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 3:16)The verse, which I have chosen for the text seems so prominent and so striking on the pages of the New Testament as to arrest the attention of many, many readers of God's word. It does beautifully unfold the mystery of the Gospel truth and explains plainly why God did spare his bosom child to the world and on what condition this sinful race could obtain eternal life. This is indeed the essense of the Gospel story, and the key note to the mission of our Saviour on the earth.
In the first place let us examine and see the intenseness of God's love to this world. The particle "so", which is found in the first clause of the text, is fitly applied here in order to express and define an intense degree of God's love to the world. It does not limit the love of God within any narrow sphere but defines it as if it were infinite, for God is infinite and God is love.
Although his love to the world may be infinitely great and infinite]y intense, still it cannot be well appreciated by us unless we find out what the world does mean here, and know its helpless condition. The word "world" in the text may mean here the lost world or mere lying in wickedness and sin. When we survey the history of the race and especially of the chosen people of God, all the records are but the records of their sin and folly.
The element of sin once started from the first parents came down to their children's children, yea to their remotest descendants and has been ever devouring an untangible, yet still existing substance in the race, i.e. man's moral nature.
It is like the unquenchable fire in the autumnal field. Although it started with a little spark of the element, it has been ever spreading as wide as possible and raising flame in all directions. It must be the most dismal and awful sight to look upon. When the flame of burning sin became very great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of men's heart was evil continually, God was much grieved by it, and destroyed them all by the flood save righteous Noah and his family.
The people were drowned in it and destroyed by it, but the element of sin still survived in the race. Alas! What an unquenchable and indestructible element it is! The patriarchs, the servants of God failed to overcome it. Moses, the lawgiver of the Israelites attempted to check it but found it beyond his control. The prophets tried to stop the downfalling tendency of God's chosen people, held up the words of the Lord before them, reproved them of their sin and folly, and even endeavored to reconcile the rebellious children to their Jehovah. But all their efforts met with little success, and all their attempts were but a few drops of water poured upon a violent flame of fire.
Notwithstanding God loved his people, pitied their sinful and helpless condition and sent his servants to bring them back; and gathered them together under the wings of mercies; the stiff-necked, ungrateful and rebellious children would not harken unto them, ill-treated them, stoned them and killed them.
Allow me for a while to dwell here upon the sinful condition of the pagan world. When their remotest ancestors emigrated from their cradle home, and, scattered upon the face of the earth, doubtless they carried with them some knowledge of the true God, their Creator. But soon after the race increased rapidly and diffused still wider, the knowledge of their Maker was gradually lessened, and after a few generations it was entirely lost among them. Thus they became alienate children and the people without God. They began to bow down before the heavenly bodies and substituted visible images for the invisible. They erected an altar to the unknown god. As soon as they lost the knowledge of the Lord, their desire for sin grew strong and their passion after vices became predominant. The catalogue of the sin of pagans so well described by the Apostle Paul in the first chapter of the Romans eighteen centuries ago, is not very uncommon in the pagan world now.
As the darkness of a planet is caused by turning its surface away from the sun, in the like manner, the spiritual darkness came upon the pagan world by turning their face from the Sun of Righteousness. Still in the midnight darkness of sin and misery, God raised up a few bright stars to be their light, and a few wise men as their reformers or teachers to deliver them from sin and vice, and bring them back once more to the path of wisdom, virtue, duty and right.
Take for instance Socrates in Greece, Shakamuni in India, and Confucius in China. They were equally great geniuses and their teachings were peculiar]y adapted to the habits, thoughts, and cultures of their several countrymen. They revealed a partial truth, and held up the duty of mankind before their contemporaries.
Socrates taught on the street of Athens, arguing, proving, and philosophizing all his lifetime. But he was rejected by his fellow citizens, and condemned to death on account of his unweary teaching.
Confucius taught moral precepts and attempted to raise up the moral standard of his countrymen. He travelled through various states and held interview with many princes and kings in order to reprove them of their folly and misconduct and bring them back to the ancient virtue. But his teaching was too good and too beautiful to be appreciated by his morally blind contemporaries. He was not simply rejected everywhere but also met with a severe persecution.
Shakamuni, the founder of Buddhism, held up a religion of unselfishness and doctrine of transmigration and tried hard to cut off the root of selfish desires and passions of men, and fit them to enter into that mysterious Nirvana, the future home of Buddhists. Although Buddhism is regarded as the purest religion in the pagan world, and accepted by almost half the inhabitants of the earth, still the present condition of men under Buddhism is most miserable. Their priests are the most indolent and licentious class of the people, and some of them are great gamblers and miserable liars.
You may quite likely ask me why the teachings of Socrates, Confucius and Shakamuni are so fruitless? My only reply is that their teaching is a mere human wisdom and their philosophy is men's invention. They are not efficient to heal the poison so deeply wrought into the moral system of the race.
The above named teachers were indeed true patriots, hard workers, men of self denial, and great admirers of truth. They sacrificed all their comforts and their own lives for spiritual welfare of their countrymen. They are like a man, who sat on a basket and tried to lift it up with himself, but found it impossible to do so, and thus died in despair.
The sin of pagans has ever remained the same, and their moral condition is still unimproved. The world looked ever dark as though there had never been such teachers and reformers. A hope for their deliverance became almost hopeless. The downfalling speed of their moral condition became swifter, and they will certainly fall into utter destruction, unless there be sent a mighty hand to save them.
The Patriarchs, Lawgiver and Prophets were sent unto the Israelites to reconcile them to their Jehovah but they would not harken unto them The moral reformers were sent to the pagan world to deliver them from the power of sin. But what was the result of their teaching? Darkness and misery prevailed all over the pagan world.
