Sayre Woods Bible Church

16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

It is hard to ignore John 3:16. It is the first verse that most people memorize from the Bible. And a good one at that! John 3:16 reminds us that God’s love is universal (the world), sacrificial (He gave), personal (whoever), and eternal (everlasting life). The one who receives God’s love, as displayed in Jesus Christ, receives eternal life. It is a gracious offer from a gracious God.

But what about those who do not receive God’s love? That’s the question that John deals with in the verses that follow John 3:16. These verses make several points clear:

• Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it but to save it.
• Whoever does not believe in Jesus is not then condemned; they were already condemned. In other words, Jesus did not come to send people to hell. They were already on that path. He came to stop them. If they refuse His grace, then they merely continue on the road they had chosen for themselves.
• The judgment of God is based on one fact–light has come into the world. The people who loved the light came to it and received life; those who hated it, retreated from it and received the judgment they asked for.

These verses answer a difficult question that I often wrestle with. How does God deal with those who do not trust Jesus or who do not even know Him? Or how does God deal with those who are seemingly sincere and good but do not necessarily follow the Christian path?

John 3:18-21 make it clear that there is only one thing that sends a person into a Christless eternity–a rejection of the light of God. Jesus Christ is the essence of God’s light. He is perfectly righteous and loving, full of grace and full of truth. Those who desire God’s righteousness are drawn to the light, regardless of how much they know about Jesus. Those who are evil in heart run from the light because they do not want to be exposed for who they are. No one is in hell because they “just didn’t know.” They are in hell because they are self-judged. They preferred darkness over light.

This is what it means to “blaspheme the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 12:31). Jesus says, “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” Many people fret over exactly what this means. I think the meaning is clear. The Spirit is the One who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11). The Spirit is the One who points people to Jesus Christ (John 15:26). So to speak against the Spirit, to blaspheme Him, is to tell Him to “shut up!” when He quietly says to a person’s heart, “You have fallen short of God’s standard. You are guilty. You need God’s mercy. You need a Savior.” Every other sin will be forgiven but this one–because this one is a rejection of God’s grace.

That is the judgment. Light has come and men chose darkness over light. Righteousness has come and men chose their evil deeds over righteousness. Truth has come and men chose lies over truth. The Way has come and men chose their own way over God’s way. Life has come and men chose death over life. It is a crazy thought but Scripture plainly teaches that many people would rather die than repent. They are so attached to their own way that they cannot let it go even if the consequences are severe and eternal.

So what about those who have never heard the name of Jesus? We can rest in the fact that God sees and knows their hearts, He loves them, He sent His Son to be the Savior of the world, and He sent His Spirit to touch the heart of every individual who has entered this world. If a person, like the tax collector in Luke 18, simply and humbly says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” whatever their understanding of Jesus and His death, they receive His grace. If they refuse to bow the knee, refuse to let go of their own way, then God simply “gives them over” to the road that they have chosen. He lets them go.

I don’t know all the particulars of how it works but I can trust my Father’s heart and I know my Father’s Son, who is full of grace and truth.

Father, thank You for Your love and for sending Your Son to be the Savior of the world.