Whosoever
Q: The English version of the Bible shows John 3:16 saying "Whosoever believes", can you explain this?
A: Glad you asked. There is confusion on this that can easily be cleared up.
Whosoever
Let's look at John 17:9 when discussing the meaning of John 3:16 with fellow believers.
John 17:9
I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;
The word usage and meaning is important. This is in reference to the usage of the word, world.
The word whosoever should be taken exactly as what it means, “all those who do” “all of those who believe”. John 3:16 is not a statement of who those are that do come to Christ or can come to Christ, it is a statement of the assurance of salvation for those who do come to Christ. The word “world” (Greek: Kosmos) appears 185 times in the New Testament: 78 times in John, 8 in Matthew, 3 in Mark, and 3 also in Luke. The vast majority of its occurrences are therefore in John’s writings, as it is also found 24 times in John’s three epistles, and just three times in Peter.
John uses the word “world” in ten different ways in his Gospel.
1. The Entire Universe
John 1: 10 He was in the world (planet earth), and the world (planet earth and by implication all creation) was made through him, yet the world (the people of the world) did not know him.
John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
2. The Physical Earth
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John 21:25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
3. The World System
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
John 14:30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me…
John 16:11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
4. All humanity minus believers
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
John 15:18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
5. A Big Group but less than all people everywhere
John 12:19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
6. The Elect Only
John 3:17 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.
7. The Non-Elect Only
John 17:9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
8. The Realm of Mankind
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
(this is very probably the best understanding of the word “world” in John 3:16 also)
9. Jews and Gentiles (not just Israel but many Gentiles too)
John 4:42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
10. The General Public (as distinguished from a private group) – not those in small private groups
John 7:3, 4 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
So even to say that “He so loved the world” is meaning that “He loved literally everybody that He sent His son” would be to ignore the different ways that John uses the Greek “Kosmos” in many different ways, and usually not to refer to the realm of humanity as a whole if we look at the context of when he refers to “Kosmos”.
The Father sent Christ only to save those who are His. Scripture is clear on this.
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Not all are saved just because Jesus died on the cross and resurrected. Those who reject the Jesus revealed in Scripture - are not His. Jesus mentioned that many are not the Children of God but are actually children of their father Satan. They are of the world. Believers are not we are just passing through it as travelers.
We know Scripture tells us The Lord calls people to Salvation, God converts people, and those who will be saved were written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world. We know that Scripture is clear those who die without Christ (faith in the Messiah) will die in their sins, and Scripture is clear about judgment and eternal Hell for those who are not saved.
Repentance and forsaking sin is clear in Scripture. Belief in Christ requires understanding who Jesus is and agreeing to that "who he is" is according to Scriptures revealed testimony. So repentance and trusting in Christ are part of obeying the Gospel. Jesus said in Mark 1:15 to repent and believe.
So we can see it is not a flippant "belief" but one of clear understanding. We also see it results in a radical transformation where that person is born again by God and now has a new righteous nature. Because of that they now hate sin. They do not continue in it as a lifestyle nor are any longer chained to it; they are free from the sin nature - free to live in righteousness. And they do live in righteousness.
John 3:16-21:
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Understanding Whosoever ⭐️ (short video)
Footnotes:
Cr: Carter Thornton & Brad Lambert
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