He that believeth not is dead already.(J. H. You have here a pattern and spring of love. It is easy to see that the honour of the law might be fully sustained by God Himself if He should show before the whole universe His approbation of the law. Love is the ground of His perfect happiness.II. )God's love for the worldA. The love of God is —(1)The love of benevolence (Titus 3:4). J. (2)In His birth in time. Barrows.)RedemptionJ. The text teaches that God was originally disposed to show mercy. The first cause of redemption — the love of God to man. S. MacArthur, D. D.)The love of God self-originatedJ. (4) Here, however, is the marvel of marvels — standing alone in the universe — that God loves a race that has defied and insulted Him.2. Faith is the root of morality as well as the condition of pardon. Coley.I remember the case of a young man who was afflicted with a frightfully loathsome disease. Nichol. The objects of His love are perishing — perishing, not in body but in soul.2. Come with me again to Jerusalem. The origin of Christ's mission was the love of God.2. Baxendale.A preacher had gone down into a coal mine during the noon-hour to tell the miners of the glad tidings of salvation. (2)As Jesus was nearer the heart of God than all, so Jesus is in Himself much more excellent than all of them (Romans 9:5). This woman had given all. Who is God? God wishes to exhaust all means of kindness before His hand takes hold on justice. "And does it take long to get to the top?" It was no lip love, but a giving love. To do this for all who believe:(1)of every character;(2)country;(3)rank;(4)age.(J. Beith, D. D.I. Barnes, D. D.These words express the substance of the gospel. Spurgeon. (c)Fellowship with God (Genesis 3:24; el. Eternal: "loved." G. Jones, D. D.)God's love and justice in sacrificeS. His eye rests on the only hope, the only rock in the wide ocean of wrath, the Rock of Ages, the Lord Jesus. God has lavished the love of His heart on us and requires the trust and love of ours. Either the law must be executed at the expense of the race, or God must suffer the worse results of disrespect to His law, or a substitute be provided who shall both save the sinner and honour the law.II. Spurgeon. I knew her to be as sensitive as any lady; but by so much more as she felt the loathsomeness of her work do you see the love that constantly upheld her in doing it. Who is God? Here was a world of enemies at war with Him, yet He spared not His own Son. Spurgeon.)WhosoeverC. (11)It was holy.III. When she dropped in her two mites He said that she had given more than they all. I came forth from — out of — the Father, and am come into the world." Simplicity is often allied to sublimity. Gaskin, M. A.I. Flavel.I. And this love is not a mere relenting which might lead to a respite, or simple regret which might end in a sigh. If love in human form and in a fallen world be so Divine, what must it be in God Himself? Let the world know that when the king gives he gives generously, like a king.' The gods of heathenism received but never gave sacrifices.3. They had four sons. )The everlastingsJ. Love is a generic term and includes a large number of specific affections. They had four sons. Does blood flow towards it No: blood flows from it. He represented God as the Good Shepherd, who goes after the lost one until it is found, and bears it to His home upon His shoulders with rejoicing. There is a love of friendship, brotherly love, parental love, conjugal love, a love of country or patriotism, and a love of God, or religion. The great question is, What does God feel? H. Not mere feeling, as in those who are carried away by strong emotion. The part which the Son took in this stupendous work.4. God can love and does love. On whom the gift was bestowed. To do this for all who believe:(1)of every character;(2)country;(3)rank;(4)age.(J. Baxendale. "Just so," and when God's Word tells you that whosoever believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life, you say, "Too cheap," forgetting that God's work to bring you and others out of the pit of destruction was accomplished at a vast cost, the price being the death of His only-begotten Son.(W. He permitted His Son to perish from among men "that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life."(C. THE PROMISE. He must stand by it to retrieve its honour.4. S. MacArthur, D. D.I. The life and death of Christ was but the working out of the love of God. I knew her to be as sensitive as any lady; but by so much more as she felt the loathsomeness of her work do you see the love that constantly upheld her in doing it. There we see the reign of law: sin and suffer. (3)Not His Son only by incarnation. HOW GOD MANIFESTED THIS AFFECTION.1. But "He took not hold on angels, but the seed of Abraham." Limited: "believeth."3. R. Brewin.What is it to perish? Men had no claim upon Him, but there were infinite reasons why He should not destroy them. He loved those who deserved no such love.2. H. A word of His could have restored the dismantled heavens; but God Himself cannot make an only-begotten Son.