Revelation of God’s Great Love and Man’s Condemnation

Revelation of God’s Great Love
John 3: 16–17

Introduction

This is the world’s most well-known Scripture. Brief and to the point, Jesus revealed God’s great love.

I.   The fact: God so loved (v. 16).

II.   The evidence: God gave (v. 16).

III.   The purpose: to save (v. 16).

IV.   The proof: God sent His Son (the Incarnation) (v. 17).

V.   The means: through Him (v. 17).

I.   John 3: 16   God Loves the World

God so loved the world. He loved the whole world. Note several facts.

1.   The idea that God loves the whole world is a new idea. The Jews believed that God loved the religious (the true Jew) and hated the non-religious (the Gentiles). The same thoughts are held by many in every generation, especially by religionists. The fact that God truly loves is shocking to many. Some wonder and others question how God could possibly love the ...
•   vile person
•   murderer
•   immoral person
•   wife beater
•   child abuser
•   prostitute
•   thief
•   alcoholic
•   street person
•   oppressor
•   enslaver
•   bitter, vengeful

Thought 1. God loves every person, not just the religious and the good. He does not love only the people who love Him. He loves everyone, even the unlovable and the unloving, the unbelieving and the obstinate, the selfish and the greedy, the spiteful and the vengeful.

John 10:16 “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

Rom 10:12-13 “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

1 Tim 2:4 Who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

2.   The basis of God’s love is His nature. God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16); therefore, He loves. He acts, demonstrates, and shows His love.

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:8, 16 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

3.   Love acts; it expresses itself. Love does not sit still, doing nothing. It is not dormant, complacent, inactive. If love actually exists, it has to act and express itself; it has to do something good. Love is loving; that is, love is always demonstrating love to others. Therefore, God’s love acts and reveals Him to be love.

Thought 1. God wants man to know His love. He wants to reach everyone in the world with His love.

1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

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John 3: 16   God Loved

Past tense. A past, proven fact. An outline of the greatness of God’s love is seen in this verse. (1) Height: God loved. (2) Depth: so loved. (3) Length: God gave. (4) Breadth: whoever. ♠

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II.   John 3: 16   Evidence of God’s Love

There is the evidence of God’s love — God gave His one and only Son. Note several points.

1.   God demonstrated His love in the most perfect way possible: He gave His one and only Son to the world. As God, He is perfect, which means His love is perfect. Therefore, God not only loves, but He so loves. He loves to perfection, loves to the ultimate degree. Whatever the ultimate degree and the perfect act and expression of love is, God shows it. Without question, the greatest act of love is the sacrifice of a man’s own life; therefore, God sacrificed the life of His own Son to save man.

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

2.   The word gave (edoken) has a twofold meaning. God gave His Son to the world, and He gave His Son to die. The idea of sacrifice, of great cost, is in both acts. It cost God dearly to give His Son up to the world and up to the cross.

a.   He gave up His Son to be separated from Him, allowing Jesus to leave His presence, to leave the majesty and glory, worship and honour of heaven.

b.   He gave up His Son to be separated from Him, allowing Jesus to come to earth...

Into a world that was...       Into a world full of...

•   fallen                                           •   darkness

•   depraved                                     •   selfishness, greed

•   wicked                                         •   hostility, war

•   rebellious                                    •   bitterness, barriers

•   revolting                                      •   immorality

•   apostate                                       •   wrath, anger

•   sin, shame

c.   He gave up His Son to be separated from Him, allowing Jesus to die for the sins of men (See Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ, Mt. 26:37-38).

Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isa 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Rom 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

1 Cor 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Cor 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

1 Pet 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

1 Pet 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

3.   A most glorious evidence of God’s love is that God took the initiative to save man. Man did not seek to save himself; God sought to save him. God gave His Son so that we might be forgiven and saved. God is the seeking Saviour.

God is not...              God does not...

•  angry                          •   hate men

•   unloving                   •   have to be persuaded to love men

•   unforgiving              •   have to be convinced to forgive men

Eph 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

Jer 31:3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness.”

4.   The most glorious truth is that God gave His one and only Son. This is the most remarkable proof of God’s love. It magnifies and shows how great His love really is. He was willing to give the thing most dear to His heart in order to save the world. Note this: God even planned to give His Son throughout eternity.

