GOD
SO LOVED THE WORLD
John 3:16-21
16 "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. 17 "For God did not send the
Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be
saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged;
he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "This
is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved
the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20
"For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come
to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 "But
he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may
be manifested as having been wrought in God."
This text begins with the so-called "little Bible" - John 3:16 - which
we so quickly believe that we
can.
It lies after all in the expression "the little Bible" that here is the
whole Script’s doctrine and main point expressed in this one verse. Here
is God, His gracious temper and kind heart towards man expressed in
words. Here is both the Father and the Son revealed unto us.
The Father was, in his love for us, willing to sacrifice - give -
His Son in our place. And that not because we were good, pious and
god-fearing, but while we still were "the
world."
The Son on His aspect was willing to be
offered. He was obedient until death, yes the death on a cross.
(Phil. 2:8).
Here is also revealed our position as human being, we are, and we will
be
lost.
And here is our salvation from the perdition revealed - it is by faith
in Him whom the Father gave in our place, and about whom it is written
that He "gave Himself for our sins." (Gal. 1:4).
Yes, precisely for our
sins!
What could possibly shut you out then? It is surely not your sins,
because Jesus gave Himself for them. They are fully paid for by His
blood.
Now you see, you who believe that it is the Word of God - Gods
speech - unto you, you have in front of you, that here is written: "God
did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the
world might be saved through Him."
(v.17).
The world,
that is
you!
God did not send Jesus to condemn you. You see, it is not Jesus‘
job
to condemn you - you are after all already doomed/lost because of the
sin. Now He has quite a different service, given Him by God, and that is
to save you. And then not by some peculiar intervention within you, that
shall change – still less "Christianise" - you as person, but by this
that He gave Himself as payment for your sins.
As this begins to dawn within your heart, you are getting to see
this peculiar, but divine truth, that you
are
saved
in Him.
This
is to believe in Jesus! This is the saving faith - the one that saves
from the perdition and leads you into fellowship with God where you can
see Him who
has
given Himself for your sins, who has put things straight for you and
written
paid
with his own costly blood.
Yes but I'm so deeply depraved! You should only know.
He gave Himself for your
sins!
God gave his Son precisely so that you might not perish. You can never
ever be any better Christian in God’s eyes than what you are by Jesus’
act.
The devil is leading on a dreadful play with us people here, by his
servants, by making us believe that we must save ourselves, by our
self-improvement. And to give this a particular spiritual impress, and
even a suspicion by "grace," he preaches that God has opened
possibilities for us, for whoever truly wants - an open door into God’s
power sources, so we can be standing by virtue of
that.
This is in the reality nothing but to, by God’s help be saved by doing
what the Law says,
and
God’s
salvation has with that become
naught
for you. ""I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes
through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." (Gal. 2:21). "- then
Christ died
needlessly."
Consider that -
in
vain!
If you should believe that this, the devils heresy is a rare
product in our "evangelic" country, then you have scarcely kept yourself
posted lately.
When it comes to your salvation, my friend, it stands and falls with one
sole thing, your relationship with Jesus‘ act to our salvation.
This God’s love for us people is revealed unto us here - preached
unto us clearly: "It cost the precious blood of Christ to save me one
day." (From Norw. songbook).
For you, the sinner, the Father gave the dearest He owned, and
Jesus was willing to die in your place so that you should live by Him.
They have both suffered! Therefore this is a great earnestness if you
reject it. "You
has already been judged!"
(v.18).
Lost, but now not because of your sins, but because of your
rejection of God’s salvation - the ultimate sin according to Jesus'
word: "And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because
they do not believe in Me." (John 16:8-9). And, as this text also says:
"This
is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved
the darkness rather than the Light," and this again has one quite
particular reason: "for their deeds were
evil."
(v.19).
It is not our matter to stamp and condemn people as dishonest, but the
Word of God is perfectly clear on this - there is no
honest
reason to reject the Gospel! God shall, as we are seeing, according to
this word, confront each of these with
the
truth
one day: You loved the darkness above the light!
That
is why
you did not want to hear and believe!
If one wishes to be in the darkness - the dimness - because it is
something there one loves, one will naturally hate the light, which both
will unveil and deprive you of what you have there.
If you replace the word,
light,
with
clarity,
e.g. you will see the reason for those often, endless discussions and
irrelevant remarks. It is a clarity one does not wish to get at - one
"will not come to the Light." (v.20). The light feels threatening - one
hates it - it is troublesome - it gives a discord and uneasiness – it is
disturbing.
And when you then know,
who
this light is, you will also see this truth clearly revealed in how
Jesus ended His life in this world of darkness.
The light, which is spoken about here, is a person, Jesus Christ, He who
said about Himself: "I am the Truth!"
But it is also the truth when it sounds here: "He
who believes in Him is not judged."
(v.18a).
Then why has so many who profess themselves to Jesus and His act to
salvation also so often an accusation in their inner - a gnawing
uneasiness and constant discord, an almost constant feeling of being
unworthy in relations to the name as a Christian one professes
One
clings
to Him, and knows no other rescue when one looks on one’s own life. One
does precisely what stands here in v. 21: Comes to Him with all things,
both good and evil, sin and good doings, everything is laid at His feet,
in the light,
and one does not know – or wishes - to hide anything.
And still there is like accuse in the inner person that never quite
will let go off. How come? Why do you have it like that? Certainly, you
look at yourself (i.e. that you appraise yourself and your life in the
light of the Laws claim), listening to your conscience judgement and the
devils accuse and scorn of any tendency of outspokenness and joy: "You
just must not believe that this includes
you!"
- and have with that not really heard what is written here: "He
who believes in Him is
not
judged."
(v.18a).
How often hasn’t Jesus also reason for saying the very same to us
as He said to his disciples: "You have so little faith!" But His
legitimate rebuke implied nevertheless no rejection. It is not Jesus‘
way to alienate miserables - "A bruised reed He will not break And a
dimly burning wick He will not extinguish" (Is. 42:3), but on the
contrary He gets them to blaze up again, where
He
is
let in.
Some means one must use the Law more where the situation is such. One
must require more of them, it is said, otherwise they won‘t succeed, and
by that they put out the little that after all was there. They never got
to see, that what they claimed of themselves together with unwise
preachers and teachers was all completed for them, and the Christianity
became to them "over ability."
There is many like them among us. You tried, perhaps, after your best
ability to make room for Jesus in your life, something He could be
satisfied with. That is not Christianity, that is law-bondage in a
Christian suit.
Listen! It is enough room for you with
Him.
Not because you have achieved anything, but because He came to call in
sinners,
and seek and save what was
lost!
God so loved the world!
E.K.
Holy Bible, New American
Standard Version
Translator:
E.K. |
