Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
1) Who is Jesus talking to in this verse?
2) “For God so loved the World”, but what does “love” mean?
3) What is the result of this love?
John 3:16
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Original Intent
1) Who is Jesus talking to in this verse?
John 3 begins with a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee, coming to Jesus after dark. Nicodemus begins the conversation by addressing Jesus as “rabbi” (or teacher) and acknowledging God had sent Him. What follows is a series of statements from Jesus and questions about those statements back from Nicodemus. Interestingly, we have no idea what Nicodemus’ intentions were in seeking out Jesus at night. What we do know is this dialogue turns into a conversation about salvation. Following this, we know very little about Nicodemus. In John 7:50, Nicodemus appears to be defending Jesus to other Pharisees and in John 19:39, Nicodemus arrives at the burial of Jesus with supplies. We also know this conversation holds what is probably one of the most well-known and oft-quoted verses in all of Scripture.
2) “For God so loved the World”, but what does “love” mean?
“For God so loved”, a statement that forever changes man’s relationship with God. The word John chose to use in John 3:16 for “love” is “agape”. To the original audience (Nicodemus), this Greek word choice spoke volumes. Nicodemus would have immediately understood that this “love” meant ultimate display of sacrificial. Agape is a love requiring action. Jesus was reminding Nicodemus that there is a penalty for sin, a sacrifice must be made for forgiveness to occur and justice to be met. All of these concepts Nicodemus would have been familiar with as a Pharisee. However, Jesus is now stating the sacrifices the Pharisees knew up until this point were not enough… they could never truly wash away sin by the blood of animals. Jesus lets Nicodemus in on the final, ultimate sacrifice which was to be completed once and for all in Himself, as God the Son. The greatest act of love the world has ever seen would be a finished action completed once and for all when Christ offered up Himself as an atonement for sin.
3) What is the result of this love?
All “Good News” of Scripture is brought to fulfillment in this single verse, “God so loved the world… He gave”. The result of God’s intimate love for His Creation propelled Him to give the ultimate gift… His One and Only Son. Jesus came to Earth in human flesh and walked among us for 33 years, living a perfect, blameless life where we never could. He then chose to be punished for the sin of the entire world in the most gruesome form of punishment mankind created…death on a cross. As Jesus hung on the cross, He carried the weight and stain of every sin. Isaiah 52:14 paints a picture of what the weight of our sin did to our Perfect Savior. He was completely unrecognizable; “His form did not resemble a human being”. If that’s not the ultimate demonstration of love, I don’t know what is. Even more than the burden of carrying the world’s sin, the agony of breaking unity with the godhead caused Jesus to call out “Oh God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?!” (Matthew 27:46) He then was buried for three days and rose again defeating death, grave, and sin as He provided a way of redemption for mankind. The result of this love was the greatest gift Nicodemus, or anyone else, could ever ask for. This love offered a restored relationship between God and humanity for eternity!
Everyday Application
1) Who is Jesus talking to in this verse?
A Pharisee and professional teacher of the law, Nicodemus, seeks out Jesus in the night. Jesus uses this opportunity to dialogue with Nicodemus regarding salvation. Nicodemus had previously seen Jesus at work teaching and preforming miracles. We can only assume he wants to know more when he shows up to talk with Jesus. In his commentary, Matthew Henry states, “He did not come to talk with Christ about politics and state-affairs (though he was a ruler), but about the concerns of his own soul and its salvation.” We find hope in Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus. We see yet again Jesus’ reason for taking on human flesh. He came with the sole purpose of redeeming Creation back to Himself. We can be encouraged this salvation is for us just as much as it was for Nicodemus.
2) “For God so loved the World”, but what does “love” mean?
Agape, sacrificial, deep love, the kind of love God feels for His Creation, is the reason Jesus, God the Son, chose to walk on earth as a man. God wrapped in flesh. In English, we use love in many contexts and the Greek did as well, however, they used different words for it. The love John uses here conveys a love so deep, generous, self-less, and sacrificial that only God could put it into action in the ultimate way. He provides the ultimate sacrifice by giving up Himself for us. The love and the action brought about by that love were not only for Nicodemus or those living in Jesus’ day. It is a love meant for the world both then and now. God’s love extends beyond Nicodemus, the disciples, or the crowds that followed Jesus. His love extends to you and to me. His sacrifice is meant just as much for you and me as it was for those who walked with Jesus and watched Him die. All we need to do is accept that love and the sacrifice of Jesus with the understanding that only His sacrifice is enough to satisfy the righteous judgement of God. We deserve death because of our sin and no amount of “good” we try to do on our own will be enough to make restitution for our sin. Only Jesus can stand in the gap for us. And that’s exactly what He did! Sisters, I urge you, if you haven’t made that decision and have questions, seek out a Christian you know and ask. Jesus came for you and He is waiting for you to accept His love! Want to connect with a GT Partner? Email us!
3) What is the result of this love?
The result of this love was Jesus’ death for you and I. However, the result does not end there. As believers, our first action as a result of this love is simply to accept what Jesus has done for us. John 3:16 makes it perfectly clear, “that everyone who believes will not perish but have eternal life”. All we need to do is believe. Once we believe, we are called to action just as Jesus was called to action. 1 John 4:7-20 calls those who put their faith in Jesus to action. In these verses, we are reminded of the love God showed us and then called to love each other. The word for love is the same in 1 John 4:7-20 as it is in John 3:16. God, alive in the believer through His Spirit, points a lost world to His love for them. As a result, we are called to this same sacrificial, deep love for others. Our decision to accept Jesus isn’t the end of the journey, but rather the beginning! We are to continue to know God more through studying Scripture and by engaging in biblical community. As we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, our lives will be transformed to look more like Jesus. Remember, “agape” love is a “God type of love”. Only He is fully capable of it. We must be filled with Him by trusting in His perfect sacrifice on our behalf in order to love the world around us as Jesus loves! As we do that, we love others even when it hurts. To claim that we love God mandates that we love people! We cannot have one without the other.
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
Memorize It!
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“To claim that we love God mandates that we love people! We cannot have one without the other.” So glad that God’s love is a transforming love, able to make me more like Him and help me love like Him.