Tag John 3:16

For God So Loved the World

Todd R Leave a comment

If you asked a random non-Christian to cite a Bible verse, not quote, but just cite a chapter and verse, there’s a good chance they’d say John 3:16.  It’s as good a summary of the gospel as one verse can provide, and it’s one of the verses I’ve quoted the most on this blog.  In response to a reader suggestion, I’ve figured out what Bible verses I’ve used the most and am writing a series about those verses.  Today’s post is #3 of the series, covering the verse quoted the 3rd least out of the 10 most quoted:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Reading back over the posts where this verse has appeared, I see three ideas I tried to share: what God’s love means for us, what love has to do with “eternal life”, and what “world” God loves.

The first idea is that we would all be eternally lost if not for God’s love.  Since we all fall short of God’s standards, what we deserve is to be banished from God’s presence forever.  In His holiness, He can’t be near us, and in His justice, He must judge our sins.  However, Romans 5:8 tells us: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Without God’s love we would always be sinners, but because of His love, we have a way back to a right relationship with our God.  In one post here, I wrote “Christianity is not judgement, but the only way of escape from it.”

Second, what is this “eternal life” that we can have because God loves us?  I’ve written that “If man had not rejected love, Christianity wouldn’t be necessary; but also, if Christianity does not restore mankind to agape love, it’s pointless.”  When we are brought back into a right relationship with God, it puts us on an inevitable course toward a new world where we will all love perfectly, as Jesus loved perfectly.  Unless heaven is going to be full of loving people, it’s not going to be the perfect place that God is preparing for us.  So, “eternal life”, given to us because of God’s love, is our future, perfect selves living with God for eternity.  The possibility of this is so amazing that God decided it was worth dying for!

Last, I’ve also written that “when I’m struggling to face the world as I see it, I ask about [John] 3:16, ‘Exactly which world did Jesus love enough to die for?’  The answer is this one.  The world He died for is the one where sex, anger, bitter tribalism, and political partisanship sells.  The one with a lot of sarcastic, angry, and bitter people.  The one with a lot of people who are more like us than we’d usually like to admit.”  God didn’t love a world full of His people because without His love, He would have no people.  He loved a world full of sinners, as Romans 5:8 told us.  If God had decided that this world was hopelessly lost, He wouldn’t have bothered to send Jesus to give it hope.

This is the same world that God calls us to love, and to bring hope in the name of Jesus.  While we are in this world, God is already making us like Him, more loving, and in sharing that love with others we share a hope in a world where love is all there is.

So, remember, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Is Money the Root of All Evil?

Todd R Leave a comment

Everyone has probably heard the phrase “money is the root of all evil” or some variation of it.  The phrase is usually directed at someone who has a lot of money by someone who doesn’t, with the implication being that the rich person is evil in some way, or many ways.  It’s a phrase that might make the ones with less money feel better about themselves.  At least they’re not “evil.”

However, while the phrase actually comes from the Bible (sort of), it isn’t biblical at all.  The source of the phrase is 1 Timothy 6:10 but notice some important differences in the wording in the ESV translation (the NIV, NKJV, NASB, and other translations are very similar):

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

The first thing to note is that in 1 Timothy, it’s “love of money” that is the problem, not just “money.”  This means that it’s possible to have a lot of money and for that not to be a moral problem.  As Voddie Baucham said, “Let me clear up something…God is not against you having things.  He’s against things having you.”  There are a lot of very generous rich people and there are a lot of good things that wouldn’t get done, in the church or otherwise, without the monetary contributions of these people.  Those who have money, but don’t love it (money doesn’t have them) often put large amounts of what they have to work for God’s kingdom in many different ways.  Having money doesn’t make them evil.  The root of all evil is therefore something else other than money.

Also notice 1 Timothy says, “a root,” not “the root.”  One means evil has one root, and the other means that there is more than one root.  The wording from 1 Timothy tells us that “all kinds of evil” can grow from things other than the “love of money.”  Money and the love of it are not required to make someone evil.  Many things can be the “root” or source of evil in people, including in some cases the lack of money, ironically.

