Feb 20
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Does God Love Everyone?
In answering this question many go straight to John 3:16 for the answer.
The verse reads “ 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.
Many will answer this question based on the verse and say – yes, God loves everyone.
Is that what this verse is saying?
Anytime we look at the scripture we need to look at it in it`s context. The context gives us it`s meaning. Furthermore if we look at this verse even in a casual way, we can quickly see that the last half of the verse qualifies the first half by the words “That whosoever believeth”. This clearly points to a specific type of person – Those who are believing.
The Greek fully translates this way;
“For God loved the world in this way, that he gave his only begotten Son, that the believing ones shall not perish, but have everlasting life”
So now we can see the true extent of this verse and it`s full meaning. There are countless examples in scripture that show that the Lord God clearly discriminates, and there is nowhere in scripture that supports the false notion that God loves everybody.
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It is absurd to represent Christ as paying a ransom sufficient for all, when he intended only to redeem some! Or to affirm that Christ is a sufficient Saviour of those whom he never intended to save! Whenever the Scriptures speak of the sufficiency of redemption, they always place it in the certain efficacy of redemption. The atonement of Christ is sufficient because it is absolutely efficacious, and because it carries salvation to all for whom it was made. It is sufficient, not because it affords men the possibility of salvation but because, with invincible power, it accomplishes their salvation. Hence the word of God never represents the sufficiency of the atonement as more extensive than the design of the atonement, which Mr. Fuller has done. The Scriptures know nothing of a sufficient redemption which leaves the captive to perish in slavery, nor of a sufficient atonement which never delivers the guilty; but they speak of a redemption every way sufficient and efficacious—a redemption which cannot be frustrated, but which triumphantly accomplishes the salvation of all its objects. “Let Israel hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” Ps. 130: 7- 8.
(Extract from William Rushton`s “ A Defence of Particular Redemption” )
The new birth, and the sanctification of a sinner, are plainly ascribed to this, as the procuring cause, namely, that Christ died for that sinner. Thus Christ ―gave himself for his church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word.‖ [Eph. v. 26.] And again, the apostle says, ―Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purity unto himself a peculiar people.‖ [Titus ii. 14.] Here we are taught not only that there is a connection between the death of Christ and the regeneration of those for whom he died, but also that his death is the meritorious cause thereof. Rushton extract from A DEFENCE OF PARTICULAR REDEMPTION
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Regeneration-
Faith in Christ is the gift and operation of God in us, created in and bestowed upon chosen, redeemed sinners in regeneration by the irresistible power and grace of His Spirit (Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29; Col. 2:12). This gift of faith is communicated to and wrought in God’s elect through the instrumentality of gospel preaching (1 Cor. 1:18- 24). With this gift of faith, every believer is given the abiding unction of the Spirit by which we are given grace through the Word of God to know all things spiritual (1 Cor. 2:12-16; 1 John 2:20-27).
Christ saves his people from the power of their sins by the power of his Spirit in sovereign, effectual regeneration (John 5;25; Eph. 2:1-4 Psa. 65:4). As he raised Lazarus from the dead, so he raises his people from spiritual death to spiritual life by the omnipotence of his saving grace (John 5:25). The Lord Jesus saves his people from their sins by making his people righteous before God. In justification the righteous obedience of Christ is imputed to us, just as our sins were imputed to him (2 Cor. 5:21). In sanctification his righteous nature is imparted to us (Gal 5:22-23; 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 John 3:5-10)
Regeneration, the new birth, is his work (John 3:3-8). It is the Spirit of life who gives life to dead sinners. The revelation of Christ is the Spirit’s work (John 16:13-14; 2 Cor. 4:6). We know Christ only as God the Holy Spirit makes him known to us and in us. We know the things of God only as he makes them known (1 Cor. 2:10-14). Chosen, redeemed sinners are convinced of their sin, of righteousness established by Christ, and judgment finished by his blood atonement, only by the almighty, efficacious grace of the Spirit of God. (John 16:8-11). Effectual calling is the work of his omnipotent, irresistible grace (1 Thess. 1:4-5). As David sent Ziba to “fetch” Miphibosheth, so the Lord Jesus Christ, our King, sends his Spirit, at the appointed time of love, to “fetch” the objects of his covenant love to himself. The fact that they are all by nature unwilling to be fetched is no difficulty with him. He is just an influencer. He is God the Holy Spirit. He makes the chosen willing in the day of his power and causes them to come home to Christ (Ps. 65:4; 110:3). He converts those whom he calls and effectually gives them faith in Christ by the operations of his omnipotent grace (Eph. 2:8-9; Col. 2:12). It is by the work of God the Holy Spirit that the believer’s life is ordered and protected, and preserved in this world unto eternal glory
Believers are people who have been born again and live in the realm of the Spirit, the realm of faith (Rom. 8:5-9). God lives in us and we live in God. God the Holy Spirit takes up residence in every believer permanently from the moment of regeneration. He dwells in every believer forever. He works in every believer continually. He is the sanctifying influence of every believer’s life. He is the earnest of our inheritance and gives us the assurance of salvation (Rom. 8:16; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:14). The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Teacher, the Illuminator, the Unction of God’s saints in this world (John 14:16-18; 1 Cor. 2:9-12; Eph. 1:17; 1 John 2:20, 27). He leads the believer in obedience and service to Christ (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:16; Acts 8:27, 29; Heb. 8:10). The Holy Spirit calls, qualifies, and equips men for special service in the kingdom of God (Acts 13:2-4). He distributes spiritual gifts in the body of Christ as he will (1 Cor. 12:4-11). He gives us the power and grace to do what we are called of God to do (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 2:4; 1 Thess. 1:5). The Spirit of grace produces in every believer the fruit of grace (Gal. 5:22-25). They are the produce of his grace, not of our works. It is the Spirit who teaches us to pray according to the will of God (2 Sam. 7:27; Rom. 8:26-27; Gal. 4:6). The Holy Spirit directs the believer’s heart in worship (John 4:23-24; Phil. 3:3). Extracts from Basic Bible Doctrine – Don Fortner
