The World - Part II
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.
Continued from Part I. This leads
to the question: what world is in view in John 3:16? Without hesitation, gospel
preachers answer: the world that God did “so love” is the world of His elect,
“as many as” the Fat
The World - Part II
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.
Continued from Part I. This leads
to the question: what world is in view in John 3:16? Without hesitation, gospel
preachers answer: the world that God did “so love” is the world of His elect,
“as many as” the Father gave the Son before the world began (John 6:36-37;
17:2). “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John
1:29). There is a world whose sins are gone (Jeremiah 50:20; Micah 7:19; Isaiah
38:17; Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 9:26; Daniel 9:24, 26) their sins are no more,
what world is that? It is that world, that God loved, as He loved Jesus Christ
(John 17:23). The world that God so loved is that world that Christ Jesus loved
and washed from their sins in His own blood (Revelation 1:5). The world That
God so loved is that world that Christ redeemed “out of” every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation (Revelation 5:9) Christ Jesus did
not redeem every man of all the nations, but some men out of the
nations. The world that God did so love is that world that was taken “from
among” men (revelation 14:4) selected from among them, picked out
of them: certain individuals chosen unto eternal salvation in Jesus Christ and
accepted in Him before the world was made. The world that God so loved, is that
world that is freely given the faith of God’s elect (Titus 1:1), and therefore
it is the world of “whosoever believeth” - “through grace” (Acts 18:27) it is
through the grace of God in Christ Jesus that any man is given the ability and
will to believe the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Love of God is not unrequited
love: for it is written: “We love him, because he first loved us.” (I John
4:19): particular attention should be given to “because” as it connects the
first and second clauses of the verse. There is a cause and effect relationship
in these two clauses, in the first clause, the cause is stated, which is the
love of God to His church and people whom He gave to Christ from everlasting in
the covenant of grace (John 17:2); in the second clause we have the effect
stated, which is produced in the hearts of those whom God did so love as to
give His only begotten Son for them, and that effect is reciprocal love of Him
who gave His only Son for those whom He had loved without beginning. But it
must be understood that the effect here, which is, the love of the people of
God, for God, is not the immediate result of the love of God for His people, no
there must be some intervening work on the part of God which prepares the heart
of the people for this love (Proverbs 16:1), and that is the birth from above,
as it is written, “ye must be born again” (John 3:7). In His violent, bloody,
cross death, our Lord Jesus Christ, not only redeemed His people (Galatians
3:13) but He also purchased, by His precious blood, “all spiritual blessings”
and “all things that pertain to life and godliness” for those who the Father
had given Him before the world began (Ephesians 1:3; II Peter 1:3). The natural
sons of Adam are, as King David declared, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 59:5). By natural birth, our
minds are “enmity against God” (Romans 8:7). All the race of men are rebellious
children, but, some are God’s rebellious children, by His sanctification in
eternal election (Jude verse 1), and in time, by the sanctification of the
Spirit, which is, the birth from above (I Peter 1:2; II Thessalonians 2:13). In
the new birth, the children of God are given a new heart of love for God and
His unadulterated gospel. The “word of truth” (James 1:18) is planted in the
hearts of the elect by the Holy Ghost, as it is written: “Forasmuch as ye know
that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
But by the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without
spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was
manifest in these last times for you, Who
by him do believe in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him
glory; that your faith and hope should be in God. Seeing you have purified your
souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the
brethren, see that ye love one
another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but by incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
(I Peter 1:18-23). The force of this verse (I John4:19) is not, in some
instances true; and in other cases false: no it is always true. Those whom God
has loved, He has loved and does love immutably; not because of any good thing
for-seen as in them, as faith, and not for any thing done by them, as good
works, but because it pleased Him to make them His own peculiar treasure (Psalm
135:4), as it is written: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, (such as the gift of faith, and the gift of repentance: writer) and cometh
down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be
a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (James 1:17-18).
Consider the ramifications, if,
God does love all men. Many who say they are preachers of the word of God in
our day, say that God does love all men; and that God wants to save all men.
They say that Jesus Christ died for all men, without exception or distinction.
And they say that all men receive the same call of the Holy Ghost. This is the
common belief of men in those countries that are called Christian. Are these
things true? To this question the writer must answer, no, they are not
true. God does not love all men, the
concept is foreign and also contrary to the word of God: first because there
are many clear statements of scripture that declare that there are those who
God does not love, as before, here are just a few: God hatest all workers of
iniquity, (Psalm 5:5) God abhorred those nations whom He expelled before Israel
(Levitius 20:23), God hated Esau (Romans 9:13), “God hath scattered the bones
of him that encampeth against thee:
thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.” (Psalm 53:5).
