Bible Discussion Thread

By J Vernon Mcgee.

Part 2

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Does it say God so loved the world that He saved the world? No, that's not what it says.

God so loved this world that He gave His only begotten Son. You see, God couldn't save the world by love, because He goes on to say "that whoever" You and I are going to perish. We're lost sinners and God still loves us, but the love of God can't bring us into heaven. God had to provide a salvation, and He paid the penalty for our sins. Now a God of love can reach out His hands to a lost world and say, "If you will believe in My Son, because He died for you-if you will come on that basis-I can save you."

God doesn't save us by His love. God saves us by His grace, motivated by His love.

We can experience supernatural interactions,

But will still have to except Christ as savior, and the evidence of your Salvation is the fruit being produced in your Life.

Thank you.

From Dr. McGee:

Part 1

A young fellow who had been attending a conference with me came up to talk. He had on a funny hat that had "love, love, love" written all over it.

I asked, "Why do you have 'love' written all over your hat?"

"Man, God is love," he said.

"Well," I said, "I agree with you. Nothing could be truer than that."

Then he added, "God saves us by His love."

"I don't agree with that," I said. "God doesn't save us by His love. Can you give me a verse that say He does?"

He scratched his head and thought a while and then admitted he couldn't think of one. "Well," he said, "if God doesn't save us by love, then how does He save us?"

"Very frankly, I'm glad you asked me that question because the Bible says, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast'( Ephesians 2:8, 9). God saves us by His grace."

Then the boy wanted to know the difference. This is how I explained it to him:

God does love you. Don't lose sight of that. God loves all of us. But God cannot, on the basis of His love, open the back door of heaven and let us slip in under the cover of darkness. He can't let down the bars of heaven at the front door and bring us in because of His love.

God is also light. God is the moral ruler of this universe. God is righteous. He is holy and He is good.

That adds up to one thing: God cannot do things that are wrong-that is, wrong according to His own standard.

So God couldn't save us by love. Love had God strapped-we could say it put Him in a bind. He could love without being able to save. I thought you would quote John 3:16 to me. Let's look at what that verse says: