What does it mean that, "God SO LOVED the world”? John 3:16
John 3:16 - 21
ESV - 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
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Asked December 01 2021
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Anonymous
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Tim Maas
Because of the universal, willing sin of humanity, no person in the world deserves anything from a holy, sinless God except eternal separation from Him. Despite the fact that God would therefore have been totally justified in not allowing anyone to live eternally in His presence, He still loved the earth's inhabitants (since it was He who had originally created them in His own image) to such a degree that He was willing to sacrifice His own only-begotten, sinless Son to make it possible for any of those inhabitants who placed their faith in Him (rather than in their own imperfect righteousness) to have eternal life.
John Appelt
God so loved the world. That God loved the world so much is a powerful message. However, this is not the way it was intended by John. The Greek word for ‘so’ in this verse is not used for indicating a degree or intensity of anything. Instead, it consistently means ‘thus’ or ‘in this manner.’ Matthew 1:18 uses the same word to describe how the birth of Jesus took place. In Matthew 6:9, Jesus told in what way or how His disciples should pray. So, this well-known verse can actually be translated, “For, in this manner God loved the world, that He gave...” This corresponds to John’s other writings. In I John 4:9, he wrote, “In this was the love of God was manifested,” and goes on to explain how He did in sending His Son that we might live through Him. Also, in connection with that, he wrote in I John 4:11, “...if God so loved us…” John is not saying, “if God loved us so much,” but “if God thus loved us...” In that same manner of display of love, we are to show love to His people. In Romans 5:8, Paul says much the same thing, “God demonstrated His own love…” The love of God is constant and compassionate. His love is truly so great that He proved it by putting it into action and delivered us from sin through His one and only and unique Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ben Jones
God so loved the "world." The Greek word for "world" is kosmos. There are several different meanings in the Bible for this word. We must determine which "world" is in context with this passage and which world He actually loves which is the world that Christ died for. 1. The physical world with its oceans, mountains, hills, valleys and rivers. According to 2 Peter 3:10 God says that on the Day of the Lord the earth shall be burned up with a fervent heat. The earth is temporal, so I don't believe that this is the correct kosmos here. Jesus didn't send His Son to die for trees, valleys or mountians, so who did Jesus come to save? Luke 19:10 "For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost." If something is lost, it had to have been originally been owned. I can't lose something I never had, I can only lose something I rightfully own. Christ the Good Shepherd is seeking His lost sheep. He is not seeking the lost sheep of another shepherd. 2. The world system with its idolatry, drunkenness, sexual perversions, orgies blasphemies and so forth. 1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." You can scratch that one of your list of kosmos possibilities. 3. Does the scriptures say anywhere that God hates? Proverbs 6:16-19 "There are six things the LORD hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family." Lastly God hated Esau! Romans 9:13 "As it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." So what kosmos do these people live in that God hates? The unregenerated God hating world of atheists, abortionists, liars, people filled with pride, lovers of money, people with evil hard hearts, those who lie on the witness stand after swearing to tell the truth, a person who is rebellious against any authority like their parents or God and people who are zealous for their false religion and that hate the living God, God's only begotten Son, His Holy Spirit and His revealed word the Bible. Jesus said of these people in John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." The "world" that Jesus died for is the world where God is our heavenly Father not Satan. 4. The world where God reigns supreme. Where His righteous children live by His word. Where love for the brothers and sisters in Christ abounds. Where there is love for what is true, honorable, excellent, right, lovely, admirable and things that are worthy of praise. A world where God is honored, loved, praised, and worshiped in spirit and truth, where the Holy Spirit has free reign in the hearts of His adopted children. Where this is harmony between bothers and sisters and respect for God. THIS is the world that God loves, this is the world of John 3:16.
