The Gospel According To John

by Richard St.James

For God So Loved The World and Calvinism

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

For me … a sinner … saved by grace, this is the high point … John 3:16. This is the most UNIVERSAL [without No limits] EXPRESSION OF LOVE there is in the whole universe. Let me say it again in a different way. This time I will make it personal. Are you ready?

I have witnessed the greatest [BIGGEST] work of all ... in all the earth ... and of all time. I witnessed it thirty - four years ago, and I am still witnessing it to this very day. Here we go! It is the "SO GREAT SALVATION" of Jesus Christ, THE SON OF GOD, of Hebrews 2, verse three. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” John 3:16 publishes THE BIGGEST SALVATION by THE BIGGEST God.

HE saves the BIGGEST of sinners ... EVEN ME, by THE BIGGEST GRACE that can ever be seen by man ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH through faith. AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! That is my testimony! What of yours? Is this so for you, friend? Well come on! Has the cat got your tongue? Then shout it out and give God the honor, and the glory, and the praise. “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” [Ephesians 1:6]

“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.”

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;)." (Ephesians 2:4-5) For "his great love" ... is THE BIGGEST LOVE. I have witnessed it! I have tasted ... THE LORD IS GRACIOUS! "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." (1 Peter 2:3) I have been greatly blessed. I have in these fifty-eight years that I have been on the face of this earth, seen so much.

I have visited the eastern shores of the Continent of Africa. I have been to Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, too. I have labored in the giant oil fields of the northern most reaches of the BIGGEST state of all these United States, ALASKA. I have lived in Illinois amidst some of the largest cornfields in the world. I am today enjoying the beauties of the hills and valleys of eastern Tennessee. Truly these Cumberland Mountains are a majestic inspiring sight to me day by day! Amen! Yet it all comes back to this most important starting point [John 3:16]!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

This is the most important promise there is to the sinner. This is the Book that proclaims it! God wrote it! God it wrote a BOOK. Truly we sinners have enjoyed the greatest witness of THE BIGGEST, and THE GREATEST GOD REVEALED both in NATURE (Romans 1:20) and in THE BIBLE. The BIBLE I am referring to is THE AUTHORIZED VERSION of THE HOLY BIBLE of 1611 (or any edition of it). Amen!

HYPER Calvinism

Now my friend, we come to a problem … for some people. “For God so loved the world” does not mean what it says … where it says it. To them the word “world” does not mean the literally the “world”. They have it re-defined!!! They believe that the “world” refers to a small subset of all the people in the world. This subset is “the elect”, or more exactly “the elect of the gentiles.” They believe in a limited atonement. These people are known as HYPER Calvinists.

John Calvin

Let’s back up for moment now. Who are Calvinists? Well, John Calvin, one of the Protestant reformers, [no doubt a saved man,] taught five tenets concerning salvation. These five tenets are sometimes referred to as TULIP.

The TULIP

1. Total Depravity
2. Unconditional Election
3. Limited Atonement
4. Irresistible Grace
5. Perseverance of the Saints

Now in this message, it’s not my intention to delve into all the tenets of John Calvin concerning salvation [The TULIP]. My attention [at this time] is drawn to one tenet. This is diabolic notion of a “limited atonement”. If only John Calvin BELIEVED the BOOK and WHAT the BOOK said, concerning the word “world”, and WHERE the BOOK said it: [CONTEXT] in John 3:16.

If you and I BELIEVE the BOOK and WHAT the BOOK says, concerning the word “world”, and WHERE the BOOK says it: [CONTEXT] in John 3:16, then “God so loved the world” would mean “God so loved the world”. A Bible BELIEVER is someone who BELIEVES the BOOK! Profound, isn’t it? A song we all know reads this way! “Red and yellow, and black, and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” If John Calvin had believed the BOOK [when he came to John 3:16] he would have seen, that the God’s love was unlimited. The Scriptures would have lead John Calvin to believing in an unlimited atonement.

The Two Comings Of Jesus Christ

Return To Home

Return to King James Bible Study Index

The Gospel According To John

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

John 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that
thou doest, except God be with him.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

John 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

John 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.

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.

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

John 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

John 3:24 For John was not yet cast into prison.

John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barestwitness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

John 3:28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the
bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

John 3:32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

John 3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.