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Remember, the Holy Spirit is showing us why all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Adam’s transgression and fall, evil as it was against God, was worked together for the good of God’s people. It was so that Christ, the last Adam, could receive all the glory for perfectly obeying God, unto the death of the cross, for His people. So Satan, sin, death and hell, all the ages of time, the wars between nations and people, the rejection and crucifixion of God’s own Son, your rebellion and mine, the gospel being brought to us, our being born again, all was worked together for our good by God according to His eternal purpose (Galatians 4:3-7; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Clay Curtis
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It is a universally
accepted fact that man has a free will. Men
pride themselves in believing that they are able to override the power of God
with this all powerful “free will”. This lie claims that in the final analysis
man decides the destiny of his own soul, and that God has made himself subject
to this irresistible force.
If by “free will” man believes that he is free, when given two or more options, to choose the one he wants, that is without dispute. As a matter of fact, that is always the case. We could even go so far as to say that it is impossible to select an option that is not your preference. When given an opportunity to select from among two or more possibilities we always choose the one for which we have the greatest inclination or desire. ALWAYS! Man’s will is not free. It is subject to, yes in bondage to, his natural inclinations.
Therein lies the problem. It is not in man’s fallen, sinful nature to desire salvation God’s way. John 5:40 “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” In choosing what he wants he always chooses against the light. John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” It is impossible for man to force his choice against his own will. He is in desperate need of a new nature; one that is born from above. One that has as its only inclination a desire for coming to the Christ of scripture. John 3:16 “Ye must be born again”. Some will attempt to honor God by agreeing that He must give us a new heart, only to dethrone Him by saying that you must be willing to let Him. John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him”.
You say, but doesn’t the Bible say ‘whosoever will’…? Yes. But the problem is not with the whosoever, it is with the will. Pastor Greg Elmquist
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Now, I hold that there is in every Christian two natures, as distinct as were the two natures of the God-Man Christ Jesus. There is one nature which cannot sin, because it is born of God—a spiritual nature, coming directly from heaven, as pure and as perfect as God himself, who is the author of it; and there is also in man that ancient nature which, by the fall of Adam, hath become altogether vile, corrupt, sinful, and devilish. There remains in the heart of the Christian a nature which cannot do that which is right, any more than it could before regeneration, and which is as evil as it was before the new birth—as sinful, as altogether hostile to God’s laws, as ever it was—a nature which, as I said before, is curbed and kept under by the new nature in a great measure, but which is not removed and never will be until this tabernacle of our flesh is broken down, and we soar into that land into which there shall never enter anything that defileth.
The evil heart which still remaineth in the Christian, doth always, when it is not attacking or obstructing, still reign and dwell within him. My heart is just as bad when no evil emanates from it, as when it is all over vileness in its external developments. A volcano is ever a volcano; even when it sleeps, trust it not. A lion is a lion, even though he play like a kid; and a serpent, is a serpent, even though you may stroke it while for a season it slumbers; there is still a venom in its sting when its azure scales invite the eye. If it were possible that I could live for days without a single temptation from my own heart to sin, it would be still just as evil as it was before; and it is always either displaying its vileness, or else preparing for another display. It is either loading its cannon to shoot against us, or else it is positively at warfare with us. You may rest assured that the heart is never other than it originally was; the evil nature is still evil; and when there is no blaze, it is heaping up the wood, wherewith it is to blaze another day. It is gathering up from my joys, from my devotions, from my holiness, and from all I do, some materials to attack me at some future period. The evil nature is only evil, and that continually, without the slightest mitigation or element of good. The new nature must always wrestle and fight with it; and when the two natures are not wrestling and fighting, there is no truce between them. When they are not in conflict, still they are foes. We must not trust our heart at any time; even when it speaks most fair, we must call it liar; and when it pretends to the most good, still we must remember its nature, for it is evil, and that continually. Spurgeon
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The new birth is a DIVINE and SUPERNATURAL work. Holy ancestry does not insure it, pious parentage does not convey it, human eloquence does not inspire it, moral persuasion does not produce it. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high is the accomplishment of this work above created power. How clear does the Holy Spirit put this–“As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in his name. Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” (John 1:12, 13.) “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” “Born again”–marg., “born from above.”
Octavius Winslow