Jesus' actions that the world-shaking concept of the new birth should first have been mentioned to this proud and bigoted Pharisee. Did Jesus not also propound the greatest sermon on worship to a woman at the well?
It is more logical to believe that the epic teachings of this passage came first from the lips of Jesus, rather than from John. This verse is the heart of Christianity; and to identify it as coming from the reflections of a Spirit-guided John so long afterward is simply unreasonable. Scholars favoring such a view are unconsciously advocating an evolutionary hypothesis of Christianity, rather than the view that Christ brought it all at one time. They forget that the function of the Spirit in the apostles was to help them remember what Jesus said (John 14:26).
The technical reasons alleged against this position are weak. For example, some words in the paragraph beginning here do not appear elsewhere in words attributed to Jesus but do appear in other writings of John, "only begotten" being a conspicuous example. As Reynolds noted:
The reply is that John used this great word because he had heard it on the lips of Jesus. He would not have dared use it otherwise; and he used it because he had heard our Lord thus express himself. F18
Furthermore, the connective, "for," at the beginning of the paragraph shows that there is no break. See below.So loved the world ...
"For" indicates that we do not have here a new section, but the continuation of the interview with Nicodemus. That he gave his only begotten Son ...
is the burden of the entire corpus of divine revelation. Fittingly, this announcement of God's universal love was made to a representative of the narrowest and strictest sect in ancient Judaism, who taught that God's love was the special province of Israel, who were at that very time hoping for their long-awaited Messiah, who would, according to their views, restore the kingdom of Israel and judge the whole Gentile world with an overwhelming destruction. Jesus' refusal to conform to such an idea of the Messiah was a very conspicuous element in their rejection of him. Here, Christ hurled into the very teeth of the Sanhedrin the mind-blowing concept that God loved everyone on earth, the whole creation! It is no wonder that John never forgot such a confrontation as this; and no wonder that some of the words in this interview became a part of his permanent vocabulary, appearing even in the writings of his old age, as in "And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).
God's love for mankind is pure, spontaneous, and constant. Jesus did not die on the cross to compel God to love people, but because he already loved them, the cross being a result of God's love, not the cause of it. God's holy love is not inconsistent with His wrath, for God's love extends to man himself, but not to the sins that man is guilty of. The doom of the wicked appears by implication in this very statement of his love.That whosoever believeth on him ...
Although the initiative of the Father appears here in the word "gave," Christ also gave himself for man. Seven centers of initiative are discernible in the drama of the cross, and the student is referred to my Commentary on Romans, pp. 117f, for a review of them. It is the Father's initiative on view here, and it is significant that in the Christian religion alone it is God who provides the offering for sin. In this sublime fact, Christianity rises above any comparison with ethnic and natural religions, in which, in all of them, it is man himself who pays and pays. It is always a man, like Prometheus, who is chained to the rock; but in the holy religion of Christ, it is God who provides the offering for man's sin.
The thought in focus here is the sacrifice of Christ. Such is the nature of sin and rebellion against God, that only God could extricate fallen humanity from the morass into which they had fallen; and God could do it only at awful cost in the giving of Jesus as an offering. Note the significant shift of titles. John 3:14 spoke of the Son of man; here Jesus spoke of the Son of God. No MAN could have died for all men; only God in the form of man could have done it. The highest angel in heaven would not have sufficed to provide such an offering as Jesus.This was the mystery hidden before times eternal, that God would enter the lists of humanity as a man, paying the penalty of human transgression himself in the person of his Son and discharging the debt due to the fall in Eden. It was primarily for the purpose of delivering the flesh of the Messiah to humanity that the device of a chosen people had been provided by God in the days of Abraham; and, despite the will of the chosen people to reject him, Christ here unfolded the full mystery to one of the noblest and best men in the very council of the Sanhedrin itself.
O listen to our wondrous story: Counted once among the lost, Jesus came from heaven's glory, Saving us at awful cost.
No angel could his place have taken, Highest of the high though he; The loved one on the cross forsaken Was one of the Godhead three!Should not perish ...
Faith is the great principle of Christianity, motivating every act of obedience, securing the believer in times of bewilderment or temptation, sustaining the disciple through tribulations and distress, and enlightening the soul during every darkness. Faith is the first of the preconditions of redemption in Christ Jesus, and it is also the last, there never being a single moment of the Christian pilgrimage when faith is not required. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). "On him ..." is alleged to be one of the words that is Johannine rather than from Christ, but such a conceit is rejected. Glorious as faith assuredly is, it is faith "in Christ" that saves, not faith "in faith." But have everlasting life ...
