For God So Loved the World…Say What?
The
“Red-Letter Words” of Jesus
Day
33
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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 3:14-17 (NKJV)
Nicodemus probably had a tough time accepting what Jesus said in verse sixteen. “For God so loved the world…” went against everything he believed. Befitting the Pharisaic mindset, Jesus should have stated “For God so loved the Jewish people that He gave His only begotten Son…”
The Jews expected the Messiah to come, not to the entire world, but exclusively to them to save them from Roman domination. That’s why Nicodemus visited Jesus in the middle of night. His thought was, “Could this be The One the scriptures prophesied about?”
It’s easy for me to condemn the Jewish view of exclusiveness, and yet, the truth is at times I’m guilty of the same thing. And I don’t have Nicodemus’ excuse either. According to God’s own law, He consecrated them as His unique people and set them apart from the rest of mankind to fulfill His purposes and plans. God even promised the Messiah would descend from the nation of Israel.
When I arrive in heaven, I’ll probably be shocked at some of the folks who are there. How did the Catholics and Methodists get in? After all, their doctrines pale in comparison to the one for my denomination. I’ll let the Baptist slide because they are strong on salvation and baptism, although I don’t quite buy the “you have to be baptized to get to heaven” part.
Of course, I’m being facetious. I think you get my point. My denomination doesn’t hold the keys to heaven and eternal life, only Jesus Christ does. Even so, I do know when Nicodemus heard Jesus declare that God loved all people, it was a tough pill for him to swallow.
Father, You indeed love the entire world. Your love isn’t exclusive but all-inclusive. Please forgive me where I have judged others and attempted to exclude them from Your love. Or where I have deemed my denomination superior and authoritative compared to other denominations. As a result of Your great love, You have the whole world in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/john/3
http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/john/3
No comments:
Post a Comment