(S. Luther maintained that justification by faith was the test of a standing or a falling Church. THIS DELIVERANCE HAS BEEN WROUGHT OUT BY SELF-SACRIFICE ON THE PART OF GOD.IV. It is like the silver ray of sun-light which gleams through the dark cloud when the storm is brewing in the sky. It is to die in our sins, without bright angels to smile upon us as they wait to carry us away from earth; to die without the Saviour's glorious presence to cheer us in the valley of the shadow of death. LOVE IN ITS NOBLEST INTENTION.1. The gospel in general is a record of the love of God, but there the only begotten Son from the bosom of the Father gives us an epitome of the whole.I. Come hither, ye astronomers, that with your optic glasses spy out spaces before which imagination staggers, come hither and encounter calculations worthy of all your powers! — "Whosoever" has a finger for babes, and an arm for old men; it has an eye for the quick, and a smile for the dull. Dyke.This affectionate compassion is set forth —I. Coley.King Zeleueus decreed that whosoever committed a particular offence should lose his eyes; and the first person found guilty was his own son. )LinksJohn 3:16 NIVJohn 3:16 NLTJohn 3:16 ESVJohn 3:16 NASBJohn 3:16 KJVJohn 3:16 Bible AppsJohn 3:16 ParallelJohn 3:16 Biblia ParalelaJohn 3:16 Chinese BibleJohn 3:16 French BibleJohn 3:16 German BibleJohn 3:16 CommentariesBible Hub, (2)By obvious sympathies. An universal need is here universally provided for.II. Whitefield the Calvinist and Wesley the Arminian differed on many points, but when a man asked, "What must I do to be saved?" Let the world know that when the king gives he gives generously, like a king.' D. Barrows.I. or if He be the Son of God what richer love could be exhibited?2. Coley. The Divine love is not the effect, but the cause. But perhaps though this gift brings so great profit, yet they to whom it is given must take some great and extraordinary pains to get it, and then God's love is not so great. It is a necessity in the nature of things. Still, if a man have faith at all he will be saved.III. He represented God as the Good Samaritan who saw men lying in their wounds, robbed by sin of hope and heaven, upon the point of death, and came to save them at his own expense.III. (1)It was the only kind of love that could have been important to man. A present realization.2. We are capable of faith. What is it to believe in Jesus?1. Blood to the image: that is' the essence of paganism. THE GIFT OF GOD'S LOVE. (2)As Jesus was nearer the heart of God than all, so Jesus is in Himself much more excellent than all of them (Romans 9:5). Beith, D. D.)God's love to the worldBible Notes and Queries.This verse is one of the gems of the Bible, a star of the first magnitude. God has lavished the love of His heart on us and requires the trust and love of ours. There we see the reign of law: sin and suffer. John the Baptist came from God.(J. What adaptation there is in it to man's dire need IIII. (1) This is a doctrine distinctive of the Bible. H. Like a masterpiece of music, its virtues are independent of numbers.(D. LOVE IN ITS WIDEST SPHERE. Not complacency, or it would have been infinitely disgraceful to Himself.2. God did not so love the world that any man that does not believe in Jesus shall be saved. (1) Jesus was always the gift of God. It is not a question whether faith shall be the condition of salvation. ITS ORIGIN IN THE LOVE OF GOD, which will appear after we consider that —1. "Simply by getting into the cage," was the reply. Mankind is not a larger family for God to love than is yours for you.II. )God's provision of the sacrificeJ. LOVE IN ITS WIDEST FIELD OF OPERATION. In like manner the love of God existed from eternity, from days of old. Be not ashamed of it.3. LOVE IN ITS HIGHEST FORM. WHAT PROMPTED GOD TO MAKE IT? Whitefield the Calvinist and Wesley the Arminian differed on many points, but when a man asked, "What must I do to be saved?" For the object of His love is not the world in its first condition when He pronounced it "very good," but the world ruined by sin and condemned for apostasy. 'What!' Then —(1)Let us cherish views of the Divine character worthy of Him whose we are and whom we serve. "Upon this, he made a second present of equal value.Faith in Christ is certain salvationC. The object of my text is not general, but special. But was he neglected? )Christ not the cause but the manifestation of God's loveJ. It was glorious and justified the means — the salvation of the world. IN THE GIFT. It is most interesting to study the character of God according to the teaching of Jesus. This love is —1. "Think, massa!" Baxendale.A preacher had gone down into a coal mine during the noon-hour to tell the miners of the glad tidings of salvation. The shaft is a thousand feet deep, and it was sunk at great cost to the proprietors; but it is our way out, and without it we should never be able to get to the surface." What this gift was. When He teaches, faith admits His teaching as absolute truth. His law, the order of creation, the arrangement of His providence are expressions of His love.4. This