continued from post #2265
God told Moses that a person bitten by one of the serpents "will live" when the person looks at "the serpent in the wilderness".
Based on God's command about "the serpent in the wilderness" (
Numbers 21:8) and the results of the bronze serpent that Moses set on the standard (
Numbers 21:9), the population of persons that certainly were affected by God's command about "the serpent in the wilderness" in order to live were ONLY each bitten person that looked at "the serpent in the wilderness".
In other words, the population of persons associated with living by looking at "the serpent in the wilderness" was restricted to ONLY the bitten persons that looked at the bronze serpent. For simplicity, I'll call this the "population of bitten look livers".
Furthermore, there is a different population of persons. This population of persons are not in the "population of bitten look livers". For example, this population of persons could include bitten persons that DID NOT LOOK AT "the serpent in the wilderness". This population of persons I'll call the "population of non-bitten-look-livers".
Therefore, there are separate populations of persons identified in Jesus' words as recorded by the Apostle John (
John 3:14-16). There was the "population of bitten look livers"; meanwhile, there was the "population of non-bitten-look-livers"
Jesus sets the relation between differing populations of persons by way of Him including the "population of bitten look livers" (
John 3:14,
Numbers 21:9) and the population of persons represented by the word "world" who believe in Jesus (
John 3:16).
God requires for persons to believe in Jesus in order to be granted eternal life by God (
John 3:15,
John 3:16).
So, it follows, when Lord Jesus says "God so loved the world" (
John 3:16), then specifically He is saying God loves the ones who will believe in Jesus whom the Father has sent (
John 6:29).
This relation set by Jesus establishes that the word "world" as used by Jesus in
John 3:14-16includes ONLY the population of persons that currently believe in Jesus or will in the future believe in Jesus.
The Word of God conclusively proves that the context establishes the "world" as the population of God's chosen persons ONLY.
Before and after saying "world", Jesus establishes the requirement of believing in Jesus in order for persons to be in the population of persons granted eternal life by God.
Jesus, the Word of God, says "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (
John 6:29).
Jesus defines righteous faith/belief such that a person believing in Jesus whom the Father has sent is the work of God (
John 6:29).
Jesus attributes a complete package, a whole gift, a finished work which He refers to as "that you believe in Him whom He has sent".
God deposits "that you believe in Him whom He has sent" in a person as a complete, sufficiently functioning work by God unto salvation of the person with nothing additional by the person as necessary, no choice by the person, no work of a decision by the person, no acceptance by the person, nothing by the person to achieve salvation.
So, "that you believe in Him whom He has sent" is a complete thing with nothing more to add by the person to the righteous faith/belief deposited by God unto being saved from the wrath of God.
Jesus clearly explains that the "believe in Him whom He has sent" is locked inside of the "you" specified by Jesus (
John 6:29).
This "locking" is "the work of God" for God secures all of God's own persons unto eternal life (
John 10:27-29).
The whole pagkage is done, finished, and complete.
There is nothing more "to be done" by the "you" with the finished package in order to obtain the gift of eternal life in God.
Thus, the only persons with righteous faith/belief implanted by God for a person's salvation are in the population of persons with eternal life in God (
John 6:29,
John 3:16).
The Word of God conclusively proves that the context establishes the "world" as the population of God's chosen persons ONLY.
When self-will persons (
2 Peter 2:9-10) define the "world" in
John 3:16 as everyone everywhere without exception, then such persons assert that the Truth (Jesus -
John 14:6) tells a lie. The deception results because such persons have Jesus losing persons eternally in spite of Him saying "I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand" (
John 10:28).
The "no one" in "no one will snatch them out of My hand" means no one, not the devil, not the person himself or herself, not another person. The "no one" means absolutely NO ONE.
If the word "world" in
John 3:16 includes the population of persons who die while in disbelief/unfaith, then God lost some persons to eternal punishment instead of eternal life.
Since believing in the Son of God whom God the Father has sent is the work of God (
John 6:29) and no one will snatch a God rooted believer out of Jesus' hand (
John 10:28), then the population of persons represented by the word "world" by Jesus as recorded by the Apostle John (
John 3:16) must of necessity be only persons who currently believe in Jesus or will in the future believe in Jesus unto eternal life in God.
The Word of God conclusively proves that the context establishes the "world" as the population of believers, God's chosen persons, existing or yet to be ONLY.
The word "world" in
John 3:16 is the population of persons currently are or in the future to be imparted the work of God unto salvation that is faith/belief in Lord Jesus Christ whom the Father has sent (
John 6:29).