John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

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.

John 3:16-17

Commentary

Christ's provision for the sins of the whole world is nowhere better presented than here. God wants people to be saved, not condemned (see also 1 Tim. 1:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). However, condemnation rests on those who have not trusted Christ as their Savior. Such judgment is viewed as deserved because of the sin of unbelief. One reason some people fail to respond to Jesus as the Light is that they do not want their sin exposed. Many prefer the darkness of sin to the light of the gospel, and they even hate the light. A life lived in truth is identified with the Light, and the good deeds accomplished are credited to God who enables believers to accomplish them.

Bailey, M., Constable, T., Swindoll, C. R., & Zuck, R. B. (1999). Nelson's New Testament Survey : Discover the Background, Theology and Meaning of Every Book in the New Testament (166). Nashville: Word.

BEGOTTEN, ONLY - a New Testament phrase that describes Christ as the only, or unique, Son of His heavenly Father (John 1:14, 18; 3:16-18; 1 John 4:9, one and only, NIV). The Greek word expresses the idea of distinctiveness.

Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.

John 3:18 - Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

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 3:18

Commentary

Now all mankind is divided into two classes: either believers or unbelievers. Our eternal destiny is determined by the attitude we take toward the Son of God. The one who trusts the Savior is not condemned, but the one who does not trust Him is condemned already. The Lord Jesus has finished the work of salvation, and now it is up to each individual to decide whether he will accept Him or reject Him. It is a terrible thing to reject such a gift of love. If a man will not believe on the Lord Jesus, God can do nothing else but condemn him. Believing in His name is the same as believing in Him. In the Bible, the name stands for the person. If you trust His name, you trust Him.

MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 3:18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.