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"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins" (I John 4: 10).
To these verses may be added:
". . . . . the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2: 20).
"Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it" (Eph. 5: 25).
And to crown it all, we read for the believer:
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the
present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus"
(Romans 8: 38, 39).
What wonderful assurance this gives us if we have placed our trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Evangelist continues:
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's one
and only Son" (John 3: 17, 18).
The Authorized Version uses the word "judge" and clearly here it is adverse judgment
or condemnation. Krino does not necessarily imply condemnation, for it is used in
Matthew 19: 28 in the phrase "judging the twelve tribes of Israel" and in Rom. 14: 5
where it is translated "esteemeth". But here in the Gospel it certainly means
condemnation, but Christ did not come into the world in order to condemn, but to save it.
John 9: 39 appears to contradict this, but in chapter 9: it is the effect of His coming in
the response or non-response of those who hear Him.
He who rejects Christ passes judgment on himself, not on Christ. He need not wait for
the future day of judgment; he is condemned already. The Evangelist now sums this up
in terms of light and darkness. One of John's characteristics is shown in the way he uses
contrasting terms, good and evil, love and hatred, life and death, salvation and
condemnation, light and darkness, truth and falsehood.
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of
light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not
come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth
comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done
through God" (3: 19-21).
Christ Himself is the light. Chapter 1: has told us that He came into the world to
illuminate each one. But at the same time we are taught that not every one is prepared to
come to the light; they prefer darkness, because the light shows up their sins. And if
they reject the light of God in Christ, what hope have they? The answer is none, for in
turning away from light, they turn away from life, and this life of God is eternal, not