"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2).
The word "propitiation" means "sacrifice." Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins.
In Romans 1:8 Paul writes, "I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world." Was their faith being proclaimed throughout the entire world—the far north, east, south, and west? Or was their faith being proclaimed throughout the entire believing world, being proclaimed among the churches? The answer is obvious. In order to understand how the word "world" is used throughout Scripture, please refer to my blog entry The Word "World".
The chances that John is referring to each and every individual in the world without exception is rather doubtful. It is more likely that he is referring to the believing world. John's letter would have been written to a specific group of people. By writing "and not for ours only," he would be referring to himself and those with whom he was writing. By writing "but also for those of the whole world," he would be informing those whom he wrote to that Jesus was also the sacrifice for the sins of all other believers wherever they may be found. There are denominations today who believe that they are the only group of people who Jesus was a sacrifice for. They believe they will be the only group of people to be in heaven. In John's Gospel, his use of the word "world" rarely ever means each and every individual without exception. If one pays close attention to the context of John 3:14-18, one will note that John 3:16 does not teach or refer to each and every individual without exception. We will examine this passage in a later blog entry.
If John is referring to each and every individual without exception, he is in no way declaring that their sins are forgiven because of this sacrifice. He is merely stating a fact that Jesus was a once-for-all-time sacrifice for all sin. To misquote this verse and misinterpret it as saying that each and every individual without exception has their sins forgiven, then when they die in unbelief what is there left to condemn them? If their sins are already forgiven, then there is nothing remaining to condemn them with on Judgment Day. By a misuse of this verse, we have once again provided support for the heresy of Universalism—the belief that everyone will be saved and make it to heaven one way or another.
Another possible understanding is that by "whole world" John is referring to the created order—not to individuals. The Bible teaches us that God is redeeming the world—the created order—to Himself as well and that it groans for the day of redemption (see Romans 8:20-22; 2 Corinthians 5:19; etc.).
The word "propitiation" means "sacrifice." Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins.
In Romans 1:8 Paul writes, "I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world." Was their faith being proclaimed throughout the entire world—the far north, east, south, and west? Or was their faith being proclaimed throughout the entire believing world, being proclaimed among the churches? The answer is obvious. In order to understand how the word "world" is used throughout Scripture, please refer to my blog entry The Word "World".
The chances that John is referring to each and every individual in the world without exception is rather doubtful. It is more likely that he is referring to the believing world. John's letter would have been written to a specific group of people. By writing "and not for ours only," he would be referring to himself and those with whom he was writing. By writing "but also for those of the whole world," he would be informing those whom he wrote to that Jesus was also the sacrifice for the sins of all other believers wherever they may be found. There are denominations today who believe that they are the only group of people who Jesus was a sacrifice for. They believe they will be the only group of people to be in heaven. In John's Gospel, his use of the word "world" rarely ever means each and every individual without exception. If one pays close attention to the context of John 3:14-18, one will note that John 3:16 does not teach or refer to each and every individual without exception. We will examine this passage in a later blog entry.
If John is referring to each and every individual without exception, he is in no way declaring that their sins are forgiven because of this sacrifice. He is merely stating a fact that Jesus was a once-for-all-time sacrifice for all sin. To misquote this verse and misinterpret it as saying that each and every individual without exception has their sins forgiven, then when they die in unbelief what is there left to condemn them? If their sins are already forgiven, then there is nothing remaining to condemn them with on Judgment Day. By a misuse of this verse, we have once again provided support for the heresy of Universalism—the belief that everyone will be saved and make it to heaven one way or another.
Another possible understanding is that by "whole world" John is referring to the created order—not to individuals. The Bible teaches us that God is redeeming the world—the created order—to Himself as well and that it groans for the day of redemption (see Romans 8:20-22; 2 Corinthians 5:19; etc.).