My thoughts on "Calvinism and John 3:16" post.
So, a friend of mine shared a link about Calvinism and John 3:16 here. After reading it, I felt the need to post my thoughts about a couple of things that were mentioned or not mentioned. Below are my thoughts. I'll leave it at that.
I just wanted to take a minute and respond to the thoughts mentioned below. First, I wanted to respond because I thought it might be good to hear from someone who actually espouses the doctrines of grace (God’s sovereignty over salvation) what we actually believe. Secondly, I wanted to respond because I wanted to offer some other verses and thoughts to consider. So let’s consider:
It was claimed in the post that a Calvinist believes that the word “world” in John 3:16 does not mean “world” but the elect.
I don’t know many Calvinists or Reformed people that would agree with that statement. I would say that some Calvinist might say that the word “world” doesn’t refer to every single person on the face of the earth, but rather to all people groups. Like when the scriptures say in Matthew 24:14 that “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”. If we take the word “world” to mean all people, then we must say that this verse is simply untrue because we know for a fact that every person on the face of the earth has not heard the gospel. In fact, just within the 10/40 window there are over 2.6 billion people who have no access to the gospel, and those people are dying every day. If every person on the face of the earth has heard the gospel, then we wouldn’t need missions. Rather, this verse is saying that God is committed to getting the gospel to all nations (people groups) so that there is at least one member from every people group present in the kingdom of heaven.
Secondly, I would say that most Calvinist don’t feel the need to change the meaning of John 3:16 because we would agree that everyone who believes will be saved. Point blank. If you believe, you will be saved. If you don’t believe, you won’t. I think the real issue here is how does someone come to faith? The Reformed person believes that all who believe will be saved, but that it is only those whom God elects or regenerates who will be saved. Did anyone notice verse 21 at the end? “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” So this person has believed and is living by the truth, but that person comes into the light with the attitude of, “hey, I didn’t do this in my heart, God did”.
In regards to the statement that “the phrase. ‘the world did not recognize him’ cannot mean the elect, because the elect are those who ‘do’ recognize Him and accept Him” I would encourage whoever wrote this to consider the apostle John’s testimony about John the Baptist seeing and not recognizing Christ. Observe:
John 1:29-34 “The next day, he (John) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John bore witness: ‘I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and bore witness that this is the Son of God.”
A couple of things to note here. First, we would all agree that John the Baptist is in heaven; therefore, in the eyes of a Calvinist or Reformed person, he would be part of the elect. Yet, John the Baptist says that he saw Christ coming his way and he did not know him. Now, lest someone think that this means that John didn’t know him personally, but did know that he was the Christ, look further. John says that his reason for baptizing people is so that Christ would be revealed as the Christ to the nation of Israel which includes John. So, John is baptizing folks, and here comes Jesus who later commands John to baptize him after which the Holy Spirit descends like a dove and remains on Christ. How did John know Jesus was the Christ? Because God told him, whoever you see this happen to, it is he who is the Christ. I would further say that all of the elect were at one time sinners and enemies of God and would not come to Christ except for God doing the same thing in our heart. Look at 2 Corinthians 4:6 in reference to the light of the Gospel which reveals things, “For God, who said, “Let the light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” It is God who shines in our hearts to reveal Christ to us so that we might be saved. So, every person apart from God’s grace, will not see and know Christ as the savior unless God does something.
The next thing I would like to address is the statement that, “Calvinists claim that if Christ really died for the whole world then the whole world would be saved. But this passage makes no such claim.”
John 3:16 does not say for whom Christ died. It only is referencing God’s love for the world of which could mean all people groups or in the Arminian sense, everyone, and the fruit of faith or unbelief. God loves the world and therefore gave his Son. Those who believe will be saved. Those who don’t, won’t. Where does the bible talk about Christ and for whom he died?
Jesus, in the book of John (John 10) talks about how he is the good and how he lays down his life for the sheep and how he knows his own and his own know him. Twice in the passage Jesus says that he lays down his life for his sheep. Later in the gospels, Jesus says that he will separate the sheep from the goats, meaning that the sheep are those who are saved, and the goats are those who will perish. Jesus says that he dies for those that will be saved. Not might saved. Not hopefully saved. But he dies for the sheep, and the sheep will be saved. Let's look at it from a different perspective. Paul, in encouraging the Corinthian believers to holiness, informs them that the reason they should no long commit sexual immorality (something they probably struggled with desiring) is because they don't belong to themselves anymore. He tells them "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Bought with a price? How were they purchased, and what was the payment? Revelation 5:9 says, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." Notice a couple of things here. Christ ransomed people for God. In order for their to be a ransom, there has to be a payment, and the scriptures tell us that this payment was the blood of Christ for he was slain. So, Christ made a payment with his blood. What does he get with his payment? All people? Some people? None? Whoever chooses? Nope. The bible says that he will get at least one person from every tribe, people, and nation (or the world). The scriptures also tell us here that these people whom he purchased, that he has made them into a kingdom and priests to God and they will reign on the earth. The people that Christ died for WILL reign and WILL be a kingdom. This verse does not speak of Christ dying to purchase people of whom some might become saved and some might not. So for whom did Christ die, and who did Christ purchase?
These are just a couple of thoughts that I had as I read this post. I encourage you to truly study the scriptures. Find me one person who on his own chose Christ. You won't, because the bible says that "none seek after God" and that we are all enemies of God. Has anyone ever read the story of Lot? Ever notice that the bible says that Lot lingered during the opportunity to be saved? Ever notice that the Angels of the Lord had to grab Lot and take him away? They saved Lot by intervention and the bible records it as "the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city." This is a foreshadow of the heart of man. We will never choose God apart from him shining the light in our hearts and giving us new life. What about Paul being knocked off his horse? Or Christ choosing the 12 disciples after whom he told, "you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to eternal life."
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