Acts 2:23-24 This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

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Mathew 26: 37–38
The Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Mathew 26:37–38

Words could never express what Christ experienced. Words are just inadequate, totally inadequate. Using all the descriptive words in the world would be as inadequate in describing the sufferings of Christ as using a syringe to drain an ocean.

1.   There was the mental and emotional agony: the weight, pressure, anguish, sorrow and excessive strain such as no man has ever experienced. He was the Son of God, Maker of heaven and earth, yet images and thoughts were pressing ever so heavily in upon His spirit, the images and thoughts of...

•   the unbelief of all men everywhere

•   the rejection of His own people, the Jews

•   the malice of the world’s leaders, both Jew and Gentile, religious and civil

•   the betrayal of one of His own, Judas

•   the desertion of all His men

•   the denial by the leader of His own men, Peter

•   His trial and unjust condemnation

•   the ridicule and pain of being scourged, spat upon, slugged, cursed, mocked, crowned with thorns and nailed to the cross and killed

2.   There was the physical experience of death while being the Son of God. What is it like for the Son of God to die just as all men die? If just the physical aspect of Christ’s death is considered, His death is still different from all other men.

a.   Christ as the Son of God possessed the very seed, quality, ingredient and energy of life within His being (see Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3).

b.   Christ as the Son of God possessed no seed, quality, or ingredient of death (Jn. l4:6; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 Jn. 1:1-2; see Jn. l:4); but man does. Man possesses the seed of corruption and death. Man’s sinful nature knows nothing and expects nothing but death, but the sinless nature of Christ knows nothing of sin and death. His sinless nature and the agony and pain of death were bound to be as different from man’s death as white is different from black.

There is another point to note as well. Man suffers humiliation in death. No matter how much man struggles to live, he wastes and wastes away until he is carried into the grave to become dust of the ground. But not Christ; He was sinless and perfect even in His human nature. His sinless nature knew nothing of death. Imagine the humiliation: the Son of God — the Perfect Man, the Perfect God — having to die upon this earth! No wonder He “began to be sorrowful and troubled!” No wonder He could say, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” In some mysterious way, God made Christ to become sin for us (2 Cor. 5: 21).

3.   There was the spiritual experience of death while being the Son of Man (see Mt.5:17-18; see Son of Man, Mt. 8:20; Rom. 8:2-4). There is so much here, yet so little can ever be known.

a.   First, what is it like to be without sin? Christ, made in the image of man and being fully man, was sinless. He lived as all men live facing all the trials and temptations that men face, yet He never sinned. He was without sin. He became the Perfect and Ideal Man — all that God wants man to be. He became the Pattern for all men.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. (see 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pt.2:22; 1 Jn.3:5)

Heb 5:8-9 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

b.   Second, what is it like to bear all the sins of the world? What is it like to be perfect and sinless and then, all of a sudden, to have all the sins of the world laid upon Oneself? In some mysterious way, God took all the sins of the world and laid the whole body of sin upon Christ. In some mysterious way, God made Christ to become sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Christ, as the Ideal Man, became the Ideal Sin-Bearer. He bore all the sins and all that sin causes — all the....
• darkness
• pollution
• filthiness
• dirt
• weight
• pressure
• anxiety
• turmoil
• worry
• guilt
• savagery
• conflict
• strife
• war
• torture
• enmity
• poison
• corruption
• consumption
• disturbance

Isa 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Rom 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

1 Cor 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

1 Pet 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

c.   Third, what is it like to bear all the judgment and condemnation of sin for all men? Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, suffered separation from God. The terrifying mystery of this hellish experience is seen in His cry upon the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (see Death of Jesus Christ, Mt. 27:26-44; Mt. 27:46-49; see Death of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. 2:21-25).

Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

1 Pet 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. ♠

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III.   John 3: 16   Salvation of Mankind

There is the purpose of God’s love: to save men. God’s purpose in giving His Son was threefold.

1.   To save men from perishing (See Perish, Jn. 3:16).

2.   To save men to eternal life (See Life in Jesus Christ, Jn. l:4 and Jn. 10:10; See Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3).

3.   To save men through belief (See Saving Faith, Jn. 2:24). This fact says that salvation is conditional.

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John 3: 16   Perish, Perishing (apoletai)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3: 16

To be lost, to destroy utterly, to lose utterly, to lose eternal life, to be spiritually destitute, to be cut off.

1.   Perishing means to be in a lost state in this world. It means to be...

•   aging, deteriorating, decaying, dying. (Mt. 8:17; 1 Cor. 15:50; Col. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:4.)