The so-called translations that read this place "shall not perish" are incorrect. See under John 3:15. "Perish ..." is a reference to the overthrow of the wicked in hell, and is a hint of the judgment when God will settle accounts with evil. Tender as the love of God is, it does not extend far enough to include any divine acceptance of man's rebellion against the Creator. Source
Such an unspeakable reward contrasts with God's wrath (John 3:36), destruction (Matthew 7:13,14), eternal fire (Matthew 18:9), and with judgment or death (John 5:24). Everlasting life is antithetical to such things, being eternal both in its excellence and in its duration. The careful student should not overlook the fact that this passage (John 3:15) reveals that the eternal life which is available to men is located "in Christ." This means that eternal life is available only for those who become identified with Christ in the absolute sense, being so united with him that they are in fact "Christ," as Paul declared (Galatians 2:20).
John 3:36 Matthew 7:13,14
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." Matthew 18:9
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.John 5:24
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
John 3:15 Galatians 2:20
that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Nor is this teaching ever lost sight of by the apostle John; he said:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son hath not life (1 John 5:11,12).
Commentary by The Fourfold Gospel
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. Source
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish. Luther calls this verse "the Bible in miniature". It is a lesson as to God's love: But have eternal life. John uses the word "eternal" ("ainios" in Greek) seventeen times in his Gospel (John 3:15,16,36; John 4:14,36; John 5:24,39 John 6:27,40,47,54,68; John 10:28; John 12:25,50; John 17:2,3) and six times in his First Epistle (1 John 1:2; 1 John 2:25; 1 John 3:15; 1 John 5:11,13,20). He always applies it to life. The synoptists use it eight times (Matthew 18:8; Matthew 19:16,29; Matthew 25:41,46; Mark 3:29 Mark 10:17,30; Luke 10:25; Luke 16:9; Luke 18:18,30), applying it to life, and also to fire, punishment, damnation, and habitation.
(1) Its magnitude--he gave his only begotten Son.
(2) Its reach--he gave it to a sinful world (Romans 5:8).(3) Its impartiality--he gives it to whoever; that is, to all alike (Matthew 5:45; Revelation 22:17).
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (4) Its beneficial richness --it blesses with life eternal.
Matthew 5:45 Revelation 22:17
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
(5) Its limitations--it is nowhere said that God so loves that he will save unbelievers. Love is the mutual and binding grace between God and man; it may also be said that in Christ is made God human and man divine.
Commentary by Geneva Study Bible
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Source
Nothing else but the free love of the Father is the beginning of our salvation, and Christ is he in whom our righteousness and salvation dwells: and faith is the instrument or means by which we apprehend it, and everlasting life is that which is set before us to apprehend.
It is not the same to believe in a thing, and to believe about a thing, for we may not believe in anything except in God alone, but we may believe about anything whatever, says Nazianzene in his Oration of the Spirit.
Commentary by David Guzik
a. For God so loved the world: John 3:16 has long been celebrated as a powerful, succinct, declaration of the gospel. Of the 31,373 verses in the Bible, it may be the most popular single verse used in evangelism. b. The Seven Wonders of John 3:16.
i. We learn the object of God's love: For God so loved the world. God did not wait for the world to turn to Him before He loved the world. He loved and gave His only begotten Son to the world when it was still the world!
ii. We learn the expression and the gift of God's love: He gave His only begotten Son. God's love didn't just feel for the plight of a fallen world. God did something about it, and He gave the most precious thing to give: His only begotten Son.
iii. We learn the recipient of God's love: Whoever believes in Him. God loves the world, but the world does not receive or benefit from that love until it believes in Jesus, the gift that the Father gave. Believes in means much more than intellectual awareness or agreement. It means to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to.
iv. We learn the intention of God's love: Should not perish. God's love actually saves man from eternal destruction. God looks at fallen humanity, does not want it to perish, and so in His love He extends the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.
