John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish… These words express the substance of the gospel. No speaker ever had the power of condensing great principles into so narrow a compass as the Lord Jesus. I. THE PLAN OF SALVATION ORIGINATED IN THE LOVE OF GOD. 1. The idea that God is loving has been doubted or denied. (1) By those who contend that the world ought to have been made happy and pure. To them the fact that He provides remedies is no proof of His goodness. (2) By those who suppose that the Bible represents God as originally a stern and inexorable Being placated by Christ, and that now He is only mild and benignant to a few. 2. The text teaches that God was originally disposed to show mercy. (1) No change has been wrought in His character by the plan of salvation. He was just as worthy of love and confidence before as after the atonement. (2) God was originally so full of mercy that He was willing to stoop to any sacrifice except that of truth and justice in order to save man. (3) The plan of salvation was not merely to save man, but to save the name, character, and government of God. This could only be done by allowing His Son to be treated as if He was a sinner, in order to treat the really guilty as if they were righteous, and so to identify the one with the other. II. THE EXPRESSION OF HIS LOVE WAS THE HIGHEST THAT IT COULD POSSIBLY BE. 1. Such a gift as that of His only begotten Son is the highest conceivable gift, and this Christ intends to convey. The Bible represents God as having the attributes of a kind and tender Father. He loves when He says He loves, and is no cold creation of the imagination. When a man bids his son go into the tented field with every prospect of his dying for the welfare of his country, it is the highest expression of his attachment for that country. 2. But no man has ever manifested such a love as God's. In a few instances a man has sacrificed his life for his friend, and not a few fathers and mothers endangered their lives for their children. But who has ever given the life of his child for an enemy? But "God commendeth," etc. (A. Barnes, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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