Lastly, 1 Timothy says, “all kinds of evils” not “all evil.”  So, the “love of money” isn’t the source of all evil, but it can cause many different types of evil.  Greed, covetousness, and haughtiness are some that come to mind.  But also consider that the dislike of people who have money, whether they love it or not, can be the source of jealousy, envy, covetousness (which can come from having or not having money) and other “kinds of evils.”

So, what’s wrong with the saying that “money is the root of all evil”?  It can have the effect of elevating greed and related sins to a higher (worse) level of sin than other sins.  It can become a weapon in the hands of economic and political activists.  But the 1 Timothy version doesn’t do either of these things.  Instead of creating an “us vs. them” situation, with the poor on one side and the rich on the other, the Biblical text shows us that sin comes in many forms, has many causes, and that nobody is immune from sin.

Sin itself is the ultimate problem of humanity, not “love of money,” although that is one kind of sin.  If “money is the root of all evil” then those who don’t love money wouldn’t need Jesus.  But those who hate money are sinners too.  Poor people are sinners too.  They just have different faults.  In the eyes of a holy God, no fault can be tolerated, because His purpose is to have a perfect humanity.  The solution to our economic and political problems is not to eliminate money or the rich, but the solution is that we need a way to remove all sin so we can be reconciled to God and have a path to a sinless life.  “Money is the root of all evil” may cry out for revolution, but “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” cries out that Jesus is the only solution.

Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins is the only thing that will satisfy the requirements of our holy God, bringing us into His family and providing a way that “love of money” and all other sins can be destroyed forever.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils,” but “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The Sure Eternal Path

Todd R 3 Comments

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 6:19-20

We have all seen the John 3:16 signs.  At seemingly every sporting event, someone with a spot guaranteed to be on camera has one.  T-shirts, bumper stickers, frisbees, and probably even iPhone cases have this verse.  This verse is so popular because it is a concise and easy to remember summary of God’s message to humanity: although the world has turned on Him in rebellion, He has not given up on it, but loves His people enough to make the ultimate sacrifice of His own Son to save them from perishing.

But what’s “eternal life”?  What is God offering?

It’s not that those who believe in Jesus will simply live forever, because that’s actually true for everyone.  The Bible explains this, but I like this quote from C.S. Lewis[1]:

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

So, this “eternal life” is different than just biological existence for all time. In a different post, I wrote: “Wisdom is the ability to choose between the path of righteousness and the path of the wicked.”  However, the Bible also contrasts the two paths as representing “life” and “death”.  If “life” is being on the path of righteousness, then eternal life means that the destiny of those who follow Jesus is to eternally choose the path of righteousness.  This eternal life is also lived in community where everyone else is always on that path, and everything that exists in that world will reflect righteousness.  Every decision we make will be in the Spirit; we will always have the right Answer.  This does not mean that we will be robots following orders, but it means that our morality and creativity will be unconstrained by our fallen nature.  Righteousness and justice will “come naturally”.

In the meantime, Christians can taste this future, but incompletely, as they imperfectly try to follow Jesus.  It can be quite frustrating as nobody can meet the standard no matter how hard they try.

The Inner Place Behind the Curtain
Now the 2nd introductory verses above, from Hebrews 6, contain one of my favorite Biblical metaphors.  Hebrews 6:19 starts with “We have this”, but what is “this”?  Earlier in chapter 6, the writer wants his readers to “have the full assurance of hope”[2] and tells them that Abraham was blessed and multiplied into a nation, not by Abraham’s efforts, but by the promise and oath of God, who cannot lie[3].  After all, the famous hymn is called “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, not “Great is My Faithfulness”.  The destiny of the Christian is founded on the cornerstone of Christ’s completed work, and God will not change His mind.  Verses 19 and 20 were written to make this statement as emphatically as possible to the 1st Century Jewish reader.

For other readers in the 21st Century, some background might be necessary:  The book of Hebrews, written for Jews who had become Christians, includes a lot of imagery they would recognize, like “the inner place behind the curtain”.  In the Old Testament, God’s tabernacle, and later temple(s), were indications of at least two things: that He was present with His people, and that He could only be approached in the way He prescribed.  God is Holy and Just, unable to tolerate sin, so entering His presence is serious business.  In the very early days of Israel, the Levite priesthood were commanded to kill anyone who came too close to God’s presence[4].  A vastly elaborate sacrificial system was implemented to illustrate God’s requirements for meeting with sinners: an innocent creature had to die.  Animals symbolized the later sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Even the altar upon which the animals were sacrificed required its own sacrifices to be acceptable.

