One of the most famous Bible Scriptures is John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This is the reason, why God sent His Son to the world. But it doesn’t stop here, there is more. However many Christians don’t talk about the Bible verses following John 3:16 because they are not so familiar with them as they are with verse 16. However, John 3:17-21 explains why God gave His only begotten Son and what it truly means to believe in Jesus Christ, so that you shall not perish but have eternal life.
Why Did God sent His Son to the earth?
God loved the world, and as result of this love, God sent His only begotten Son to the earth to save mankind.
Jesus came in the likeness of man (flesh and blood). Jesus was born of the Seed of God instead of the seed of man. Therefore the sinful nature (evil) was not present in the flesh.
However, Jesus was able to become disobedient to the words and the will of God and sin. Just like Adam, who was perfectly created in the image of God, but had the ability to sin. Because why else did the devil tempt Jesus if Jesus couldn’t sin? (a.o. Hebrews 2:14; 4:15).
Jesus had to come in the likeness of man and become a Partaker of flesh and blood. Why? Because otherwise Jesus couldn’t become a Substitute for fallen man and take the sin of the world upon Him and legally enter Hades to destroy the devil that had the power of death and deliver the prisoners of war and take them with Him.
And so Jesus came in the likeness of man and was tempted in all points, just as we are. However, Jesus didn’t sin. Jesus remained faithful to God and executed His will (Hebrews 2:14-15; 4:15).
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and the people that believed and obeyed the words of God and looked at the serpent, wouldn’t die but live, so did Jesus Christ had to be lifted up. So that, the people that believe in Jesus Christ shall not perish but have eternal life (a.o. Numbers 21:6-9, John 3:14-15).
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life
John 3:16
did God sent His Son into the world to condemn the world?
God didn’t sent His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. Jesus brought and manifested the Kingdom of God and call the people (of the house of Israel) to repentance and to believe in Him, the Messiah, so that they would not perish and go away into everlasting punishment but receive eternal life.
Salvation through Jesus Christ was first of all meant for God’s people (the house of Israel). However, after Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church (the Body of Christ), salvation came to the Gentiles.
Jesus came to the earth to save mankind and not to judge mankind, since it was not His time to judge the world. However, the time of His judgment will come on the Day of Judgment. (a.o. Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46, John 12:47-48, 2 Peter 2:9; 3:7, Revelation 20:11-15 (Read also: For which judgment did Jesus come into this world?)
As long as Jesus has not returned and the Day of Judgment has not come, the people on earth still have the ability to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life. Because Jesus still saves.
Jesus still gives eternal life to people, who believe in Him. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done. Jesus showed His love for you on the cross. He gives everyone the opportunity to be saved and receive eternal life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God
John 3:17-18
God sent His Son into the world, that the world through Him might be saved
The people that believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and believe in Him as Savior and put their trust in Him, shall listen to Jesus and obey His words and do His words in their lives.
By faith and regeneration in Christ, they have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness, where the devil is the ruler and reigns, into the Kingdom of Light, where Jesus Christ is King and reigns.
They shall no longer live in fear and condemnation. But because of the acquittal and redemption in Christ, they shall live in freedom. They’ll be free from sin and the bondage of the devil and death (Romans 6:16-22, Colossians 1:13-14, Hebrews 2:14-15).
They know, that by faith in Christ, which means that they believe and put their trust in Christ, they shall not be judged but receive eternal life.
That’s because they believe in the Word and the Word says, that whosoever believes in Jesus Christ shall not perish but receive eternal life (a.o. John 3:16-21; 5:24, Romans 8:1).
You don’t just believe with words. The works you do in your life testify if you really believe in Jesus Christ and put your trust in Him and if you belong to Jesus or not. (a.o. James 1:22-27; 2:14-26, Matthew 5:16; 7:15-20)
People can say they believe in Jesus Christ, while they don’t put their trust in Him and are not saved.
You believe, by believing and obeying the words of God and the words of Jesus, which derive from God, and doing the words of God in your life and standing on the Word.
“Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, but do not what I say?”
If you believe in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and you love Jesus, you will submit to Him and do what He says.
Many Christians call Jesus their Lord, but they don’t do what He says. These Christians walk in pride and rebellion in the vanity of their mind. They rely on their own knowledge, wisdom, abilities, and insights. They decide for themselves what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong, and what you can do and what you can’t do.
These Christians do whatever they want and give their own interpretation of the Scriptures, so that they can persevere in sin. They don’t care about the will of God, but they only care about their will. But it doesn’t work that way in the Kingdom of God (Read also: Shall I find faith on the earth?).
The people that don’t believe in Jesus Christ are condemned already
The people that don’t believe in Jesus the Christ (the Messiah), the only begotten Son of God, and don’t put their trust in Jesus, are already condemned and live in condemnation.
The condemnation is that the Light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. And so their evil deeds testify that they love darkness rather than light.
The words of people don’t testify if they believe the Light and walk in the light. But the works of people testify whether they believe in the Light and have been transferred from the darkness into the light and walk in the light or not.
If people say they believe in Jesus, but walk in darkness, because of the evil works they do, then their wicked works (sin) testify that they love darkness rather than light.
The people that do evil and don’t live according to the will of God in obedience to His Word but live in unbelief and sin, hate the Light. They don’t go to the Light, and don’t abide in the presence of the people that belong to the Light and walk in the light. Why? Because they don’t want their evil works to be exposed and rebuked. they love their evil works and don’t want to repent and remove them from their lives.
He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved
John 3:18-20
People that do evil hate the Light, but people that do truth come to the Light
However, the people that believe in Jesus Christ the Way, the Truth, the Light, and the Life, and put their trust in Him and repent and through regeneration in Christ belong to Him, shall submit to Jesus and obey His words. Because they obey His words and do the truth, they go to the Light, so that their works may be made manifest that they are wrought in God and they belong to God.
They don’t live in unbelief and condemnation, but they live according to the Word and the Spirit in freedom in obedience to God and walk in the light, in the truth of God and shall come boldly to the throne of grace and live in communion with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God
John 3:21
‘Be the salt of the earth’
