JOHN CHAPTER 3 VERSE 16 [two]
And the Word was made flesh (John 1:14).
(…continues from part one…)
2) The fourth word ‘loved’ of John 3:16 is the Greek agapaō (ag-ap-ah’-o): ‘to love (in a social or moral sense).’ It is the verb form of agapē (ag-ah’-pay): ‘brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence; love feasts.’ This Godly love is not sensual; it has no strings attached to it; it is not a feeling – as a matter of fact – it is strictly a commitment. Agapaō is not an act of discrimination. The LORD God is terrifically committed to this love lifestyle. Absolutely nothing makes this love to depreciate. The act is eternally of the Divinity. It is God’s divine choice – to love the redeemed for all eternity. The verse of John 3:16 also says, “He gave”.
“…thou shalt conceive in thy womb…forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS” [Luke 1:31].
John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” This verse does not say the Word was made flesh, in the light of the Greek word used. The original Johannine Greek couch is not ktizō (ktid’-zo) meaning: ‘to create: of God creating the worlds’ which is the word ‘created’ found in Colossians 1:16; ergo, His making or ‘being’ is not of creationism. Johannine couch is not gennaō (ghen-nah’-o) defined as: ‘coming to life through parental birth’ i.e. the ‘begat’ of Matthew 1:2. Non-use of gennaō proves that the Word or Christ is not of procreative existence. Ginomai (ghin’-om-ahee): ‘to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being’, is the Greek couched word ‘made’. The Word was not made. The Word, in the understanding light of ginomai, became flesh, which was not flesh before it became so – proving the incarnational reality.
Romans 5:10 reads “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Our salvation does not come from our good works. We cannot even maintain this spiritual life; it is strictly an authorship of the Lord Jesus, the Perfecter of our faith. We are saved by His substitutionary death on the cross. His unprecedented resurrection is the power behind our salvation.
Romans 8:28-39 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30) 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. 31) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36) As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
What God gave us in John 3:16 is well spelt out in Romans 8:28-39. Verse 28 teaches that it is ‘according to His purpose’, validating the incontrovertible facticity that the machinery that effectively enables ‘all things working together for good’ is strictly God’s sole preserve. This is exclusively divine work of grace – unmerited favour. Let us look at some words of verse 29. ‘Foreknow’ is proginōskō (prog-in-oce’-ko): ‘to have knowledge beforehand; to foreknow: of those whom God elected to salvation.’ ‘Predestinate’ is proorizō (pro-or-id’-zo): ‘to predetermine, decide beforehand; in the NT of God decreeing from eternity.’ ‘Conformed’ is summorphos (soom-mor-fos’): ‘having the same form as another, similar.’ Amazing Grace did not only foreknow the born again Christian, the grace of God predestined me for salvation knowing fully well that I would accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.
Having said Romans 10:9-10 in the prayer that concludes the soteriological ritual, God did what none can ever bring to perfection. He ‘conformed’ me – a born again – to the image of Himself’: for is it not understood that “he that seeth Him – Jesus – hath seen the Father” (John 14:9)? Now, that brings one closer to understanding why it says, “Ye are gods”. God looks at me, a Christian, and who does He see? He sees the Christ in me. What does He call me? He will adorably intone, “My dear son in whom I’m well pleased!” Amen.
Get born again. Say this simple prayer, believing it with all your heart. Say:
“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”
(…to be continued…)
Read part one here
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