"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17, NASB)"
It is very sad to notice that most Christians have not even read this verse before. We sometimes become so intense about John 3:16 that we fail to continue to read the very next verse which I think has a very close connection to it. So today, I want us to consider it in relation to John 3:16 and it's from this same verse that I drew my title from. This text in itself answers the question; why did God send His Son into the world? . So here just after Jesus Christ had gone back to history to pull out the shadow of what He was about to do for sinful men(Numbers 21:9) and had shown them how that relates to His grace, He then points out to them the purpose of it all. I think in this verse, He was reechoing that purpose to them in case they didn't know or have forgotten . Most people in those times might have thought that when the Savior comes, He shall come to condemn the world since all that the world deserved was the sword because of sin. But here, we see that,
1. He did not come to judge the world.
The very way Jesus Christ came into this world shows that He came in peace. Unlike the angels whose visitations imposed some fear on people, Jesus's own seemed to be totally different. For Samson's mother cried "We will surely die, for we have seen God." (Judges 13:22, NASB) when the angel came to Manoah . This is not the only instance we see people become frighten when there is an angelic visitation. Similar thing is seen in the encounter between Mary and Gabriel, Gabriel said "Do not be afraid, Mary.....(Luke 1:30, NASB). Also before this visitation, the angel had already met Zechariah and the same words were spoken to him "But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias(Luke 1:13, NASB) . If the Lord Jesus had purposed to come in a warlike manner, it would've being palpable, for no one can stand the Lord's furry. He would've even sent His cherubim with a flaming sword in their hands to execute judgement on us. But no. His eyes were full of grace and within His hands lied the salvation of the world. But how can this verse be reconciled with John 5:22,27 where the bible says
"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22,NASB)"
"and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. (John 5:27, NASB)"
Though the whole intent of Christ Jesus's visitation to the earth wasn't a judgemental one, we must be aware that He's the One who will judge the world. For His death and resurrection serves as the basis for his judgement. He came that the world might be saved through him. But what if one doesn't believe? Will that people still receive this salvation He brought to the whole world? No. This gift is for the one who has believed and is still believing. He gives more understanding to this in the proceeding verse when He said,
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (John 3:18-19, NASB)
This is why we must repent and believe ones there is grace. For a time will come when the wrath of God will no longer be able to be quenched by his grace. He will be Just to those who rejected His Son. And "how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3, NASB)" .
2... But that the world might be saved through Him.
Notice the word "might" . It's of great importance because there are some people out there who believe that since God sent Jesus into the world so might be saved through him, all are saved. "No matter how they treat the gospel, Jesus died for the whole world" . Such comments are the very words of Satan himself. He's doing that to let man have a false hope and live in sin. He's preventing some from coming to Jesus so they can be healed from their sin. It's a terrible lie. Whenever the bible mentions everyone, all, world and any other all-inclusive word concerning salvation , we must know with great certainty that there's a condition behind it. The question one must ask himself or herself is this;
who are those that qualify to be part of it since there are people who'll go to hell?
Friend, hell isn't empty. As a matter of fact, those who choose the broad way are more than those who choose the narrow way . Don't let anyone deceive you by saying that "no matter what you Jesus died for you." . Don't just buy it. It's not a biblical truth. We have already read in verse 18 that those who do not believe are already judged for not believing in the Son. So God is bringing the world to Himself through Christ. Observe this;
....namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19, NASB)
He's the only savior of the world. No one can lay down His life and pick it up again. Some may claim to have ressurected from the death. But ask them where they got their lives from?. They all owe their lives to the Creator of the world. The Word of God He who "apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:3, NASB)" . Look up to him, repent and believe and He'll surely save for He has said "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. (John 6:37, NASB)" .
with that said, we should take heed that we don't fall into the category of the condemned-those who do not treat the Gospel dearly. But rather we must embrace it with all our heart so that we will pass from judgement to life .
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