An Exposition of John 3:16

John 3:16 is one of the most familiar and best-loved passages of Scripture. It is a favorite of the Arminian, who appeals to it to establish the following assertions:

In this essay, we examine the dubious foundations of the Arminian interpretation and offer a more Biblical alternative.

John 3:16 is a unified statement describing God's motive, His action, and His purpose in saving men. These three parts of the verse divide naturally at the two occurrences of the word "that"...

Please notice that this is a complete sentence... a unified thought. God's love for the world purposed that only believers should be saved by the death of Christ. John 3:16 tells us how God's love benefits those who will believe, but it gives us no reason whatever to believe that it provides any benefit for those who will not believe. How, therefore, can we imagine that God's love for the world was in any way directed toward those who would never believe?

Consider twin brothers, Tom and Joe. Tom trusted in Christ and was a faithful Christian, but Joe died a committed Atheist. If we apply John 3:16 to Tom and Joe the way most people understand the word "world", we could say...

Sometimes, the Arminian considers the expression "whosoever believeth" to represent an arbitrary or hypothetical group of people that only becomes definite in time when an individual actually believes. In the distant past, when God decided to give Christ to die, the Arminian's "whosoever believeth" was only a bare hope or wish on God's part that perhaps someday someone would believe.

The more orthodox Arminian acknowledges God's omniscience, and confesses that God, in eternity past, elected those whom he foresaw would believe. But once the Arminian admits that "whosoever believeth" is a definite group of specific people, he is faced with the dilemma that God's love for the "world" is manifested by a purpose to save only those specific people whom He knew would believe. Where, in this scheme, is there any evidence of God's love for those He knew would never believe?

Such considerations seldom enter the mind of the Arminian, for he supposes that God's great love is manifested, not in actually saving any particular person, but merely in offering salvation to men. It is the offer of salvation, not salvation itself, that, in Arminian thinking, is the great outcome of God's love. While this affords great breadth to the love of God (since the Gospel is proclaimed to far more people than actually respond to it in faith), it does so at the expense of the depth of God's love... as though He is not concerned with actually saving anyone, but only in putting salvation within their reach... as though God's great purpose is not to save people, but only to make them "savable".

Yet Scripture never describes God's saving purpose or works in terms of "making men savable". Rather, it says that God saved us...

Whether we view this as the united work of the three persons of the Trinity, or as the threefold plan of the Father, this emphasizes the unity of the passage, and of the people who are the objects of divine love and action.

Scripture teaches us, in various places, that God's love is the motive behind all His great acts in securing our salvation...

Moreover, we are not at liberty to divide up the various saving works of the Trinity, supposing that the Father has chosen all whom He foresaw would believe, that the Son died for all men without exception, and that the Spirit quickens whoever has the good sense to trust in Christ. The three members of the Godhead work in unison, seeking the same purpose... namely, the salvation of those whom God is pleased to save. In John 3:16, they are called "whoever believes in Him", because it is the Father's good pleasure to grant saving faith to all His chosen ones, and because it is this God-given faith that provides evidence that we are God's elect.

The Arminian understanding of John 3:16 requires that "the world" in this passage must mean "every single man, woman and child of every age". If this premise is false, then so is the claim that John 3:16 teaches that God loves all without exception and that Christ died for all without exception.

It is truly remarkable that, of the over 150 occurrences of this word (Greek: kosmos) in the New Testament, it seldom if ever has this meaning!

The large crowd that followed Jesus ...	John 12:19 - So the Pharisees said to one another, "You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him."
The general public—or, that portion of humanity we encounter in everyday life ...	John 7:4 - For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.
That portion of mankind which had heard of the faith of the Roman church ...	Romans 1:8 - First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.
The entire created universe ...	Acts 17:24 - "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
Our present mortal existence ...	John 12:25 - He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
Both men and angels ...	1 Corinthians 4:9 - For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
The riches and pleasures of life ...	Mark 8:36 - For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
The people living on earth at a particular time ...	Matthew 4:8-9 - Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me."
The evil world-system that surrounds us ... Note that this cannot be the "world" that God loved, for God commands us not to love this world, and warns us that the love of the Father is not in us if we love this "world".	John 7:7 - The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. John 17:6 - I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. John 17:9 - I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; John 17:16 - They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 1 John 2:15 - Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The influence and effects of the human tongue ...	James 3:6 - And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

In short, the word "world" (Greek: kosmos) is subject to such a variety of meanings that it is ludicrous to insist that it must mean "every man, woman and child who has ever lived, or who ever will live."

