[We believe that this article was written by Elder Beebe, but, it has no author. - ed]
The world in the unlimited sense of the word would embrace the heavens and the earth with all that they contain animate and inanimate, the sun, moon, and stars, the earth and seas, with all the elements of nature. It certainly cannot be that our Lord designed to assert that God so loved the universe that he gave his only begotten son, to be lifted up, or crucified, that the world, in this unrestricted application of the term, might not perish; for he has informed us that the world is to be burned up, and all the elements of nature are to be dissolved. This is the irrevocable decree of him who has “declared the end from the beginning.” The Holy Ghost has thus declared by the inspired apostle, “And thou, Lord has laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They shall perish, but you remain, And they shall wax old as does a garment, and as a vesture shall you fold them up, and they shall be changed.” Hebrews 1.10, 12. Again “but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
This being the revealed will and purpose of God, it cannot be said that he gave his son for a purpose so directly to the reverse. For he has informed us that he is of one mind, and none can turn him. The apostle by whom the immutable God made the above declaration, continues thus, “Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the day of God were in the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” II Peter 3.10, 12. If, then, it were the design of God in giving his son, to save the world from perishing, he has failed to secure that object, or these scriptures must fail to be fulfilled.
But our savior elsewhere in the sacred volume shows that such was not the will, or design of his father, for he came to do the will of the father and to finish the work; and in the complete accomplishment of that work he has neither failed nor been discouraged, for he most solemnly averse, “I have glorified you on the earth; I have finished the work which you gave me to do.” John 17.4. If then, the work, given to him to do, was to save the world from perishing, that work Could not be finished until the salvation of the world was secured beyond the possibility of failure. It is idle to say that the lifting up of the son of man from the earth made it possible for the world to be saved conditionally, for if the work was finished, then no part remained to be done. He says he comes to do the will of the Father and to finish the work, and he also says, “I have finished the work which you gave me to do.” And further, he has informed us exactly what the will of the Father he came to do was, “This is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which he has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last date.” John 6.40, 41.
In the same chapter, in which Christ declares that he has finished the work that his father gave him to do in the same most solemn address to the father, he says distinctly, “I pray not for the world, but for them which you have given me out of the world.” John 17.9. This debt, already shows to what extent God loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, not that all the world, nor that all the sinners in the world, should have eternal life, but that a certain definitively describe people whom God has given him out of the world, characterized as believers should not perish; for he assured his disciples that it is not the will of the father that one of these little ones which believe should perish. Matthew 18.14. Those who believe in him, are the ones who are ordained to eternal life, “and as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.” Acts 13.48. No more, no less. For unto all those for whom Christ died, it is given on the behalf of Christ not only that they believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” Philippians 1.29.
To believe in Christ as a special gift of God, and it's only by him that any do believe in him, “who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who come up by him, do believe in God that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” First Peter 1.20, 21. “Unto you, therefore, which believe, he is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense even though unto them which stumble at the word, being disobedient; Or unto also they were appointed.” first Peter 2.7, eight.
From all these scriptures, and many others which might be named, it is clearly apparent that the words of our Lord in the text, will not admit the council instruction, nor were they designed to express that the gift of the only begotten son of the father, was designed to accomplish anything more than the redemption and perfect salvation of as many Jews and gentiles as were chosen of God in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. If more had been into the design of God, their deliverance from death, and entrance into life eternal would not have been secured. “From whom he did for know, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified; And whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Romans 8 28, 30.
“As the new wine is in the cluster and one says, destroy it not, for a blessing is in it.” Isaiah 65.8. So were the chosen people of God in the world, and for their sake, the world is reserved. Matthew 24.22. It is unto, for them that God gave his son; And has also raised him up from the dead, and has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things of the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all. Ephesians 122, 23.
But the glory of our subject is the contemplation of the love of God, as the basis of the salvation of all who believe in Jesus Christ. Not for any virtue in them to entitle them to salvation; Not by works of righteousness which they have done; But solely according to his mercy he saved them by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Titus 3.5. “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” Second Timothy 1.9. “And now has he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; when time passed you walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of this obedience; Among whom we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; And where by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love were with he loved us, when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ; (by grace are you saved) and has raised up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved, through faith and that not of yourselves; It is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2.1, 10.
“God so loved the world.” How? In this discriminating manner for the sake of the treasure which was hidden in the field, or in the world. He said unto Israel, by his prophet, “I have loved you, says the lord. Yet you say, wherein have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? Says the Lord; Yet I love Jacob, and hated Esau.” Matthew 1.2-3. “For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to the election might stand, not of works, but of himself that calls, it was said, (to Rebecca), the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Romans 9.12, 13.
