Read it Closer #4

I decided to shorten my blog posts because my first three posts were more like essays than blog articles.  I’d like to just focus on one set of verses at a time for brevity’s sake. I realize not all have the desire to read an entire theological treatise.  I hope this blog encourages you to read the Bible with skeptical eyes, searching the Scriptures daily to see if what you hear is true (Acts 17:11).

 

“For God so loved the elect that He gave His only begotten Son, that when they believe in Him they will not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the elect, but to condemn the non elect.” John 3:16-17

 

Is this what the Bible says? This is a common interpretation of Reformed theology that Jesus only died to save a select group of individuals from hell, but predestined the rest to burn eternally for His sheer delight.  Let’s read it closer.

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

 

The Bible clearly teaches that God loves the entire world.  The Greek word for world is “cosmos” and it’s literally a universal idea.  We speak of the entire universe as the cosmos, and here no doubt God is speaking of all people universally.  God loves all people.  God is love (1 John 4:8).  Any doctrine that decreases God’s glory to make you think He loves less than how a human would love must make you question its authenticity.  These are the most famous verses of the whole New Testament, yet many respected and popular pastors and teachers don’t agree with it.  Notice that Jesus said whoever believes in Him.. might be saved. Therefore, anyone could potentially come to Christ and be saved.

Jesus died not only for our sins (Christians’), but also for the whole world’s sins (1 John 2:2).  God desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4).  He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).  He takes no delight in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their evil and live (Ezekiel 18:23ff).  Calvinists believe that God is more concerned about His power than about His love.  They say God decreed to show His power by predestining most people to burn in hell forever. There is nothing they can do to seek after God, and even though God could open their eyes and save them, He doesn’t want to. I cannot disagree more.

Which God would you rather worship?  A God who sovereignly chose a few people to be saved but decreed that the rest be burned forever?  A God who delights in showing His power by decreeing that people sin and then leaving them in their sin to die forever even though He could have extended His power to save them? Or a God who sovereignly chose to give us freedom of choice on whether we will love Him back?  A God who loves us so much that He would send Christ to die for everyone’s sins and not only leave us in it but give us an opportunity to be freed from it?  A God who overflows with love, compassion, and generosity toward all His creatures?  I ask you this:  Which God looks more like Jesus to you?

 

This quote is taken from a blog I follow, and was spoken by John Wesley, a great revivalist and preacher of the 18th century:

“Answer all [the Calvinists’] objections, as occasion offers, both in public and private. But take care to do this with all possible sweetness both of look and of accent…Make it a matter of constant and earnest prayer, that God would stop the plague.”