In fact, it is questionable whether it ever has this meaning in Scripture. Romans 3:6, at first glance, might appear to support this meaning ...

If the word "world" in John 3:16 did include the angels, this would mean that Christ died for the sins of Satan and the demons. However, Scripture makes it clear that our Lord did not redeem the angels...

The word "world" is often used in Scripture in a relative or general way, to include Gentiles as well as Jews, or to speak of ethnic or geographic diversity. In other words, the phrase "God so loved the world" can mean that God's love extends beyond the borders of Israel, to men of other nations as well. It does not have to mean that God loved every person who has ever lived... it is enough to say that God loves many people in many nations of the world.

Or, "world" in John 3:16 may speak of God's condescending love—that is, "world" may designate the earth in contrast with heaven. God, in condescending love, looked down upon the "world" of mankind, choosing certain members of humanity to be the recipients of His redeeming mercy. As David sang of Him...

There is no reason to suppose that the word "world" is intended to identify the specific humans whom God loved. The remainder of the sentence does that, by teaching that God's love purposed that only those who believe in Christ should be saved.

The claim that "Salvation depends upon the individual's free-will decision to trust in Christ" is simply not taught in the passage. John 3:16 says that "whosoever believes in Him" will be saved, but it does not say where that faith comes from. There are some who imagine that the word "whosoever" lends some support to the Arminian position, but they are blinded by their own prejudice. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be saved—whosoever He may be—but this does not settle the question of where his faith comes from.

To answer the question: "Where does genuine faith come from?" We must turn to other passages of Scripture. John 3:16 simply does not address this question.

Thus, when we raise the question: "What is the origin of human faith?" Scripture repeatedly answers the question by telling us that God grants faith and repentance to whomever He pleases. John 3:16 does not answer the question, but many other passages of Scripture do. Concerning faith, John 3:16 simply says that "... whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life," and leaves the question "Why do some believe unto salvation while others stubbornly refuse to believe?" to be answered elsewhere.

Fallen man has a deep-seated prejudice against believing in a God who would treat some people differently from others. Modern Americans, especially, insist upon "freedom of choice" for everyone. There is a great problem when we apply this idea to salvation: According to Scripture, fallen man has a stubborn, insatiable desire to please himself, and wants nothing to do with a holy and sovereign God. Thus, if God merely left every person to make his or her own decision whether to believe in Christ, we would all, without fail, freely choose to remain in our sin and unbelief.

There are many who suppose that the word "whosoever" somehow proves, or at least supports, the notion that God's love extends to all people without exception, and that it is left up to the individual to choose to believe or not.

The word "whosoever" translates the Greek word "pas", which means "all", "every" or "all manner of". Thus, we might just as properly translate the passage "... that everyone who believes in Him might not perish ..."

Because the word "whosoever" sometimes creates an aura of uncertainty, the Arminian unwittingly supposes that God was uncertain who would believe—as if to say "... that whosoever believes in Him, whether elect or not, might not perish ..." But the passage simply does not say such a monstrous thing.

When God chooses an individual unto salvation, He chooses for that person to have faith, and He ensures that the person will believe, by changing his heart—giving him the kind of heart that naturally and spontaneously trusts in Christ.

What does it mean to "believe in Christ"? Our faith is to be placed in Christ alone. However, the Arminian view—when it emphasizes man's "free will" and makes salvation dependent upon his free choice to believe—divides our faith between Christ, who died for us, and our own act of believing in Him. The Arminian interpretation destroys the purity and single-hearted devotion of genuine faith in Christ whenever it elevates human faith and free will, and focuses on our act of believing rather than on God's mercy and Christ's sacrifice, as the ground of our salvation.

Who or what do we trust in for our salvation? Who or what is the object of saving faith? Wherein lies your confidence that you will escape the wrath of God? If a person asks you "How do you know you are saved?" do you answer "Because Christ died for me"? Such an answer makes no sense if Christ died equally for those who will end up in hell. If He died for them too, then the death of Christ alone is no basis to conclude that you will be saved.