•   without life (purpose, meaning, significance). (Jn. l:4; 10:10; 17:2-3.)

•   without peace (assurance, confidence, security in God’s keeping). (Jn. 14:27)

•   without hope (of living forever). (2 Tim. 4:18.)

2.   Perishing means to be in a lost state in the world to come. It means...
•   having to die
•   facing judgment
•   being condemned
•   suffering separation from God and all loved ones
•   experiencing all that hell is (Mt. 5:22; Lk. 16:24; Heb. 9:27). ♠

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John 1: 4   “In Christ was Life”

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 1: 4

The simple statement “in Christ was life” means at least three things.

1.   Life is the quality and essence, the energy and power, the force and principle of being. Christ is life; He is...
•   the very quality of life
•   the very essence of life
•   the very energy of life
•   the very power of life
•   the very force of life
•   the very principle of life

Without Christ, there would be no life whatsoever. Life is in Him, within His very being. All things exist and have their being (life) in Him.

2.   Life is purpose, meaning, and significance of being. Christ is life; He is...
•   the very purpose of life.
•   the very meaning of life.
•   the very significance of life.

3.   Life is perfection. Life is all that a man must be and possess in order to live perfectly. This is what is meant by life. Life is completeness of being, absolute satisfaction, the fullness of all good, and the possession of all good things. Life is perfect love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

Whatever life is and all that life is, is all in Jesus Christ. Even the legitimate cravings of man that are sometimes entangled with evil — such as power, fame and wealth — are all included in the life given by Jesus Christ. Those who partake of His life shall reign forever as kings and priests (Lk. 16:10-12). This is the very thing that is distinctive about life — it is eternal. It lasts forever and it is rewarding. It will eventually exalt the believer to the highest life and place and position. (Rev. 21:1f.)

Jesus Christ is the source of life: He is the way to life, and He is the truth of life. He is the very substance of life, its very being and energy (Jn. 5:26; 1 Jn. 1:2). ♠

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John 10: 10   Life in Jesus Christ

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10: 10

Life is one of the great words of the Scriptures. The word life (zoe) and the verb to live or to have life (zen) have a depth of meaning.

1.   Life is the energy, the force, the power of being.

2.   Life is the opposite of perishing. It is deliverance from condemnation and death. It is the stopping or cessation of deterioration, decay, and corruption (Jn. 3:16: 5:24, 29; 10:28).

3.   Life is eternal (aionios). It is forever. It is the very life of God Himself (Jn. l7:3). However, eternal life does not refer just to duration. Living forever would be a curse for some persons. The idea of eternal life is also quality, a certain kind of life, a life that consistently knows love, joy, peace, power, and responsibility .

4.   Life is satisfaction (Jn. 6:35).

5.   Life is security and enjoyment (Jn. l0:10).

6.   Life is found only in God. God is the source and author of life, and it is God who has appointed Jesus Christ to bring life to man. Jesus Christ gives the very life of God Himself (Jn. 5:26; 6:27, 40; 10:28; 17:23).

7.   Life has now been revealed. It has been unveiled and is clearly seen in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shows man what life is (Jn. 1:4-5; 5:26; 1 Jn. l:2).

8.   Life only comes to a man by believing in Jesus Christ. A man outside Jesus Christ only exists. He merely has the existence of an animal. Real life is found only in God. This is to be expected and it is logically true, for God is the creator of life. As the creator of life, He alone knows what life really is and what it is supposed to be (Jn. 3:36; 5:24; 6:47). This is the reason He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world: to show men what life is. When a person looks at Jesus Christ, he sees exactly what life is, exactly what it involves (Gal. 5:22-23):
=>  love
=>  patience
=>  faithfulness
=>  joy
=>  kindness
=>  gentleness
=>  peace
=>  goodness
=>  self-control ♠

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John 17: 2–3   Eternal Life (ainios)

“For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17: 2–3

Life, real life. It is the very life of God Himself. It is the very energy, force, being, essence, principle and power of life. It has more to do with quality and with what life really is than with duration. To live forever in the present world is not necessarily a good thing. The world and man’s body need changing. That changed life is found only in eternal life. The only being who can be said to be eternal is God. Therefore, life — supreme life — is found only in God. To possess eternal life is to know God. Once a person knows God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, that person has eternal life — he shall live forever. But more essential, the person has the supreme quality of life, the very life of God Himself.