But the “Holy of Holies” was the ultimate statement of how serious approaching God is.  This innermost room of the temple was only entered once per year (on the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur), and only by the high priest, who only can enter after hours of preparation.  Once there, the high priest would sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull on and in front of God’s “mercy seat”, the cover of the ark of the covenant and a sign of His presence[5].  Later Jewish tradition (not found in the Bible) indicates that others would stand outside the room holding a rope that was tied to the high priest, who also had bells tied around his waist.  If those outside heard the bells jingling, followed by silence, they would assume the high priest did not atone properly for the sins of the people, died in God’s presence, and needed to be dragged out by the rope.

While being dragged out, the high priest would pass under the veil, or curtain, that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies.  This curtain was a physical reminder of the barrier to God represented by His holiness.

Anchor and Forerunner
Hebrews 6:19 is the only place in the ESV Bible that refers to a metaphorical anchor.  Literal anchors are mentioned in the book of Acts and nowhere else.  As you know, an anchor is a heavy object, usually metal, attached to a boat or ship by rope or cable for the purpose of securing the vessel to the bed of the body of water.  Typically, an anchor is used to keep you in place.  However, Hebrews mentions a forerunner because this anchor is used to secure you to a destination, not to keep you in place.  Where you are now is not your eternal home and God does not want you to anchor there.

Photo by Max Tcvetkov on Unsplash

In the early centuries A.D., a “forerunner” was a boat sent to meet larger boats at sea, take their anchor, carry it into the harbor, and deposit it at the destination.  Thus, the incoming boat was still at sea, but assured of reaching its destination.  It just had to follow the path of the rope to the anchor, which would also keep it from going too far adrift.

So, we now have the parts of the metaphor about what provides our “full assurance of hope”: anchor, curtain, and forerunner.  (Melchizedek I’ll leave for another time)

What Hebrews is telling us is that our hope is in God’s promise, and that the promise is secure because Christ Himself took our anchor and secured it inside the Holy presence of God where atonement has been made for His people.  When Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday, He cried “it is finished”[6], and “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”[7]  In one moment, all of the elaborate Old Testament ceremony symbolizing the requirements for being in God’s presence became irrelevant, and Jesus became “the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh”[8]  Once for all, His flesh was the only sacrifice necessary for us to know God.  For His people, there is no longer a veil or curtain as a barrier, but through the tearing of His own flesh, we have sure and eternal access to Him.

While we remain metaphorically at sea tossed by waves of chaos, Jesus is in the Temple, and the Holy Spirit is at sea with us “hovering over the face of the waters”[9].  The Spirit is both a connection to the “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul”, Christ our forerunner, and also a voice telling us what to do in the meantime.  We’re surrounded by, and are, a creation in progress, and He gives us our task, but also the certainty of ultimate success.  While our purpose can be frustrated, God’s purpose is sure, and His promise is for His people.

Consider this: If God wanted to change His mind about you, He’s had plenty of opportunity before now.  Hours passed while Christ was on the cross.  He was mocked as helpless and unable to save Himself, while Jesus knew at any moment, He could ask His Father to send twelve legions of angels to save Him[10]!  (Or He could just save Himself).  In those hours, Omniscient God considered all the sins of all His people over all of time and decided: “Worth it”.  The all-powerful actively chose to embrace powerlessness in the face of hours of torture to save His people.  He will not turn His back on you now, or ever, if you are His.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6

[1] Lewis, C.S.  The Weight of Glory (1941).
[2] Hebrews 6:11
[3] Summary of Hebrews 6:13-18
[4] Numbers 1:51. The Levites were a type of priest, after whom the book of Leviticus is named.
[5] Leviticus 16:1-16
[6] John 19:30
[7] Mark 15:38
[8] Hebrews 10:20
[9] Genesis 1:2[10] Matthew 26:53