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In our brief study of John 3:16, we now come to the word 'gave.' In the English language, the word gave is simply past tense for the word give. The word give can mean: to surrender, to give over, to grant, allow, or permit, to deliver. All of these definitions give a little insight into God the Father giving, or sending His Son into the world.
In the original Greek language, the original word had many, many, different meanings. Thayer's Lexicon list some different meanings under definition 3. Here is one of them: "To give one to someone to care for his interests." Apparently, Mr. Thayer thought that God the Father sent His Son into the world to care for the needs of humanity. The Son could be a deliverer and pay the sin debt, freeing us, as well as His creation, from the bondage of sin.
God makes it rather obvious that His Son came as an act of love and grace. He delivered Him up to death on a wooden cross. John 10:15 says, "I lay down My life for the sheep." Verse 17-18 says, "I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself, I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again."
Revelation 13:10 speaks of "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." In other words, God had a plan to redeem His creation even before He created it, to rescue men from sin and death. I Peter 1:20 says, "He (Christ) indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." Ephesians 1:4 says, "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."
All of that Scripture certainly does sound like the Sovereignty of God in salvation. But we must also remember that each one of us is responsible for our eternal destiny. Although Christ laid down His life for all those the Father gave Him (John 7:37 and 39), people are still accountable. I am not saying we have a free will to choose, Adam and Eve were the only humans that had a free will! But on judgment day, we will be held accountable for our choices.
In Acts 3:23, Peter teaches both of these doctrines in one verse. "Him being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God (sovereignty of God), you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death (responsibility of man)." Peter goes on in verse 36, "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
On judgment day, no one will be able to point the finger at God and say, I didn't repent and believe because I wasn't one of the elect. Each person will be judged by his works. If someone is condemned, it is because they broke God's law and loved sin and disobedience. You will be accountable; have you accepted Christ?
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published three books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016 and Eye of a Needle in 2017 and Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.