LISTEN

NASB:

¹⁶“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

NIV:

¹⁶”For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Observations:

God loved the world (v. 16)

God had only one Son (v. 16)

God gave his only Son (v. 16)

Anyone can believe in God [“whoever believes”] (v. 16)

If someone believes in God, that person will not perish (v. 16)

If someone believes in God, that person will have eternal life (v. 16)

God sent his Son into the world (v. 17)

The purpose of God sending His Son into the world was not to judge [NASB] or condemn [NIV] the world (v. 17)

The purpose of God sending His Son into the world was that the world might be saved (v. 17)

The salvation of the world is through the Son of God (v. 17)

Takeaways:

This was in the midst of Jesus’ explanation to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, who had come to Jesus at night to ask him about the second birth and his relationship to the Father.

He explains that God loved the world so much, he was willing to send his son into the world that the world might be saved.

He gives the good news that whoever believes in the Son will never perish, before giving the better news that along with not perishing, the person who believes in the Son will obtain eternal life.

Jesus also makes the point, as he did often in his teaching, that he was not sent by the Father into the world to be a judge or condemner. That will come at a later time. He was sent to be the means by which all men can obtain salvation from our sin.