is the only possible way, God's government is moral because the Saviour is a moral agent. Barnes, D. D.These words express the substance of the gospel. Kings and queens may find room in it; and so may thieves and beggars. what is the loathsomeness of cankered wounds compared with the loathsomeness of sin to God? said the preacher. But —3. )The love of God in the gift of ChristS. "Think, massa!" God still gives.II. It is the only lasting bond of human society — the only guarantee of the perpetual bliss of heaven, and the only attribute in fallen man which is made an emblem of God, "God is love." This is the only possible way, God's government is moral because the Saviour is a moral agent. "And does it take long to get to the top?" What did they do to secure his life when their protest was not sufficient? To accept this for yourself. (2)In His birth in time. Barnes, D. D.)Christ's mission a revelation of God's loveE. Beecher. It is to die in our sins, without bright angels to smile upon us as they wait to carry us away from earth; to die without the Saviour's glorious presence to cheer us in the valley of the shadow of death. Limited: "believeth."3. "God so loved," etc.1. The part which the Son took in this stupendous work.4. To admit some of Christ's claims and to reject the rest; to listen to His declarations that His blood is shed for the remission of sins; to refuse to listen, or to listen incredulously, when He speaks as the moral ruler of the race, this is inconsistent with faith in Him.(R. THE END OF THIS LOVE. It rolled in a grand irresistible current towards the shores of our world. All are not saved, but none need be unpardoned. The Bible and the nature of the case shows that the atonement must have been made for the whole. God gives to every man that believes in Christ everlasting life.(C. If there were any other it would shut some one out. There is a love of friendship, brotherly love, parental love, conjugal love, a love of country or patriotism, and a love of God, or religion. G. Jones, D. D.)God's love and justice in sacrificeS. There was fresh water all around them, they had nothing to do but to dip it up, and yet they were dying of thirst, because they thought themselves to be surrounded by the salt sea. THE MANIFESTATION OF THIS LOVE. A. God so loved the world, that He gave His-only begotten Son. If a passing billow sweep him from it, with all his might he will make for it again, and grasp it faster than ever. Disinterested: for He had nothing to hope or fear; no profit to make out of the saved.4. It way layeth thee in love; it meeteth thee in tenderness. Accepting that donation let us give it to others.(C. All are not saved, but none need be unpardoned. It is just the same still. The extent of human redemption. It has in view the salvation of every individual.2. Only believe that Jesus has the will and the power to save and your confidence will not be disappointed.1. To part is to perish; and so he clings — and how anxiously! Spurgeon.)WhosoeverD. The world, not hell, consequently His love was sovereign-free as opposed to necessary. Thompson. God wishes to exhaust all means of kindness before His hand takes hold on justice. It takes its rise in the Gulf of Mexico and sweeps across through the heart of the mighty Atlantic to the Arctic Seas; and by its strong currents, more rapid than that of the Mississippi, it engulfs every other ocean stream that comes athwart its course, making it tributary to its own grand mission of washing the shores and ameliorating the climate of the sea-bound countries of Europe. In Adam's sin you did not sin personally, but by committing personal transgression you laid your hand upon it and made it your own. It takes its rise in the Gulf of Mexico and sweeps across through the heart of the mighty Atlantic to the Arctic Seas; and by its strong currents, more rapid than that of the Mississippi, it engulfs every other ocean stream that comes athwart its course, making it tributary to its own grand mission of washing the shores and ameliorating the climate of the sea-bound countries of Europe. Lewis, B. D. Barrows.I. )God's love for a sinning worldC. Consider —1. Was there much labour or expense about it?" Not complacency, or it would have been infinitely disgraceful to Himself.2. THE PLAN OF SALVATION ORIGINATED IN THE LOVE OF GOD.1. In like manner you must accept and appropriate the atonement of Jesus.3. Could you fathers give your sons to die for your enemy?2. asked a missionary of some Indians. His goodness is the levee between justice and the sinful soul.