The Infamous John 3:16 - WHO is the WORLD in John 3:16?
By Tuese Ahkiong
JOHN 3:1-21
Now there WAS A MAN OF THE PHARISEES NAMED NICODEMUS, A RULER OF THE JEWS. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, FOR NO ONE CAN DO THESE SIGNS THAT YOU DO UNLESS GOD IS WITH HIM.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, UNLESS ONE IS BORN AGAIN HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, UNLESS ONE IS BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT, HE CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is BORN OF THE SPIRIT.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “ARE YOU THE TEACHER OF ISRAEL AND YET YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 AND AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS, SO MUST THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP, 15 THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
16 “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. 17 For God did not send his Son INTO THE WORLD to CONDEMN THE WORLD, but in order that THE WORLD MIGHT BE SAVED THROUGH HIM. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: THE LIGHT HAS COME INTO THE WORLD, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 BUT WHOEVER DOES WHAT IS TRUE COMES TO THE LIGHT, SO THAT IT MAY BE CLEARLY SEEN THAT HIS WORKS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT IN GOD.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “ARE YOU THE TEACHER OF ISRAEL AND YET YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 AND AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS, SO MUST THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP, 15 THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
16 “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. 17 For God did not send his Son INTO THE WORLD to CONDEMN THE WORLD, but in order that THE WORLD MIGHT BE SAVED THROUGH HIM. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: THE LIGHT HAS COME INTO THE WORLD, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 BUT WHOEVER DOES WHAT IS TRUE COMES TO THE LIGHT, SO THAT IT MAY BE CLEARLY SEEN THAT HIS WORKS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT IN GOD.”
The context has a JEWISH RULER/TEACHER, Nicodemus meeting with Christ.
Why would someone need to be born again? Are they dead? Who in Scripture was ever alive or given birth or brought to life or created in the covenant sense by YHWH?
Moses lifted up the serpent for THE COVENANT people that were bitten and whosoever looked upon it lived.
Who was Christ lifted up for, THE COVENANT people or those not in the immediate context?
Why would someone need to be born again? Are they dead? Who in Scripture was ever alive or given birth or brought to life or created in the covenant sense by YHWH?
Moses lifted up the serpent for THE COVENANT people that were bitten and whosoever looked upon it lived.
Who was Christ lifted up for, THE COVENANT people or those not in the immediate context?
Does this passage not parallel the people of YHWH from the Moses passage?
How is WORLD DEFINED in the CONTEXT of John 3:16
***Who is "The World" in John 3:16?Is it every single individual without exception?
If so, does God love those who are in HELL (GEHENNA) who are supposedly separated from Him for all eternity being tormented?
If so, doesn't that conflict with Romans 8:35 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ...?
If one is in GEHENNA are they not separated from Christ's love?
Didn't Christ promise GEHENNA to some of the Jewish leaders in Matt 23?? Yes.
So, who is the world in Johh 3:16???
Do people's traditions and biases interpret who the world is? Yes, all the time.
Look at vs 17-18 and this will give you insight into who the world is.
17FOR GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD
[What world is not condemned? The Christian world, right? Is not the non-Christian world condemned? So, does world in this passage refer to every single individual without exception or does it refer to the Christian world?],
BUT IN ORDER THAT THE WORLD MIGHT BE SAVED THROUGH HIM
[What world is saved through Jesus? The Christian world, right? Those who believe, right? Just like vs.16 says, right? Is the non-Christian world saved? No.]
18WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED,
[Who believes in Jesus? Christians, right? Are Christians condemned? No. Are those who reject Jesus condemned? Yes.]
BUT WHOEVER DOES NOT BELIEVE IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, BECAUSE HE HAS NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF THE ONLY SON OF GOD.
[Who doesn’t believe in Jesus? Non-Christians, right? Who is condemned? Non-Christians, right? So, can the world in John 3:16-18 be referring to every single individual without exception? No.
BORN AGAIN for WHO?
1 Peter 1:1-5 (ESV)
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
TO THOSE WHO ARE ELECT EXILES OF THE DISPERSION IN PONTUS, GALATIA, CAPPADOCIA, ASIA, AND BITHYNIA, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, HE HAS CAUSED US TO BE BORN AGAIN to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to AN INHERITANCE that is IMPERISHABLE, UNDEFILED, AND UNFADING, KEPT IN HEAVEN FOR YOU, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for A SALVATION READY TO BE REVEALED IN THE LAST TIME.
V1 *The Elect were the remnant of Israel chosen by YHWH and dispersed or scattered by Him. They were brought back into fellowship with YHWH through the Gospel which was ONLY for them. Notice that the elect were dispersed among the pagan GENTILE NATIONS.
V3 Peter includes himself in with the elect exiles of the dispersion who were CAUSED TO TO BE BORN AGAIN.
V4 The elect were awaiting an inheritance.
V5 The elect were living in “The Last Time” or “Last Days” of Old Covenant Israel in the first century which came to end at the return of Yeshua and destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.
1 Peter 1:22-25 (ESV)
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN, not of perishable seed but ofIMPERISHABLE, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
The grass withers, and the flower falls,25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
AND THIS WORD IS THE GOOD NEWS THAT WAS PREACHED TO YOU.
V23 The Elect are those from verse 1 who are the “you” in this context. They are the ones who HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN.
V25 The Good News was preached TO The Elect ("you" from v1).
So, who was the world because they were all rescued by THE GOSPEL by 70AD?????
The Great Commission FULFILLED
http://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/.../was-great-commission...
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