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| John 3;16! How did God so love? Such an excessively mouthed but hardly inquired passage... |
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10200978067469384
November 14, 2013
An excessively mouthed but hardly inquired passage...
John 3
16 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.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
May I ask some questions, please?
Q1. How did God so love?
- Did He so love that He offers everlasting life to those (obviously without everlasting life) who will believe? Or,
- Did He so love that He gives everlasting life to those (obviously without everlasting life) by freely regenerating them when they were dead in trespasses and sins?
2. Does a man believe
- IN ORDER to get everlasting life? Or,
- BECAUSE he has been so loved and given everlasting life?
3. Who are they that are called, and are duty-bound to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour?
- All men without distinction, including those for whom Christ did not die to redeem, and is not their Saviour? Or,
- Those for whom Jesus Christ died to redeem, and IS their Saviour?
- Who are under obligation to believe that Jesus Christ is their Saviour?
4. Is a man called to believe Jesus...
- SO THAT Jesus becomes his Saviour? Or,
- BECAUSE Jesus IS ALREADY His Saviour?
5. Is a man called to believe...
- something that is already true? Or,
- something not yet true in order to make it come true?
6. Those that believe not and are condemned, do they have the obligation to believe, or do they not?
- What's the basis of that obligation?
- What's the basis of that condemnation?
7. Those who have obligation to believe but don't, and are condemned...
- What is their condemnation?
- Is that condemnation in this life, or the hell between death and resurrection, or the lake of fire after resurrection?
If you have any other questions, please add them to the list.
Asking questions is a good way to inquire after the truth. So many lack the basic skill of inquiry, and asking questions... their pastors don't make them think anymore. They are afraid their sheep ask them questions!!!
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I wrote to assure and encourage a sheep who timidly inquired:"It is always good to ask questions to further the cause of the truth of Christ. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless us with more of His truth. Usually, this is through questions and inquiries that stir up our minds to study and examine the Scriptures.
"Fear not, and rest assured that I always take questions in the positive light. Inquiring after the truth is beneficial to all. Thus I do and always welcome questions inquiring after what the Bible teaches. This benefits all by bringing each one closer to the teaching of the Bible. The truth is understood better by all who are interested. Often, the matter inquired does not even occur in the mind of others. So, asking questions publicly has its own benefit... stirring the minds of fellow brethren to grapple with the subject, and grow together.
"Asking questions to inquire after the truth of God is a BIRTH-RIGHT of every one of God's children, and it is the solemn responsibility of Christ's given pastors-teachers to provide them answers from the Scriptures. You have asked some good questions. Asking good probing questions is a skill to be developed."
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Related articles:
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2011/12/for-god-so-loved-world.html
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2008/02/john-316-how-did-god-so-love.html
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2008/08/calvin-on-john-316.html
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2012/09/it-is-reprobates-duty-to-believe-christ.html