Indeed all love, whether human or divine must be discriminating, or it is not love. Love cannot in its nature exist without its special objects. The apostle exhorts saying, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved his church, and gave himself for it.” If here Christ's love for his church was not discriminating, why then, the husband's love should not be. If Christ loved all mankind as well as he loved the church, then husbands should too obey the apostle's love harlots as well as they love their wives. But how absurd. God has loved his chosen people with everlasting love, and therefore with loving kindness has drawn them. Christ has loved the church and given himself for her, that he might redeem her, purge cleanse, and purify her and present her to himself without a spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Our Lord said further to Nicodemus, “for God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” The world, as here the terms are used evidently to mean, as we have so shown, his chosen people which are in the world. For in sending his son into the world he also sent an Angel to declare the name and his work. “And you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1.21.
Nicodemus and the Jews generally had supposed that Messiah whom they looked for was to confine his mission to them as to see of Abraham after the flesh, but Christ came to redeem his people out of all the nations and tribes of mankind. And when the Jews and Gentiles were both spoken of, they were frequently called the world, all the world, the whole world, etcetera. The world, including Jews and Gentiles, were already condemned, they did not require that Christ should come to condemn them. The doctrine of gospel condemnation, as held by legalists and Arminians is unscriptural. The coming of Christ to redeem and save his people is by no means the cause of the condemnation of those who perish in their sins.
No man is condemned for not being a Christian, for not believing the gospel, for not getting religion. For the law by which they are condemned has never required anything of the kind of them. But they are condemned for transgressing the law, for being sinners against God. Jesus told the Jews to think not that he would condemn or accuse them to the Father, They had one who accused them, even Moses in whom they trusted. “But that the world through him might be saved.” We have already shown that the term world is here and in the connection used exclusively to designate his people who are in the world. If we should say he came to save horses and cows, and birds and fishes, serpents and worms; those very sicklers for the broad application of the word world, would object and say though the word world is used, only the family of mankind is meant.
All are compelled to understand the term in the restricted sense, why not then allow the destruction to be as the scripture has limited it, whosoever believes in him, or to all both Jews and Gentiles, which are ordained to eternal life? But the next verse defines the sense in which the word is used. “he that believes in him (Christ) is not condemned.” Whether Jew or gentile, for the word world is used and applied by John, to both believers and unbelievers, where both Jews and Gentiles are included. “He is the propitiation for our sins,” Those to whom John was writing were called from the tribes of Israel. “And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Gentiles as well as Jews, first John 2.2. See also the same epistle 5.19. “and we know that we are of God and the whole world lies in wickedness.”
Whether Speaking of believers were unbelievers, if both Jews and Gentiles were included, they were called the whole world, and this was evidently well understood by both Jews and Gentiles at that time. “He that believes in him Christ, is not condemned.” “verily verily I say unto you, he that hears my word and believes on him that sent me, has, (not shall, or may have, but already) everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” He that believes is not condemned, 4 “there is therefore now no condemnation to them, which are in Christ Jesus.” Four, “who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, rather that is risen again.” “He that spares not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall we not with him freely give us all things?” Romans 8.32, 34. “But he that believes not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the holy begotten son of God.”
How, because he has not believed? Certainly, it is in a sense explained in the next verse. And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil period” The light coming into the world is not the cause of men's deeds being evil, for if their deeds were good the light would make them manifest that they were wrought in God, and were consequently good. In the darkness and blindness of the Jews, who being ignorant of God's righteousness went about to establish their own righteousness, while the darkness was upon them were just in their own eyes, but when the light came it made their unrighteousness manifest. Whatsoever makes manifest his light.
A criminal is brought into court for trial, the law supposes him to be innocent until the light of testimony makes his guilt manifest. Yet it is not the testimony that has occasioned that, or that has been the cause of his guilt; but it is that by which his guilt is made to appear. The Jews claimed to be the children of God, and their claim could not be successfully contradicted until Christ came, and exposed their deception, took away their cloak, and told them plainly that if God was their father, they would believe in him. It is in this sense that they are condemned because they have not believed in him.
They were transgressors of the law of God, and righteously condemned by it, but their guilt did not appear until their works were brought to the light. A mass of shining metal, supposed to be pure gold, may pass for gold until it is tested by fire, and if it cannot bear the test of the furnace, it is proved to be base metal or not pure gold. Yet, the fire did not make it base, it only proved it to be so. The fashionable religion of the world at this time, passes currently for pure and undefiled religion, with all who are under the power of darkness; but to those who have been brought out of darkness into God's marvelous light, the deception is apparent.
But we must bring our remarks to a close. May we be found of God in Christ, not having our own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of god by faith. Then when the light of eternity shall dispel the darkness of nature, we shall stand blameless in the presence of our God, and where that crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall in that day give unto all who love his appearing.
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