v. We learn the duration of God's love: Everlasting life. The love we receive among people may fade or turn, but God's love will never change. He will never stop loving His people, even unto the furthest distance of eternity.Source
God So loved the world
The Almighty Authority That He gave His only begotten Son
The Mightiest Motive That whoever
The Greatest Gift Believes in Him
The Widest Welcome Should not perish
The Easiest Escape But have everlasting life
The Divine Deliverance
The Priceless Possession
Commentary by Jamieson, Faussett and Brown
For God so loved, etc.. Source
What proclamation of the Gospel has been so oft on the lips of missionaries and preachers in every age since it was first uttered? What has sent such thrilling sensations through millions of mankind? What has been honored to bring such multitudes to the feet of Christ? What to kindle in the cold and selfish breasts of mortals the fires of self-sacrificing love to mankind, as these words of transparent simplicity, yet overpowering majesty? The picture embraces several distinct compartments:
"THE WORLD"--in its widest sense--ready "to perish";
the immense "LOVE OF GOD" to that perishing world, measurable only, and conceivable only, by the gift which it drew forth from Him;
THE GIFT itself--"He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," or, in the language of Paul, "spared not His own Son" (Ro 8:32), or in that addressed to Abraham when ready to offer Isaac on the altar, "withheld not His Son, His only Son, whom He loved" (Ge 22:16);the FRUIT of this stupendous gift--not only deliverance from impending "perdition," but the bestowal of everlasting life;
Ro 8:32 Ge 22:16
He who 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?
and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD , that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
the MODE in which all takes effect--by "believing" on the Son. How would Nicodemus' narrow Judaism become invisible in the blaze of this Sun of righteousness seen rising on "the world" with healing in His wings! (Mal 4:2).
Mal 4:2
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
Commentary by John Gill
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son;
The Persic version reads "men": but not every man in the world is here meant, or all the individuals of human nature; for all are not the objects of God's special love, which is here designed, as appears from the instance and evidence of it, the gift of his Son: nor is Christ God's gift to every one; for to whomsoever he gives his Son, he gives all things freely with him; which is not the case of every man. Nor is human nature here intended, in opposition to, and distinction from, the angelic nature; for though God has showed a regard to fallen men, and not to fallen angels, and has provided a Saviour for the one, and not for the other; and Christ has assumed the nature of men, and not angels; yet not for the sake of all men, but the spiritual seed of Abraham; and besides, it will not be easily proved, that human nature is ever called the world: nor is the whole body of the chosen ones, as consisting of Jews and Gentiles, here designed; for though these are called the world, (John 6:33,51); and are the objects of God's special love, and to them Christ is given, and they are brought to believe in him, and shall never perish, but shall be saved with an everlasting salvation; yet rather the Gentiles particularly, and God's elect among them, are meant; who are often called "the world", and "the whole world", and "the nations of the world", as distinct from the Jews; see (Romans 11:12,15) (1 John 2:2) (Luke 12:30) , compared with (Matthew 6:32) . The Jews had the same distinction we have now, the church and the world; the former they took to themselves, and the latter they gave to all the nations around: hence we often meet with this distinction, Israel, and the nations of the world; on those words, And again F3,
``"let them bring forth their witness", that they may be justified, (Isaiah 43:9) (say F2 the doctors) these are Israel; "or let them hear and say it is truth", these are "the nations of the world".'' and so in a multitude of places: and it should be observed, that our Lord was now discoursing with a Jewish Rabbi, and that he is opposing a commonly received notion of theirs, that when the Messiah came, the Gentiles should have no benefit or advantage by him, only the Israelites; so far should they be from it, that, according to their sense, the most dreadful judgments, calamities, and curses, should befall them; yea, hell and eternal damnation.
``the holy, blessed God said to Israel, when I judge Israel, I do not judge them as "the nations of the world":''
``There is a place (they say F4,) the name of which is "Hadrach", (Zechariah 9:1) . This is the King Messiah, who is, (Krw) (dx) , "sharp and tender"; sharp to "the nations", and tender to "Israel".''
And so of the "sun of righteousness", in (Malachi 4:2) , they say F5,And that F6
``there is healing for the Israelites in it: but the idolatrous nations shall be burnt by it.'' And on those words in (Isaiah 21:12) , "the morning cometh", and also the night, they observe F7,
``there is mercy for Israel, but judgment for the rest of the nations.'' And again F8,
``the morning is for the righteous, and the night for the wicked; the morning is for Israel, and the night for "the nations of the world".'' Once more F9,
``in the time to come, (the times of the Messiah,) the holy, blessed God will bring "darkness" upon "the nations", and will enlighten Israel, as it is said, (Isaiah 60:2) .'' To which may be added that denunciation of theirs F11
``in the time to come, the holy, blessed God will bring the nations of the world, and will cast them into the midst of hell under the Israelites, as it is said, (Isaiah 43:3) .'' Now, in opposition to such a notion, our Lord addresses this Jew; and it is as if he had said, you Rabbins say, that when the Messiah comes, only the Israelites, the peculiar favourites of God, shall share in the blessings that come by, and with him; and that the Gentiles shall reap no advantage by him, being hated of God, and rejected of him: but I tell you, God has so loved the Gentiles, as well as the Jews,
``woe to the nations of the world, who perish, and they know not that they perish: in the time that the sanctuary was standing, the altar atoned for them; but now who shall atone for them?'' that whosoever believeth in him,
to, and for them, as well as for the Jews; to be a covenant of the people, the Gentiles, the Saviour of them, and a sacrifice for them; a gift which is a sufficient evidence of his love to them; it being a large and comprehensive one, an irreversible and unspeakable one; no other than his own Son by nature, of the same essence, perfections, and glory with him; begotten by him in a way inconceivable and expressible by mortals; and his only begotten one; the object of his love and delight, and in whom he is ever well pleased; and yet, such is his love to the Gentiles, as well as Jews, that he has given him, in human nature, up, into the hands of men, and of justice, and to death itself: should not perish, but have everlasting life;
whether Jew or Gentile, Footnotes
(See Gill on 3:15). Source
F2 T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 2. 1.
