Johannes 3:16

Afrikaans Bible

Want so lief het God die wêreld gehad, dat Hy sy eniggebore Seun gegee het, sodat elkeen wat in Hom glo, nie verlore mag gaan nie, maar die ewige lewe kan hê.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God: Luke 2:14, Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, Titus 3:4, 1 John 4:9, 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:19

gave: John 1:14, John 1:18, Genesis 22:12, Mark 12:6, Romans 5:10, Romans 8:32

that whosoever: John 3:15, Matthew 9:13, 1 Timothy 1:15, 1 Timothy 1:16

Reciprocal: Genesis 22:2 - Take Deuteronomy 30:15 - General Psalms 2:7 - this Psalms 36:7 - How Psalms 40:10 - lovingkindness Proverbs 8:4 - General Proverbs 8:24 - I was Proverbs 8:35 - whoso Isaiah 9:6 - unto us a son Isaiah 51:6 - my salvation Isaiah 55:4 - I have Ezekiel 2:1 - Son Ezekiel 47:9 - every thing Zechariah 9:17 - how great is his goodness Matthew 7:11 - how Matthew 17:5 - This Matthew 21:37 - last Matthew 25:46 - the righteous Matthew 26:63 - the Christ Matthew 27:43 - I am Mark 1:1 - son Mark 1:11 - Thou Mark 9:7 - This Mark 16:16 - that believeth and Luke 1:78 - tender Luke 9:35 - This Luke 20:13 - I will John 1:34 - this John 3:36 - that believeth on John 4:10 - If John 5:24 - He that John 5:43 - come John 6:29 - This John 6:47 - He that John 6:51 - the life John 7:29 - for John 8:51 - If John 10:28 - I give John 14:4 - and the John 20:31 - believing Acts 16:31 - Believe Romans 1:3 - his Son Romans 4:11 - father Romans 5:15 - But not Romans 8:39 - love 1 Corinthians 2:9 - eye 2 Corinthians 1:19 - the Son 2 Corinthians 5:15 - that they 2 Corinthians 5:18 - all 2 Corinthians 9:15 - his Galatians 2:20 - the Son Galatians 4:4 - God Colossians 1:15 - the firstborn Colossians 3:3 - your 2 Thessalonians 2:16 - which Titus 1:2 - eternal Hebrews 1:2 - spoken Hebrews 1:6 - And again Hebrews 2:3 - so Hebrews 2:9 - by Hebrews 5:5 - Thou Hebrews 10:39 - but Hebrews 11:17 - only 1 John 3:1 - what 1 John 3:16 - perceive 1 John 4:14 - the Saviour 1 John 5:10 - that believeth on 1 John 5:11 - God Revelation 2:18 - the Son

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For God so loved the world,.... The Persic version reads "men": but not every man in the world is here meant, or all the individuals of human nature; for all are not the objects of God's special love, which is here designed, as appears from the instance and evidence of it, the gift of his Son: nor is Christ God's gift to every one; for to whomsoever he gives his Son, he gives all things freely with him; which is not the case of every man. Nor is human nature here intended, in opposition to, and distinction from, the angelic nature; for though God has showed a regard to fallen men, and not to fallen angels, and has provided a Saviour for the one, and not for the other; and Christ has assumed the nature of men, and not angels; yet not for the sake of all men, but the spiritual seed of Abraham; and besides, it will not be easily proved, that human nature is ever called the world: nor is the whole body of the chosen ones, as consisting of Jews and Gentiles, here designed; for though these are called the world, John 6:33; and are the objects of God's special love, and to them Christ is given, and they are brought to believe in him, and shall never perish, but shall be saved with an everlasting salvation; yet rather the Gentiles particularly, and God's elect among them, are meant; who are often called "the world", and "the whole world", and "the nations of the world", as distinct from the Jews; see Romans 11:12, compared with Matthew 6:32. The Jews had the same distinction we have now, the church and the world; the former they took to themselves, and the latter they gave to all the nations around: hence we often meet with this distinction, Israel, and the nations of the world; on those words,

""let them bring forth their witness", that they may be justified, Isaiah 43:9 (say b the doctors) these are Israel; "or let them hear and say it is truth", these are "the nations of the world".''

And again c,

"the holy, blessed God said to Israel, when I judge Israel, I do not judge them as "the nations of the world":''

and so in a multitude of places: and it should be observed, that our Lord was now discoursing with a Jewish Rabbi, and that he is opposing a commonly received notion of theirs, that when the Messiah came, the Gentiles should have no benefit or advantage by him, only the Israelites; so far should they be from it, that, according to their sense, the most dreadful judgments, calamities, and curses, should befall them; yea, hell and eternal damnation.

"There is a place (they say d,) the name of which is "Hadrach", Zechariah 9:1. This is the King Messiah, who is, ורך

חד, "sharp and tender"; sharp to "the nations", and tender to "Israel".''

And so of the "sun of righteousness", in Malachi 4:2, they say e,

"there is healing for the Israelites in it: but the idolatrous nations shall be burnt by it.''

And that f

"there is mercy for Israel, but judgment for the rest of the nations.''

And on those words in Isaiah 21:12, "the morning cometh", and also the night, they observe g,

"the morning is for the righteous, and the night for the wicked; the morning is for Israel, and the night for "the nations of the world".''

And again h,

"in the time to come, (the times of the Messiah,) the holy, blessed God will bring "darkness" upon "the nations", and will enlighten Israel, as it is said, Isaiah 60:2.''