John 3:14-15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

John 6:40 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

John 11:25-28 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”

John 12:25 “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Rom 5:21 So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gal 6:8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

2 Tim 1:10 But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

1 Jn 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ♠

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John 2: 24    Saving Faith: Believe, Commit, Entrust

The word commit or entrust is the very same word “believe” (see Jn. 2:23). This gives an excellent picture of saving faith, of what genuine faith is — of the kind of faith that really saves a person.

1.   Saving faith is not head knowledge, not just a mental conviction and intellectual assent. It is not just believing the fact that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world. It is not just believing history, that Jesus Christ lived upon earth as the Saviour just as A. J. Abdul Kalam lived upon earth as the President of India. It is not just believing the words and claims of Jesus in the same way that a person would believe the words of Abdul Kalam.

2.   Saving faith is believing in Jesus, who and what He is, that He is the Saviour and Lord of life. It is a man giving and turning his life over to Jesus. It is a man casting himself upon Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

3.   Saving faith is commitment — the commitment of a man’s total being and life to Jesus Christ. It is a man’s commitment of all he is and has to Jesus. It gives Jesus everything; therefore, it involves all of a man’s affairs. The man trusts Jesus to take care of his past (sins), his present (welfare), and his future (destiny). He entrusts his whole life, being, and possessions into Jesus’ hands. He lays himself upon Jesus’ keeping, confiding in Him about his daily necessities and acknowledging Him in all the ways of life. He follows Jesus in every area and in every detail of life, seeking His instructions and leaving his welfare up to Him. It is simply commitment of a man’s whole being, all he is and has, to Jesus.

There are three steps involved in faith, steps that are clearly seen in this passage.

1.   There is the step of seeing (Jn. 2:23) or hearing (Rom. 10:16). A man must be willing to listen to the message of Christ, the revelation of truth.

2.   There is the step of mental assent. A man must agree that the message is true, that the facts of the case are thus and so. But this is not enough. Mere agreement does not lead to action. Many a person knows that something is true, but he does not change his behaviour to match his knowledge. For example, a man knows that eating too much harms his body, but he may continue to eat too much. He agrees to the truth and knows the truth, but he does nothing about it. A person may believe and know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world and yet do nothing about it, never make a decision to follow Christ. This man still does not have faith, not the kind of faith that the Bible talks about.

3.   There is the step of commitment. When the New Testament speaks of faith, it speaks of commitment, a personal commitment to the truth. A man hears the truth and agrees that it is true and does something about it. He commits (entrusts) and yields his life to the truth. The truth becomes a part of his very being, a part of his behaviour and life. ♠

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IV.   John 3: 17   Proof of God’s Love

There is the proof of God’s love, the Incarnation. God actually sent His Son into the world. Christ became flesh (Jn. 1:14). The Incarnation did take place. The Son of God was actually made flesh. He came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt about John’s meaning here.

The word “flesh” (sarx) is the same word that Paul used to describe man’s nature with all of its weakness and tendency to sin. This is a staggering thought. Jesus Christ is God — fully God, yet Jesus Christ is man — fully man. (1 Jn. 4:2-3.) The word “seen” (theasthai) means actually seeing with the human eye. It is used about twenty times in the New Testament. There is no room whatsoever for saying that God’s becoming a man was merely a vision of some man’s mind or imagination. John was saying that he and others actually saw the Word become flesh. Jesus Christ was beyond question God Himself who became man, who partook of the very same flesh as all other men.

1.   Christ was not sent to condemn or to judge the world. That was not His purpose. However, we deserve to be judged and condemned.

=>  We are guilty both of breaking God’s law and of coming short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23).

=>  We are convicted (Rom. 3:9-18; see Rom. 1:18-32).

2.   Christ was sent to save the world. His purpose was to save us from perishing and to save us to eternal life.

Luke 2:1 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Mat 20:28 “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

V.   John 3: 17   Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and Man

There is the means of salvation. Salvation is through Him (Christ Jesus) and through Him alone.

1 Tim 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.

John 4:42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.”

Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Acts 5:31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

Heb 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. ♣

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1 Corinthians 1: 18   Salvation and Perishing

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1: 18

Men are placed into one of two categories here, perishing or being saved. A man goes through life having one of these two experiences: he is either perishing, moving ever downward toward the grave; or he is being saved, moving ever upward toward eternal life. In the Greek, both words are continuous action; that is, a man is perishing or is being saved. The words are not static; a man is not sitting still. He is ever “perishing,” more and more being gripped by the flesh and being conditioned to accept a perishing, dying world; or he is ever “being saved,” more and more being freed to walk righteously and godly in this present world. The man who is saved is being conditioned to break loose from a perishing, dying world and to look for the glorious appearing of the new world. (See Salvation, Rom. l:16.)

1.   The terrible word perishing means to be lost, to be utterly destroyed, to lose eternal life, to be spiritually destitute, to be cut off.

a.   Perishing means to be in a lost state in this world. It means to be...

•   aging, deteriorating, decaying, dying. (See Disease, Sickness, Corruption, Mt. 8:17; notes,1 Cor. 15:50; Col. 2:13; Sin, Death, Corruption, 2 Pet. l:4.)

•   without life (purpose, meaning, significance). (See Grace, Jn. 1:4; Life in Jesus Christ, Jn. 10:10; Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3.)

•   without peace (assurance, confidence, security in God’s keeping). (See note, Jn. 14:27.)

•   without hope (of living forever). (See Deliverance from Death, 2 Tim. 4; 18.)

b.   Perishing means to be in a lost state in the world to come. It means...
•   having to die
•   facing judgment
•   being condemned
•   suffering separation from God and from all loved ones
•   experiencing all that is hell
(See Hell Fire, Mt. 5:22; Hell, Torment, Lk. 16:24; Death, Heb. 9:27.)

2.   The great word salvation is used in Scripture to describe at least three experiences for the believer.

a.   The once-for-all experience of salvation. It is an experience that has happened sometime in the past: “Your faith has saved you” (Lk. 7:50). It is the initial act of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is receiving Christ into one’s heart and life as Lord. It means being saved or delivered from sin, death, and hell; and being given the assurance that one will never be separated from God — either in this life or in the world to come. (See Life in Christ, Jn. 1:4; Life in Christ, Jn. 10:10; Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3.)

John 17:2 “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.”

2 Cor 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Eph 2:5 Made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

2 Tim 1:9 Who has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

b.   The continuous experience of salvation. It is an experience that is occurring right now, in the present. “[You] who are being saved” (1 Cor. 1:18). It is a description of God’s work day by day in the believer’s life. It is the Holy Spirit of God working within the believer. (Cp. Rom. 6:14; 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 2:20; Ph. l:19; 2:12-13; 2 Th. 2:13.)

=>  To guide and teach him and to deliver him through all the trials and problems of life.

John 14:16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

=>  To fill him with a heart of love, joy, and peace — all the fruit and resources necessary to live life to the fullest.

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

=>  To conform him more and more to the image of Christ.

2 Cor 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

=>  To stir and equip him to live and witness for Christ day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and moment by moment.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

2 Tim 1:7-8 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

c.   The redemptive experience of salvation that is to occur in the future. “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11). This future reference to salvation points to the day of redemption — to the day of Christ’s kingdom — to the day when Christ shall usher in His kingdom upon this earth — to the day when God will create a new heavens and earth and bring about His perfect will and rule throughout the universe.

Rom 8:21-23 That the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

1 Cor 15:42-44 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

1 Pet 1:5 Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

2 Pet 3:10-13 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
(See Kingdom of God, Mt. 19:23-24.) ♠

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Man’s Condemnation
John 3: 18–21

Introduction

God sent His Son into the world to save the world, but this does not mean that everyone is automatically saved. In fact, some are condemned and doomed. Jesus reveals man’s condemnation.

I.   Who is condemned? Not the believer, but the unbeliever (v. 18).

II.   When is he condemned? Already (v. 18).

III.   Why is he condemned? (vv. 18-20).

IV.   Who escapes condemnation? (v. 21).

I.   John 3: 18   Freedom from Condemnation

Who is condemned? Not the believer, but the unbeliever.

1.   The believer is not condemned. Note three facts.

a.   The critical importance of belief cannot be overstressed. Belief stays, prevents, arrests, and stops judgment. The person who believes in Christ...

