Jesus Not A Judge

Lesson #52

After twelve lessons related to John 3:16, it is time to move on to John 3:17 – 21: ¹⁷ “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (NASB).

From John 3:16 we know that God loves everyone very much. In fact he loved us so much that he sent his only Son to purchase our salvation through his death. “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Jesus comes because of our guilt as an expression of grace from the heart of God. Jesus does not come to judge because “he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” If we accept Jesus we are not judged and we receive eternal life and thus magnify the grace of God. But if we refuse his offer of salvation we remained under judgment and we perish eternally and magnify the justice of God.

We will begin our next lesson by comparing John 3:16 with John 3:18. It is an interesting comparison.

Prayer

Father, thank you that I no longer stand guilty before you because of my sin. Lord Jesus, thank you for taking my place and setting me free of guilt. Thank you, Father, for sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in me as assurance of my salvation.