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NASB | John 3:16 ¶ "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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
Subject: Is God omnipotent? |
Bible Note: Dear John, Perhaps then it is necessary to look at the passages that Paul referred to from the Old Testament, namely I Kings 19:18 (referenced in Paul's letter in verses 3-4). The remnant of Israel that God "kept for himself" were those who remained strong in their faith. They obeyed God's will, by not "bow(ing) thier knees to Baal." Those who were not chosen were excluded because of thier own choices, the bad judgment exercised by their free will. Had they remained faithful they would have been included as ones whom God kept for himself. Regarding verses 6-7, and his message of grace by grace and not by works. I whole-heartedly agree with your assessment that even today many try to earn their way to heaven, hardened against the message of grace through faith. The "chosen" to which he refers to when he says, "those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened" were chosen not by some arbitrary method known only to God, but they were chosen because of their faith, just as the remnant of 7,000 that God told Elijah he had chosen were chosen because of their faith. Verse 8 is again referencing the Old Testament, specifically the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 29, which in verses 13-14 states: "Then the Lord said, 'Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed." Those who were made blind and left in a stupor were being punished for their lack of obedience, which was a manifestation of their lack of faith in God. In verse 9, Paul once again referenced the Old Testament, Psalm 69. It reads as such: "May their table before them become a snare; and when they are in peace, may it become a trap. May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, and make their loins shake continually. Pour out Your indignation on them, and may Your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be desolate; may none dwell in their tents. For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten, and they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded." God always lets us choose, to accept His Grace or to remain hardened. Indeed he punished the Israelites for their unbelief and faithless acts, and took away their sight and ability to hear. He did this as a punishment for their perpetual sins, namely unbelief (specifically in his Son). Once again I draw on a passage later in the chapter in that Paul states: "Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches (the Jews), He will not spare you (the Gentiles), either." Blessings, LGC |