A.I. Bloom
John 3:16 is a cornerstone verse in the Christian faith, expressing the profound love of God for humanity. It states: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Here's a breakdown of what this verse tells us about God's love: * **Universal Love:** "God so loved the world" emphasizes the vastness and inclusivity of God's love. It extends to all people, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or past actions. * **Sacrificial Love:** God's love is not merely an emotion; it's demonstrated through action. He "gave his only Son," Jesus Christ, as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity. This act of giving showcases the depth and selflessness of God's love. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to atone for the sins of all people, offering salvation to anyone who chooses to believe in him. * **Conditional Love:** While God's love is universal, the promise of eternal life is conditional upon belief in Jesus Christ. This belief involves accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, trusting in his sacrifice for salvation. * **Eternal Life:** The ultimate expression of God's love is the gift of eternal life. This signifies a restored relationship with God, characterized by peace, joy, and purpose that extends beyond earthly existence. In essence, John 3:16 portrays a God who deeply loves and values humanity, taking extraordinary measures to offer salvation and eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ. One frequent question regarding John 3:16 is 'what does the world mean here?" Is it in reference to the entirety of humanity across all eras of history? Or is it in reference to a smaller subset of humanity? Contextually, the "World" in John 3:16, κόσμος/kosmos in Greek, encompasses all of the inhabitants of the world. There is no reason from the text or context to limit to the region to just Rome or Israel, nor to limit the people of the world to certain types or some of each race. Throughout the Gospel of John, "world" often signifies the entirety of humanity, as seen in verses like John 1:29 and John 12:47. While there are cases where a smaller region is in mind, such as Israel or the civilized lands of Rome, these would not fit the context of John 3:16 as there is no immediate reason to limit the region in mind. Also, while there are idiomatic uses of the world (such as the reference to crowds of people in Israel in John 12:19) these also would not fit the context of John 3:16, nor give a reason to understand the world as a reference to a select subgroup of people. We also see in other scripture that the "world" is often used to encompass both believers and unbelievers, such as in Matt 13:36-39, Matt 26:13. For one last contextual reason showing John 3:16 cannot merely be about a subset of people God has chosen to believe, John 3:19 makes it very clear that most of this same "world" loves their sin: "And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil." - John 3:19 Therefore, John 3:16's message is clear: God's love extends to all of humanity, without exception, which is why the Father gave His Son to bring light and salvation to the world. Through faith in Jesus, anyone can receive the gift of eternal life in Christ. Believers will never perish, because in Christ we have been given life and are no longer condemned for our sin. [This answer was generated with the A.I. "Bloom" model trained by Jennifer Rothnie, and edited for clarity and conformity with scripture.]
Tim Maas
If I am interpreting the question correctly, by stating "God so loved the world", the verse is saying that God loved the people of the world so much, or so greatly. This great love led Him to incarnate and sacrifice His only-begotten Son (Jesus) to pay the debt for humanity's sin, so that it would be possible for sinful humans to have eternal life through faith in the redemption that Jesus accomplished through His sinless life, His atoning death on the cross, and His subsequent resurrection.
Kenneth Darling
John 3:16, Possibly the single most popular verse in the Bible, at the very least the most well known. But what does this verse mean exactly? I kind of have a different approach to this answer and I'd like to share it. I view the use of the word "world" in the verse not so much as a meaning of quantity, but rather as a meaning of quality. We already know our Lord Jesus Christ died for your sin, for my sin, and for the sin of all who are lost, so maybe John 3:16 is just more rehashing of the same messaging? What if by using "world" John was instead describing just how spectacularly conquering God's love is. This world is not so wonderful and great that it is up to God to save it, but instead God's love is so great that it is the only absolute thing that could save such a wretched creation. I think more than often we read John 3:16 and come away with the world lifting it's head up high only after being redeemed by God, when in all reality the world had its head raised the whole time before being saved in its pride and arrogance to then having to be broken, leading to the world being ever so humble and grateful. I got my opinion/answer from what theologian Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield said in his sermon "God's Immeasurable Love" where he concludes with this statement: "[World] is not here a term of extension so much as a term of intensity. Its primary connotation is ethical, and the point of its employment is not to suggest that the world is so big that it takes a great deal of love to embrace it all, but that the world is so bad that it takes a great kind of love to love it at all, and much more to love it as God has loved it when he gave his Son for it."
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