John 3:16 in context - by Mike Ratliff

Excerpted from here. Our comments in bold.
----------------------------

Mr. Ratliff is here to teach his Calvinism, not the Bible. That's what Calvinists do. Over and over. They will go to great lengths to insert their Calvinism at every opportunity. 

In the below article Mr. Ratliff doesn't want to explain John 3:16, he wants to explain Limited Atonement, one of the five "doctrines of grace" known as TULIP:

• Total Depravity
• Unconditional Election
• Limited Atonement
• Irresistible Grace
• Perseverance of the Saints

Limited Atonement is the idea that Jesus' work on the cross is effective only for the Elect, those who were chosen by God to be saved. Which creates a problem for Calvinists like Mr. Ratliff whenever the Bible speaks of "the world." Verses like the subject verse, John 3:16, contradict Limited Atonement, so they must be reinterpreted, negated, or explained away. 

That is Mr. Ratliff's objective for today.

-------------------------

(...)

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that everyone believing in him should not perish but have life eternal. 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 The one believing in him is not judged, but the one not believing has been judged already because he has not believed in the only name of the Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, light has come into the world and men love the darkness rather than the light for their works were evil. 20 Everyone practicing evil things hates the light and does not come into the light lest his works be exposed, 21 but the one doing the truth comes to the light that it may be manifested that his works have been wrought in God. (John 3:16-21 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

In v16 we have a very abused passage spoken by our Lord. The verb “loved” translates ἠγάπησεν the Aorist tense, Indicative mood, Active voice case of ἀγαπάω (agapaō), “to love as a direction of the will and finding one’s joy in something.” The aorist, indicative, active verb structure expresses action that is not continuous. It does not specify the relative time of the action to the time of speaking. However, from the context of our Lord’s words, it is obvious that He is referring to the sending of the Son to the world was an act of His love. Now we must determine what is meant by “world.” (Here's where Mr. Ratliff is going to tell us that "world" doesn't mean "world.")

Just the reading of the rest of this passage makes it clear that salvation is only for a group of people, those who believe. (This is a tautology.)

The words τὸν κόσμον (the world) are found in v16 and twice in v17 and again in v19. The noun κόσμον is the Accusative, Singular of κόσμος (kosmos), “In classical Greek and the LXX, κόσμος communicated the idea of order and adornment, and from this it developed into the basic term for the cosmos or the universe. The Old Testament conception of the created world or κόσμος was very different from the Greek notion, however. There, creation is never seen as a separate entity controlled by an all-embracing order as in Greek thought. Instead, the universe, usually described with the phrase “heaven and earth,” is always understood in its relationship to its Creator, God. In the New Testament κόσμος always means “the world”, but context determines use. Sometimes, as in Matthew 4:8; Mark 8:36; John 3:19; 2 Corinthians 5:19, it is used to speak of the sphere of human life and humanity itself. Both John and Paul use κόσμος this way quite a bit. The world is the place where God has come to do his redeeming and transforming work. As is obvious, in this context, κόσμος has a negative connotation. In 1 Corinthians 3:18-19; Ephesians 2:2, and Romans 12:2 κόσμος is used to refer to this passing, evil age which is opposed to God.”

God expressed His love for the κόσμος by sending the Son of God that all who believe in Him should not perish, but have life eternal. Jesus himself makes it clear that this salvation of those whom the Father “gives me,” and only those, is not a mere possibility, but an absolute certainty; “will come to me” (John 6:37-40; 10:14-18; 17:9). (Let's quote, since these verses supposedly document Mr. Ratliff's central claim: 

Jn. 6:37-40 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Mr. Ratliff thinks Jesus was talking about Limited Atonement. However, Jesus was not describing a selective class of people He would save throughout history, rather, He was talking to Jews about Jews. The Elect are Jews [Romans 11:7] who heard Jesus and believed, the firstfruits [Romans 11:16], the children of the promise [Romans 9:8], the remnant [Is. 28:5].  

Jn. 10:14-18 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again. 18 No-one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Once again Jesus was talking to Jews about Jews. The imagery about sheep would be very familiar to the Jewish ear [Psalm 95:7, Psalm 100:3]. His sheep hearing His voice were the ones who actually heard the Lord 2000 years ago, the little flock [Luke 12:32] of believing Jews. We gentile believers are the the "other sheep" [John 10:16]. 

Jn. 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

 Sigh. This is just carelessness. Jesus was referring to His disciples. Just three verses later we read: 

Jn. 17:12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

One might wonder how someone can be so enamored with their doctrines that they cannot see obvious things.)

The point our Lord made by the κόσμος is that Christ’s saving works is not limited to one time or place but applies to the elect from all over the world. (So that must mean the verse is mistranslated? Mr. Ratliff wants it to read

For God so loved the Elect that he gave his only son that everyone predestined should not perish but have life eternal.

Yes it seems ridiculous, but this is what Calvinists believe.)

Those who do not receive the remedy God has provided in Christ will perish. (Mr. Ratliff puts it back on human choice for some reason, but he doesn't really believe this. If indeed God chose the Elect to be saved, that must mean He chose the rest of humankind to go to hell. So there is no "receive the remedy," there is only God's sovereign choice, and that choice has been made.)

Our Lord says that their works are evil, they love the darkness rather than the light, and they do not come into the light lest their works be exposed. On the other hand, it remains true that anyone who believes will not be eternally separated from God, but lives in His presence forever.

People are not judged and cast into Hell for not believing the Gospel. No, our Lord says that all unbelievers are condemned or judged already. (Mr. Ratliff hasn't considered the ramifications of John 3:18 in accordance with his doctrine, because he also believes that Jesus dies in our place. This is not possible, however, if every soul is condemned already. We were dead in our sins before we were saved, so it isn't possible Jesus died in our place if we were already dead.)

All outside of Christ are separated from God for eternity no matter how “good” they appear to be in this life or how religious they are. The reason these unbelievers reject the Gospel, thereby rejecting the real Jesus, is because He is the light who exposes whether a person is righteous or not. (Actually, unbelievers reject the gospel because the were predestined to do so. That's what's the implication of the author's Calvinism.)

The self-righteous hate that. They are the ones who call those who preach and teach these truths “judgmental” and “divisive.” They want that easy-believism non-gospel of their “Christless Christianity.” Sorry, but that only leads to hell.

On the other hand, those who are in Christ have their deeds exposed. They know that they are not righteous in and of themselves at all. They know that they are declared righteous according to the righteousness of Christ. They may indeed suffer the affliction of purification, but through it, they come to know their Savior that much better. My brethren, do not flee the rod. If you are being disciplined by the Lord that means you are truly His. As we mature in Christ, we do not seek our own, but only that God be glorified as we obey Him according to His will.

Soli Deo Gloria!