(H. To confer upon man the boon of everlasting life.3. God loved each, therefore all.7. Was there much labour or expense about it?" It is just the same still. The test of love is sacrifice; the criterion of its strength is the measure of the sacrifice. Universal because particular. In the gift. This was done. )The love of God in the gift Of a SaviourA. Sin brought death and separated from the tree of life: Christ restored access to it.V. Yet infidelity is the want of trust in God and Christ. WE LIVE IN THE GLORIOUS DAY OF SALVATION! It was glorious and justified the means — the salvation of the world. What is the cosmos? Luther maintained that justification by faith was the test of a standing or a falling Church. The part which the Son took in this stupendous work.4. (1)Not an exalted creature. Nor is this one act merely; it is an act repeated till a habit is formed, a habit which gives a distinctive denomination to the person — "believer."4. Simplicity is often allied to sublimity. J. Parry)The love of GodH. God wishes to exhaust all means of kindness before His hand takes hold on justice. "Now fire a shot if you dare, for if you do so, you defy the nations represented by those flags, and you will bring the powers of those two great empires upon you." IN ITS MANIFESTATION, in —1. LOVE IN ITS WIDEST SPHERE. Thomas, D. D.It is not like a banquet, accommodated to the tastes and wants of so many and no more. In Adam's sin you did not sin personally, but by committing personal transgression you laid your hand upon it and made it your own. Whatever authority He asserts, it submits to. Free as the air which belts the earth and penetrates the peasant's cottage as well as the royal palace without purchase or premium, so free is the mercy of God in Christ. But how much does God really love us? headed sinner to the boy or maiden.2. Newton, D. D.)God's love and its giftJ. The relationship between the Father and the Son is the measure of the Divine love. LOVE IN ITS HIGHEST FORM. God gave His Son. Jones. Ah! The vessel is an utter wreck. The world, not hell, consequently His love was sovereign-free as opposed to necessary. The world was guilty. How often are men ignorant of their mercies? How He gave.(1)Lovingly.(2)Freely.(3)Wholly.III. "All that a man hath will he give for his life." Beecher. Here was a world of enemies at war with Him, yet He spared not His own Son. The fervour and mightiness of this love arrest our attention — "so."II. (1)No other mercy can be so dear to God as Jesus is. The whole system of types betokened that in the fulness of time God would give His Son. Love is ever giving. The shaft is a thousand feet deep, and it was sunk at great cost to the proprietors; but it is our way out, and without it we should never be able to get to the surface." Many a man in a moment of generous excitement can perform a supreme act of benevolence and yet could not bear to look at it calmly from year to year. MEN NEED DELIVERANCE FROM DEATH.II. LOVE IN ITS HIGHEST FORM. Blessed. Wherever there is a man in the way to perish, there is the world God loved. I came forth from — out of — the Father, and am come into the world." )The power of God's loveA. What more could He give? H. Spurgeon.When the great mutiny in India had been brought to a close, and peace was being made between the government and the rebels, the Queen caused a proclamation to be made throughout the rebel provinces that all who should lay down their arms, and come to certain appointed places by a fixed day, should receive forgiveness, with some exceptions. H. There was not a morning but his loving mother bathed his wounds and swathed his limbs, and not an evening that she wearied in her toil. It encircles all degrees of faith.IV. If He had taken every star from the sky, and manipulated those stars, and moulded them all into a gigantic body of which every star was an atom; and then if He had taken every seraph from His throne and made a mighty amalgam of all souls into one, and had put that giant mind into that gigantic body, and given that body and soul for man, it would have been as nothing to this. "Read it again," asked the arrested pagan. He gave His Son to make the atonement due to law.2. Will he set aside the law because the offender is royal? W. Dale, D. D.)The power of this gospel of love on its first proclamationA. WHAT PROMPTED GOD TO MAKE IT? Love IN ITS GREATEST STRENGTH That is a poor philanthropy which can pity without helping: but "the philanthropy of God appeared" in action. IN ITS DESIGN.1. The essential means of salvation is the free gift of God.II. Will he set aside the law because the offender is royal? THE LOVE OF GOD.1. A man had been condemned in a Spanish court to be shot, but being an American citizen and also of English birth, the consuls of the two countries interposed, and declared that the Spanish authorities had no power to put him to death. He must stand by it to retrieve its honour.4. If you enter into that, you will know that all this love is to you — that while Jehovah loves the world, yet He loves you as much as if there were nobody else in all the world to love.(C. I need not tell you who looked after him. Therefore —VII. In the application of Him with all the purchases of His blood, and settling all this upon us as an inheritance (John 6:32, 33; John 4:10).II. Faith in Christ as the condition of salvation is the very heart of the Gospel. God wishes to exhaust all means of kindness before His hand takes hold on justice. J. Parry)The love of GodH. Come ye, who map the sea and land, and make a chart of this word "so." 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