When Perfect Is Not A Good Thing – Part 1
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God [John 3:16-18].
John 3:16 is one of the most recognized Bible verses ever. It can be seen displayed on signs and placards at fooball games and other sports. Even the simple chapter/verse identification is well known, being akin to a slogan. The phrase “John 3:16” by itself is equivalent to the words of the verse.
But those words are not our topic of discussion for today. They are included because it is awkward to separate v.16 from verses 17-18. We need the context of vv.16-17 to understand where v.18 is coming from, you see. Verse 18 is our topic for discussion.
Let’s read v.18 together, shall we?
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Notice in those words two classifications of people. On one side is the only begotten Son of God, on the other is mankind. Notice the two categories of humans. Some of us believe in Him, while others do not believe.
The Son of God, Jesus Christ, brings separation to the ranks of mankind. He causes division within families, within churches, within marriages, between friends and neighbors. Jesus Christ first separates the wheat from the chaff, the dross from the molten metal, before He brings peace with God to man. This perforce must occur on an individual basis. Each person is required to make his own choice of his own free will.
How does this transpire? Well, first Jesus proclaims the Gospel, which includes the truth that all men and women have sinned and are separated from God. It also includes the truth that Jesus is the only way for man to return to God. Jesus makes this possible in Himself because He died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind.
Any person who accepts this Word of God (i.e., has faith or belief), and receives Jesus’ death as the substitute offering for his own sins, has the penalty for his sins paid. Ergo, he no longer stands guilty before God’s tribunal. He is not judged.
Any person who does not receive Jesus’ death as the substitute offering for his own sins—i.e., has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God—does not have the penalty for his sins paid. He does stand guilty before God’s tribunal. But here is the detail we must understand: such a one has been judged already. He won’t stand before God’s tribunal to be judged because God already declared him guilty. He will stand before God’s tribunal for sentencing.
Contrast the two categories of mankind created by the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
• believes in Him
• does not believe
Add to this the contrast in the result of believing or not believing:
• is not judged
• has been judged already
I of necessity must talk a tad about Greek tenses here. But not to worry. I will keep it short and simple. The first result leads to a present tense verb. This means it is a continuous occurrence, a continuous present existence. In other words the believer is currently and continuously NOT JUDGED. He doesn’t have to wait until he stands before God’s tribunal to hear His verdict. The verdict is already given as an established fact, with the result being that the person who believes in the Lord Jesus as His substitute sin offering is not ever called before God’s tribunal to stand trial. He is NOT JUDGED! Rather, he is already justified (i.e., declared “not guilty!”).
The second result is not such a pleasant thing to discuss, but it is utterly real and needs our full attention. The second result stems from the past, not the present or the future. Still, it is not a past tense verb, which in the Greek is known as the aorist tense. No! It is a perfect tense verb.
But time to take a breather and sip on some spiritual Gatorade. I will explain the distinction in the next study. You won’t want to miss it because it is deeply revealing.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
John 3:16 is one of the most recognized Bible verses ever. It can be seen displayed on signs and placards at fooball games and other sports. Even the simple chapter/verse identification is well known, being akin to a slogan. The phrase “John 3:16” by itself is equivalent to the words of the verse.
But those words are not our topic of discussion for today. They are included because it is awkward to separate v.16 from verses 17-18. We need the context of vv.16-17 to understand where v.18 is coming from, you see. Verse 18 is our topic for discussion.
Let’s read v.18 together, shall we?
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Notice in those words two classifications of people. On one side is the only begotten Son of God, on the other is mankind. Notice the two categories of humans. Some of us believe in Him, while others do not believe.
The Son of God, Jesus Christ, brings separation to the ranks of mankind. He causes division within families, within churches, within marriages, between friends and neighbors. Jesus Christ first separates the wheat from the chaff, the dross from the molten metal, before He brings peace with God to man. This perforce must occur on an individual basis. Each person is required to make his own choice of his own free will.
How does this transpire? Well, first Jesus proclaims the Gospel, which includes the truth that all men and women have sinned and are separated from God. It also includes the truth that Jesus is the only way for man to return to God. Jesus makes this possible in Himself because He died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind.
Any person who accepts this Word of God (i.e., has faith or belief), and receives Jesus’ death as the substitute offering for his own sins, has the penalty for his sins paid. Ergo, he no longer stands guilty before God’s tribunal. He is not judged.
Any person who does not receive Jesus’ death as the substitute offering for his own sins—i.e., has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God—does not have the penalty for his sins paid. He does stand guilty before God’s tribunal. But here is the detail we must understand: such a one has been judged already. He won’t stand before God’s tribunal to be judged because God already declared him guilty. He will stand before God’s tribunal for sentencing.
Contrast the two categories of mankind created by the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
• believes in Him
• does not believe
Add to this the contrast in the result of believing or not believing:
• is not judged
• has been judged already
I of necessity must talk a tad about Greek tenses here. But not to worry. I will keep it short and simple. The first result leads to a present tense verb. This means it is a continuous occurrence, a continuous present existence. In other words the believer is currently and continuously NOT JUDGED. He doesn’t have to wait until he stands before God’s tribunal to hear His verdict. The verdict is already given as an established fact, with the result being that the person who believes in the Lord Jesus as His substitute sin offering is not ever called before God’s tribunal to stand trial. He is NOT JUDGED! Rather, he is already justified (i.e., declared “not guilty!”).
The second result is not such a pleasant thing to discuss, but it is utterly real and needs our full attention. The second result stems from the past, not the present or the future. Still, it is not a past tense verb, which in the Greek is known as the aorist tense. No! It is a perfect tense verb.
But time to take a breather and sip on some spiritual Gatorade. I will explain the distinction in the next study. You won’t want to miss it because it is deeply revealing.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
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