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. —John 3:16

This is rightly one of the most known and beloved verses in the Bible. Unfortunately, there are many who go beyond what this verse says. It is frustrating to see this used as “bomb” that “defeats” and “refutes” the doctrine of election and predestination. It is often exclaimed, “See? God said He loves the WORLD! He couldn’t have chosen some to salvation because He desires all men to be saved!” This sure sounds good. It fits the presuppositional mold that many have fit themselves into. But is it the message that God is teaching in this wonderful verse?

It is essential to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus in this passage of scripture. Nicodemus has come to Jesus by night, afraid of the reproach of his peers, yet still genuinely interested in knowing more about who Jesus Christ is. Jesus responds to his query by expounding on the necessity of the new birth. This regeneration is compared with physical birth, but Christ makes it quite clear that it is a spiritual process, accomplished only by the Holy Spirit. In the verses following the description of being “born again” by the Spirit of God, Jesus describes the observable evidence of this new birth (also described in I John 5:1)—belief in Jesus Christ.

Only after He explains that the new birth is something accomplished by God does Christ answer Nicodemus’ original question. He compares the future prophecy of His suffering on the cross with the brazen serpent raised in the wilderness. He shows Nicodemus that it is simply a matter of looking to Him who paid the price for sin. This is the essence of belief—looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:1).

Here, Jesus describes the focus of that belief. The cause of the belief is God—it is God who sent His Son into the world. John 3:16 begins with the phrase, For God so loved the world. Literally, He is saying, “This is the demonstration of God’s love for the world.” The apostle Paul paraphrases this thought when he said, “God commendeth his love toward us. . .”

The coming of Christ was not the cause of God’s love, rather the sending of His Son was because of His great love for the world! Many well-meaning people become tied up in the definition of the word world. The careful student must not add-to or take-away-from the word of God in this manner.  God said world, and He certainly meant what He said! It is understood, of course, that words must be defined. A proper definition of world in this context could be understood as the race of mankind. Is that not what God is saying? To either limit the word more than this, or to expand its definition to absolutely include every single individual, is to do injustice to a proper understanding of this verse.

The emphasis seems to be on the fact that salvation was not offered to the Jews only, but to the entirety of mankind, i.e. the world. Certainly, we find further definitions of who Christ died for specifically (Revelation 5:9), but that is not the purpose of this verse. There is no need to try to limit God’s own words here. God does a fine job of explaining Himself! That said, God’s love has been demonstrated in a most wonderful manner in the sending of His only begotten Son. Truly, even those who have never tasted of the wonderful salvation that is found in the blood of Christ have been blessed by the fact that He came—whether or not they will acknowledge it. God demonstrated His love by sending His only Son to pay the penalty for sin, but for what purpose? That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The phrase “whosoever believeth” is another example of words expanded to mean more than they do. This phrase is a translation of two Greek words that literally mean “every believing-one”. In other words, every single individual who believes in Christ is promised everlasting life. By contrast, every person who does not believe in Christ will not see life, but is condemned already.

This verse does not address the reason for the belief of the “whosoever”, but Jesus addresses that question later in John 6 and other passages. This statement is a surety; not simply a possibility. God is not saying that it is possible that some may believe, and if they believe, then they have the possibility of receiving eternal life.

Instead, God is proclaiming that since He sent His Son, those who believe in Him will surely receive everlasting life. Because of Christ, those who believe will not see condemnation. There is not reason to fear being separated from that love when the believer realizes that, yes, Christ truly died for him, to accomplish his eternal salvation! What a wonderful promise God has given us in this precious verse. To close with the words of a favourite hymn:

I need no other argument

I need no other plea

It is enough that Jesus died

And that He died for me!