F3 Ib. fol. 4. 1. Vid. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 91. 2. & Bereshit Rabba, fol. 11. 3.
F4 Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 24. 1. Jarchi & Kimchi in Zech. ix. 1.
F5 Zohar in Gen. fol. 112. 2.
F6 Zohar in Exod. fol. 15. 1, 2.
F7 T. Hieros. Taaniot, fol. 64. 1.
F8 Shemot Rabba, sect. 14. fol. 99. 4.
F9 Ib sect. 11. fol. 98. 3.
F11 T. Bab. Succa, fol. 55. 2.
Commentary by John Wesley
Verse 16. Yea, and this was the very design of God's love in sending him into the world.
Whosoever believeth on him - With that faith which worketh by love, and hold fast the beginning of his confidence steadfast to the end.
God so loved the world - That is, all men under heaven; even those that despise his love, and will for that cause finally perish. Otherwise not to believe would be no sin to them. For what should they believe? Ought they to believe that Christ was given for them? Then he was given for them. He gave his only Son - Truly and seriously. And the Son of God gave himself, Galatians 4:4, truly and seriously.Source
Galatians 4:4
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
Commentary by Matthew Henry
[2.] Jesus Christ came to save us by pardoning us, that we might not die by the sentence of the law, John 3:16,17. Here is gospel indeed, good news, the best that ever came from heaven to earth. Here is much, here is all in a little, the word of reconciliation in miniature.
First, Here is God's love in giving his Son for the world (John 3:16), where we have three things:--Source
1. The great gospel mystery revealed: God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son. The love of God the Father is the original of our regeneration by the Spirit and our reconciliation by the lifting up of the Son. Note, 2. Here is the great gospel duty, and that is to believe in Jesus Christ (Whom God has thus given, given for us, given to us), to accept the gift, and answer the intention of the giver. We must yield an unfeigned assent and consent to the record God hath given in his word concerning his Son. God having given him to us to be our prophet, priest, and king, we must give up ourselves to be ruled, and taught, and saved by him.
(1.) Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son of God. This magnifies his love in giving him for us, in giving him to us; now know we that he loves us, when he has given his only-begotten Son for us, which expresses not only his dignity in himself, but his dearness to his Father; he was always his delight.
(2.) In order to the redemption and salvation of man, it pleased God to give his only-begotten Son. He not only sent him into the world with full and ample power to negotiate a peace between heaven and earth, but he gave him, that is, he gave him up to suffer and die for us, as the great propitiation or expiatory sacrifice. It comes in here as a reason why he must be lifted up; for so it was determined and designed by the Father, who gave him for this purpose, and prepared him a body in order to it. His enemies could not have taken him if his Father had not given him. Though he was not yet crucified, yet in the determinate counsel of God he was given up, Acts 2:23. Nay, further, God has given him, that is, he has made an offer of him, to all, and given him to all true believers, to all the intents and purposes of the new covenant. He has given him to be our prophet, a witness to the people, the high priest of our profession, to be our peace, to be head of the church and head over all things to the church, to be to us all we need.(3.) Herein God has commended his love to the world: God so loved the world, so really, so richly. Now his creatures shall see that he loves them, and wishes them well. He so loved the world of fallen man as he did not love that of fallen angels; see Romans 5:8,1Jo 4:10. Behold, and wonder, that the great God should love such a worthless world! That the holy God should love such a wicked world with a love of good will, when he could not look upon it with any complacency. This was a time of love indeed, Ezekiel 16:6,8. The Jews vainly conceited that the Messiah should be sent only in love to their nation, and to advance them upon the ruins of their neighbours; but Christ tells them that he came in love to the whole world, Gentiles as well as Jews, 1 John 2:2. Though many of the world of mankind perish, yet God's giving his only-begotten Son was an instance of his love to the whole world, because through him there is a general offer of life and salvation made to all. It is love to the revolted rebellious province to issue out a proclamation of pardon and indemnity to all that will come in, plead it upon their knees, and return to their allegiance. So far God loved the apostate lapsed world that he sent his Son with this fair proposal, that whosoever believes in him, one or other, shall not perish. Salvation has been of the Jews, but now Christ is known as salvation to the ends of the earth, a common salvation.
