John 3:16 – 21 Sermon
Introduction:
I have always disliked John 3:16.
For many Christians it is a favorite. The numbers 3: 16 show up not only on
Bibles, but also on billboards, and tattoos. Many people can quote the verse by
heart. For others it is the basis of their faith. But I have never liked John
3:16. That may be, in itself, a heresy, and I doubt it will be last one you
hear today, but I don’t like John 3:16. I have never liked John 3: 16 because I
know what comes after it.
The scholars who put together the
Revised Common Lectionary don’t like John 3:17 on either. The lectionary is a
set group of readings for every Sunday. Each time the lectionary includes John
3, which happens a lot, three times since Lent, the reading stops at 16. That’s
why I’m leaving the lectionary today and next Sunday. As a priesthood of
believers you deserve to wrestle with the whole passage. You also deserve to
get to be heretical, or conventional, and I encourage you in the coming week,
to tell me which one are you.
Today’s scripture is also the
second half of last week’s Nicodemus story.
***
‘For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in
him may not perish
but may have eternal life.
‘Indeed, God did not send the Son
into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might
be saved through him.
Those who believe in him are not
condemned;
but those who do not believe are
condemned already,
because they have not believed in
the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the judgment,
that the light has come into the
world,
and people loved darkness rather
than light
because their deeds were
evil.
For all who do evil hate the
light and do not come to the light,
so that their deeds may not be
exposed.
But those who do what is true
come to the light,
so that it may be clearly seen
that their deeds have been done in God.’
***
I was listening to a lecture on
Church Outreach to Young Adults. Dr. Roger Nishoka, one of our denomination’s
most dynamic, brilliant, and forward thinking minds, gave the lecture. He
explained the Paradox Generation: 20 – 30 something’s, who are able to hold
with ease what might seem like contradictions to others. In explanation, he
told this story.
“One of my students,
is in the process of being a pastor and finally is being installed. He is a
Paradox Generation person, in his mid twenties. He has to be examined by a group of clergy and laypeople in order to
be a pastor. This is in the foothills region of South Carolina, Greenville - Spartanburg
area. The floor is opened up to any questions to the candidate, Rodney, and a
gentleman gets up,
“Son, I would like
to ask you a question.”
“Yes, Sir,”
“Do you believe in
John 14: 6,
where Jesus Christ
himself says, in red letters,
“I am the way, the
truth and the life,
no one comes to the
Father but by me.”
Son, do you believe
that to be true?”
Rodney says, “Yes Sir, I do.” oh,
thanks be to God.
And then Rodney, stupid, stupid, keeps on talking,
“But Sir, I also
have to say,
that God being God,
and sovereign of the universe,
that while John 14:6
I believe is true,
and Jesus did say
that, because it is in red letters,
I do believe that
God can save whomever God wants.
So that while John
14:6 is true,
I think there is a
broader truth that God can save whomever God pleases.”
“What did you just
say?”
“Well I just said
that I think God can…”
“Son, you either
believe John 14: 6 is true, or you don’t.”
“Well I do, and I
don’t.”
Roger continues his story,
“Rodney called me
the next day and said, uh Roger; you know how I asked you to hold that date for
my ordination? That date is now free. The Presbytery suspended the
conversation, a huge debate occurred, and they had to wait six more months
before they could examine him again. What I thought was oh Rodney, you are a
Paradox Generation, but your speaking to some of us who have a very hard time
holding these things with ease together, they seem like contradictions.”
Will and I sat down yesterday to
discuss this text in preparation for this sermon. We got into some of these
same loops that Rodney did with the man from South Carolina. I believe that God
loves the world. Most days, I believe Jesus is divine. Most days, I believe the
red letters are divine too. But the concept of hell, I don’t think I’ve
believed in it a day in my life. Yet, my life has at times been hell enough to
know that God is not solely loving either. All this is enough to dislike John
3:16’s conventional interpretation of either love or condemnation. Even if your
not the Paradox Generation, you also might rather lean toward heresy.
There are the nice verses,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in
him may not perish
but may have eternal life.” – Ahh
“Indeed, God did not send the Son
into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might
be saved through him.” - Ahh
And then,
“Those who believe in him are not
condemned;
but those who do not believe are
condemned already,
because they have not believed in
the name of the only Son of God.” -
Ouch!
Double Ouch if you read this
condemning in the conventional way of, ‘those who do not believe in Jesus
Christ are going to hell.’ Very painful ouch, if you believe the conventional
way, and have loved ones who are unbelievers. When I hear people talk about
the, ‘need,’ for loved ones to, ‘come to Christ,’ I recognize the pain and fear
that surround that statement. If God’s condemnation is hell for unbelievers,
than I too would be fervent in evangelism. And although it is easy to read the
passage in this conventional way, I don’t. I don’t just stop at happy verse 16
either. As a Reformed Protestant, I try to take in as much Bible, as much
context, as much history, as much science, as much of the Confessions, as much
of my life and others’ testimony, as much prayer, as much as I can into
consideration.
In looking at the context and
theology surrounding John 3:16, David Lose, a professor, and Director of
Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary, writes[1],
“The force of
God's love as articulated by Jesus does raise the question of why hell is so
incredibly important to so many Christians? As a theological concept,
"hell" is almost entirely missing from the Old Testament and surfaces
as a minor concern in the New, showing up most frequently in Jesus' parables
(which, let's not forget, regularly defy a literal reading). In contrast,
topics like proper treatment of the poor, good use of money, and the imperative
to care for neighbor and creation all capture a strikingly disproportionate
amount of the attention of the biblical authors.”
Why is it a heresy to suggest that God’s
love might be in competition with hell? Why is it a heresy to question
non-believers condemnation, when that condemnation itself questions God’s love?
Why is it heresy to dislike John 3: 16 - 21?
Perhaps these are heresies because they
make us question. Perhaps they are heresies because we uncomfortable with
questions we can’t answer for sure. Perhaps they are heresies because we like
to avoid the ambiguity of our faith. Perhaps they are heresies because we
prefer the all too easy formula of Christians win, others loose. Perhaps they
are heresies because we wish God judged others like we judge others. Perhaps
they are heresies because we cannot fully imagine God’s love and God’s grace.
David Lose
suggests,
“Our notions of hell
don't only witness to our beliefs about the afterlife, they also speak volumes
about how we imagine God. Is God primarily loving or angry, forgiving or
vengeful?
Evangelical
Conservatives seem to want it both ways: God is loving, but also just.
Therefore, while God desires that all people be saved through faith
in Christ out of love, God nevertheless must punish sinners by condemning them to hell or
God's justice would be moot. The trouble is, when that's spelled out in plain
English -- "God loves you very much, but if you don't believe the right
way you're going to suffer eternal torment" -- there's an inescapable
contradiction. Karl Barth, arguably the greatest theologian of the
twentieth-century, after listening to just such a message by a noted American
evangelist, is said to have commented that such logic sounded like the gospel,
all right, but at gunpoint.”
We are people who understand gunpoint,
perhaps that has limited us from fathoming love-point. Can we really define and
pin down how far God’s love extends. Might we hold out the possibility that
God’s love may eventually save all the world, all of God’s creation, all of
God’s Children?
[1] Lose, David,
“The Rob Bell Controversy: Does Anyone Go To Hell,” HuffingtonPost.com, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-lose/rob-bell-hell-and-john-31_b_833627.html
3/13/2011.
