John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
As we consider verses 16-18, we want to be careful not to think that God loves everyone in the world with the same love. Jesus was making the point to Nicodemus that eternal life isn’t just for the Jews. God promised Abraham that through him, the nations would be blessed. Psalms 22:27-28 declares God’s love for the nations. “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD’S and He rules over the nations.” Isaiah prophesied in 2:2, Isaiah 2:2, “Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.”
From before the foundation of the earth, God planned that everyone he would save in the world would only be saved through Jesus, His son. The plan from the beginning was to send His Son into the world to take away the sins of the world, not meaning every sin of every man, but that there would be no sins taken away from anyone that was not taken away by and through His son, Jesus. Peter explaining to the Jewish rulers, elders, and scribes how the lame man was healed in the temple said, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). That is the point in these verses.
Nicodemus had mentioned at the beginning of the conversation with Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher.” Jesus corrected his understanding. He came from God this first time to be a savior. He will come another time as the judge of the world. That second coming is recorded in Acts 17:31: “Because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
We live in what is called the age of the Gentiles. Paul referred to it in Rom. 11:25: “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” This is the time when the Spirit of God is blowing through history, giving life to the Gentile world through the gospel. Each believer becomes a testimony of the love of God for the world, as Jesus mentioned in John 3:16. Living to love with Jesus is how we participate in the advancement of the kingdom of God. Our love for others is a testimony to Jesus’ resurrection and the continued demonstration of His love for the world. We have been saved through Jesus, and therefore, we expect others to also be saved through Him. He came to live and love in us so others might be saved. There is no other name given by which anyone may be saved.
I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.
