John 3:16,17 states: “For God so loved the world ….” that He wants everyone in the world to be saved.  Consensus holds that everyone who believes that statement is saved by acclamation, by proclamation from on high, and that John 3:16,17 (the headline) proves it.  Nothing could be further from Biblical Truth.  The Apostle John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” proves this Truth in verses 18-21 (the fine print), as well as in his three epistles.  The other apostles prove it in their epistles, as did Jesus of Nazareth in the four gospels.  Let us briefly return to the gospel of John in a quick review which will prove that God is right and man is wrong.  Note specifically a few statements that prove that simply believing in Jesus and taking Him as one’s personal Savior does not save the soul: “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IS CONCONDEMED ALREADY” (vs 19).  The key Word, the Word which the whole of professing Christendom misunderstands, is “believe.” Belief=faith. Faith=knowing that the Bible is God’s Word and taking it at face value (Rom. 10:19).  This is true, Biblical faith.  This is the faith that leads to righteousness, which grows into holiness, which results in salvation (Rom 6:20,22) for the one who walks in holiness “unto the end” of his life or of this age (Mat. 10:22).

The Apostle James noted that faith that does not result in WORKS (obedience to the WORD upon which faith is based) is dead faith.  Dead faith=dead person.  God condemns the one who does not WORK (do) His WORD, which He also calls His COMMANDMENTS.  This is brought out graphically in John 14:15,21-24 by JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF.  Recall that John 3:16-21 was also spoken by Jesus.  In John 14:15 Jesus did not say: “If you love Me believe in Me.”  Instead He said: “If you LOVE Me, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.”  The Word “keep” is a military term meaning to surround, to protect.  In verse 21 Jesus again commands that we “keep” His commandments in order to prove our love for Him and His Father, Who would THEN love the commandment keeper and make their abode (living place) in him.  Note that the promise was based on KEEPING CHRIST’S COMMANDMENTS, NOT ON BELIEVING IN HIM.

Let us now carefully read verse 23 where Jesus states that he who keeps (obeys) His WORD proves that he LOVES Him.  Note that Jesus equates His COMMANDMENTS  with His WORDS.  THEY ARE THE SAME.   In verse 24 Jesus shuts the mouths of all “sinners saved by grace” who “nailed the Law (commandments) to the cross,” who are “saved by faith and grace alone,” who are not required to be “doers of the Word” (Jam. 1:22), “doers of the Law” (Rom. 2:13), doers of “My (Christ’s) sayings” (Mat. 7:24) or doers of “… whatsoever I (Christ) command you to do” (Jn. 15:13,14).  “There is a (another) way that seems right to a man, but that way leads to destruction” (Prov. 14:12).  Following the path trod by Adam and Eve, the Institutional Church has created her own “way that seems right.” That way, regardless of how “right” it “seems” to be, leads to destruction.  The one who led Adam and Eve down their “way that seemed right” is leading their spiritual descendants down that same path.  His name is Satan, the Serpent, the devil, Belial, the “angel of light” who, through his “ministers of righteousness” (1 Cor. 11:13-15) is pointing his parishioners down their respective “ways that seem right” that will lead them to destruction.

People are offended because I use the “sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:17) in the conduct of my ministry.  Admittedly, His sword/Word is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged (man-made) sword, piercing even unto the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).  Here Paul uses the opening up of physical body parts to emphasize the power of God’s Word to expose the darkness that fills the hearts of the multitudes who have been lured into Satan’s citadels.  Paul also stated that the Spirit-inspired Word of God was good for correction of those who disobey it.  Bible students notice that much of the writings of the prophets and apostles come in the form of correction/warnings.  God corrects and warns because He loves man and wants him spend eternity with Him.  But there are rules that must be followed in order for that to happen.  He is the rewarder of those who follow His rules and the rejecter of those who don’t.  When I taught in college I had a very simple system.  I would give the class my Rules of Engagement on day one.  I would then give them my formula for success and failure: follow my rules and succeed; don’t follow my rules and fail.  Very simple.  God also has Rules of Engagement.  His formula is the same: obey Him and join Him; don’t obey Him and join Satan.  The problem is that the religious masses, like Adam and Eve, want to disobey Him and join Him.  And like the Serpent, their false prophets assure them that they can.  I have made up a ditty that describes Satan’s message to the churches: “Sin and grin my friend, for in the end, you still win.  Pie in the sky, sin till you die, for in the sweet by and by, you’ll still get to fly.”  Silly, but true.  Church people listen to those who tell them that they are right.  God’s people listen to men who tell them that He is right.

The masses refuse to believe and obey God.  His reaction to man’s rejection of His Word comes in the form of curses such as wars, floods, famines, civil unrest, invasion, sickness, disease, epidemics, pandemics, drought, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, fires, etc.  Yet man refuses to believe Him.  Look at the sin-saturated United States which hypocritically prints “In God We Trust” on her currency.  All references to God will be removed when liberals regain control of the government.  Look at the result of our individual and national sins: Civil unrest, rioting, arson, robbery, anarchy, covid-19, fires, floods, drought, invasion from the south, threats from afar, former allies turning against us, a government run by mental children, high unemployment, a skyrocketing national debt, etc., etc.  Question: why is this happening to the “One Nation Under God?”  Answer: sin, with millions of “sinners saved by grace” leading by example.  L.J.