R*o
发帖数: 3781 | 1 http://blog.guidedbytruth.com/johnthreesixteen.php
In order to believe in Calvinistic theology, a person must explain why the n
ormal text of a passage simply does not say what it appears to say. John 3:1
6 is probably the most popular Bible verse in all the world, and yes, by tha
t I mean the entire world. I could be wrong, but needless to say, many peopl
e, even non-Christians, know this verse by heart. However, according to Calv
inists, this verse does not really mean exactly what it says. To them, the w
ord 搘orlddoes not mean the entire world.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, tha
t whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
A Calvinist could probably spend over thirty minutes explaining to you why t
he word 搘orldin this sentence does not mean the whole world. They might g
ive examples of how the word is sometimes used to mean a certain group of pe
ople within the world and after awhile that might start to make sense. The p
roblem with those types of examples are that when words such as 搘orld,揳l
l,and 揺veryonedo not actually mean world, all and everyone, that point
is usually made obvious by the context in which that word is used. Let me gi
ve an example.
If I walk up to you carrying a crate of apples, look down at the crate with
a disgusting look on my face and tell you, 揺very apple is rotten,you are
not going to assume that I mean every apple in the world is rotten. From the
context of the situation, you know that I am referring to every apple withi
n the crate I am carrying. That is obvious within the context. Calvinists wo
uld like you to believe that in the obvious context of John 3:16 God does no
t really mean the whole 搘orldbut rather only the 揺lectwho are in that
world. Look at the context of John 3:16.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, tha
t whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the w
orld through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever d
oes not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the
name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into
the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were
evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the
light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the t
ruth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has d
one has been done through God."
If the word 搘orldin verse 16 actually means the 揺lect,then the word 搘
orldin verse 17 should also mean the same thing, because these two verses
are related in the immediate context of this passage. However, it would make
no logical sense to replace the word world with the elect in this passage.
It simply does not work.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to
save the world through him.
God sent his son into the 搘orldwhich is the physical realm of the earth a
nd it is referenced in a way that includes all the people who inhabit it. He
did not send his Son to the world, but into it, a wording that makes no sen
se if the world is to mean the elect. At the beginning of the book of John w
e read:
John 1: 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the w
orld. 10 He was in the world , and though the world was made through him, th
e world did not recognize him.
It is obvious that Jesus was sent into the 搘orldwhich has nothing to do w
ith the elect. He made the world (created the earth), was 搃nthe world (be
came flesh and dwelt among us) and the world did not recognize him (his own
new him not). This is the same meaning in John 3:17 when it says the Son was
sent 搃ntothe world. In fact, the phrase, "the world did not recognize hi
mcannot mean the elect, because the elect are those who 揹orecognize Him
and accept Him.
This is confirmed again in the context in John 3:19 when it says, 揕ight has
come into the worldwhich again is referring to the physical realm of the
earth, the 搘orldas a whole. This has nothing to do with the elect. This i
s again, confirming what was mentioned in chapter one.
John 1:9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the wo
rld.
In both John 1:9 and John 3:19 the world hated the light, and wanted nothing
to do with it. This could not possibly be referring to the elect. Instead,
the context of the passage clearly shows that John 3:16 means exactly what i
t says. God so loved the world, which are all the inhabitants of the physica
l realm of the earth that God sent His Son into, so that He could offer salv
ation to those who believed in Him.
If you look closely at the way John uses the word world in all of his writin
gs, you will find that it is usually referring to those who are not Christia
ns. It is not typically a term used for the elect, but rather one used for t
hose who reject Christ. Look at a few of these examples:
John 15:18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19
If you belonged to the world , it would love you as its own. As it is, you d
o not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is w
hy the world hates you.John 17:14 I have given them your word and the world
has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the worl
d. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you prot
ect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not o
f it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me i
nto the world , I have sent them into the world . 19 For them I sanctify mys
elf, that they too may be truly sanctified.
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves
the world , the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the w
orld the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of
what he has and does comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The
world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives
forever.
The world hates Christ, so are we to assume the elect hate Christ? No, that
is not a logical or Scriptural conclusion to come to. Christians used to be
part of the world but were taken out of it when they believed.
John 17:6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. T
hey were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, th
e world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his
own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who belie
ved in his name, he gave the right to become children of God13 children bo
rn not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but bo
rn of God.
The world is anyone who inhabits the earth and who is in need of salvation,
which is (or was) all of us, at least at one time. We were all sinners and p
art of the 搘orldthat God loved so much that he sent his Son to save it. T
hose who believe are no longer part of that 搘orldbecause we are made new
in Christ. There is no contextual, or logical, way to conclude that the worl
d in John chapter three could be referring to the elect.
There is also nothing in this passage that suggests that because the entire
world does not end up saved, that Christ did not do what He had set out to d
o and somehow failed at his objective. See, Calvinists claim that if Christ
really died for the whole world then the whole world would be saved. But thi
s passage makes no such claim. While the Bible does claim that Christ died f
or the entire world, it clearly states that there is a stipulation that come
s with that salvation. Christ died for all, but only those who 揵elievein
Him will actually be saved. The passage is very clear on this point.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, tha
t whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
It does not say that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so tha
t no one would perish. Notice the word THAT in this sentence. God loved the
world so much THAT he gave his Son so THAT whoever believed would not perish
. He clearly chose to die for all and offer the choice of accepting eternal
life up to us.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe st
ands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one
and only Son
Those who believe are not condemned but those who do not believe are condemn
ed already for not 揵elieving.Belief is the key here and the passage makes
that quite clear. The reasoning of a Calvinist is not really logical. Think
about it. Lets say a city builds a library. The library is for the use of a
ll the citizens of that city. It was built for everyone. However, everyone w
ill not use that library. Some people might not ever get a library card or e
ven step inside its doors. Does that mean the city lied and somehow failed a
t their promise to build a library for the use of everyone in the city? No,
it means that, while it is offered to all the citizens, people must choose w
hether or not they utilize it. It was not built to 揻orcepeople to read bu
t it was made to encourage them to read by making the ability to do so is re
adily available for everyone. A citizen of that town could not claim that th
ey never learned to read because they did not have access to books. In the s
ame manner, a person cannot claim that they were never saved because they di
d not have access to salvation, which is something that could be said if Cal
vinism were true.
Salvation is available to all men because God loves the entire world and wan
ts to save it, however he offers that salvation only to those who are willin
g to accept it. Whoever believes will be saved, but whoever does not believe
is already condemned because they do not believe in Jesus Christ. You have
a choice because God's love will not force you to accept Him. The choice is
there because God loves you enough to give you a chance to escape eternal to
rment in hell. Praise the Lord for His unfailing love, one none of us are wo
rthy of!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand
slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone
to come to repentance. | R*o
发帖数: 3781 | 2 I don't want to label anyone
just ask yourself how you interpret John 3:16
and who taught you to interpret this way |
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