John 3:16 is one of the Bible verses known by millions, but almost always misunderstood. John MacArthur explains why that is so.
The free offer of the Gospel is broad enough to include the worst sinner who believes, however, the Gospel is narrow enough to exclude the most moral religious unbeliever.
Sermon highlights precede Dr. MacArthur’s video sermon [emboldening, bracketed statements and underscoring are mine]:
- The free offer of the gospel is sufficiently broad to include the worst sinner who believes; it is sufficiently narrow to exclude the most moral, religious unbeliever
- WHOEVER believes, will in Him have eternal life
- Nicodemus likely came to Jesus wondering what moral religious thing he could do to enter into the kingdom, that he might have peace for his soul
- Read John 3: 1-8 and you will see that nothing can be done by the sinner to experience the new birth – therein, the words state that the Holy Spirit gives birth from above if and when He chooses [MacArthur, elsewhere states that the new birth is in this respect like our physical birth, it had nothing to do with our will… but it was our parents who gave us physical birth. So all those people who signed a card, chose Christ…have been deceived – what they claim cannot be done]
- To be born again, one needs a divine miracle from heaven over which you have no control or participation
- “Whoever” believes, will in Him have eternal life; the “whoever” shocked Nicodemus
- The Jews knew that eternal life was the life of God; divine life; everlasting life; supernatural life; union with the trinity forever…
- The Jews also believed that the Messiah would come to save them and punish the Gentiles
- Jesus said nothing about Moses, Abraham, the tabernacle, temple, law…; but only spoke [regarding salvation] about believing in the Son of Man who would be lifted up…
- Whoever believes would escape judgment, be given forgiveness, blessing, eternal life in heaven
- Salvation therefore is by faith, believing in Christ
- The reformers used the following Latin terms to explain faith: Sola (alone) fide (only faith); sola gratia (only grace); sola Christos (only Christ); sola scriptura (only by scripture)
- Christ said that many believed – what did they believe? That He was a teacher sent by God who performed miracles…
- To clarify further, the reformers defined ‘belief’ via other Latin terms:[spelling may be wrong] noticia (knowledge); feducia (to trust in); and assensus (to assent to, commit to)
- To have knowledge such as is spoken of in Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
- Nicodemus was a racist who long hated the Gentiles; the idolatrous, blasphemous nations
- While Nicodemus was struggling to accept what Jesus had said, and likely wondering why God did not just give eternal life to those who kept the rules, Jesus began explaining God’s motive – His love, John 3:16ff
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
- God’s love moved Him to give His only begotten Son – MacArthur expounded and explained, how John 3:16 has been obscured by theologians
- Nicodemus believed he hated the world because God hated it
- God’s love for the world does not mean He is saving all; see, verse 18: 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
- God’s love is evident in common grace such as rain falling upon the just and unjust; sun shining on same (see Matthew 5); also in gospel invitations (see Matt. 4; Matt. 5-7 is the Sermon on the Mount, Christ’s greatest sermon)
- God also demonstrated His love by writing His laws upon the hearts of mankind [see Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36, references to the new covenant established upon the blood of Christ]
- God’s love is evident in that He makes Himself accessible to human reason; and in creation (see Romans 1)
- He has a special love for His own in the world (see Revelation 4-7); the saints that gather around the throne are from every tongue, people, and nation, not just Israel
- Therefore, Nicodemus’ theology was wrong: salvation comes from heaven, it is not a work; God loves the world unlike Nicodemus; salvation comes by faith, Nicodemus thought it was by works
- ‘Only begotten’ is a Greek word that means: unique; one of a kind; the only one
- God ‘so’ loved the world; ‘so’ indicates, to the degree that; to the end that; in this way
- The extent of His love is measured by the extent of His gift – His Son, the means of salvation
- ‘Believes’ what? In the Lord Jesus Christ
- That God raised him from the dead (see 1 Corinthians 15); that one believes in the significance of the cross, the resurrection and the gospel
- Again, the free offer of the gospel is broad enough to include the worst sinner who believes; and narrow enough to exclude the most moral, religious unbeliever
- Who is the most moral, religious unbeliever on the planet, the Pope; he hopes in his own righteousness by works and merit to get to heaven, the gospel excludes him
- The Greek word for ‘perish’ indicates eternal ruin, hell
- Please follow this carefully: the message of our Lord is that you need to be born from above, and that is the work of God [John 3:1-8], you do not participate in that. Anyone can be saved, who believes, there is no other way
- Why did God do that? That no one would be able to boast about how good or smart, etc., they were to have been saved
- God sent Jesus out of His love: John 3:17 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. OR, Luke 19:10 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
- In Christ’s second coming, He will judge
- John 3:18 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.
- ‘Already’ indicates that when you arrived on this planet, you were already an unbeliever, your sentence was then passed by God the Judge
- People typically think things like, “I think I’ve done more good than bad.” “If God’s keeping records, I think I’ll be okay.”
- Such statements are irrelevant [meaningless]
- You’ve already been judged; nothing is NOW being determined about your case; no one is counting, to see if your good acts outweigh your bad…
- God is well aware of you crimes against Him, but these have nothing to do with the verdict
- The sack is over your head, your neck is under the guillotine’s blade and the executioner has his hand on the rope [your status from birth in unbelief till conversion]
- No future verdict will be made; but because you have not believed in the only Son of God, you will be sent to hell
- When you stand before God at the white throne judgment, you will have to admit that you did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
- You are NOW condemned and sentenced [having been born in unbelief and remaining there], if you CONTINUE in unbelief, then you will eternally perish
- One reason people do not believe in Christ is that they love their sin, as noted in verse 19: 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.
- Loving the light of scriptural truth forces one to acknowledge his sin and wretchedness; those who love darkness are unwilling to be exposed by God’s truth, they choose to avoid being exposed by God’s light; and rationalize by resenting the church, God’s word and Christians…
- STOP appealing to sinners psychologically by asking if they want purpose in their lives, want Jesus to make them happy, wealthy, healthy…that produces false converts
- Such statements are lies [in the Bible, Jesus told His followers to pick up their cross, deny themselves and follow Him; He never changed His gospel message for any sinner]
- Believers who practice living truth and righteousness by looking at themselves according to scripture learn to live in the light [see James 1]; they also learn that it is God working in them; e.g. Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ
- Such realizations increase their assurance, comfort, understanding, security…
The above video is from the YouTube site: Love Never Fails – Rocio Fletes
Part of her rationale for starting her channel is as follows: …This channel is to provide encouragement and love for all my brothers and sisters in CHRIST, to help those who are sincerely seeking the TRUTH, and above all things to speak the TRUTH in Love even if it costs me. May HIS peace and blessing be upon everyone visiting this channel. Amen.
She has a lot of good videos that are worth exploring, the following link is to her video page:
https://www.youtube.com/user/rfparra05/videos
To know more about the lie, which is the ‘sinner’s prayer,’ click the following link to another post in this blog: https://sheeplywolves.com/the-sinners-prayer-if-that-is-how-you-were-born-again-then-please-read-this-post-to-understand-the-dangers-that-threaten-your-soul/