•   is acquitted as though he never sinned

•   is released

•   is not to be captivated again (by guilt, fear, bondage, shame)

•   is not to be condemned (judged)

•   is not to be dealt with in justice

b.   The believer is saved. He is as guilty as the unbeliever, but there is one critical difference: the believer believes in Jesus Christ and has committed his life to Him. The believer is actively and diligently seeking Christ (Heb. 11:6). God will save any man who will believe and seek and honour His Son (Jn. 12:26; See Saving Faith, Jn. 2:24).

c.   The believer is released from condemnation because he believes in Christ. The believer believes that Christ died for his sins, in his place, as his substitute, paying the penalty for his sins (which was death).

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

Rom 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

2.   The unbeliever is condemned. Note two critical points.

a.   Note who the unbeliever is. He is the person who “has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” God has one and only one Son. The man who has not already believed on God’s Son is the unbeliever. It does not matter who the man is or where he is; he is an unbeliever if he has not already believed in the one and only Son of God.

b.   Note what it means to be condemned or judged. (See Perish, Jn. 3:16.)

II.   John 3: 18   Condemnation of Unbelief

When is the unbeliever condemned? Already, right now. It is not that he is to be condemned; he is already condemned. At least three things are meant by being condemned already (ede kekritai).

1.   Condemnation is a sure fact. The unbeliever’s judgment is sure, so sure it is as though he has already been condemned. Nothing can change or stop the judgment from coming upon the unbeliever. Ignoring, denying, and struggling against the great day of judgment will not change one detail of the day. It is coming, and every single unbeliever will be judged.

2.   The unbeliever is already under the present curse of sin. He is...

•   separate from Christ

•   excluded from citizenship with the people of God

•   a foreigner to the promises of God

•   without hope

•   without God in the world (Eph. 2:12)

Perishing means to be in a lost state in this world. It means to be...

•   aging, deteriorating, decaying, dying. (Mt. 8:17; 1 Cor. 15:50)

•   without life (purpose, meaning, significance). (Jn. l:4; 10:10)

•   without peace (assurance, confidence, security in God’s keeping).

•   without hope (of living forever). (2 Tim. 4:18.)

3.   The unbeliever already stands guilty of all the sins he has ever committed; he is already condemned. The law of God already exists. Every time a man breaks the law of God, he immediately becomes guilty and is condemned. The judgment is already pronounced. The unbeliever must pay the penalty for every transgression of God’s law. He is already under the curse, the full force of the law.

Gal 3:10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Gal 3:12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”

III.   John 3: 18–20   Reasons for Condemnation

Why is the unbeliever condemned? Four reasons are given.

1.   The unbeliever has not believed. The great sin of unbelief is that it neglects, ignores, denies, abuses, and rejects God’s Son.

=>  The dignity of God’s Son is ignored.

Christ is eternal. Note three profound statements made about Christ, the Word (Jn. 1:1-2).

a.   Christ was pre-existent. This means He was there before creation. He has always existed. The testimony of John was that Jesus Christ was the Word, the One who has always existed. He is the Son of the living God. (Phil. 2:5-8.)

b.   Christ was coexistent. He was and is face-to-face with God forever. The word with (pros) has the idea of both being with and acting toward. Jesus Christ (the Word) was both with God and acting with God.

The testimony of John was that Jesus Christ was the Word, the One who has always coexisted with God. Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.

c.   John did not say that “the Word” was the God (ho Theos). He says “the Word” was God (Theos). He omits the definite article. John was saying that “the Word,” Jesus Christ...

•   is of the very nature and character of God the Father, but He is not identical to the person of God the Father.

•   is a distinct person from God the Father, but He is of the very being and essence (perfection) of God the Father.

When a man sees Christ, he sees a distinct person, but he sees a person who is of the very substance and character of God in all of His perfect being.

=>   The truth of God’s Son is not believed.

Christ became flesh. The Incarnation did take place. The Son of God was actually made flesh. He came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt about John’s meaning here.

The word “flesh” (sarx) is the same word that Paul used to describe man’s nature with all of its weakness and tendency to sin. This is a staggering thought. Jesus Christ is God — fully God, yet Jesus Christ is man — fully man. (1 Jn. 4:2-3.) The word “seen” (theasthai) means actually seeing with the human eye. It is used about twenty times in the New Testament. There is no room whatsoever for saying that God’s becoming a man was merely a vision of some man’s mind or imagination. John was saying that he and others actually saw the Word become flesh. Jesus Christ was beyond question God Himself who became man, who partook of the very same flesh as all other men. (1 Jn. 1:1-4.)

=>  The goodness of God’s Son is not embraced (Jn. 1:14).