Once more i,

"in the time to come, the holy, blessed God will bring the nations of the world, and will cast them into the midst of hell under the Israelites, as it is said, Isaiah 43:3.''

To which may be added that denunciation of theirs k

"woe to the nations of the world, who perish, and they know not that they perish: in the time that the sanctuary was standing, the altar atoned for them; but now who shall atone for them?''

Now, in opposition to such a notion, our Lord addresses this Jew; and it is as if he had said, you Rabbins say, that when the Messiah comes, only the Israelites, the peculiar favourites of God, shall share in the blessings that come by, and with him; and that the Gentiles shall reap no advantage by him, being hated of God, and rejected of him: but I tell you, God has so loved the Gentiles, as well as the Jews,

that he gave his only begotten Son; to, and for them, as well as for the Jews; to be a covenant of the people, the Gentiles, the Saviour of them, and a sacrifice for them; a gift which is a sufficient evidence of his love to them; it being a large and comprehensive one, an irreversible and unspeakable one; no other than his own Son by nature, of the same essence, perfections, and glory with him; begotten by him in a way inconceivable and expressible by mortals; and his only begotten one; the object of his love and delight, and in whom he is ever well pleased; and yet, such is his love to the Gentiles, as well as Jews, that he has given him, in human nature, up, into the hands of men, and of justice, and to death itself:

that whosoever believeth in him, whether Jew or Gentile,

should not perish, but have everlasting life;

Isaiah 43:3- :.

b T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 2. 1. c Ib. fol. 4. 1. Vid. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 91. 2. & Bereshit Rabba, fol. 11. 3. d Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 24. 1. Jarchi & Kimchi in Zech. ix. 1. e Zohar in Gen. fol. 112. 2. f Zohar in Exod. fol. 15. 1, 2. g T. Hieros. Taaniot, fol. 64. 1. h Shemot Rabba, sect. 14. fol. 99. 4. i Ib sect. 11. fol. 98. 3. k T. Bab. Succa, fol. 55. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For God so loved - This does not mean that God approved the conduct of men, but that he had benevolent feelings toward them, or was “earnestly desirous” of their happiness. God hates wickedness, but he still desires the Happiness of those who are sinful. “He hates the sin, but loves the sinner.” A parent may love his child and desire his welfare, and yet be strongly opposed to the conduct of that child. When we approve the conduct of another, this is the love of complacency; when we desire simply their happiness, this is the love of benevolence.

The world - All mankind. It does not mean any particular part of the world, but man as man - the race that had rebelled and that deserved to die. See John 6:33; John 17:21. His love for the world, or for all mankind, in giving his Son, was shown by these circumstances:

1. All the world was in ruin, and exposed to the wrath of God.
2. All people were in a hopeless condition.
3. God gave his Son. Man had no claim on him; it was a gift - an undeserved gift.
4. He gave him up to extreme sufferings, even the bitter pains of death on the cross.
5. It was for all the world. He tasted “death for every man,” Hebrews 2:9. He “died for all,” 2 Corinthians 5:15. “He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world,” 1 John 2:2.

That he gave - It was a free and unmerited gift. Man had no claim: and when there was no eye to pity or arm to save, it pleased God to give his Son into the hands of men to die in their stead, Galatians 1:4; Romans 8:32; Luke 22:19. It was the mere movement of love; the expression of eternal compassion, and of a desire, that sinners should not perish forever.

His only-begotten Son - See the notes at John 1:14. This is the highest expression of love of which we can conceive. A parent who should give up his only son to die for others who are guilty if this could or might be done - would show higher love than could be manifested in any other way. So it shows the depth of the love of God, that he was willing. to give his only Son into the hands of sinful men that he might be slain, and thus redeem them from eternal sorrow.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 3:16. For God so loved the world — Such a love as that which induced God to give his only begotten son to die for the world could not be described: Jesus Christ does not attempt it. He has put an eternity of meaning in the particle ουτω, so, and left a subject for everlasting contemplation, wonder, and praise, to angels and to men. The same evangelist uses a similar mode of expression, 1 John 3:1: Behold, WHAT MANNER of love, ποταπην αγαπην, the Father hath bestowed upon us.

From the subject before him, let the reader attend to the following particulars.

First, The world was in a ruinous, condemned state, about to perish everlastingly; and was utterly without power to rescue itself from destruction.

Secondly, That God, through the impulse of his eternal love, provided for its rescue and salvation, by giving his Son to die for it.

Thirdly, That the sacrifice of Jesus was the only mean by which the redemption of man could be effected, and that it is absolutely sufficient to accomplish this gracious design: for it would have been inconsistent with the wisdom of God, to have appointed a sacrifice greater in itself, or less in its merit, than what the urgent necessities of the case required.

Fourthly, That sin must be an indescribable evil, when it required no less a sacrifice, to make atonement for it, than God manifested in the flesh.

Fifthly, That no man is saved through this sacrifice, but he that believes, i.e. who credits what God has spoken concerning Christ, his sacrifice, the end for which it was offered, and the way in which it is to be applied in order to become effectual.

Sixthly, That those who believe receive a double benefit:

1. They are exempted from eternal perdition-that they may not perish.

2. They are brought to eternal glory - that they may have everlasting life. These two benefits point out tacitly the state of man: he is guilty, and therefore exposed to punishment: he is impure, and therefore unfit for glory.

They point out also the two grand operations of grace, by which the salvation of man is effected.

1. Justification, by which the guilt of sin is removed, and consequently the person is no longer obnoxious to perdition.

2. Sanctification, or the purification of his nature, by which he is properly fitted for the kingdom of glory.