I would like to explore a familiar passage of scripture with you.

John 3:16-17 Amp. For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

The apostle John had such a revelation of this love that he recorded in his own book that he was the “disciple whom Jesus loved” four different times in three consecutive chapters. History also reveals to us that John spent time in jail, was beaten, boiled in oil and when that failed to kill him, the Emperor banished him to the isle of Patmos where he wrote the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. He did not die in prison, but outlived the other apostles by more than 30 years and died in peace in Ephesus in 95 AD at about 101 years of age. My point being, that beating, torturing, being boiled in oil couldn’t kill him because he was confident of the love of his God and Savior.

What I never really knew before studying out this passage was that God loved the world, just think of it, the world. Does that mean He loves our planet? Well, yes, that’s included, but He loves the people of the world, or mankind! The word for ‘world’ in the Greek is Kosmos and means: the circle of the earth; the inhabitants of the earth, the human family; the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ. God loves people!

Now let’s take a look at the word for “salvation” or “saved” from John 3:17. It’s the Greek word’Sozo which means: to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction, to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health. So, He wants to save mankind from danger or destruction, and from disease. He wants to make well, heal, restore to health. When we look at the context of the passage and the meaning of the Greek word used, this is extended to mankind.

Next, let’s look at “safe and sound.” Webster’s dictionary for “safe” is: “Free from danger of any kind; as safe from enemies; safe from disease; safe from storms; safe from the malice of foes.”

His definition of “sound” is: “Entire; unbroken; not shaky, split or defective, founded in truth; firm; strong; valid; solid; that cannot be overthrown or refuted; as sound reasoning; a sound argument; a sound objection; sound doctrine; sound principles.” It also denotes being free from investigation. So, His desire is for “the world” to be free from danger of any kind, safe from disease, storms, and unbroken, not shaky, split or defective, free from investigation. Can you imagine a God whose whole purpose in sending Jesus to this earth was to provide this safety, security, peace, wholeness of body and emotions to all people? Can you imagine a God who does not have you under investigation? With most people, just the very thought of being under investigation by the IRS, the police, or any other agency instills fear in them. Are they excited to have relationship with anyone who is constantly looking to find fault with them?

When I found these things out, knowing that God loves all people, that He doesn’t have us under investigation, that He is not a fault-finding God, I too could begin to see my fellow man through God’s eyes.

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