Faith must enter into the answer we give, for faith is what distinguishes the saved from the lost. But it is how we view the role of faith that makes all the difference in the world. Saving faith is never a self-focused faith. It does not boast that my salvation depends on my choosing to believe. It does not regard the Lord as a cosmic vending machine that delivers a package of salvation whenever we punch the button of faith. To think of Him in this way is to depersonalize Him and dethrone Him.

Instead, saving faith looks to Christ, and humbly cries out to God for mercy. It is a merciful God, and not our own free will or wonderful faith, that makes the difference between our being lost and being saved. Those who make much of their faith, or who view their faith as the "deciding factor" in their salvation seem to forget that God is not obligated to show mercy—it is His prerogative to show mercy to whom He pleases.

Pure, Biblical faith confesses it own emptiness and seeks salvation from Christ alone. It does not imagine that faith somehow "completes" the work of redemption, for it confesses that the very nature of Christ's cross-work is redemptive, substitutionary and effective. We exercise saving faith when, crushed by the weight of our utter corruption and helplessness, we cry out to God to be merciful, and to grant to us the perfect salvation that is found in Christ alone.

John 3:16 says that God's purpose for giving Christ to die was to save believers. The "free will" interpretation says that God's purpose for giving Christ to die was to make it possible for people to save themselves by believing.

The chasm between these two interpretations is far wider and more profound than most appreciate. It is the difference between an almighty God who saves helpless sinners and a frustrated God who, having done all He can do, must now wait to see which (if any) of the sinners He sought to save will choose to provide the missing ingredient (faith) and be saved.

This chasm is accentuated by the fact that the "free-will" interpretation diminishes the power and grace of God (teaching that no one can be saved by God's power alone), and ascribes to man an innate power and virtue that Scripture says he simply does not have (i.e. the virtue of desiring true righteousness, and the power to exercise genuine faith).

It cannot be overstated that the mindset that prefers to diminish God's power, grace and authority in order to exalt man's power, virtue and importance is the spirit of rebellion and idolatry that we have inherited from Adam. It is the spirit that says "I am the master of my own destiny," "I can do it myself," "I'm not really as bad as you think" and "Don't tell me what to do."

These sentiments are all summed up in that touchstone of modern psychology: "Have faith in yourself." Scripture often exhorts us to have faith, but that faith is never to be directed toward ourselves. Rather, we are to have faith in God, and in Jesus Christ.

If the Arminian understanding is faulty, then what is the correct way to understand John 3:16? Here is a checklist of items we must keep in mind...

John 3:16 is a single, unified statement which requires that those who actually receive salvation must be the ones whom God loved. To say that John 3:16 means "God loved all men so much that He purposed to save only those who believe in Jesus" is to turn the passage into nonsense. Those whom God loved must be the very same ones who, because of that love, He purposed to save.

The word "world" is used in a myriad of ways in Scripture, but it is questionable whether it ever has the meaning it must have to support the Arminian (free-will) interpretation. Even if one or two passages of Scripture uses "world" to mean "all people of all ages", this is no proof that it should have this meaning in John 3:16. God loves people of every nation, but not necessarily every person of every nation.

The phrase "whosoever believes in Him" does not imply that man has the innate ability to trust in Christ. John 3:16 makes the simple assertion that everyone who believes in Christ will be saved—whoever he might be. But this does not tell us how a man comes into possession of faith. Other passages of Scripture are quite clear that faith is God's gift to those whom He has chosen, and that fallen man is utterly devoid of any desire to genuinely trust in Christ.

According to John 3:16, saving faith is to be directed toward Christ alone. Yet, if he insists that man's faith is the determining factor in who is saved, the Arminian divides his faith between Christ's work of redemption and his own act of believing. The Arminian interpretation says that God's purpose for giving Christ was merely to make salvation a possibility for all men. However, John 3:16 says that God's purpose for the cross was to make salvation a certainty for everyone who believes in Christ. The free will interpretation diminishes the glory of God and magnifies the goodness and power of man. It only seems "natural" to us because we have inherited from Adam an idolatrous nature which seeks to serve and exalt self rather than God.

John 3:16, properly understood, agrees with other passages of Scripture which teach that God chooses, redeems and regenerates every single person whom He loves. It is fitting that we should love and rejoice in this brief statement of Scripture, for it gives wonderful assurance to every person who truly believes in Jesus Christ of God's amazing love for him and of his sure deliverance from hell unto eternal life.