John 3:17

John 3:17. For God sent not the Son into the world that he may judge the world; but that the world through him may be saved. The thought of the last verse is expanded. There it was the gift of God's love that was brought before us; now it is the mission of the Son. To ‘may perish (John 3:16) here corresponds' may judge the world, to ‘have eternal life' answers ‘may be saved.' This alone is sufficient to show that the word ‘judge,' though not in itself equivalent to ‘condemn,' has reference to a judgment which tends to condemnation. The Jews believed that Messiah would come to glorify Israel, but to judge the Gentiles; the solemn and emphatic repetition of ‘the world' rebukes all such limitations, as effectually as the words of John 3:3 set aside the distinctions which were present to the thought of Nicodemus. It may seem hard to reconcile the first part of this verse with John 5:22; John 5:27; John 9:39; John 12:48. We must, however, recognise a twofold purpose in Christ's coming. He came to save, not to judge the world. He came to judge the world in so far as it will not allow itself to be saved; and this judgment is one that takes place even now (because even now there is wilful unbelief), though it will only be consummated hereafter.