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. ¹⁷ For 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.

1) There are four linking words (for, that, that, but) in verse 16. What do each of these indicate?
Breaking down the linking words in a passage can help us better understand how different parts of the verse are related. “For” indicates a reason for something—because God so loved the world. “That” indicates what happened as a result. Because God loved the world, he gave his Son, and the result of giving his Son is that whoever believes in him will not perish. “But” indicates a contrast. Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but instead will have eternal life. Tracing it backwards, we clearly see that the reason we can have eternal life begins with God’s love for us! This truly is the gospel wrapped in a single verse!

2) What was the purpose of the Son being sent into the world?
Verse 19 says that Jesus came that the world might be saved through Him. The whole purpose of Him being sent to earth by the Father, being born as a human, growing up, teaching, and eventually dying on the cross and being resurrected was to save us from our sin. His purpose was not to condemn us and leave us feeling guilty with no way to salvation. His purpose was love as He offered a restored relationship with Him!

3) What does Jesus mean by “condemned” in verse 18? What is the point of this verse?
The Greek word translated “condemned” is krínō, which basically means judged or determined to be guilty. Jesus is saying that anyone who believes in Him is safe from judgment for their sins, but those who do not believe in Him will be condemned, because they have not believed in the only Way for them to escape their sins.

1) There are four linking words (for, that, that, but) in verse 16. What do each of these indicate?
God had a reason for sending his Son to the earth. He loves us so much! Jesus willingly humbled Himself to the form of a baby, lived a perfect human life, and died a horrific death, because He loves us! God’s love for us is the beginning of salvation. Praise You, Father! And thank You for loving such undeserving people!

2) What was the purpose of the Son being sent into the world?
Some people resent Jesus because when they look at Him, they feel guilty for their sins. They feel that He is out to spoil everyone’s fun. Some people like Jesus as a good example or teacher, but they have too much pride to be able to worship Him as Lord of all. They suppress their guilt and think they’re okay on their own. Although encountering a holy God naturally leaves us aware of our unrighteousness, the whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth was not to condemn, but to save! Women, let’s see God’s purpose for us, let go of our sins and pride, and follow Him out of gratitude for our salvation!

3) What does Jesus mean by “condemned” in verse 18? What is the point of this verse?
The sobering reality is that our default state without Christ is rejection by God and condemnation under His wrath because we are dead in our sins. We are separated from Him and without hope as long as we depend on our own “good enoughs” to get us to Heaven. But in the words of Paul, “Praise be to God for His indescribable gift!” The salvation offered in Jesus both frees us to live without condemnation and guilt over sin and compels us to share this incredible gift with others! Christians have a responsibility to share the good news about Christ with the world—to give people the opportunity to come to saving faith. Who can you share Christ with this week? And who can you faithfully pray for, that their heart might be ready to receive Him?

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

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.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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