John 3 Verse 16

John 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.”   

John 3:16 is commonly interpreted to teach that God loved everybody, but the individual must believe in order to get eternal life.  The basic premise of John 3:16 is that the “world” of John 3:16 is “all of humanity.”  The second premise is that believing is a prerequisite to eternal life and not an evidence of eternal life. 

Let us look at the first premise that the “world” of John 3:16 is “all of humanity.”  Whatever the “world” of John 3:16 is, we know that it is a “world” that God so loved that he gave his only begotten Son for.   

There are a number of ways in which the word, world, is used in scripture.  A very small sampling is listed below: 

1.  The Universe:  Ps. 90:2 “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” 

2.  The earth: Ps. 98:7 “Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” 

3.  An age of time: Matt. 13:39  “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.” 

4.  Things in and of the earth:  Matt. 16:26  “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” 

5.  Political and social system on the earth: Mark 4:19  “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” 

6.  The Roman Empire: Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” 

7.  The conglomerate of all earthly kingdoms: Luke 4:5 “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.” 

8.  Composite of all worldly seekers: Luke 16:8 “And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.”  Notice that the children of the world are distinguished from the children of light.   

9.  Composite of spirit born children: John 1:9 “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” 

10. World of those chosen and the world of those not chosen: John 15:19 “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Notice that those chosen are not of the world under consideration. 

11. Those whom Christ refused to pray for: John 17:9 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” 

12.  Non-elect:  Rev. 13:3 “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Rev. 13:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  These verses separate the world of the non-elect from the world of the elect.   

The common belief is that the world in John 3:16 is all of humanity.  However, if it can be shown that there are people that God did not love then the commonly held belief would be proven wrong.  Paul taught the sovereignty of God in election in Romans chapter 9.  Here he also showed that there is a people that God loved and a people that God hated: Rom. 9:10 “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”   

Very plainly, the above passage tells us that God loved Jacob and that he hated Esau.  Now, some people say that God loves us until we reject him, then he hates us.  However, the above passage tells us that God loved Jacob and hated Esau before they were yet born or had done any good or any evil.  We can safely conclude that God’s love of Jacob and his hatred of Esau was not based on any good or any evil that either boy had done.  Moreover, since God’s dealings with Jacob and Esau represent God’s purpose according to election, then we are forced to the conclusion that God loved those that he chose and hated those that he did not choose.   

The scriptures teach us that God chose his people before the world began: Eph. 1:4 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”   

We now proceed to show by several verses of scripture that the people that God chose before the world began are the people that God so loved that he gave his only begotten Son for: 

1.  Matt. 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” 

2.  John 6:37  “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” 

3.  John 10:28, 29  "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father which gave them me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” 

4.  John 17:1, 2  "...Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."

5.  Luke 1:68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,” 

6.  Luke 1:77 “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,” 

We now proceed to identify positively the “world” of John 3:16.  The context of the verses leading up to John 3:16 is the new or spiritual birth.  Jesus had said that a person must be born again in order to be able to see or enter the kingdom of God.  He also pointed out in v. 8 that the Holy Spirit is sovereign and acts independently of man in bringing about the new or spiritual birth.  The world of John 3:16 is therefore the “world” of the born again elect family of God.   

John 3:16 is not a verse describing how we can get eternal life, but rather it is a verse assuring the born again elect that believe on him that they have eternal life.  It is not an offer of salvation from sin but rather an assurance of salvation from sin to the elect and Spirit born children of God who believe on him.   

Thus, reading John 3:16 by substituting the actual “world” for the word, “world,” we have “For God so loved the elect, born again family of God that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  Only someone who has been born of the Spirit can believe in Jesus.  By believing that Jesus died for our sins thus redeeming us to God, we have the assurance that we shall not perish but that we have everlasting life.  Believing in Jesus did not cause us to get everlasting life, but believing is an evidence that we have everlasting life.