FOOD FOR YOUR JOURNEY
20 August
THE GOSPEL
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
Apart from Psalm 23, this verse of Scripture is probably the best known and most memorised of the whole Bible. It has been called The Gospel in a Nutshell and what is worthy of note is that the verse contains 25 words and at the very centre of it is the word SON. A very fitting place for The Son of God, who came to earth in the form of a man and gave Himself for the sins of the whole world. He is at the centre of everything. He is the very centre of the lives of true believers and our love for Him grows and increases the more we get to know Him.
Sadly there are some who would pervert the Gospel for their own purposes in that they claim that the world in this verse is the world of believers. It is obviously an attempt to remove the problem of:
-
God’s love for ALL MEN.
- Christ’s sacrificial death being for ALL MEN.
Now apart from the numerous other Scriptures which show clearly the universality both of the love of God and the effectiveness of the Saviour’s sacrifice, this sacrifice is said to refer to BELIEVERS ONLY. Well, the truth of that is easily tested.
God says:
Add thou not unto His words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:6
Look at what happens to the whole passage when man tries to add to or subtract from God’s Word, in this case when you add these two words:
OF BELIEVERS
For God so loved the world of believers that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever, of believers believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world of believers to condemn the world of believers, but that the world of believers, through Him might be saved. He that believeth (of the world of believers) is not condemned, but he that believeth not (of the world of believers) is condemned already because he (from the world of believers) has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation that light is come (into the world of believers) (John 3:19) and men (from the world of believers) love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:16-19
Now you can see what adding to God’s Word does when it is put to the simplest of logical tests! It makes nonsense of the simplest and plainest of statements. God’s Word teaches us that there is:
-
The Revelation of God.
- The Response of Man.
- The Reaction of God.
- The Reaping and Reward of Man.
Paul commended them to God and to the Word of His Grace, which was able to build them up and give them an inheritance among all them that are sanctified.
- God has shown it unto them…. they are without excuse. Romans 1: 19-20.
- And He said unto them – Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
IT DOES NOT READ
- God has tried to show them but they cannot see.
- God has before ordained from before the foundation of the world that they should go unto everlasting ruin.
There is no such thing in the Old or New Testament as A GOSPEL OF ELECTION.
For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son to die for us and to take upon Himself the sins of the whole world, that whosoever believes and puts their trust in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
These Scriptures are taken from the Word of God and you can stake your life on them! Invite Jesus into your life now and begin to live for Him and Him alone. If I can be of any help please do not hesitate to contact me. I will count it a privilege to help and advise you.