John 3:17 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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John 3:17

Comments

We are then introduced to the condemnation from which we have been delivered, because the word ‘saved’ is going to be used. It is a shock to Nicodemus for condemnation to be introduced. Nicodemus believed in condemnation, he believed in the day of judgement, he believed in what the Israelites would have called the ‘day of God’, but in his mind, this only applied to the pagan nations. It did not apply to the Israelites, it did not apply to him and his fellow citizens. This was just for the pagans, for the heathen, for the unbelieving world. What Christ says is therefore a shock to him. Salvation is not only by grace, by the mercy and favour of God which cannot be earned, but it is to individuals. It is not to all Israelites, but to those who are personally brought to know God, and who personally have faith in him. The rest, like the pagan nations, are under condemnation. That is a shock to Nicodemus. When we are reading here, ‘the world,’ it means human beings in general. It means a lost, human race. God will save a vast number of human beings through what Christ has done.

Application

Questions

Why did God not send his Son into the world to condemn the world? Because if God only wanted to condemn the world, he could have done it from heaven without the Son ever coming down to earth. As far as Christ working in judgement is concerned, he had no need to be sent into this world in order to be judge. He came into the world because he had an intention to save. The presence of the Son in the world is therefore a signal of God’s merciful intention. It should cause mankind to look up from its state of despair and to dare to hope God’s pardon and for life beyond this world of misery and death. It is true that those who reject Christ will be judged more severely than if he had not come at all. They have not only broken God’s commandments all their lives, but also rejected God’s highest messenger and shown disdain for the gospel. That is true, and yet Christ offers salvation to all and openly invites all without exception to come to him for life so that that those who do not come have only themselves to blame.

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John 3:17 Commentary and Bible Study