“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who so ever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
This is a beautiful, amazing scripture. Let’s look at its individual parts.
“For GOD so LOVED the World..”
The Love that God has for his creation is without measure! Everything He does is out of love, for He is the God of Love (1 John 4:8). You can see His love for mankind expressed throughout creation. God didn’t need to make the world so beautiful, food taste so good, birds sing so sweetly, flowers smell so fragrant or kittens feel so soft. This glorious world is a gift to mankind from God. John 3:16 continues to explain, He “loved the World”. Not just a few here or there, but everyone, everywhere. Job 34:19 says, “who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands…”
“..That he gave his only begotten Son..”
How much love must you have to let your child be a willing sacrifice, to die for the sins of all mankind? “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 This love of God’s is so great that it even came before the earth was made! Jesus was “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” Rev. 13:8. God in His foreknowledge knew Adam would sin even before Adam was created. And He planned to restore mankind back to the Edenic perfection and fellowship with Him through the shed blood of His precious son, Jesus.
“..that who so ever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In Christ’s kingdom, when all peoples are resurrected (John 5:28, 29), mankind will have the opportunity to accept Jesus as their Savior (now their eyes are blinded by Satan – 2 Corinthians 4:4). Then they will learn righteousness. Jeremiah 31:34, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin so more.” Then will come the time spoken about in Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Yes, God did and does love all mankind so much that before they were even created He had planned their restoration back to perfection through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus.