=>  The dearest thing to God’s heart is denied (Jn. 3:16).

=>  The name that is above every name is abused and cursed (Phil. 2:9).

=>  The one and only Son of God is rejected (Jn. 3:16-19).

Christ is the great remedy for man’s sins. Therefore, unbelief — rejecting and refusing to believe Him — is the great damning sin.

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

John 8:24 “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”

2.   The unbeliever is condemned because Light has come into the world. The Light came into the world to give light to men, to enable men to walk out of the darkness of a sinful and perishing world. The Light came to show men the way, the truth, and the life:

=>  The Light shows man the way God intends for him to live.

=>  The Light shows man the truth of life, that is, the truth of God and of man and of the world that surrounds man.

=>  The Light shows man the life, that is, how to save his life and avoid the things that cause him to stumble and lose his life.

The point is this: the life of Jesus Christ now stands in the world to give Light. Any man who does not turn and walk in the Light is naturally in the dark. He is condemned to the darkness and to all that happens to those who walk in the darkness. (See Light, Jn. 8:12)

3.   The unbeliever is condemned because he loves darkness. Why would he love darkness? Because his deeds are evil, and to turn and walk in the Light would expose his evil deeds for what they are: immoral, unrighteous, and disobedient to God. There are at least four reasons why man prefers to walk in darkness and prefer to hang on to his sins.

a.   The unbeliever loves his sin and does not want to turn and face the conviction of the Light. If he turned to the Light, he would have to give up his sin; and he loves the feeling, the stimulation, the comfort, the ease, the challenge, the recognition, the power, the fame, the possessions, the things which the sin brings. He loves it all too much to give it up.

b.   The unbeliever is full of pride. He does not want to confess his sin, the fact that he is in darkness and short of what God demands. He denies he is in darkness, refusing to turn to the Light (Christ).

c.   The unbeliever is enslaved, in bondage to sin and gripped by the darkness; he has been in darkness so long that he does not have the strength to break the enslavement.

d.   The unbeliever fears the shame, embarrassment, and consequence of his sin. In some cases he would like to confess his evil and correct it, but fear keeps him from coming out and facing the Light (Christ).

Eph 5:3-6, 11 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

1 Th 5:4, 6-7 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

1 John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

Psa 82:5 They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Prov 4:19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

4.   The unbeliever is condemned because he does not come to the Light. Whatever his reasons, the unbeliever refuses to come to the Light; therefore, he is condemned.

Rom 13:12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.

Mat 15:14 “Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Jer 23:12 “Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished,” declares the Lord.

Zep 1:17 I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth.

Thought 1. The unbeliever is uncomfortable in the Light. Therefore, he shuns everything that presents the Light to him: the church, believers, the Bible, prayer and spiritual conversation.

Note that unbelievers are said to hate the Light. They ignore, reject, deny, and fight the Light. They speak and write against it, ridicule and curse it, persecute and seek to stamp it out.

John 1:4-5 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 12:35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.”

John 12:46 “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

2 Cor 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Eph 5:14 For it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Isa 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

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John 8: 12   Jesus the Light

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8: 12

Jesus is said to be the Light of men (Jn. l:4) and the Light of the world (Jn. 8:12; 9:5; 12:46). It is possible for the Light, Jesus Himself, to be in men (Jn. 11:10; see Col. 1:27) and for men to become children of Light (Jn. 12:34-36).

Apparently, Jesus used the word light often. John uses the word twenty-four times. What is meant by calling Jesus the Light?

1.   Jesus, the Light, is light by nature. Light is what He is within Himself, within His being. His nature, His essence, His character. Scripture says...

•   that “God is Light” (1 Jn. 1:5);

•   that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15);

•   therefore, “Jesus is Light.” He is “the Light of the world.”

2.   Jesus, the Light, tells us that He is holy, righteous, and pure. Light is the symbol of purity and holiness. Light means the absence of darkness and blindness; it has no spots of darkness or blackness, nor of sin and shame.

3.   Jesus, the Light, reveals. His light shows clearly the nature, the meaning, and the destiny of all things. His light shines in, spots, opens up, identifies, illuminates, and shows things as they really are. The light of Jesus Christ shows the truth about the world and man and God. The light of Jesus Christ reveals that He loves and cares for man and wants man to love and care for Him.

4.   Jesus, the Light, guides. His light allows a man to walk out of darkness. Man no longer has to grope, grasp, and stumble about trying to find his way through life. The path of life can now be clearly seen.