“But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep,” (John 10:26). “Israel
hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the
spirit of slumber, eyes that they should see, and ears that they should not
hear;) unto this day.” (Romans 11:7-8) “For the scripture saith unto pharaoh,
Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in
thee, (through the destruction of Pharaoh, his army, and his nation: writer)
and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and
whom he will he hardeneth.” (Romans 9:17-18). To continue in Part III.
See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear
the truth of the gospel preached at www.13thstbaptist.org
webcasting live at listed service times.
AJ Ison
The Love of God is not unrequited
love: for it is written: “We love him, because he first loved us.” (I John
4:19): particular attention should be given to “because” as it connects the
first and second clauses of the verse. There is a cause and effect relationship
in these two clauses, in the first clause, the cause is stated, which is the
love of God to His church and people whom He gave to Christ from everlasting in
the covenant of grace (John 17:2); in the second clause we have the effect
stated, which is produced in the hearts of those whom God did so love as to
give His only begotten Son for them, and that effect is reciprocal love of Him
who gave His only Son for those whom He had loved without beginning. But it
must be understood that the effect here, which is, the love of the people of
God, for God, is not the immediate result of the love of God for His people, no
there must be some intervening work on the part of God which prepares the heart
of the people for this love (Proverbs 16:1), and that is the birth from above,
as it is written, “ye must be born again” (John 3:7). In His violent, bloody,
cross death, our Lord Jesus Christ, not only redeemed His people (Galatians
3:13) but He also purchased, by His precious blood, “all spiritual blessings”
and “all things that pertain to life and godliness” for those who the Father
had given Him before the world began (Ephesians 1:3; II Peter 1:3). The natural
sons of Adam are, as King David declared, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 59:5). By natural birth, our
minds are “enmity against God” (Romans 8:7). All the race of men are rebellious
children, but, some are God’s rebellious children, by His sanctification in
eternal election (Jude verse 1), and in time, by the sanctification of the
Spirit, which is, the birth from above (I Peter 1:2; II Thessalonians 2:13). In
the new birth, the children of God are given a new heart of love for God and
His unadulterated gospel. The “word of truth” (James 1:18) is planted in the
hearts of the elect by the Holy Ghost, as it is written: “Forasmuch as ye know
that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
But by the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without
spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was
manifest in these last times for you, Who
by him do believe in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him
glory; that your faith and hope should be in God. Seeing you have purified your
souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the
brethren, see that ye love one
another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but by incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
(I Peter 1:18-23). The force of this verse (I John4:19) is not, in some
instances true; and in other cases false: no it is always true. Those whom God
has loved, He has loved and does love immutably; not because of any good thing
for-seen as in them, as faith, and not for any thing done by them, as good
works, but because it pleased Him to make them His own peculiar treasure (Psalm
135:4), as it is written: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, (such as the gift of faith, and the gift of repentance: writer) and cometh
down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be
a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (James 1:17-18).
Consider the ramifications, if,
God does love all men. Many who say they are preachers of the word of God in
our day, say that God does love all men; and that God wants to save all men.
They say that Jesus Christ died for all men, without exception or distinction.
And they say that all men receive the same call of the Holy Ghost. This is the
common belief of men in those countries that are called Christian. Are these
things true? To this question the writer must answer, no, they are not
true. God does not love all men, the
concept is foreign and also contrary to the word of God: first because there
are many clear statements of scripture that declare that there are those who
God does not love, as before, here are just a few: God hatest all workers of
iniquity, (Psalm 5:5) God abhorred those nations whom He expelled before Israel
(Levitius 20:23), God hated Esau (Romans 9:13), “God hath scattered the bones
of him that encampeth against thee:
thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.” (Psalm 53:5).
“But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep,” (John 10:26). “Israel
hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the
spirit of slumber, eyes that they should see, and ears that they should not
hear;) unto this day.” (Romans 11:7-8) “For the scripture saith unto pharaoh,
Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in
thee, (through the destruction of Pharaoh, his army, and his nation: writer)
and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and
whom he will he hardeneth.” (Romans 9:17-18). To continue in Part III.
See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear
the truth of the gospel preached at www.13thstbaptist.org
webcasting live at listed service times.
AJ Ison
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