For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
John 3:16 must be understood in harmony with the rest of the book which also states, "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:10-13)
WHO are the "whosoever" in 3:16? They are "whosoever will believe". But WHO will believe? John 1:10-13 shows us that the world doesn't know him. Those who receive Him and believe are born not of flesh or human will, but OF GOD.
John 10:24-30
"If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
" Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one."
"And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 4:65)
It is quite clear to me that the "whosoevers" who come to Him are His sheep who have been granted to Him by the Father.
Why does this matter? This gives us great assurance in several areas.
First, we are assured that we are born of Him, not of our own will, and we understand that his power to sustain salvation and bring it to fruition is something that He is quite capable of when we are not. If my salvation were depending on whether or not I believed on my own initiative, I would constantly second guess myself. Was I genuine; did I understand or did I accept Him with the right attitude? Can I be sure I wasn't accepting Him for selfish reasons? CERTAINLY NOT!! I can see why so many are unsure about their salvation and why they repeatedly say a "sinner's prayer". Because they think their salvation depends on their own contrived belief.
There is much hope that comes with the understanding that God is completely Sovereign. Nothing or no one can thwart His plans for believers to prosper in salvation. He has chosen us and "It is finished".
Also, this gives us great relief and hope when we evangelize to understand that He has sheep in the world and they WILL respond to His call. This takes the pressure off as we now understand that a friend's salvation doesn't depend on our sales pitch. The power of their salvation is of God not the pitch. Also, we should not be tempted to alter the truth of God's word to persuade someone. We understand that all we have to do is speak the truth of God's word and his sheep will hear His voice. HE KNOWS WHO THEY ARE and THEY WILL FOLLOW HIM!!
To Him be ALL the glory!!