Acts 2:23
This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
Romans 5:8 1 John 4:10
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Ezekiel 16:6-8
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 2:2
6 " 'Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, "Live!"
8 " 'Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD , and you became mine.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3. Here is the great gospel benefit: That whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish. This he had said before, and here repeats it. It is the unspeakable happiness of all true believers, for which they are eternally indebted to Christ,
(1.) That they are saved from the miseries of hell, delivered from going down to the pit; they shall not perish. God has taken away their sin, they shall not die; a pardon is purchased, and so the attainder is reversed.
(2.) They are entitled to the joys of heaven: they shall have everlasting life. The convicted traitor is not only pardoned, but preferred, and made a favourite, and treated as one whom the King of kings delights to honour. Out of prison he comes to reign, Ecclesiastes 4:14. If believers, then children; and, if children, then heirs.
Ecclesiastes 4:14
The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.
Commentary by People's New Testament
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, etc. Source
There is no sweeter verse in the Bible. It declares: (1) That God is love. (2) That he loved the world instead of hating it. (3) That he so loved that he gave his Son. The Son did not come to appease the Father's wrath, but the Father sent him because he loved so well. (4) That he came to keep men from perishing.
Commentary by Robertson's Word Pictures
For so (outwv gar). Loved (hgaphsen).
This use of gar is quite in John's style in introducing his comments (2:25; 4:8; 5:13, etc.). This "Little Gospel" as it is often called, this "comfortable word" (the Anglican Liturgy), while not a quotation from Jesus is a just and marvellous interpretation of the mission and message of our Lord. In verses 16-21 John recapitulates in summary fashion the teaching of Jesus to Nicodemus. The world (ton kosmon).
First aorist active indicative of agapaw, the noble word so common in the Gospels for the highest form of love, used here as often in John (14:23; 17:23; 1[sgl dagger]John 3:1; 4:10) of God's love for man (cf. 2[sgl dagger]Thessalonians 2:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4). In 21:15 John presents a distinction between agapaw and pilew. Agapaw is used also for love of men for men (13:34), for Jesus (8:42), for God (1[sgl dagger]John 4:10). That he gave (wste edwken).
The whole cosmos of men, including Gentiles, the whole human race. This universal aspect of God's love appears also in 2[sgl dagger]Corinthians 5:19; Romans 5:8. His only begotten Son (ton uion ton monogenh).
The usual classical construction with wste and the indicative (first aorist active) practical result, the only example in the N.T. save that in Galatians 2:13. Elsewhere wste with the infinitive occurs for actual result (Matthew 13:32) as well as purpose (Matthew 10:1), though even this is rare. Source
"The Son the only begotten." For this word see on 1:14,18; 3:18. The rest of the sentence, the purpose clause with ina-exhi precisely reproduces the close of 3:15 save that eiv auton takes the place of en autwi (see 1:12) and goes certainly with pisteuwn (not with exhi as en autwi in verse 3:15) and the added clause "should not perish but" (mh apolhtai alla, second aorist middle subjunctive, intransitive, of apollumi, to destroy). The same contrast between "perish" and "eternal life" (for this world and the next) appears also in 10:28. On "perish" see also 17:12.
Commentary by Scofield
3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
perishworld kosmos = mankind. (See Scofield "Matthew[sgl dagger]4:8") .
(Greek - apollumi [a)po/llumi] ," trans). "marred," Mark 2:22, "lost," ; Matthew 10:6; Matthew 15:24; 18:11; Luke 15:4,6,32. In no N.T. instance does it signify cessation of existence or of consciousness. It is the condition of every non-believer.
Mark 2:22 Matthew 10:6
22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
Source
About Commentary Authors
Prepared by William C. Barman for George Young Memorial United Methodist Church -- Palm Harbor, FL on 9/22/03; 9:15:43 AM