5.   Jesus, the Light, does away with darkness and with chaos. His light routes, wipes out, strips away, and erases the darkness. The empty chaos of creation was routed by the light given by God (Gen. 1:3). Jesus Christ is the Light that can save man from chaos (Jn. 14:1, 17; 12:46; 16:33).

Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Light of the world at the great Feast of Tabernacles (Jn. 7:2). The very first ceremony of the Feast holds great significance for Jesus’ claim. It was called “The Illumination of the Temple” and was held in the Court of the Women. The centre of the Court was surrounded by large sections of stadium-like seats. In the open space of the Court sat four huge candelabra. When darkness fell the candelabra were lit, and the elders danced and led the people in singing psalms before the Lord all night. The brilliance and glow from the burning flames of the huge candelabra were said to be so bright that the light could be seen throughout the whole city. It was against this background that Jesus cried out, “I am the Light of the world.” ♠

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John 8: 12   Darkness (skotos, skotia)

The word is used in Scripture to describe both the state and the works of man. Darkness is very real in Scripture.

1.   The darkness refers to the world of the natural man who does not know Jesus Christ (Jn. 8:12). The natural man walks in ignorance...

•   of Jesus Christ

•   of God as revealed by Jesus Christ

•   of the real purpose and destiny of life as shown by Jesus Christ

The natural man stumbles and gropes about in this world. He knows nothing other than the things of this world as he sees them. His only hope is the hope of living a long life before death overtakes him. He walks in darkness, ignorant of real life now and hereafter (see Jn. 12:35, 46).

2.   The darkness symbolizes unpreparedness and unwatchfulness. It symbolizes the time when evil occurs (1 Th. 5:4-8).

3.   The darkness is loved by men. Sinful men do their evil deeds under the cover of darkness. Men therefore hate the light because the light uncovers their evil behaviour (Jn. 3:19-20).

4.   The darkness is hostile to light. ♠

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John 8: 45–47   Jesus Christ, Without Sin

The third proof of man’s depravity is the sinlessness of Jesus. Jesus made the most staggering claim: no man could prove Him to be a sinner. No person could prove a single sin in Him. He was sinless and perfect. He was in the closest imaginable relationship with God, of the very same nature as God: sinless, holy, righteous, pure — perfectly so. Jesus claimed to be the Perfect Man.

2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin.

Heb 7:26 Such a high priest meets our need — one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

1 Pet 2:22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

1 John 3:5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.

Note the all important question: Since He was sinless, why do men not believe Him? He was telling the truth. Therefore, men should believe Him. Jesus answered His own question.

=>  He who “belongs to God” hears what God says.

=>  He who does not “belong to God” does not hear what God says. The person who does not belong to God does not hear and believe because he is not a child of God. He is a child of the father of lies, the devil.

Mat 13:15 ‘For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

2 Tim 4:4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Zec 7:11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears.” ♠

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IV.   John 3: 21   Escape from Condemnation

Who escapes condemnation? The man who does three things.

1.   The man who practices truth and lives righteously escapes condemnation. He knows what is right and he does it. The verb is continuous action. He practices truth, continually and habitually. Note two things about this man.

a.   This does not mean he lives perfectly, without ever sinning. No man is or can be perfect. It means that the man who directs his life toward truth diligently seeks the truth and seeks to be truthful. He may slip and sin, but he immediately turns back to God, repenting and hanging on to his integrity.

b.   Christ said that the man who is truthful hears His voice (Jn. 18:37; 1 Jn. l:6). Only the man who desires truth is saved, and every man who comes to the truth is saved. Christ is truth.

John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

1 John 1:6-7 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

2 John 1:4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.

3 John 1:3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.

Psa 26:3 For your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.

Psa 86:11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

2.   The man who comes to the Light escapes condemnation. Only the Light (Christ) can dispel the darkness in a man’s life.

3.   The man whose works are done through God escapes condemnation. The words done through (eirgasmena) mean to work, produce, perform, originate, manufacture, and fashion from something. The idea is that the man comes to Christ (the Light) so that his works will be done through, originated, and worked in and of God. The man who comes to Christ lives close to God. He walks and talks and listens to God (His Word), and he does what God says (2 Cor. 1:12).

Mat 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

1 Tim 6:17-18 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

Titus 2:7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness.

Heb 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased

James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ♣

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