Such was the sad condition of the race of Adam, who was created after God's own image. They were no more worthy to be called the children of God. They deserved to receive no more favor of the Lord. Then what did God do with them? Did He destroy them by fire, if not by flood? No! No! He is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.
He pitied them as a father pitied his children. Still the sinners, who broke the law of God and transgressed against the voice of their consciences, deserve to be punished, and hence they must be punished, or e]se His law will not be maintained and His moral government will not be sustained.
If God let the ill-desert go unpunished, and does nothing to justify His conduct, the whole universe would cry out against Him, and His government would fall into the ground. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." The sinner must be punished.
Still God loved men not as sinners but as his own creatures. He would not give them up into the utter destruction, because He loved them still and loved them more.
In the second place let us consider how God manifested His love to the world.
As I have said just above that the sinner must be punished or else God's moral government will not be sustained. God must treat the ill-deserts exactly as they deserve. Here God must do some great thing in order to maintain His law before the universe, and at the same time show His infinite love toward the undeserving world.
A monarch in the East gave out a decree and announced to his subjects that whoso should disregard his decree, he would put out their eyes. But a man, who disregarded that decree, was his own son. Then what did he do with him?
Did he let him go, because he was his own son? No! He could not let him go unpunished, because his law must be maintained before his subjects. His son's eyes must be put out. Still it was a most painful thing for him to destroy both eyes of his dear child. So he put out one of his own eyes and also one of his son's eyes.
In the like manner, God must show a great se]f denial in order to exempt the undeserving sinner from the due punishment of his sin, and at the same time justify His law. If the sinner can be exempted from the punishment, it must be done through an atonement. In order to make an atonement, the blood of some body must be shed, for it is blood, says the law, that maketh an atonement for the soul. Although it must have been infintely painful for God to give His only begotten Son as the sacrificial lamb, yet He did so, because He loved us; for the text says, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." Thus God manifested His love toward the world in giving His bosom child. It must also have been infinitely hard for the Son to leave his Father's bosom, and come to this sinful world to be sacrificed for the sins of many.
Still He did it, because it was His Father's will, that He should die on the cross, so that the world might have life. Through the great self denials of the Father and Son, the atoning work was accomplished.
"It is finished" said Christ, when He was ready to give up the ghost.
Yes, it was finished on the cursed tree. Through this costly sacrifice, God's law was justified and honored, and His favor was bestowed upon the ill-deserving. It was not done in a private or corner place but in the public, yea before the universe.
Christ on the cross is the constant preaching to the world. Christ on the cross declares unto us the awfulness of sin, because the Son of God was nailed upon it on account of the sin of race. Oh! What a marvelous event it is that the Son of the Most High was lifted up on the tree so that the sin-bitten race might see and be saved.
In the third place let us see whether the atonement of Christ is general or limited.
The atonement of Christ must be general, for the text says "whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Whosoever must be applied here to any one, who believeth.
The body of Christ must have been offered for the sin of the world. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming unto him, said he, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." When Christ suggested to his disciples in what manner He should be glorified, said He, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me."
The Apostle Paul says in his Epistle to the Romans that "As by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men into justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."
Through the offence of one judgment passed upon all men, because all have sinned, and so likewise through the righteousness of one, the free gift was bestowed upon all men, that is all men who believe.
Belief is the essential thing in the religion of Christ. Belief is the only condition, upon which this free salvation is offered to the fallen race. "Only believe" is a sweet, comforting word of Christ to the trembling and half doubting jailers.
He raised Lazarus from his grave on account of the faith of his sister. He came to this world to accomplish what Moses, the prophets, and all pagan reformers have failed to accomplish. He has the key of eternal life in his hand. He is able to save us unto the utmost. Through His atoning work, the wall of partition between God and the sinners was torn down. The prison door was opened wide and all the prisoners were invited to come out. In this free invitation Christ does not limit it to any individuals or any nations.
He offers it to all men and is ready to welcome all. It is no more asked whether a person is publican or harlot, poor or maimed, halt [?] or blind, white or black, but what is required of each individual is to accept and "believe." On the condition of a simple act of acceptance, the door of the Kingdom of Christ is thrown open to every one, yea any one. So whoso cometh and accepteth this free gift, he will be no more called the alienate and rebellious, but be accepted of God as the righteous through Christ.
All his past sins will be entirely forgiven, and be blotted out in the book of remembrance. Moreover he will be welcomed to enter into the mansion house, made without hand, the eternal habitation. Thus God has prepared all necessary means for our salvation through Christ and moreover sent the Holy Ghost to invite us and assist us.
What we want to do is to accept, repent and believe. Oh! What a golden opportunity it is that the alienate children should be once more brought back to the Father and eternal life should be bestowed upon the lost soul. I love to think how this saving grace has been reigning on the earth since our Lord was glorified.
Millions of the souls have been purified and lifted up unto the upper Kingdom and millions of millions more will be drawn up unto Him hereafter.
I rejoice to say that the work of free grace is going on throughout the world. Now we hear through the missionary reports what the Lord is doing in Africa, Turkey, India, China and even in the isles of the sea.
As God appeals to his creatures with reason and offers eternal life to those who believe, I trust, many hearts will accept it and be accepted of him through Christ. In some future days immense hosts of spiritual pilgrims will arise from all parts of the world, and enter into that celestial city.
In an enlightened audience like this I need not ask you whether you are prepared to join that glorious pilgrimage of the saints. But allow me to say to you simply that although God offers eternal life to you freely, yet He can not make you accept it, unless you accept it with your free choice.
God does treat you as reasonable beings and not as beasts. It may not be wise for Him to do for you more than what He has done unto you. Now you are responsible for your soul's welfare.