Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God.He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.
8 sermons cite this verse
… but that the world through him might be saved. Verse 18, he who does, or he who believes in him, is not condemned. The word belief is put your weight on him. Trust him. Watch. But he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name or the authority of the only begotten son of God. If you're not a Christian today, and I'm not talking Christian like membership. I'm talking about Christian follower of Jesus, okay? If you're not a follower of Jesus, you are under the condemnation of your own sin. God wants you to be convicted and to be saved. Satan wants you to be condemned and lost. Romans chapter 5. Therefore, having been justified by faith, that is, we trust Christ, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which you stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Wow. A few more verses. …
… God condemn me? And John 3, 18 gives us the answer. Whoever believes in him, as in Jesus, is not condemned. But whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. This is not an impertinence to tell people about Jesus. we're not interfering in their lives. We're actually offering to them the news that is necessary for them both to know life as true life and then to know the reality of life with God in the end. So we've got creation, we've got alienation. Along with that, we've got condemnation. And of course, we said that the alienation is on two sides, so that we are alienated from God on our side on account of our rebellion against him, and we are alienated from God on his side because of his justice and because of his holiness, because he's too pure to look upon sin. Therefore, we've got a real problem, that the wrath of God has been revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of men. That is a universal reality. Well, then how in the world can there be reconciliation? …
… I'm going to John chapter three. He says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him might not perish, but have eternal life. So he says this belief, but it's really fascinating because later on, Jesus makes a contrast. And the contrast isn't between belief and unbelief. The contrast in John chapter three is between those who believe and those who disobey. So Jesus is making it very, very clear that belief is not just kind of like intellectual assent, like, oh yeah, no, I believe that God's a trinity. It's belief versus disobedience, which means to say that that term that Jesus uses for belief isn't just I understand or isn't just I accept this, but it's more. It's I accept this, I trust this, and now I'll obey. That's why we know this, we know this. Once again, it's less about knowing the right answer and more about submitting myself to the truth who's God himself. I don't think that many of us are going to stand before God and need to know the right answer to a test. …
… not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son. So let me ask you a question, when does a person become condemned? the answer, they're already condemned. If you sit here today in unbelief, you are already condemned. Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn because you're already condemned. He came in that you might have life, eternal life, and not more abundantly. So this is the thing. He uses this analogy with Nicodemus. Nicodemus would have immediately remembered the serpent being lifted up now have you guys been reading the one-year bible because we just read through this not too long ago do you remember why Moses made this snake on a pole if you will this bronze snake do you know why he made it because there was snakes going around biting everybody they were poisonous and they were dying do you remember why that happened because someone said they were complaining they were complaining about everything they ate. They're like, we're sick and tired of this manna. What is this stuff? …
… world. Why? Because they were already under the wrath of God. He didn't need to do any more condemning. He sent his son into the world to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only son. This is the verdict. Light has come into the world, but people love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be plainly seen that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. We were just over here, so loved the world that he gave his only son. And just a sentence or two later, we're in the light, living in the light, sanctified, becoming set apart and made into all of what God has put in us at salvation. We looked at this text last week in Titus, Paul speaking to one of his protégés. At one time, we too were foolish, But look at verse four. …
… whoever believes in him jesus the one talking his son that he sent into the world is not condemned but whoever does not believe in him check this out stands condemned already because he's not believed in the name of God's one and only son. God didn't invite you to church today to condemn you because he already knows you're a teacup sitting under a bowling ball. he invited you to church today to tell you that he loves you and he's got mercy toward you even though you went your own way. That's why when you look at salvation, although it starts off with bad news, depravity, and wrath, it turns pretty quickly to amazing news, which is a loving God who has mercy on his people. But then we see atonement in the story. It says that he made us alive. I just want you to focus on that. He didn't make us good when we were bad. He made us alive when we were dead. And how did he make us alive? …
… So the examination kept going. He said, okay, let me hear John 3.18. And I said, this is the condemnation that men loved the darkness rather than the light. And he said, why is that? And on his radio program I said, because their Eads are deevil. That was the end of that interview. I can hardly read that text anymore without thinking, because their deeds were evil. See the world is already exposed to the condemnation of God because we prefer the darkness to the light. Now, here's what my prayer is for the weeks to come. I don't know the state of anybody's soul in this room. We judge on outward appearances. Only God can look at the heart. But if we just go by the odds, the probabilities are extremely high that there are people right now in this room who do not know Christ, who are still living in darkness, where the darkness covers their heart and their soul. And they've never experienced the life that only He can give you. …
… Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. he who has ears to hear the word of God let them hear shall we pray Father, as we continue to give our attention to this discussion that Jesus had with a member of the Sanhedrin, we ask that what is there for our instruction may pierce our souls and our hearts. We ask these things in Jesus' name, amen. Last week I spoke briefly on chapter 3, verses 10 following, ending at verse 13, No one has ascended into heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is the Son of Man, who is in heaven. Now Jesus, in this discussion with Nicodemus, uses this title, which is his favorite title for self-description, the title Son of Man. …